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- [00:00]
A
Hi, this is Sarah Cunningham, Chief Retail Experience Officer of Flywheel, and you're listening to the CPG Guys Podcast.
- [00:09]
B
Hello and welcome to the CPG Guys Podcast. Set at the intersection of commerce and tech, your hosts Sri Rajagopalan and Peter V. S Bond explore how brands and retailers engage consumers in a digitally driven world. And now, here are the CPG Guys. Hello and welcome to the CPG Guys Podcast. I'm your puckish co host, pvsb. I also moonlight as head of industry and customer engagement at Flywheel, the commerce acceleration division of Omnicom. My fellow co host, he's the CRO at Think Blue Consulting. He's patriarch of the Raj family media empire. Parents to huge pop sensations Rhea and Lara Raj. He's the man known as Sri. His daughter's fans call him Papa Raj. He can't join us today. A couple minutes ago I spoke with him. He saw on his way to LAX trying to avoid the torrential downpour and he and his family are going to enjoy their holidays over in India. But he will see me and everyone else at CES, which kicks off January 5th. This episode will air during CES, so it is. It's timely indeed. Can't wait to see him. To our audience, please make sure you're following us on your favorite podcast platform. That way, whenever new episodes are released, they will appear automatically in your listening stream. And if you use Apple or Spotify, please leave us a rating. Why? Because it helps make our podcast more findable by your industry contemporaries. We are here to educate and entertain, so please do that. Also, make sure you check out some of our favorite podcasts like the FMCG Guys, which has a European angle, and the new SheCommerce podcast, which has a female perspective on the commerce media world. You can find links to them in the digital show notes of this episode. We love to promote other podcasts. Every once in a while you'll see on our LinkedIn page we probably post our top 20 or so podcasts. We want to get people in the habit of using podcasts as a mechanism to educate and entertain. Please do that. It's important that we create a really exciting community around that. So let's get to our featured guests. Today, brand advertisers are squarely focused on the Evolve shopper path to purchase. While there's a considerable focus on the digital elements of this journey, we need to remember that the build of transactions, particularly in grocery retail, still occurs in physical stores, ensuring that brands connect with shoppers across the entire funnel, including physical retail. Here to share with us an important perspective on how physical retail activation fits into the shopper journey more than ever are one of my Flywheel colleagues. Please join me in welcoming to the podcast Sarah Cunningham. She is the Chief Retail Experience Officer at Flywheel. Sarah's been with the legacy TPN division of Omnicom for 27 years. I can't believe your parents let you start working at 10.
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A
I know. We can just. We can. We don't have to talk about that number.
- [03:10]
B
There we go. You've got nearly three decades of very rich experience. I know it's going to be a great conversation. Sarah, greetings. Welcome to the podcast. How you doing?
- [03:18]
A
Thank you. Thank you so much, Peter. I'm really excited as having listened to you and Tree many times before.
- [03:24]
B
Thank you. We. We love doing it. I can't believe it's now been over five years. We've got 550 some episodes. It shocks me to this day, particularly when I'm out in the wild, so to speak, and people just run into me and they're like, hey, are you one of the CPT guys? I'm like, I have a face for podcasting. How do you know who I am? So strange.
- [03:44]
A
Out of the wild. Out in the wild of home goods.
- [03:47]
B
Yeah, exactly. So I want to make mention to our audience that as we go through with our conversation, they should toggle over to the digital show notes of this episode. They're going to find links to your LinkedIn profile flywheels corporate page. Because a lot of people like to multitask as they. As they hear us talking about things, they want to know a little bit more about you. Don't worry, it's all built into the show notes don't have to write anything down. Just go get the hyperlink. It's really easy. All right, so I want to move over to our questions and we'll kick it off. And this is a pretty easy one as we sit here in this episode debuts during ces, there's a lot of big news around TPN and how it fits into Flywheel. So my question is this. Can you tell us about the inspiration and the why behind bringing this new connected commerce offering to Flywheel, having TPN integrated and give us a little background on what's going on there, Sarah. Well, it's.
- [04:44]
A
I think it's actually incredibly exciting, too, that we're going to be airing during ces, because that's really where we see, as you know, a lot of the incredible innovation every year. But the real question is how much of it actually shows up for the shopper. And for me, that's where retail experience becomes the bridge between what's possible and what actually performs, which is where TVN and Flywheel really come together. And, you know, tvn, obviously being a retail experience, agency and Flywheel being really focused on the technology and the data intelligence. And now if you think about that marriage of coming together during ces, which is all about the future of technology, but the future of commerce is really about the experience. So I think it's interesting because innovation only happens when it helps make people better, easier decisions, especially in store. So the timing for me means so much because of the fact that that really is about where that innovation and that experience come together and we learn about what's going to be next.
- [05:46]
B
Yeah, I think about the store in particular is that's where the conversion happens, particularly in grocery, for about 90% of transactions. It's not to say that digital doesn't influence. It absolutely influences. We all walk into a store with a smartphone. We use it to varying degrees to learn about products, to get prices, to get inspiration for recipes or all sorts of other things we do. So I firmly believe that 100% of all transactions are digitally influenced to one degree or another. But at the end of the day, we have to remember, where is the. Where's the commerce occurring? More often than not, 90% of the time, it's physical. Stores, I think, treating them as separate worlds, there's the physical and there's the digital is not reflective of how consumers conduct commerce these days. It really is about the digital. Would you agree with that?
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A
Absolutely.
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B
Great. I would love to hear your thoughts on current trends in the commerce space that you think are influencing how brands approach connected commerce and how consumers are shopping in the digital age.
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A
So a lot of what we're seeing as far as trends that are shaping connected commerce is speed. So that speed of data, the speed of decisions, of expectations. Now, we know obviously that there's a lot of talk about AI and how AI has accelerated everything, but it's also exposing that fragmentation. So brands have more signals than ever, but fewer systems that can actually connect them. So one of the things that we're really focused on is how we're going to take all of this data and all of those expectations and really think about speed in terms of how we look at that journey, because we know that it's no longer linear and understanding more how shoppers are moving fluidly between search, between store, social and self, often in the same day. And so what our focus is going to be on is really looking at how it gives brands a way to navigate through that moving target with confidence.
- [07:48]
B
So, Sarah, I think about the data sets that are available, they're growing at an increasing rate. That's a challenge for brands. What challenges other than that are brands facing in creating a truly seamless omnichannel experience for shoppers? What are the blind spots? Right. And how can this new connected commerce offering that we're talking about with TPN folding into Flywheel alleviate some of those pain points for brands?
- [08:16]
A
So some of the biggest blind spots that we're seeing that brands face today is assuming that omnichannel strategy automatically translates into an omnichannel experience, which it doesn't. And that gap is where performance is often lost. Many brands assume that if something is seen, whether it's the media or signage, that it's working. But visibility doesn't always equal equal understanding, and understanding doesn't always equal choice. So what we often do is looking at bringing that shopper back into the room physically, behaviorally, and emotionally before the decisions are finalized. So our focus is understanding how shoppers actually move through the stores. You know, where they pause, what they notice, what's confusing them, and what builds confidence. So our work is really design that's rooted in reality and not assumptions. And so instead of asking, you know, what do we want to say, think about what decisions are we helping the shopper make. And that shift really changes everything.
- [09:17]
B
There's a lot to unpack there, Sarah. And I want to, I want to double click down on a couple of things you said there. So I think that in the era of retail media, brand advertisers have to a degree become spoiled by closed loop measurement systems that were created with product listing ads. Right. You know, that they, they, they were exposed to an ad, you know, they clicked on it, you know, whether they bought it or not. That's a very clean measurement. When you start introducing the physical store into the equation, there's always been a challenge of can you deliver personalized experiences? And, and do you need to kind of adjust expectations of brand advertisers to be more about the fact that there are relevant experiences that consumers are presented with and not necessarily personalized experiences. Would you consider that to be some of the pain points that brands are kind of coming to terms with as they start to think about this? And now if they do, then the physical store and now bringing in more technology in the store. People have their mobile devices, they're walking around the store, there's geo Fencing, there's the ability to connect with QR codes. All that kind of changes the equation. Are we moving to a point where we're getting much more comfortable, I guess, with personalization? Physical environment, what are your thoughts on that?
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A
Yes, but not the way people usually mean, I think when they say personalization. Because we know that personalization can work best oftentimes when it's designed for relevance at scale and not always just one to one targeting. So I think that we look at this as in digital environments, as you mentioned, personalization often means serving a message to a specific individual. And in physical retail, that doesn't model doesn't always translate cleanly. And it shouldn't. Because in store isn't just about one to one targeting, it's about one to many design. And that comes from having a relevance and an understanding of the context. So looking at not only just what the category is, but the mission, the time of day, the retailer this season, and the shopper's mindset, who the individual shopper is. Because that relevance is gonna be designed around the context in the physical space, not necessarily just the identity because of the nature of the situation that they find themselves in in the broader store. And so we have to adjust experiences based on understanding what that data tells us in terms of which messages can convert, which claims can confuse, and what are the ways that we're gonn earn their confidence. And that adjustment will happen through a shelf design. Right. So when we look at designing a shelf or doing anything from an aisle reinvention, how do we look at the visuals and the visual hierarchy? What are the different messaging architecture that we choose along with that content and that signage? Our goal there isn't necessarily to try and create a one to one personalization within that aisle. It's to really simplify the decision.
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B
What I hear you saying is a couple things. One, that the physical shelf is an opportunity for discovery. And how you display and activate on the physical shelf is a very important part. Underlying that is a reality that 20 years ago, the way brands created awareness is they did advertising on television. And the problem we have now is that linear television is declining in its impact. People are cutting the cable, right? They're moving to streaming. I think this is the first year where streaming audiences were larger than linear audience audiences on television. So that means television is no longer a way to foster discovery at scale the way that it had in the past. And what I hear you saying is that that can be done on physical retail. And I think what I need to remind people is that Even though they've cut the cable, they're still going into physical store. They're still shopping for groceries. And so the retail theater becomes even more important in this day and age to help stimulate discovery and awareness of products. Thoughts on that?
- [13:33]
A
I love the notion of the retail theater and it's exactly right. And it's a really important moment for reframing brands. Right now in store is the last truly scaled discovery environment. It's one of the few places left where brands can create that awareness, that context and that consideration at the same time. And what's interesting is shoppers really want to feel like the store gets them, not because it knows who they are, but because it removes that friction. And the best retail experiences are the ones that really feel helpful to that shopper, because that retail theater does matter now more than ever. But it has to be intentional. And discovery in store doesn't come from being louder or bigger. It comes from that design that helps organize and helps give that prominence and helps easily in a way to frame that moment so that shoffer can understand why something is right for them.
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B
What I hear you saying is it doesn't necessarily mean the only way to do discovery is having the big lobby entrance display. It still happens on the shelf in the aisles. There's lots of places for inspiration to occur. And I think the interesting stat you mentioned, scale, I saw a study done by Placer AI and comScore, I think it was last year, the year before that said that Walmart's in store audience is 75% larger than its digital audience. That's scale. That's scale that brands are craving. They can't get it from linear television anymore. The physical store is the place to do it. So Sarah, can you walk us through the core components of the Connected Commerce solution that the now fully integrated TPN and Flywheel are offering? How does it differentiate from what you consider to be existing offerings in the market? What makes this so unique and so game changing?
- [15:27]
A
You're exactly right. There is a place and a point where scale will help you unlock. But when you look at physical retail, whether it's a lobby entrance display, an end cap or the shelf, you're talking about one of the last remaining places where brands can reach massive audiences in a buying lot mindset. So, and that's what really makes our Connected Commerce offering, now that we're fully integrated, so different. So at its core, our solution is designed around one simple principle, which is starting first with that shopper, not the channel, and then design backwards from that moment decision. And so we, through the data and through the intelligence that is exclusive to Flywheel, we are able to deeply understand that shopper mission and what they're trying to accomplish, how they shop the category and what's going to build confidence at the shelf. Because that data and all of that commerce intelligence and what we source from Flywheels retail insights offering gives us that deep understanding. Because if you don't understand the mission, every tactic is just a guess. Then what we do is we design that experience at some point scale, including not all of those different touch points within the store, but truly laying out what we believe is the visual hierarchy that's going to guide attention and understanding. And the goal isn't about just giving something out there within the store environment to give exposure. The goal isn't just about exposure, it's about understanding. So then we look at how do we activate that experience across that physical environment and thinking about within all of the digital media that we influence across the billions frankly of impressions that we're responsible for from a performance standpoint, but really looking at that as one system. So from that discovery online, reinforcing that discovery in store and vice versa. So digital really primes the shoffer and we influence all of that priming within Flywheel. And then our creative excellence is really around delivering then the store as the experience so that best retail experience feels consistent no matter where the shopper enters.
- [17:46]
B
So what I hear you saying is around delivering better outcomes. So to that end, how do, because you've mentioned the use of data, how exactly is the platform leveraging data and insights to deliver those better outcomes in a physical retail environment?
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A
The way that we think about using the data and insights is very intentional because the data only matters if it changes what happens in the store. So our focus isn't delivering more dashboards, it's delivering that insight that can show up physically on the shelf, in the aisle and in the moment of choice. So we look at not only translating the data into decisions, but really about looking at what are those signals. We can use our, you know, not only the Flywheel commerce cloud, everything that we have access to from the Retail Insights platform. And now with the latest acquisition with an IPG and having access to the Axiom data, we'll be able to use that digital and commerce intelligence, understanding what shoppers really will respond to and which messages will convert. So not only helping build confidence in understanding which products can earn attention, but being able to show then through those signals and the insights how we're going to translate that into a Clear guidance within the physical environment.
- [19:04]
B
Yeah, I think the identity resolution is going to be an integral part of our ability to deliver more efficient and better outcomes for brands. I'll be interviewing Duncan Painter, our CEO at ces, as he talks about some of the work that, that the, the new integrated IPG elements of Axiom that you referenced are coming to life. Let me remind our audience that today I have the distinct pleasure of speaking with my colleague at Flywheel, Sarah Cunningham. She is the Chief Retail Experience Officer. All right, let's talk about integration, because I think that's important. In what ways does this new solution integrate with other ecosystem partners, retailers, marketplaces, media partners? How does this make it a more holistic overall experience that again, focuses on delivering better outcomes?
- [19:54]
A
Great question, Peter. Yes, that integration is actually foundational to the solution. But what matters most isn't just what we integrate with our ecosystem partners. It's how we use that integration to show up for the shopper. So the retailers, the marketplaces, and the media partners are all shaping that shopper journey. But the connected commerce only works when those parts are aligned around the same experience, not optimized in isolation. So we work closely within the retailer and marketplace ecosystems so that what the brands are doing aligns with how those shoppers actually navigate those environments, both digitally and physically. So respecting the retailer context, their store formats, the shop remissions, and the execution realities, and not forcing a one size fits all approach, integration starts with respecting the environment where the decisions are made. So we are on a regular basis through our retail partnerships teams working to help us understand what the patterns are at scale within each of their different retailer platforms, as well within in store, so that we can help understand the patterns, what's going to resonate, what confuses and what builds confidence. Because again, the insight doesn't live in the dashboard. It gets translated into that experience design. And it only matters. And those insights only work if it's going to change the experience. So instead of having disconnected touch points, we bring this all together within that holistic solution for our partners to align around a single goal of helping that chef or succeed, so that the best experience don't feel connected, they feel seamless.
- [21:39]
B
Yeah, yeah. I think it's important to underscore the, the point you made, which is the organization has legacy retail partnerships that are deep and, and historical, which means that we have institutional knowledge about how each of these retailers operate, the nuances, the differences. And, and you bring that to bear in how connected commerce is activated based upon the retail marketplace. That is of interest. To your clients. I think that's, that's critically important. How, of course, then, does Connected Commerce ultimately support brands in aligning sales, marketing and their data analytics teams to ensure that their execution of connected commerce is successful from an outcome perspective?
- [22:30]
A
Glad that, you know, you underscored that point because the legacy retail partnerships and institutional knowledge really do matter enormously here. We know every retailer operates differently. Different rhythms, different rules, different realities. And you know, in my experience with tpn, we're bringing decades of living that experience, of understanding those nuances and that context fundamentally to shape the connected Commerce activation in each of the marketplaces. And that institutional knowledge that we're bringing to Flywheel is what allows us to move from that strategy to execution of what really happens in the real world. But how we look at connected Commerce and aligning sales, marketing and data is aligning them around a shared outcome instead of disconnected objectives. So we anchor again everything within that mission and that moment of decision. And we are often that connective tissue within our client scopes and where we plug in with our organizations in order to help sales, marketing and the analytics teams ensure that they're looking at the same shoffer reality so that the alignment can happen more naturally. That shoffer becomes the common language across teams. So instead of each team interpreting that strategy through their own lens, Flywheels Connected commerce offering and how we show up for our clients will create a single experience framework that everyone is working towards. Sales can see how it shows up at retail. Marketing sees how the messaging can land in store. Analytics can see how the behavior change. Because alignment can only happen when everyone is building towards that same moment of choice.
- [24:13]
B
I think while it's important not to just talk about connected Commerce as a series of dashboards. Right. That's not what we're trying to do here. It's still important to recognize that there are KPIs or success metrics that brands are going to need to focus on. What are the KPIs or metrics that you recommend for brands to be adopting as true connected commerce strategies? What, what are the ones that they should really be leaning into as they think about measuring the performance of their investments?
- [24:47]
A
We look at return on experience as one of the areas we look at return on relationship with with the retailer. It's about being intentional about what we measure, because what we're measuring ultimately is going to shape behavior. And the KVIs that matter most are the ones that tell us whether the experience is actually working, not just whether the activity confirmed. Excuse me, the KVIs that matter most in connected commerce and how we look at them are the ones that tell us whether the experience is actually working, not just whether or not the activity occurred. So first and foremost, yes, we look at conversion and velocity. You know, how efficiently products are moving once the shopper encounters them. If the discovery, the clarity and the confidence are working, the conversion will follow. This is the clearest signal that the system is performing. If the experience works, the product moves. We often too have a tendency overall as marketers to not always understand that the metrics of what clarity, excuse me, one of the most and most often overlooked metrics is around clarity. Are shoppers able to quickly understand what the product is, why it matters, why it's right for them, and how that can show up is in reduced choice friction, how we hear out certain SKUs and whether or not they see a clear shelf hierarchy. So clarity is also a leading indicator of performance. And assortment is important as we look at shelf designs and how we look at making sure that SKUs and the number of SKUs don't just necessarily translate into growth. It's going to be about that right assortment, how we clearly present that design with at the shelf so that we can perform on a level that doesn't necessarily mean that just because I got assortment, I should earn that space. And again, really making sure that they understand what exactly that shopper sees. And whether or not they have that clarity, they have that less confusion because again, we know that that will translate into conversion and lift.
- [26:55]
B
So, Sarah, I would love to hear as you've been soft rolling this out and a big announcement around ces, but if you've been been soft rolling this out to select clients of the organization, what's been the general reception? What is the belief that this can actually deliver meaningful results that you're hearing from your client base?
- [27:17]
A
What's been really encouraging in these early days is that the interest is coming from a very broad cross section of our client base, but with a common mindset that the brands that are leaning in the fastest are the ones that are recognizing that this fragmentation is no longer sustainable. So they're feeling the pressure of the disconnected media, the disconnected data and the disconnected execution. And so they've been engaging us to actively look for more integrated ways forward. So what we're seeing right now with a lot of the established, strong CPG brands that we're working with is they have the scale, they have the strong retail partnerships, and they have that meaningful media investment, but they want to make the investment work harder. So we're having discussions about, you know, that common thread is about the ambition, not the size. We're also seeing a lot of interest and momentum from brands that are in growth or transformation moments. Whether that's within their portfolio evolution, the channel expansion, or just overall they want to change up how they're showing up at retail. And again, they're coming in to ask for help aligning their teams. So we're getting a lot about how do I need to approach this? How would you recommend that we take what we're doing with our data, what we're doing with the retail execution, but really tying that back to the outcomes in store? Because that phrase, that's the moment of truth really is where that moment of truth still happens. So ultimately our clients right now aren't asking for more activity, they're asking for more impact.
- [28:56]
B
So Sarah, you, you made mention of the fact they're coming to you and asking you how to, how to organize around this. Is there one right organizational approach to doing this or is it more dependent upon the nature of the category, the client? They're, how they're organized. Is it, is it about finding what's right for a client or is there a right way to do connected commerce?
- [29:17]
A
The honest answer is there really isn't one single right organizational model for connected commerce. And that's actually the point. We really develop customized solutions that are based around having a clear organizing principle that cuts across the teams, the channels and the KPI. And for us, that organizing principle is always going to be around the shopper in the moment decision because we recognize that different categories operate differently and different clients are at different sets and stages of maturity. Some are highly centralized, some are more siloed. So we don't try and force one single structure or method of working because that would actually just create friction within their own organization. Our connected commerce solution isn't about reorganizing for the sake of reorganizing. It's about aligning around outcomes. What we're seeing is that while the structures vary, the fundamentals are actually very marketably consistent. Sales, marketing and data teams all need to be accountable to the same shoffer outcome and not just their own channel metrics. Connected commerce really breaks down when ownership stays siloed. So there has to be an agreed upon experience strategy and that strategy should be designed once but then executed everywhere.
- [30:35]
B
So let's look a little forward. Obviously we're here kind of at the beginning of Flywheel's connected commerce journey. How do you want to see this evolve out over the next couple of years? What will tell you that this effort is actually succeeding. What more needs to be done? I would love to hear what your aspirational vision of connected commerce involves going out a couple of years.
- [31:02]
A
Well, I love this question because it acknowledges where we are, which is very much at the beginning, and also gives us permission to talk about, you know, where this is headed. For me, success over the next couple of years isn't about connected commerce and being a buzzword or standalone offering. It's about becoming the default way we help brands grow. I really want to see us move from this is something we offer to the way that we operate. So that means strategy, media, content, retail execution, and measurement are no longer planned in parallel. They're designed together from the start. I'd love to see connected commerce succeed when it stops being a layer and starts being the foundation. Personally, over the next few years, I want to see digital intelligence consistently and predictably shape physical retail experiences, not just in experimental ways, but in repeatable, scalable ways, where what we learn online reliably improves what happens at the shelf. So digital shouldn't just optimize the media, it should continuously improve the store. And I think that is what's a really exciting frontier in front of us. Another sign of success will be simplicity. If they're doing this right, I think clients should feel more confident and less overwhelmed. They should have fewer competing priorities, fewer disconnected plans, and clearer direction across the teams. So when that complexity goes down, the performance goes up, you know, there's still work ahead, particularly around that change management, because this connected commerce requires new ways of working, new levels of collaboration, and a willingness to let go of channel first thinking. But the good news is brands are ready for that shift because the pain of fragmentation is very real. So my aspirational vision is that connected commerce becomes the way brands design relevance at scale, especially in a world where traditional discovery channels are fragmenting and the physical retail environment not just becomes a point of sale, but a strategic advantage. Again, informed by data designed with intention and executed with consistency, Flywheel becomes known not just for helping brands perform in commerce, but for helping them design experience that actually work for shoppers. In a few years from now, if clients say flywheel made our organization clearer, our execution stronger, and our shopper experience better, I think we'll know we got it right.
- [33:35]
B
Well said. My last question to you, Sarah, is more of a personal nature. Our audience loves to not only learn about new capabilities, but they also love to understand the journeys that people have made and their passion for the industry they work in Would love For you to be sharing with our audience any lessons or mindsets you've learned and leveraged as you've grown your career. Particularly like right now, we are in a such a transformational period. There's so much change going on. How, how do you keep it focused, always advancing and really being able to deliver against your objective? It's, it's. I think those are the kind of things people are really interested in hearing about.
- [34:16]
A
I really appreciate this question because transformation isn't just something we're managing professionally now and that I've been dealing with so deeply over the last year. It's the environment we're all operating in. I've. I've seen, I would say 80% of our clients have gone through a reorg within this last year. And one of the biggest lessons I've learned over my career is that clarity matters more than certainty. Especially in periods of change. You know, you're rarely going to have all the answers, but you have to be very clear about what you're solving for. So I always come from a place of empathy. It's one of our. Also our core values at the organization. And so that's really about understanding where the shopper and the client are coming from. That really is something that I need to anchor in. I need to anchor in what matters. Because when things feel noisy or uncertain, I often want to come back to one simple question, which is, are we making it easier for people to make good decisions? And if the answer is yes, then we're moving in that right direction. So is it the right decision for our clients? Is it the right decision for that shopper that we're representing? I think it's so important right now to embrace the change, but not to chase it. Our industry is changing constantly. New platforms, new technologies, new models, right? Omni AI, which is Omnicom's AI operating platform, we're so heavily entrenched in that right now. But it's not about chasing everything that's new. It's about understanding what's enduring underneath that change. Because it's still the humans behind the technology. That human behavior, the decision making, the trust, the experience, those fundamentals don't change nearly as fast as the tools around them. You know, the tools can evolve quickly, but human behavior doesn't. For me, also, it's really about investing in the people during this transformative time that's been critical. For me, the change is really hard. It creates that uncertainty. And for us as leaders, the way that we show up in those moments really determine whether teams are feeling paralyzed or empowered. You know, you don't lead change by having all the answers. You lead it by creating confidence. And I've learned to value progress over perfection, really taking that empathy and applying that to move forward thoughtfully, learn quickly and adjust, and that momentum will start to build confidence. So right now, what's been keeping me very focused is having that clear objective of not just what we're building, but why it matters. Because right now, the objective is helping our client and their brands navigate complexity by making commerce more clear and more human. Yes, we're connecting it, but we're connecting in a way that's grounded in that purpose to make it much easier to make decisions, to prioritize, and keep everything moving forward, even during that swirl of change. I'm genuinely optimistic about this moment in our industry and that while transformation can be uncomfortable, it's also where the most meaningful growth happens, you know, for our business and for our people. If there's one thing that I'm proud of and that's what's kept me in this industry for so long, it is the ability to stay curious. Stay curious, stay grounded, staying focused in the retail experience, and the rest will follow.
- [37:38]
B
Hear, hear. Thank you for that, Sarah. This has been a great conversation to our audience. Thank you for listening to this episode. And it's amazing. I just calculated it. In 2025, we'll have produced over 5,000 minutes of content that we've pushed out on podcast episodes. Over 115 this year alone. We're grateful to the thousands of you who regularly listen to us and consume this content to both educate and entertain. Entertain. That's why we did this. We did this. Yeah, we kind of did it to kill time, the beginning of the pandemic, but it took on a life of its own. And we're so grateful when people approach us at conferences, reach out to us on email, LinkedIn and say, hey, listen, thank you for doing what you do. It's an important mechanism for this industry to learn. We take that responsibility very seriously. If you listen to us on Apple Podcast or Spotify, please take the time to scroll down and give us a star rating. Any number you want to. My favorite number is five, but it's entirely up to you. But please do that because it does make our podcast more findable by people in the industry. And that's what we're looking for. Our audience who make the show happen, sponsors, whether on this podcast or at events, hosted dinners, having us on panels. SRI and I are going to be speaking in a couple of year beginning meetings for some big brands. It's a crazy first quarter. CES, FMI, NRF Shop Talk, Detail west, the SOCOM Live conference around TikTok shop. We're going to be, we're going to be everywhere. I don't, I think I'm spending more time in the air than I am on the ground, but we'll, we'll see how that all shakes out. And of course to the 40,000 people who follow us on LinkedIn that turn to us for education entertainment, we're really grateful. We appreciate your trust. Sarah. Great conversation day. We're going to include in the Digital liner notes, as I mentioned, links to your LinkedIn profile and also to the corporate site that talks the section of the Flywheel site that talks specifically about Connected Commerce. So people who hear this are going to be easily able to find this. But I'm personally very encouraged by the vision that you painted around Connected Commerce. Bridging the physical and the digital, bringing all this data insights together to actually create a great customer experience as people are walking through the physical store, being inspired and actually converting. It's such a huge opportunity. And the fact that Flywheel has brought TPN in to bring Connected Commerce together is such a powerful message to the industry. Thanks for taking time for joining us as we go to this big announcement during ces.
- [40:21]
A
Thank you. And Peter, congratulations to you and Sree. That's very impressive. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of the conversation today and to frame Connected Commerce not just as hype, but as something very real, very practical and very necessary.
- [40:38]
B
Well Sarah, we hope you won't be a stranger. We'll get you to come back and talk to us about new and exciting Connected Commerce happenings in the industry on a future episode. As for this episode, that's a wrap we hope you have as we this kicks off the beginning of January. Hope 2026 is a tremendous year for all of you and we look forward to reconnecting with you on the next episode of the CPG Guys podcast. Goodbye. The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGuys LLC where the individual author, hosts or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPG Guys llc. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by CPGuys LLC do not represent the the views of their employers or the entity they represent. CPT Guys LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we present in this podcast.