OFFBounds is a podcast where commerce executives share their perspectives, successes, and lessons learned in their careers to inspire other global leaders in their journey and decision-making.
Every week, the host Paula Macaggi meets industry leaders to discuss business strategies, careers, and leadership in one-on-one conversations challenging the limits of borders and boundaries.
Paula unveils the person behind the leader and brings to her audience of commerce executives experiences to relate, motivate, and reflect on decisions that are shaping commerce.
OFFBounds is the first podcast recorded in person with audio and video featuring executives in commerce from around the world.
OFFBounds is a podcast where commerce executives share their perspectives, successes, and lessons learned in their careers to inspire other global leaders in their journey and decision-making.
Every week, the host Paula Macaggi meets industry leaders to discuss business strategies, careers, and leadership in one-on-one conversations challenging the limits of borders and boundaries.
Paula unveils the person behind the leader and brings to her audience of commerce executives experiences to relate, motivate, and reflect on decisions that are shaping commerce.
OFFBounds is the first podcast recorded in person with audio and video featuring executives in commerce from around the world.
OFFBounds’ 100th episode celebrates a major milestone by turning the spotlight on host Paula Macaggi, with Oliver Banks stepping in as guest host. The conversation looks back on how the show began, how it has grown, and what it took to get there, from Paula’s global journey and early nerves behind the mic to building a truly international retail podcast driven by curiosity and consistency. Paula shares honest lessons about confidence, the hard work behind producing a weekly show, and the realities of traveling the world to record in person. The episode is both reflective and celebratory, while also looking ahead with excitement at how OFFBounds will continue to challenge perspectives and explore the future of retail and innovation.
In this episode of OFFBounds, Paula Macaggi sits down with Mary Beth Sheridan, just a few weeks into her role as President of Jonathan Adler, to talk about how she’s thinking about the future of the brand so early on, from craftsmanship and customer connection to growth, digital-first retail, and the role of AI as a creative tool. It’s a thoughtful conversation about leading with instinct, scaling a deeply personal brand, and evolving an iconic name without losing what makes it special.
Paula Macaggi is joined by Ometria's Hannah Stacey, Director of Strategy and Product Marketing, and Rita Martins, Retail Intelligence Team Lead, to break down what really happened during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Drawing on performance data from hundreds of retail brands, they explore why Black Friday has become a full season, which categories and customer behaviors drove growth, how marketing volume and engagement shifted, and why retention remains the biggest post Black Friday challenge. The conversation focuses on what these results mean for long term growth, brand value, and how retail leaders should think about preparing for the next peak period.
Discover the trends that defined Black Friday 2025 in Ometria’s report, featuring verticalized breakdowns and expert analysis: ometria.com/page/black-friday-2025-report-offbounds
Sherry Smith, President of Retail Media at Criteo, joins OFFBounds to unpack the rapid evolution of retail media and what brands, agencies and retailers must prepare for next. From the industry’s early days in 2008 to today’s surge of more than 200 retail media networks, Sherry explains where growth is coming from, why self-serve activation is critical, how AI and agents will reshape customer journeys, and what talent and skills will win in the next phase. This is a sharp, future-focused conversation for anyone navigating retail, ecommerce, and marketing transformation.
You can read more on what we discussed here - https://hub.criteo.com/ujoFf
In this episode, Julius Carrell, Director at Enactor, breaks down why the future of retail depends on building a flexible blueprint rather than relying on rigid, legacy systems. We explore how retailers can simplify complexity, adapt faster and design technology foundations that actually match the way their business and customers evolve. From the true cost of rigid stacks to the cultural shift required for future proofing, Julius shares practical insights on creating a blueprint mindset that empowers teams, unlocks new journeys and sets retailers up for long term growth.
Julius and Enactor will be with me at NRF 2026 and you can book time with the team here.
In this episode, Paula sits down with Jill Dvorak, SVP of Content at the National Retail Federation, for a wide ranging conversation about the state of retail in 2025, the turbulence created by tariffs and policy uncertainty, and why consumers are still driving a one trillion dollar holiday season. Jill breaks down what NRF really does beyond the Big Show, the global view from APAC and Europe, the surge of AI shaping this year’s event, and the growing importance of reverse logistics and new regulations like California’s textile law. She also shares her unconventional career path and the lessons she learned along the way. This is a grounded, honest, and global look at the forces reshaping retail right now.
Learn more about Enactor and see how their platform puts you in control. Click here!
In this episode, I sit down with our first Norwegian guest: Martin Lien, Chief Commercial Officer at Norrøna, to explore how one of Norway’s most iconic outdoor brands has built a global community rooted in nature, performance and experience. We talk about Norrøna’s unique approach to product development with extreme athletes, their growing ecosystem of festivals, expeditions and hospitality, the strategy behind Norrøna House in Oslo, and how the brand is preparing for its 100th anniversary. Martin also shares lessons from his own career journey and what it takes to build a brand that stays relevant for almost a century.
Four years in tech feels like sixty, so I sat down with Matt Maher, Founder of M7 Innovations, to catch up on what’s really happening in the world of AI and retail innovation.
From agentic browsing and spatial computing to wearables like the Meta Ray-Bans, Snap Spectacles, and Apple Vision Pro, we explored the tools shaping how consumers discover and shop. Matt breaks down the difference between AI hype and real impact, why Reddit and Wikipedia are becoming key data sources for search, and how brands can win in an AI-first world by investing in authority over ads.
You can also watch the full conversation on YouTube to see the gadgets we tested in action.
In this episode of Retail Intelligence in Action, host Ron Thurston sits down with Ometria co-founders Djalal Lougouev and Ivan Mazur to explore how AI is redefining the future of retail marketing. Together, they discuss the realities of implementing AI within legacy systems, the transition from channel-based to customer-based marketing, and why data architecture is becoming just as critical as creative strategy. Through honest insights and practical examples, they reveal what it truly takes for modern CMOs to lead in an era where intelligence and innovation shape every customer interaction.
👉🏼Trusted by leading retailers like Foot Locker, Sephora, and Steve Madden, Ometria helps retailers create experiences their customers love. Find out more at ometria.com
🎧 Loved this episode? Discover more from the world of Retail Intelligence in Action here: http://ometria.com/retail-intelligence-in-action-podcast
In this episode, Paula Macaggi sits down with Richard Kestenbaum, Partner at Triangle Capital, and Forbes contributor, to break down what’s really shaping the 2025 holiday season. From tariffs and inflation to shifting consumer confidence and cautious spending, Richard shares his perspective on why “flat is the new up,” how retailers can navigate uncertainty, and what signals in M&A reveal about the health of the retail industry heading into 2026.
Check Richard's full article here
See here KPMG's tariffs report
Retail Intelligence in Action returns with Episode 3, “Beyond the Hype: How AI Fuels Speed, Insight, and Story-Doing,” where host Ron Thurston speaks with Djalal Lougouev, President of Ometria, and Pri Shumate, former CMO of the Miami Dolphins and alum of Nike and Airbnb, about turning instinct into action through AI. The conversation covers talking to your data for rapid answers, using AI as a validator rather than a silver bullet, building small pirate teams that test, learn, and scale, elevating human creativity to find the disruptive idea, rethinking agencies and org design to move from insight to execution, and driving product-market fit and revenue without relying on discounts.
👉🏼Trusted by leading retailers like Foot Locker, Sephora, and Steve Madden, Ometria helps retailers create experiences their customers love. Find out more at ometria.com
🎧 Loved this episode? Discover more from the world of Retail Intelligence in Action here: http://ometria.com/retail-intelligence-in-action-podcast
Build-A-Bear Workshop turned birthday rituals and heart ceremonies into a growth engine, with its stock up about 1,900 percent in five years and domestic store traffic up 3 percent while the national benchmark fell. Paula revisits her conversation with CTO Dara Meath to unpack the experience-first model, the rapid 18-month digital sprint from mobile POS to 2D/3D visualization, and the rise of the “kidult” that powers higher-value collecting and gifting. From clever social drops like the Fruit Stand to a culture that “sells stories, not items,” this episode breaks down how emotion, omnichannel execution, and brand discipline translate into real results. Listen for takeaways any retailer can apply.
Check my interview with Dara Meath here
See Build-a-Bear Workshop (BBW) latest results here
Visit the Bear Cave and get a CaBEARnet
In our episode 2 of Retail Intelligence in Action Series in partnership with Ometria, our host Ron Thurston speaks with Ivan Mazour (CEO,Ometria) and Julie Channing (Fractional CMO; ex-Allbirds, Levi’s, Nest) about leading with trust and authenticity in an AI-driven era. They unpack why clean, connected data is the bedrock of customer trust, how to use AI as an accelerant (not a replacement) to free teams for storytelling, where personalization truly adds value, and why transparency around AI usage will separate winners from the pack. Practical moves for retail marketing: start small, focus on retention, and partner for speed.
👉🏼Trusted by leading retailers like Foot Locker, Sephora, and Steve Madden, Ometria helps retailers create experiences their customers love. Find out more at ometria.com
🎧 Loved this episode? Discover more from the world of Retail Intelligence in Action here: http://ometria.com/retail-intelligence-in-action-podcast
What happens when an iconic Italian coffee brand finds its voice in the U.S. market? Cristian Arcangeli, VP of Marketing, Commercial Strategy and Digital at Illy Caffè, shares how the company achieved fourfold growth by staying true to its premium identity. From redefining what it means to be a luxury coffee brand in America to using Amazon as a storytelling platform, Cristian reveals how clarity, discipline and consistency turned Illy into a modern success story rooted in heritage.
Welcome to Episode 1 of Retail Intelligence in Action, a new series by OFFBounds in partnership with Ometria where we explore how AI is revolutionizing enterprise retail marketing, hosted by retail leader Ron Thurston.
There is no established roadmap for AI in retail. In this launch episode of Retail Intelligence in Action, Ron Thurston hosts Nicole Tapscott (CCO, Knix) and Djalal Lougouev (President and Co-Founder, Ometria) to show how teams can chart their own course. They discuss identifying early bottlenecks, running small but meaningful experiments, balancing scale with authenticity, making smart buy vs build calls, earning organizational buy-in with clear goals and guardrails, and avoiding the “sea of sameness” that comes from generic AI tools.
👉🏼Trusted by leading retailers like Foot Locker, Sephora, and Steve Madden, Ometria helps retailers create experiences their customers love. Find out more at ometria.com
🎧 Loved this episode? Discover more from the world of Retail Intelligence in Action here
In this episode of OFFBounds, Paula Macaggi sits down in New York with retail veteran and professor Matt Marcotte to celebrate the launch of his new book Built on Belief: Why Cultures of Commitment Are the Competitive Advantage. Drawing on three decades of leadership at Apple, Gap, Tori Burch, Bergdorf Goodman, and Salesforce, Matt shares why employees should be seen as a company’s most important customers, the difference between compliance and commitment, and why profit should be viewed as the reward for doing the right thing. This conversation is a masterclass in leadership, culture, and building brands that inspire from the inside out.
In this episode of OFFBounds, host Paula Macaggi sits down with Danielle Sporkin, SVP of Media and Marketing Services at Ferrero, to explore how one of the world’s most beloved confectionery companies is balancing heritage with innovation. From Nutella and Kinder to Butterfinger and Keebler, Ferrero’s portfolio is as diverse as it is iconic. Danielle shares how the company is embracing digital transformation, evolving its retail media strategy from search to full funnel, measuring success through incrementality, and leveraging data and AI to get closer to consumers. She also opens up about her nonlinear career path and offers advice for future leaders in marketing and retail.
In this episode of OFFBounds, Paula Macaggi sits down with Azita Martin, VP & GM of AI for Retail, CPG, and QSR at NVIDIA, the world’s most valuable company. Together they explore how AI is transforming retail, from e-commerce and supply chain optimization to computer vision, robotics, and digital twins. Azita shares real-world examples from companies like L’Oréal, Lowe’s, and Yum! Brands, and explains why agentic AI and “Physical AI” will redefine how we shop and experience brands in the years ahead.
Understand more how Nvidia supports retailers here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/industries/retail/
In this episode of OFFBounds in partnership with Groceryshop, Paula Macaggi sits down with Linda Bethea, CMO of Danone North America, to explore how one of the world’s largest food companies is navigating a massive shift in consumer behavior. From the rise of GLP-1 medications and America’s growing focus on wellness, to innovations like Oikos Fusion, cultural activations at Coachella, and retail media strategies, Linda shares how Danone is making health both accessible and engaging. She also reveals her 4 C’s of leadership: Curiosity, Courage, Conviction, and Compassion, and what it takes to build brands that truly drive sustainable growth.
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Sponsored by VTEX
In this episode of OFFBounds, Paula sits down with Jenna Bromberg, Chief Marketing Officer of Papa Johns, to explore how pizza, hospitality, and retail collide in her career journey. From Pizza Hut to Hilton to Carter’s and now Papa Johns, Jenna shares how each experience shaped her leadership and vision for the brand. We talk about personalization at scale, creative campaigns that break through culture (yes, even a garlic bath bomb 🧄🛁), and the balance between creativity and performance. She also gives us a peek into how Papa Johns is using data, loyalty, and innovation to stay at the center of family rituals and celebrations. If you’re curious about marketing that makes people hungry and engaged, this episode is for you.