Julian sits down with Sammi Cohen, Host of chart topping business podcast, Social Currency and one of the leading voices in business media. This conversation goes deep into the seismic shifts destroying traditional retail. Sammi reveals why the Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus merger is a "dumpster fire"—with billions in bonds heading south and year-over-year revenue declines. As a former Amazon Luxury Stores employee, Sammi exposes why Amazon fundamentally cannot crack the luxury consumer, despite partnerships with Saks.
Julian shares his "4-year playbook" theory—that China is exactly four years ahead of the US in social commerce evolution. That same disruption is happening NOW in America with TikTok Shop poised to hit $50 billion, pulling revenue directly from Sephora, Ulta, and traditional retailers. The convo dives into fascinating brand case studies, covering, Skims' shock value strategy with their viral "bush thong," Alo Yoga's $3,000 bag designed purely for social media buzz, and the athleisure wars between Lululemon, Vuori, and TikTok-native brands. Uncover what is really behind the edutainment craze and where the industry is headed next.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- How Sammi went from Amazon executive to full-time content creator
- The collapse of traditional retail: Saks, Neiman Marcus & luxury e-commerce
- Why legacy brands are losing to TikTok-native challengers
- The 4-year playbook: How China's e-commerce evolution predicts the US future
- Why production costs falling means creators are the new media networks
- The rise of social commerce and the death of traditional marketing funnels
- Outdoor Voices, Skims, and the future of athleisure brands
- Why Amazon's luxury strategy failed spectacularly
- The economics of creator-led brands vs. traditional CPG
- How shock value products (like that $3,000 Alo bag) drive organic media
- Sammi's vision to become the millennial Barbara Walters
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introducing Sammi Cohen & The Rise of Social Currency
1:00 The Internship Advice That Changed Sammi's Career Forever
5:00 From Running Grocery Stores at 21 to Amazon Executive– Sammi’s Career Journey
8:00 Going Viral on TikTok
16:00 Why Traditional Media Is DYING & Legacy Networks Can't Figure Out Social Media
21:00 Building a Full-Time Media Business
24:00 Saks Fifth Avenue's Financial Dumpster Fire & The Neiman Marcus Merger Explained
28:00 Inside Amazon's Luxury Failure
33:00 The China 4-Year Playbook: Will TikTok Shop Destroy Traditional Retail?
38:00 LVMH, Estée Lauder & L'Oréal’s Shrinking Margins
41:00 TikTok Shop's $50 Billion Revolution & Where It’s Headed
44:00 The Shock Value Marketing Behind Skims, Alo & More
59:00 Sammi's "Delusional" 5-Year Plan
Connect with Sammi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammicohentalks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammicohentalks
Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here.
https://www.youtube.com/@OntheRecordwithJulianReis
Comment who you want Julian to interview next!
Connect with Julian on:
Website: https://superordinary.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianreis