RTMNexus

The Discipline of What You Don't Do In e-commerce, opportunity is everywhere. New paid search platforms. Emerging social channels. Endless ways to “scale.” Ryan Abood sees it differently. Yes, there are nearly 20 paid search platforms beyond Google and Bing. Yes, some brands are built entirely on social. But not every channel works for every business. Gifting behaves differently than self-consumables. What scales for one model can stall another. That’s why he takes pride in the things his team chooses not to do. In e-commerce, growth is easy. Burning money to acquire revenue? Effortless. But profitable growth? That’s rare. For Ryan, every channel runs through one filter: Is there a path to the black — or are we choosing to live in the red? Real strategy isn’t chasing every opportunity. It’s having the wisdom to pass. #Ecommerce #GrowthStrategy #Profitability #DigitalMarketing #PaidMedia #Entrepreneurship #BusinessDiscipline Ryan Abood

Authenticity is the Advantage Jen Rose, founder of Bee Cups, is on a mission to make art for insects — creating watering stations and nesting tubes that support pollinators while bringing beauty to outdoor spaces. But beyond the products, her message to women building brands is simple and powerful: Stay authentic. In a crowded marketplace, truth is magnetic. Audiences are drawn to founders who genuinely believe in what they’re building. When you show up as yourself — not a curated version of what you think a business owner should be — people feel it. For Jen, success isn’t about copying a playbook. It’s about following your dream with honesty and conviction. Because the most sustainable brand you can build… is one that’s unmistakably you. #WomenEntrepreneurs #FounderStory #AuthenticLeadership #SmallBusiness #PurposeDriven #BrandBuilding #Entrepreneurship Jen Rose

Never Stop Walking the Floor When asked about the most important lesson he’s learned from walking the floor, Ryan Abood didn’t hesitate. Take that away, he said, and it’s like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. For him, being physically present—face to face, in the same room—isn’t just a preference. It’s a competitive advantage. It’s where nuance happens. Where trust builds faster. Where real conversations lead to real results. COVID forced an adjustment. The phone and virtual meetings became the primary tools. And while he proved you can still win that way, it felt like swinging a smaller bat or using the wrong golf club. You adapt. You perform. But it’s not the same. The lesson? Tools change. Environments shift. But proximity to customers, teams, and partners will always sharpen your edge. Some strategies are modern. Some principles are timeless. #Leadership #SalesLeadership #CustomerRelationships #BusinessLessons #Entrepreneurship #Adaptability #WalkTheFloor Ryan Abood

Digital Identity Isn't Static - It's Behavioral For years, digital identity was defined by a handful of data points: email address, phone number, device, IP address. But as Diarmuid Thoma explains, that definition is rapidly expanding. Digital identity today isn’t just who you are—it’s how you behave. It’s where you shop consistently. It’s the patterns you repeat. It’s the regularity of your transactions. It’s the footprint you build over time. And unlike traditional identifiers, identity isn’t static. Emails change. Devices change. Locations shift. What truly defines a digital fingerprint is the behavioral consistency behind those elements. In a world driven by data and AI, understanding identity as dynamic—not fixed—becomes critical. Because the future of risk, personalization, and trust won’t rely on single data points. It will rely on patterns. #DigitalIdentity #RetailInnovation #AI #FraudPrevention #Ecommerce #DataStrategy #CustomerInsights Brandt Hoffman Diarmuid Thoma Vishal Patel

Profitability is the Strategy For Ryan Abood, the filter is simple: Is there a path to profitability? In a world full of growth-at-all-costs narratives, he keeps it grounded. If it doesn’t make money, it doesn’t last. Period. That’s why his team focuses heavily on mid- and bottom-of-the-funnel marketing—where performance is measurable and profitable growth is achievable. With so much opportunity in the market, they’re not chasing vanity metrics. Unless an initiative meaningfully changes the business or unlocks entirely new customer segments, it has to show a realistic path to return. At the core, the mission is clear: build a brand, solve real customer problems, and create sustainable value. Because growth is exciting. But profitable growth is what survives. #Leadership #Profitability #GrowthStrategy #MarketingStrategy #Entrepreneurship #BusinessDiscipline #CustomerFirst Ryan Abood

Return Fraud Has Evolved—Has Your Defense? Return fraud used to be relatively straightforward. Fake receipts. Dumpster diving for discarded receipts. Price switching. Wardrobing. Even collusion with employees. Most of it happened in-store and followed predictable patterns. But as Vishal Patel explains, the rise of omnichannel retail and e-commerce has dramatically expanded the fraud landscape. Today, schemes are more sophisticated—and easier to execute. Customers can claim an item never arrived. They can report it damaged. Some even use professional “returner” services that, for a fee, maximize refunds on their behalf. What was once isolated and manageable has now scaled digitally. The growth of e-commerce didn’t just expand opportunity for retailers. It expanded opportunity for fraud. The question isn’t whether fraud exists. It’s whether your systems have evolved as fast as the schemes. #RetailStrategy #Ecommerce #FraudPrevention #Omnichannel #RetailInnovation #RiskManagement #DigitalTransformation Brandt Hoffman Diarmuid Thoma Vishal Patel Appriss Retail AtData

From AI Pilots to AI at Scale: The Real Competitive Advantage As retailers look ahead to the next 12 months, the conversation is shifting. Ricardo Belmar raises the key question: how will trusted data shape competitive advantage as AI adoption accelerates? Michael Fulton’s perspective is clear: the advantage won’t go to those running the most AI pilots. It will go to those who can deploy AI reliably at scale. Retailers with trusted, well-governed data can move faster. They can confidently embed AI into real decision-making processes across the organization. Those without that foundation? They risk getting stuck in perpetual experimentation—pilot after pilot, with limited impact. In the year ahead, trusted data won’t just support AI. It will separate the retailers who scale from those who stall. #RetailInnovation #AI #DataStrategy #DigitalTransformation #RetailLeadership #DataGovernance #CompetitiveAdvantage Arnjah Dillard, CAPM Michael Fulton 🏷 Ricardo Belmar

As the ShopTalk conference begins to wind down, we talked with one of our RTM Leadership Council members to see her reaction to the experience! Dominick Miserandino Vanessa Jean Louis Laura Svejnar

RTMnexus is at Shoptalk Vanessa Jean Louis Dominick Miserandino

Adaptive Systems Are the Future of Retail Protection As AI becomes the shopper, retailers need AI on the other side of the transaction too. Vishal Patel makes the case for adaptive systems—technology that can make consistent, intelligent decisions across every touchpoint. Not just approving or declining returns, but optimizing in real time. Instead of blanket policies—like charging every customer a return fee—adaptive models can identify risk patterns and respond selectively. For example, nudging abusive behavior with a targeted return fee at checkout, while preserving a seamless experience for loyal customers. That’s the difference between reactive rules and intelligent protection. Future-proof retailers won’t rely on static policies. They’ll deploy systems that decide in the moment—balancing risk, optimization, and customer experience simultaneously. Because in a world powered by AI shoppers, you’ll need AI-powered protection too. #RetailInnovation #AI #Ecommerce #CustomerExperience #ReturnsManagement #RetailStrategy #DigitalTransformation Brandt Hoffman Diarmuid Thoma Vishal Patel