Robert Pearson

Some thoughts on AI in Retail as we enter 2026. AI is reshaping how stores serve shoppers and how teams work behind the scenes. We’re seeing retailers use AI in two big ways: 1) On the floor. Tools like generative AI are helping associates answer product questions faster and with more confidence. 2) Behind the scenes. AI is improving forecasting, procurement, inventory, and fulfillment to reduce friction across the supply chain. What I keep coming back to is this: the win isn’t AI replacing people. The win is AI clearing the clutter so people can do what only humans can do: listen, connect, solve, and create a great experience. If you’re planning AI for 2026, pilot solutions that solve real problems, train your people so they feel like they’re using a tool in their hands, and keep the experience human. ⭐️ Because despite the new technology, retail is still a trust business. #LearnMOHR #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfRetail https://bit.ly/4qcNmgz

6

1 Comment

I just helped a client drop their ACOS from 68% to 24% in three weeks. Same budget. Same products. Different optimization strategy. Here's the 3-step framework that most sellers get backwards: The Search Term Surgery Most people optimize at keyword level first. Wrong move. Your keyword "laptop stand" might show 45% ACOS, but it's actually targeting 12 different search terms. Three of those terms convert at 15% ACOS. Two convert at 28% ACOS. Seven convert at 85% ACOS. The high ACOS is driven by those seven losers, not your entire keyword strategy. Step one: Find search terms with ACOS 40% above your target. Filter for terms with 3+ orders so you have reliable data. Add them as negative exact matches. This removes the bleeding without killing profitable traffic. The Placement Performance Hack Your keyword doesn't just show in search results. It shows three places: top of search, rest of search, and product pages. Same keyword, wildly different performance: - Top of search: 18% ACOS - Rest of search: 67% ACOS   - Product pages: 94% ACOS Amazon doesn't let you reduce bids on specific placements. But here's the workaround: increase bids on high-performing placements by 40%. Then reduce overall keyword bids by 25%. Net result: top of search stays profitable, other placements get bid cuts. The Keyword Bid Refinement Only after cleaning search terms and optimizing placements should you touch keyword bids. Look for keywords with 5+ orders and ACOS above target. Reduce bids by 20-35% depending on data reliability. More orders means more reliable data means more aggressive cuts. The Timeline That Matters Don't optimize everything at once. Week 1: Search term cleanup Week 3: Placement optimization   Week 5: Keyword bid adjustments Each change affects the others, so you need separation to see true impact. Most sellers try to fix everything in one session and create data chaos. The Common Mistake Sellers see a 55% ACOS keyword and immediately slash the bid or pause it. But that keyword might be targeting 8 profitable search terms and 2 terrible ones. Kill the bad search terms, keep the keyword alive. The keyword will likely become profitable once the losers are removed. The Reality Check New campaigns always start with high ACOS. That's normal and expected. Optimization is about surgical removal of waste, not broad budget cuts. Most profitable campaigns looked terrible before proper optimization. Ready to cut your ACOS without killing your sales volume? Book a strategy call and I'll audit your campaign structure personally.

7

8 Comments

In 2026, many portfolio brands are still carrying website decisions made years ago. What was easier at the time is now leading to slower execution, added complexity, and frustrated franchisees. You are missing out on one of the key benefits of multibrand franchisors today: economies of scale and shared resources for one of your core technologies. 2026 is the year to stop putting it off. Unify your brands and teams on a single foundation. Stop being held back. Focus on growth. #franchise #websites

13

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆. They start building weeks before peak volume hits. For DTC brands, three weak points derail high-volume performance more than any others: → 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Too much stock in one node, not enough in another. Orders pile up. Delivery times slip. → 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. If you’re leaning too heavily on one carrier, one delay snowballs into missed SLAs. → 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀. More demand doesn’t just stress pick-and-pack—it overloads systems, partners, and processes that weren’t built with headroom. The brands that handle Q4 best aren’t the ones with flawless forecasts. They’re the ones that build flexibility into their fulfillment backbone. ✓ Multi-node inventory to balance demand. ✓ Diversified carriers to absorb shocks. ✓ Smarter routing and analytics to unlock hidden capacity before it’s too late. At 1 Commerce, we see peak periods as stress tests. They don’t just reveal cracks, they highlight whether your system is built for scale. Because Q4 isn’t about chasing more orders. It’s about ensuring every order actually arrives fast, reliable, and repeat-worthy. ↳ Which operational bottleneck has cost your brand the most in past peak seasons, and how did you fix it? #Q4Readiness #SmartFulfillment #EcommerceStrategy #DTCGrowth #OperatorLed

15

4 Comments

𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀.. Nike just disclosed $1.5B in annualized tariff costs — up 50% from prior estimates. Gross margin fell 130 bps. Net income dropped 35%. Under Armour is projecting $100M in additional costs for FY2026. Footwear brands collectively paid $6.2B in tariffs last year — double 2024. 📉 This is structural P&L compression, and it's happening right now. ⚡ The tariff number itself isn't what separates winners from losers. It's the response. Some brands are eating the cost to protect share. Others are pushing price increases into a softening consumer environment. Both carry real risk — which is exactly why demand sensing matters more now than ever. 🔍 When every point of margin is under pressure, you can't afford to deploy inventory based on last year's playbook. You need to get ahead of actual demand, not react to it. 🛡️ But there's a third path: 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. 🚀 Brands that reduce markdowns and improve full-price realization by even 2-3 points offset a meaningful portion of their tariff burden — without sacrificing volume or alienating consumers. The conversation needs to shift from "how do we absorb this?" to "how do we sell better?" That's where the real margin recovery lives. 💡 #Retail #SupplyChain #Logistics #Tariffs #MarginStrategy #BusinessIntelligence #allocation #demandsensing #MFP

13

I often hear DTC founders say: "Cut the middleman—go direct to factories!" It's solid advice in theory, but here's the real-world data from the footwear industry that changes everything. 1. Volatile Pricing: Factories see new brands as risky, charging 20-30% premiums. A 2023 Footwear Industry Association report found 68% of direct deals faced mid-production price increases. 2. Deprioritized Slots: Established clients get priority. Per SGS Supply Chain Survey 2024, 55% of direct footwear orders were delayed by 4+ weeks. 3. Quality Risks: Without oversight, QC failure rates hit 40% for direct vs. under 5% with experienced partners (Asia Pacific Footwear data). At Central Team Global, our 40-year network and big-client leverage secure stable pricing, priority production, and reliable quality for scaling brands. If you're hitting these walls, message me—happy to share how we fix it! #FootwearSourcing #SupplyChain #DTC #GlobalManufacturing

4

Nike’s DTC sales dropped 8% this quarter. Digital down 14%. China down 17%. Wall Street just shaved $18B off its market cap in 24 hours. For a brand built on control, this feels like slipping on wet hardwood in Vaporflys. Retailers are watching a once-invincible DTC empire show cracks. And not hairline ones. The same Nike that spent years shoving wholesale off the court is now rebuilding those very relationships to move product again. Margin be damned. Meanwhile, direct sales. The high-margin channel everyone wants. Just lost altitude. 📉 Revenue up just 1%. Direct down. Wholesale up. 📉 Gross margin down 300bps. Tariffs alone added $1.5B to cost. 📉 Net income down 32%. Here’s where this matters for other DTC operators: 🧊 Cooling fan culture Nike’s Gen Z traction in China is fading. Guochao brands like Li-Ning are eating its lunch by mixing nationalism with social-first fire. DTC without cultural velocity is just a pretty website. 🧩 Channel purity is over The holy grail of 100% DTC is losing its glow. Hybrid returns. Wholesale’s clunky margins now look like the price of reach. 🪙 Tariff math hits fast Higher shipping fees and import costs are no longer future threats. They’re this-quarter P&L pain. Nike just wore it. 🫥 Digital ≠ automatic growth Fourteen percent down in digital for Nike is a warning bell. Having a massive base doesn’t mean guaranteed comp growth. Especially with low consumer signal and tepid product buzz. There’s no DTC without demand. There’s no margin without motion. This isn’t just about Nike. It’s about what happens when brand equity gets outpaced by structural friction. Want to win direct? Start by solving for product pull, then layer on channel control. The other way around is expensive. #ecommerce #dtc #marketplaces #retailstrategy #china

263

37 Comments

Why DTC Is Not the End Game for SexTech Direct-to-consumer is where most SexTech brands start. It shouldn’t be where they stop. DTC is powerful for: • Early validation • Messaging control • Customer education • Margin testing But DTC alone creates ceilings. Limitations founders eventually hit: • Rising acquisition costs • Platform dependency • Fulfillment and support strain • Slower trust expansion beyond core audiences The strongest SexTech brands treat DTC as infrastructure, not destiny. What comes next: • Selective retail partnerships that validate credibility • B2B and wholesale channels with aligned positioning • International expansion through trusted distributors • Education-led partnerships in wellness ecosystems Multi-channel expansion works when: • Brand language is consistent • Education assets are portable • Compliance is mature • Operations can scale without friction Brands that rush out of DTC often dilute trust. Brands that never leave DTC cap growth. At Preo Communications, we help brands design post-DTC strategies that preserve trust while expanding reach. DTC builds the foundation. The business is built beyond it.

155

2 Comments

Cross-selling doesn’t automatically grow AOV Here’s proof: I audited a Shopify store with 50K+ orders/year They sell niche footwear accessories And they were offering bundles, but only as add-ons (metal tips, lace locks) The result? ✔ 45% of orders were bundles × AOV was stuck at $13.75 The reason: Customers were buying 2-5 items per order, but almost never full sets What the data showed: - Avg. items per order: 2.5 - Common patterns: 2 or 3 colors of the same product - Most frequent combos:  -> black + white  -> sail + pink  -> Jordan 1 + aglets But the site didn’t push bundles actively It didn’t make mixing easy And it didn’t highlight common combos The opportunity? Test new mix & match formats: 1) 3-pack builder: any 3 colors 2) 2 laces + optional add-ons 3) Trio + aglets: 2 required, 1 optional + accessory Expected impact? 👉 +15-20% AOV uplift 👉 More 3-5 item orders 👉 Better category discovery This is exactly the kind of audit insight I’ll be sharing at the Shopify Founders Meetup in Bratislava - Nov 6 If you’re building a Shopify brand in Slovakia and want more ideas like this: Register here👇 https://lnkd.in/epyc4aKr

4