Here’s what went down on Day 1 at CommerceNext
AI, trust & retail ROI—what stood out on Day 1
Sophie Bruxner-Randall
June 25, 2025
Hi there!
Live from New York – June 24, 2025
Day 1 of CommerceNext 2025 opened with a bang. From practical AI deployments to fresh thinking on retail media, the real conversations were all about impact, ROI, and speed.
Here’s what we saw, heard, and loved—live from the Hilton Midtown.
Key Themes Emerging
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GenAI maturity: Brands are moving from experimentation to execution, with “agent-based” workflows rising fast.
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Retail media pressure: Everyone’s building, but the smart ones are balancing monetization with UX.
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Operational trust: Predictability, fulfillment speed, and inventory visibility are now brand differentiators.
Standout Sessions
GenAI as a Growth Lever
This packed panel explored how billion-dollar brands are reimagining go-to-market with GenAI—and why they’re prioritizing measurable ROI over moonshot prototypes.
“The ultimate question we were trying to answer was: Can machines create acceptable marketing content?”
— AJ (former Fortune 500 CMO)
With enterprise partners like Johnson & Johnson and Blue Stream, Writer.ai has helped marketers go from skeptics to scaling content in days, not months.
Newer use cases now focus on “knowledge search”—surfacing insights across scattered internal systems—and agent-based workflows that automate entire brand development processes.
“What’s exciting now is not what AI can do, but what it should do—executives are looking for time-to-value.”
— Bucha, Writer.ai
Content Breakfast: Balancing Retail Media ROI with Brand Experience
Constructor’s team unpacked the fragile UX tradeoff at the heart of retail media. If ad systems don’t talk to your organic systems, you lose both performance and trust.
“Your website isn’t a billboard. It’s the most valuable real estate you have—don’t sell it short.”
Their session showed how treating paid placements like search results—rather than fixed placements—can prevent drop-offs, improve personalisation, and protect LTV.
Meeting Customers Where They Are – Amazon Keynote
Kelsey Ayers (Amazon Buy with Prime) framed supply chain excellence as a marketing imperative.
“Today’s consumers don’t care about your internal silos. They want fast, predictable, and transparent delivery—across all channels.”
With 72% of customers now expecting same- or next-day delivery, the brands that thrive are investing in integrated inventory, real-time logistics, and buy-anywhere fulfillment models.
Brand Voices from the Floor
Our team caught up with retail leaders between sessions. Here’s what they told us:
“Everyone’s talking about AI—but what we really need is clarity on what’s actually working.”
— Wesley Jernigan, American Eagle
“We're constantly testing—anything that improves performance marketing or conversion. GenAI’s exciting, but it has to make sense.”
— Ben Chum, Revolve
“Our biggest focus? Efficiency—making small businesses shine without losing control of quality.”
— Lilian Zhu, Wolf & Badger
“Sustainability and trust are core to how we support brands like Sephora—we help verify and communicate their claims.”
— Dana Roazi, Novi Connect
Want us to cover your session? Book a chat with ClickZ — or grab us on the floor!
Fospha Spotlight: Why Measurement Is the Talk of the Show
In nearly every session and interview, the same question came up:
“How do we prove what’s working?”
From upper-funnel campaigns to retail media ROI, marketers are demanding more transparency. That’s why we’re proud to be working with Fospha, the marketing measurement platform helping ecommerce brands:
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Prove incrementality across channels
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Turn upper-funnel spend into traceable growth
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Shift from last-click to decision-grade insight
Here’s the buzz from Day 1:
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See you tomorrow for more!
The Unofficially CommerceNext Team
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