In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Steven Dietch, Chief Revenue Officer at Bridg, for a timely conversation on how retail media is reshaping the industry. From his early days in computer science to IBM Sweden and now leading strategy at Bridg, Steve shares how platforms like Bridg and Rippl are helping retailers turn shopper data into powerful engagement. The three dive into the opportunities and challenges facing regional players, the role of AI and third-party data, and growing concerns around data privacy and security.

This week on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary sit down with Flora Delaney, a veteran retail and CPG executive, consultant, and author of Retail: The Second-Oldest Profession.

With over 25 years of experience, Flora shares how smart space planning, strategic category management, and AI-driven insights transform today’s in-store experience.

Join us as we explore her patented Intelligent Dashboard for Pricing and Promotion, the Earned Space Model for space optimization, and why balancing national and regional retail strategies is key to growth.

In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar chat with Barry Collier. He's the co-founder of DRINKS, a leading e-commerce platform for alcohol retailers and producers. Barry shares how he went from Neopets to launching a DTC wine business, and how DRINKS has since expanded its platform and partnered with Kroger. They dive into alcohol compliance, digital retail, data, and much more.