How to plan for the next 5 years of retail disruption
From The Commerce Collective Podcast by Flywheel Digital
June 1, 2026 · 20 min
About this episode
Emma and Doug Koontz discuss the Future Retail Disruption report and strategies for brands to navigate upcoming changes in retail.
Disruption is a familiar force in retail, yet many brands still struggle to plan ahead. In this conversation, Emma and Doug Koontz, Senior Director of retail Insights, unpack Flywheel Retail Insights’ annual Future Retail Disruption report and what it means for brands planning for 2026 and beyond. From value-seeking behavior, affordable wellness, and private label pressure to AI’s role in making conversational commerce the norm and retail media’s evolution into a full-funnel commerce engine, Doug explains the forces reshaping retail and how brands can prepare for what comes next without losing sight of the fundamentals. Download the report here.
People in this episode
Host: Emma
Guest: Doug Koontz
Topics covered
- retail disruption
- future planning
- AI in retail
- conversational commerce
- retail media
- brand strategy
Keywords
- retail
- disruption
- planning
- AI
- conversational commerce
- media evolution
- brand strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Flywheel Retail Insights
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