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In this episode of the DTC Podcast, we break out of pure DTC and dive into the future of retail with Shopify’s VP of Retail, Ray Reddy. We explore how Shopify is transforming POS from a mere checkout tool into a full commerce operating system, unifying online and offline, unlocking customer data in-store, and embedding AI automation in the merchant workflow.
What You’ll Learn:
Why treating POS as an operating system (not just a terminal) opens new growth levers
How Shopify enables 50–60% customer identification in physical stores (via Live Lookup)
What technical challenges (tax, permissions, compliance) matter most in unified retail
How Shopify is integrating AI to automate catalog, imagery, and advisory tasks
The importance of choosing a commerce partner for the next 5–10 years
Best Moments / Key Themes:
Evolving POS from add-on to core product
The “unified data model” philosophy versus stitched integrations
Role of AI in freeing up founders to focus on growth
The customer experience transformation in stores
The migration trade-offs and how Shopify approaches them
Whether you’re a DTC brand exploring brick‑and‑mortar or a retail brand scaling omnichannel, this episode is full of tactical thinking about infrastructure, identity, and future proofing.
Timestamps:
00:00 Shopify POS as an operating system
04:00 How Shopify’s POS evolved beyond an add-on
08:00 Why offline retail remains a massive opportunity
12:00 Unified commerce and eliminating system complexity
17:00 Unlocking customer data and personalized retail experiences
24:00 Building with platform primitives and enabling innovation
25:00 How AI is transforming Shopify’s POS and merchant support
31:00 Preparing for the next major tech shift in commerce
Hashtags:
#Shopify #POS #RetailTech #UnifiedCommerce #EcommerceStrategy #Omnichannel #RetailInnovation #AIFuture #ShopifyPOS #DTCpodcast #DirectToConsumer #RetailTransformation #AIinRetail #CommerceTrends #ShopifyTips
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