Keeping Commerce Weird is a biweekly podcast hosted by Commerce CEO Travis Hess that explores the quirks, creativity, and human side of modern commerce. Each episode mixes hot take and insights, candid conversations with those who know the industry best, and customer stories with a spotlight on the unexpected niches and cultural shifts shaping how we buy and sell. By “keeping it weird,” the show celebrates what makes our industry refreshingly different — bold, relatable, and ahead of the curve.
To stay connected, follow our X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
New Tech, Same Ol' Humans: The Psychology Behind Commerce
Commerce VP of Market Strategy Al Williams and host Travis Hess explore enduring human psychology driving commerce decisions despite evolving technology.
4 Aug 2026
Platform Hunger Games: Open Platforms, Open Opinions
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with B2B commerce strategist Brent Peterson to examine the current ecommerce platform landscape. They explore why merchant freedom, platform fit, and customer ownership matter even more in the AI era, while divulging a few unpopular opinions along the way. Call it platform group therapy disguised as a history lesson, with a running reminder that there's no one size fits all platform.
7 Jul 2026
The State of Commerce: Truth, Hype, & The Banana Stand
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with ecommerce strategist and industry commentator Vinny O'Brien for an unfiltered conversation on AI, commerce, and the stories everyone keeps getting wrong. From hot takes on profitability, marketplaces, and industry hype to why B2B might have more to teach us than B2C, they unpack what's actually changing — and what isn't. Tune in for sharp opinions, a few laughs, and a reminder that there's always money in the banana stand.
9 Jun 2026
The Middle Miles: The Hidden Future of B2B Commerce
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess is joined by B2B commerce strategist, former Forrester analyst, and author Andy Hoar to unpack what AI actually means for the future of B2B. They explore why AI adoption may be happening faster than most people realize, why the biggest opportunities aren't always customer-facing, and why changing processes might matter more than buying new technology. Tune in for a candid conversation on AI-native companies, the hidden power of the "middle mile," and why the future of B2B belongs to organizations that can combine great data, smarter workflows, and very human expertise.
Check out Andy's new book here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2XNDJD3).
12 May 2026
AI Bots Are Weird: Commerce is Weirder
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess is joined bt analyst Heather Hershey to unpack why AI in commerce feels both inevitable and a little unhinged. They dig into what’s actually changing (hint: it’s not just the storefront), why product data is suddenly the main character, and how brands are navigating a world where bots are rewriting the rules of discovery and decision-making. Tune in for a candid conversation on how the future belongs to those who can turn messy data into meaningful experiences — without losing their minds (or their brand) along the way.
16 Apr 2026
Commerce Live Teaser: How to Get an AI Growth Mindset
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson (https://www.anderssorman-nilsson.com/)for a candid conversation on what happens when AI stops assisting the shopper and starts becoming the shopper. They unpack how agentic commerce is reshaping discovery, trust, and the customer journey — and how annoying CAPTCHAs have gotten. Tune in for a preview of Anders’ upcoming Commerce Live (https://events.commerce.com/commercelive/) keynote on April 30 in Chicago and why brands need to prepare now for what’s coming next.
24 Mar 2026
AI Transformation: You're Not Early, You're Late.
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with digital transformation veteran Andy Lark for a candid conversation on what AI transformation really means. They unpack why this isn’t just another tech upgrade but a full systems rethink — from feeds and data to orchestration and customer experience. Tune in to hear why most companies are stuck in old patterns (yes, still repainting the same garbage truck) and why the brands that win are the ones that center everything around the customer.
3 Mar 2026
CEO to CEO: How to Scale Without Snapping
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with Patchworks CEO Jim Herbert for a candid CEO-to-CEO chat. Tune in to hear them unpack what real leadership looks like under pressure — delegating without losing control, embracing the lonely parts of the job, and building teams that can handle growth without chaos. They dig into why APIs are the backbone of modern commerce, where AI is genuinely useful (and where the hype runs hot), and why the backend might just be the real star of the show.
10 Feb 2026
Pizza and Product: Why Craft Always Wins
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with Commerce CPO Vipul Shah to talk product strategy through the most serious lens imaginable: pizza. Tune in to hear them unpack how great products are built — nailing the basics, balancing speed with quality, and knowing when to take bold swings without breaking trust. It’s a conversation about catering to customers, nailing your craft, and if pickles belong on pizza.
20 Jan 2026
Commerce Cab Confessionals: NRF and the Road Ahead
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess hits the streets of NYC, literally, from the Commerce Cab during NRF 2026. Joined by Dave Brown from Accenture Song (https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/accenture-song-index), the conversation covers what retailers are really talking about coming out of Retail’s Big Show, why AI has officially moved from buzzword to business mandate, and what the newly announced Commerce + Accenture partnership signals for the year ahead. Tune in for an open conversation about innovation, collaboration, and navigating what’s next — recorded in traffic, as intended.
30 Dec 2025
The Snark Tank: Agency Survival Session
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with RMW Commerce (https://www.rmwcommerce.com/) founder and Watson Weekly host Rick Watson to unpack what happens to digital agencies when AI, tighter budgets, and platform wars hit all at once. Together they unpack everything from doomed pricing models to the real opportunities ahead, while digging into how agencies can move beyond implementation work and actually own business outcomes. It’s part industry therapy session, part agency masterclass, and part roast of the world’s most unhinged professional platform.
9 Dec 2025
From Boomers to Zoomers: Our Culture is Commerce
Nearly half of consumers wake up already thinking about what to buy — which explains a lot about our overflowing carts and our collective inability to log off TikTok. In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess sits down with Future Commerce’s Philip Jackson and Alicia Esposito to make sense of a world where discovery, decision, and purchase now happen in the same scroll. From AI recommendations that hype you up to Gen Z treating malls like retro theme parks, they dig into what happens when culture, community, and commerce fully merge. Learn more in the full report co-authored by Future Commerce and Commerce, New Modes: Redefining Personalization in the Age of AI (https://www.bigcommerce.com/resources/reports/future-commerce-report-cdl-report/)
18 Nov 2025
Analysts and Amaro: StrategyēM Gives It to Us Neat
In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, Travis Hess grabs a barstool with StrategyēM co-founders Bill Friend and Brian Walker — the analyst duo mixing speakeasy vibes with sharp strategy. Expect product enrichment for answer engines, agents that shop for you, and how poetry sharpens positioning. Plus: duck-fat bourbon, milk-clarified cocktails, and a definitive “Aperol? hard no.” Looking for more recipes and riffs? Check out the StrategyēM newsletter, Cocktails and Commerce (https://cocktailsand.substack.com/).
4 Nov 2025
AI, Data, and the End of Boring Commerce
Uh oh, is your shopping cart sentient? In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, host Travis Hess and Sharon Gee dive headfirst into the great AI unknown — where data is power, agents are customers, and shopping might just outsmart us all. Tune in to see why in the race to the future, weird is the winning strategy. Plus, don't forget to check out our BigSummit Youtube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDeJkLOuyms&list=PLN-fQKKeiQvIOoDMZoRuOyRtEaj2aAOgu) for more AI insights.
31 Oct 2025
AI, Tariffs, and Tinsel (Oh My): Unboxing the Holiday Hustle
Last year, shoppers spent a staggering $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday — and 2025 is already shaping up to be another wild ride. In this episode of Keeping Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) Weird, host Travis Hess chats with B2C VP Al Williams about her winding road to Commerce and her first-hand survival tips for navigating the holiday rush. Along the way, Travis launches an unapologetic anti–pumpkin spice campaign, we uncover a few questionable holiday gifts from our guest's past, and everyone agrees that weird is the real holiday spirit.Check out our New Modes (https://www.bigcommerce.com/resources/reports/future-commerce-report-cdl-report/) report with Future Commerce, plus explore our featured Commerce customers for gift ideas: Holliball (https://theholiball.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqg-o91WGvucDKfDYuolwVYyFzBoN1yXILhz2evZA8oxEaGihCJ)and Skeeball (https://skeeball.com/)
6 Oct 2025
Travis Hess is Keeping Commerce Weird
In this inaugural episode of Keeping Commerce Weird, Commerce (http://www.commerce.com/) CEO Travis Hess and CMO Michelle Suzuki dive into the wonderfully strange side of modern commerce — where quirky ideas, bold brands, and unexpected customer stories redefine what it means to stand out. From sharing BigSummit conference insights to recounting some of their favorite Commerce customers (cuckoo clocks, anyone?) to discussing and the merits of drinking while ice fishing, Travis and Michelle prove that the future of commerce is anything but ordinary.
For a closer look into this year's BigSummit sessions, explore our Youtube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDeJkLOuyms&list=PLN-fQKKeiQvIOoDMZoRuOyRtEaj2aAOgu).
Browse this episode's featured merchants: Cattle Visions (https://cattlevisions.com/), Bavarian Clockworks (https://www.bavarianclockworks.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoruPNjkqH_0_GEbM78yJ_JnJfMvBj3KGrGm-TDKhrckJnSTwQnP), and Norsland Lefse (https://norslandlefse.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo_v1n16-g8Df9nJBoSVmCj_Mw3-TbgHtTvhdMAlYas5zQafz25).
Inside a recent episode
New Tech, Same Ol' Humans: The Psychology Behind Commerce
Published 1 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] There's just brick and mortar, right? There's no e-commerce. There's no mail order. There's no nothing, right? The friction in the fact of location and the fact that you had to be physically located near an area. And so the introduction of mail order catalogs, right? In order to then have a fulfillment center, that became a technology that it was needed out of the friction of, I just want to buy something and I want it accessible and close to me. So I think that ultimately those are some of the patterns that I had seen in that it's less about the pattern of technology and more about there's been an introduction of maybe a new channel or there's been an exposure to the friction that has been increased by the consumer. […]
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
