IMRG Takes On...

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, a podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
Is Halloween having a moment in the UK, or are we all just looking for an excuse to buy more sweets? This week IMRG Takes On… Halloween, where Andy and Tom explore the retail side of spooky season (“ooooo”). They look at product upselling and the start of Peak campaigns to the really important questions about costumes, disappointing Halloween ranges and what a zombie pub crawl has to do with romance.
 
This episode’s treats:
Does Halloween have its place in the UK?
Why spooky season is the time for product upselling
Why Tom is disappointed with Halloween ranges this year
How Andy met his wife on a zombie pub crawl - romance isn’t dead!
The five most popular Halloween outfits this year, starting with Dolly Parton
How Halloween marks the start of party season and Peak campaigns
Will Halloween save clothing retailers or will second-hand take the stake?
Scary stuff: films, monsters, and Andy & Tom’s supernatural experiences
Trick-or-treat: tales of weird things that may or may not have happened 
 
Share this episode with a fellow Halloween fan and subscribe to IMRG Takes On… because the only thing scarier than a ghost is realising you’ve missed the next episode.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, a podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
From serious conversations about AI governance and growth to a pink tote bag that Andy takes to Screwfix, this episode covers the full range of expo life. With special guests joining live from eCommerce Expo, Andy and Tom explore why retailers are feeling excited, how consumer purchasing behaviour is changing, and whether expos can be less awkward. The conversation then turns to Team IMRG’s competition to predict the eCommerce Awards winners, before reflecting on some of the world’s more unusual conferences.
This episode covers:
Why there’s an air of excitement among retailers right now
Are people inserting silly words into their presentations at expos?
Live at ECE: Ensuring the governance of AI and preventing silly mistakes
Awkward interactions at expos; should name badges be placed on faces?
Live at ECE: Consumer purchasing behaviour and AI’s role in growth
The best merch at expos (Queue Andy’s trip to Screwfix with a pink tote bag)
Awards ceremonies: What happened at the eCommerce awards this year? Rivalry!
Weird conferences around the world: real life mermaids, Irish redheads, taxidermy
Featuring guest speakers:
Steve Warrington, SVP of Client & Industry Engagement at Upp.ai
Aynsley Peet, Head of Growth at The Pixel

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
In true A Christmas Carol style, we’ve had the past and imagined the future, but now it’s time to take on the present. Andy and Tom look at what’s happening in eCommerce right now: how the market is performing after the hottest summer ever, why Tom avoids the high street, and why eCom is pulled into every economic wobble.
From Vinted’s challenge to clothing retailers and beauty’s strong performance, to premium prices, political scandals and whether Andy is a premium guy, this episode asks where the substance is, and when a ticket, pint or pair of trousers simply becomes too expensive.
How is eCommerce performing this year with the hottest Summer ever?
Why are people (Tom) not visiting the highstreet?
Why that when times are bad, eCommerce is pulled into it
Style over substance; are people getting the limelight who shouldn’t?
Political scandals: is money always at the heart of them?
The falling category: Has Vinted taken over clothing retailers? 
Category of growth: Why beauty is the leading the way right now
How is premium retail performing, and is Andy a premium guy?
How much is too much £ for tickets, lager, clothes?…
 
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
 
For our sixth episode, we’ve taken on AI with help from the retailers using it. Recorded at our recent Tech & AI event, Andy speaks to retailers about treating AI as an extra member of the team, using it to speed up repetitive tasks, take meeting notes and improve visibility in AI search.
Then the conversation quickly moves beyond the everyday. Is AI a supreme intelligence or a glorified search engine with the mind of a six-year-old? Should we give it a name and remember to say please? And could it eventually replace humans – or Andy – become our therapist, produce the next generation of music stars or even rent people to complete its tasks?
 
Meet the digital teammate: how retailers are already using AI at work
Naming your AI, saying please and treating it like part of the team
Supreme intelligence or a six-year-old? Retailers reveal how smart AI really is
AI search and how retailers can make sure their brand becomes the answer
The ‘AI could never’ trend and the things that will always require a human
Could AI replace humans – and, more importantly, could it replace Andy?
Uploading your consciousness and the possibility of living forever through AI
AI-generated superstars and whether music needs a human story behind it
AI therapy versus the importance of genuine human connection
Rent a Human: have we reached the point where AI is delegating jobs to us?
 
Featuring guest retailers:
Sarah Shakery, Ecommerce Director at Drakes
Mat Brown, Head of Ecommerce at Universal Works
Guy Meisl, Operations Director at Radley
Robert Kulawik, COO at Stroodles
Vladimir Pomitun, Ecommerce Director at Futon Company
Madison Macinnis, Brand & Digital Marketing Manager at TONI&GUY Global
India McCullough, Senior Ecommerce Executive at TONI&GUY World
 
We’ve explored the past and predicted the future of eCommerce. Now it’s time to take on the technology already changing it.
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
 
For our fifth episode, we’ve taken on the future of eCommerce. Andy and Tom explore how AI, autonomous vehicles, hyper-personalisation and 3D printing could transform retail, while asking some bigger questions about what the future might hold. From a world without queues and Christmas shopping to teleportation, time travel, holograms and aliens, they separate the genuinely possible from the “proper futuristic stuff”...and, naturally, decide who would be more likely to survive the end of the world. 
 
Could AI take over retail and what is the impact on subscription models?
Goodbye queues and Christmas shopping: how Andy would use AI to make life easier 
Autonomous vehicles: Will next day delivery be standard within 10 years?
Looking back to the future: what could smart glasses offer that phones can’t? 
Examples of all-purpose technology to stop thieves in shops 
Films that predicted the future, and which sci-fi ideas could still become reality? 
Can hyper-personalisation bring an end to mass selling and endless discounting? 
The end of the world: Who would survive, Andy or Tom?
Uses of light sabers, teleportation, time travel, holograms, dimensions, and aliens
 
Last episode we explored the past, but now time to take a step back to the future.
 
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
 
For our fourth episode, we've taken on the history of ecommerce. Andy and Tom pit historical figures against one another to decide who would thrive in modern eCommerce roles (could Queen Elizabeth I optimise a search bar?), revisit the moments in history that could have benefitted from online shopping, and look back at the milestones that transformed retail into what it is today.
 
The very first eCommerce transaction: when was it and what was bought?
Why eCommerce took off in the UK and gave us an early advantage
Battle of historical figures: Who would Andy and Tom hire for modern eCommerce roles?
How broadband, Wi-Fi and smartphones supercharged eCommerce
How Facebook kickstarted the world of social media advertising
Did Covid-19 permanently transform eCommerce, or has its impact faded?
History's what-ifs: Stonehenge to famous battles - the moments that needed ecom
Tom asks a very important question: Andy, "do you wear a wig?"
The ideas that never took off: Voice commerce, same-day delivery and the metaverse 
 
Hot off the press: this has officially become Tom's favourite episode so far. We suspect his inner history nerd had something to do with it. We hope you enjoy it just as much. 
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce, all with a healthy dose of humour.
For our third episode, we're taking on festival season and what it means for British culture and eCommerce. Andy and Tom explore changing festival crowds, the rise of the "grey pound", and the retail opportunities behind summer spending. Then comes Einstein comparisons, rubber dinghy races and some of the world's strangest festivals.
 
In this episode:
The festival products retailers should be pushing to drive sales
Has Glastonbury changed? And who headlined for Andy’s first festival?
Are the older and wealthier generations ruining festivals? Meet the "grey pound" 
How retailers can cater to every demographic; the grey, purple and black pounds 
Tom and Andy create the perfect demographic to get Britain back on its feet
Why festival season and Summer sales are the perfect retail pairing 
What Andy wears at festivals and how it compares to Einstein
The weird and wonderful festivals around the world that fit Andy perfectly
Tom's own festival tradition: a legendary Hampshire rubber dinghy race
 
No wristband required! Listen on your favourite streaming platform now.
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

For our second episode we have taken on what is arguably the most influential trading factor of eCommerce… The Great British Weather. Our IMRG dynamic duo, Andy Mulcahy and Tom Jacobs, are back to discuss the weather’s influence on online sales, alongside anecdotal stories about how the weather ruined their lives. 
 
In this episode:
How the weather brought on Andy's fear of heights - and yet he skydived
Is the weather the only thing that genuinely impacts eCommerce?
Tom’s experience of turbulence and being abandoned on a plane
How weather has become the get out of jail card in retail, and perhaps fairly so
Why we should play to our strengths and make our flag a carrot
Do heatwaves have any direct impact on eCommerce?
Hot or Cold: a game to test Andy’s (and your) weather knowledge
Why retailers should hope for ever-changing weather
Andy’s weekend spent in a hazmat suit - “We meshed together!”
Bournemouth VS abroad, why people are still going on holiday
If you like eCommerce insight, but would also like a laugh, then we’re confident you will enjoy this episode.
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.

Welcome to IMRG Takes On, the new podcast from IMRG, where eCommerce market expert Andy Mulcahy and the veritable Tom Jacobs take on the trends, challenges and events shaping retail and eCommerce – all with a healthy dose of humour.
For our first episode, we're taking on the FIFA World Cup. As the tournament gets underway, we explore what it could mean for retailers, from shifts in demand and conversion rates to marketing strategies and consumer behaviour.
In this episode:
The products and categories most likely to benefit from the World Cup
What previous tournaments can tell us about retail performance this year
Whether Andy cries during football matches
 A retailer question on the best time to send marketing emails during the tournament
An unexpected discussion about the Pepto-Bismol advert
How brands can tap into the World Cup conversation without official sponsorship
A Michael Jackson singalong you definitely weren't expecting
What to do if you'd rather avoid the football altogether
Whether you're a football fanatic, a reluctant viewer, or simply interested in the impact of major events on retail, this episode has something for you.
Subscribe now to catch future episodes and send your questions to membership@imrg.org for a chance to feature in an upcoming show.