AI search is changing how customers discover brands but maybe not in the way most people think...

In this live bonus episode of Digital Cheesecake, we sit down with Garret Cunningham, VP of Global CX at Columbus, to discuss the rise of LLM-driven product discovery, “zero-click” shopping journeys, and what brands need to do to stay visible as customer behaviour evolves.

From ChatGPT recommendations to AI-powered buying decisions, this episode explores how ecommerce brands can adapt without losing sight of the fundamentals.

We cover:

• Why LLM traffic numbers can be misleading
• The rise of the “zero-click economy”
• How customers are using AI for product discovery
• Why discoverability now happens before the click
• The importance of reviews, authority and brand trust
• How AI evaluates ecommerce brands
• Why metadata and structured content matter again
• The relationship between customer experience and AI visibility
• What brands should be testing right now

If you work in ecommerce, SEO, paid search, retail or digital growth, this is a conversation worth listening to.

How AI is quietly changing ecommerce discovery 👀

Find out more about Columbus Global here: https://www.columbusglobal.com/

#AI #SEO #AISearch #ConsumerBehaviour #CustomerJourney #LLM #LargeLanguageModel #Chatbots #CRM #Customerexperience

In this episode, we turn the mics on Jack and Sarah, the founders behind Blu Digital. We skip the small talk and dive straight into the operational frameworks and strategic pivots that have allowed Blu to thrive for 15 years.
If you are interested in the reality of career growth at the executive level, this conversation is a blueprint for long-term business building.
In this episode:
• Dividing the founder role: Strategy vs. Operations.
• How to stay objective when the stakes are personal.
• The evolution of the digital talent market from 2010 to 2026.
• Lessons in scaling: When to hire, when to pivot, and when to hold.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro – The origin of Blu Digital
06:15 Splitting Founder roles for scale
13:40 Navigating high-level strategic disagreements
22:10 15 years of digital market evolution
30:50 The reality of building a "legacy" brand
38:00 Advice for long-term co-founders

Most ecommerce businesses think they’re ready to scale...

In this BONUS episode from our Live Podcast Event:

'Preparing For a New Wave of Ecommerce Growth'

Steve Webster, Former Ecommerce Director from Barbour, unpacks how growth often exposes the operational cracks already sitting underneath the business.

We discuss why so many businesses obsess over ROAS and top-line performance while ignoring the boring “unsexy stuff” that actually sustains long-term growth.

Steve also shares lessons from working with heritage retail brands like Barbour, including how operational discipline, customer service intelligence and leadership alignment can completely reshape scalability.

If you're in Ecommerce and want to scale sustainably, this one's worth your time!

#ecommerce #growth #podcast #marketingpodcast