Pod: The AI-Native Brand Revolution: A Conversation with IBM’s Karl Haller
Karl Haller, focused on Retail, Fashion and CPG for IBM consuloting joins Retailgentic to explore the rise of Agentic Shopping, AI-native brands, and predictions on retail’s AI-powered future.
Karl Haller is a Partner at IBM Consulting where he leads their Consumer Center of Competency, a global team advising retail, CPG, and fashion clients on transformation through data and next-gen technologies. Karl’s career has spanned the Internet 1.0 era, ad agencies, and retail leadership roles, giving him a unique vantage point as AI reshapes the enterprise landscape.
Listen/Watch Our Interview:
In this episode of Retailgentic, Karl unpacks how AI is driving real enterprise savings, why consumers may outpace retailers in adopting AI shopping tools, and what it looks like when a brand is “AI-native” from day one.
What We Cover:
IBM’s $3.5B in AI-driven cost savings and what that means for retailers
Why POCs are out and workflow transformation is in
The shifting expectations around contact centers and customer service
How AI-native brands might run $100M businesses with < 30-person teams
The future of personalized pricing and agent-led shopping
Why stores may become more powerful, not less, in the age of AI
When Karl thinks the real AI tipping point will arrive—and why it mirrors the dot-com boom
You won’t want to miss this one! Especially if you’re building, investing in, or operating a consumer-facing brand in the AI era.
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