EP105: TikTok Shop, Agentic AI, and the Future of Retail Trust with Kelsie Johnston

2026-01-28

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Join host Wendy Liebmann as she sits down with Kelsie Johnston, a retail strategist with a career spanning Macy’s, Walmart, Coty, and most recently, TikTok. In this episode of Future Shop, Kelsie breaks down the seismic shift from traditional omnichannel retail to the exploding world of social commerce and the dawn of “Agentic AI.” They discuss why brands and retailers must move beyond transactional selling to build genuine community and trust in an era where algorithms and AI agents will soon curate what we buy.

Join host Wendy Liebmann as she sits down with Kelsie Johnston, a retail strategist with a career spanning Macy’s, Walmart, Coty, and most recently, TikTok. In this episode of Future Shop, Kelsie breaks down the seismic shift from traditional omnichannel retail to the exploding world of social commerce and the dawn of “Agentic AI.” They discuss why brands and retailers must move beyond transactional selling to build genuine community and trust in an era where algorithms and AI agents will soon curate what we buy.

Highlights:

From Omnichannel to Agentic: Tracing the evolution of shopping from “buy online, pickup in store” to AI-driven discovery.
The TikTok Strategy: Why the platform is less about selling and more about fueling the “trust signals” of the future.
Fast vs. Slow: Understanding the modern shopper's desire for friction-free speed or immersive, slow retail experiences.
Retailer Advice: Why prioritizing pace and psychological safety is critical for legacy brands trying to survive the next disruption.

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