Sometimes fresh thinking comes with a little fresh air.
By Jillmcruz · September 24, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Sometimes fresh thinking comes with a little fresh air.
For the first time in a long time, I’m not at Groceryshop. I’ve been attending since the founding days, and it continues to be an important gathering for our industry, our clients and so many great partners. Chances are, I'll be back next year!
But this year, I decided to trade three days inside a Las Vegas conference center (and the inevitable realization that I haven’t seen daylight until I head back to the airport) for something new: Retail Club in sunny California.
And it has genuinely been a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.
I'm way out of my comfort zone. I’ve met almost no one I already know. I’m having different conversations, meeting different companies and being exposed to new perspectives on AI, agentic commerce and where our industry is headed. It’s pushed me outside of my usual circle and, more importantly, pushed my thinking. (Covering that in a different post)
There’s a lesson in that.
We spend a lot of time asking our clients and our teams to experiment. To challenge familiar ways of working. To look around corners. To find new sources of growth.
We have to be willing to do the same ourselves.
As Publicis Commerce continues to evolve, my role within it is evolving too (more to come on that soon!) And as I think about this next chapter, I want to be intentional about putting myself in places where I’ll hear something new, meet someone new and come back with ideas our clients haven’t already heard ten times.
Sometimes you have to change the room to change the conversation.
This week, that room just happens to need sunglasses and a lot of sunscreen!
#publiciscommerce #RetailClub #AI #AgenticCommerce #Commerce #Retail