B2B Commerce UnCut Podcast: The Unvarnished Truth About B2B eCommerce

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Aug 2026

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Hear what really matters in B2B. If you’re just dipping your toes in the waters of B2B eCommerce or if you’ve jumped into the deep end, we’re here to help. No BS, just honest, open talk about B2B eCommerce. Hear from thought leaders, disrupters, innovators, survivors, and winners.

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51 recent

August 10, 202634 min

Step Zero: What Comes Before Every AI Rollout in B2B

Kulmohan Makhija of Azilen joins Aaron Sheehan to talk about the unglamorous reality of implementing AI in B2B manufacturing and commerce. Kulmohan shares why buyers are shifting their focus from flashy interfaces to operational systems, explains how agentic AI and Model Context Protocol (MCP) are changing system integrations, and breaks down why clean data is the mandatory "step zero" before any AI rollout. Episode Highlights: 00:07 – Introduction: Meet Kulmohan Makhija & Azilen's AI Practice 02:13 – Interfaces vs. Systems: What Buyers Are Actually Willing to Pay For 08:04 – Why No Manufacturer Wants AI Writing to Their ERP (Yet) 08:45 – MCP Explained: From API Guesswork to Governed Orchestration 12:58 – Low-Risk vs. High-Risk: Where the Human Stays in the Loop 17:14 – The High-Speed Garbage Cannon: Data Quality as Step Zero 19:14 – Digital Product Passport: When Compliance Forces a Data Reckoning 26:04 – How an SI Sells "We'll Do Less of What You Pay Us For" 28:43 – What Happens to My Team? Reading the Room on AI Adoption 31:20 – 12 Months From Now: What We'll Stop Arguing About Resources Mentioned Book: Everyday Creativity by Pavan Soni Kulmohan Makhija’s email: kulmohan.makhija@azilen.com

April 22, 202650 min

Why Data Culture Matters More Than Platforms: Sam Russo on Automotive Aftermarket

Sam Russo, Director of Demand Gen & Strategic Alliances at Pivotree, joins Aaron Sheehan to talk about the messy, human side of automotive data. Sam shares her unconventional path into data, explains why ACES and PIES aren't magic bullets, and breaks down what happens when companies throw expensive tech at dirty data. She also reflects on the Rebelle Rally and what navigating the desert taught her about data dependency. Episode Highlights: 01:08 – Introduction: Meet Sam Russo & Her Automotive Origin Story 07:44 – What ACES and PIES Actually Are (And What They're Not) 11:35 – The #1 Data Problem That Looks Like Tech But Is Actually Humans 13:48 – How Well Are Manufacturers Living Up to ACES & PIES Standards? 15:50 – Why Missing Data Makes You Invisible (Especially to AI) 18:13 – Pivotree as Pit Crew: F1, Foundations, and Why Data Isn't "Fixed" in 12 Months 23:29 – The Rebelle Rally: 2,500km, No GPS, Never Camped Before 29:57 – Finding Your Limits (Or Not Finding Them) 30:58 – Data Dependency vs. Human Instinct 33:45 – AI in Automotive: Data Normalization, Agentic Shopping & Fleet Management 42:33 – What the Aftermarket Needs to Attract the Next Generation 47:31 – Sam's media recommendation Resources Mentioned: SEMA Data Co-op — Industry data standards organization The Diary of a CEO — Podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett Rebelle Rally — The longest off-road navigation rally in the United States Podcast with Chantal Schweizer from Pivotree https://youtu.be/btq8K279e_k

April 2, 202641 min

The Data Behind the Deal: B2B Distribution Through an FP&A Lens with Ryan Cosby

Ryan Cosby, FP&A Manager at Salon Service Group, joins Aaron Sheehan for a ground-level look at B2B beauty distribution. Ryan shares how SSG manages cost-to-serve across multiple channels, wrestles with pricing complexity and margin leakage, and navigates the messy realities of month-end close. He also breaks down what vendors need to bring to the table to earn a yes from finance. Episode Highlights: 00:35 – Introduction: Meet Ryan Cosby & Salon Service Group 01:50 – How SSG's Distribution Model Works: Salons, Licenses & the Back Bar 03:25 – Cost-to-Serve: Is the Digital Channel Cheaper? 06:00 – Giving Reps Visibility Into eCommerce Behavior 07:34 – Commissioning Reps on eComm Sales and Why It Matters 08:50 – Pricing Complexity: Custom Agreements and Margin Leakage 12:40 – Sales Tax Complexity and Why SSG Uses Vertex 15:00 – The Tech Stack: System 2000, Qlik, and Excel 18:58 – Month-End Close: Reconciling Two Different Data Structures 22:07 – AI in FP&A: What SSG Is Piloting With Qlik 26:00 – What a Vendor Business Case Needs to Survive an FP&A Review 30:35 – Advice for Digital Champions Making the Case Up the Chain 34:45 – Payments Across Channels: Cards on File, Chargebacks & Debit Card Risk 39:16 – Ryan’s media recommendations Resources Mentioned: Qlik — BI and analytics tool used by SSG Vertex — Sales tax automation platform Imbibe Magazine — Ryan's go-to for drinks culture, recommending it as a great example of a media brand quietly and successfully reinventing itself.

February 12, 202646 min

AI Hype Detox for Manufacturers and Distributors with Heather Hershey

What happens when you drop an LLM on top of five ERPs and a decade of M&A? Aaron Sheehan and analyst Heather Hershey map the practical path: B2B use cases that work, risks that don’t, and why chunk-by-chunk modernization beats “robot, take the wheel.” Highlights 01:06 – Welcome back and introducing Heather Hershey 03:35 – Defining AI, LLMs, and RAG 09:30 – Why probabilistic AI makes ops teams nervous 11:58 – Is LLM an overkill compared to ‘boring’ machine learning and rule-based systems? 15:19 – The real blocker: fragmented data across ERPs and other systems 19:40 – The strangler pattern: modernize in chunks instead of ripping everything out 21:13 – Why commerce platforms become the orchestration layer for AI/NLP 24:37 – If you had $100K for AI: where to spend it 27:27 – Prisoner’s dilemma: agentic shopping and the disintermediation trap 34:53 – Agentic commerce predictions for B2B 40:30 – Are people replacing Google with LLMs?

September 1, 202548 min

The Transformation Mindset and the Power of WIFM with Kyle Gustafson

This week, we met Kyle Gustafson, civil engineer by training, digital commerce expert by career. From scaling office supply giants to building businesses at Amazon, Kyle reflects on what digital transformation really takes and why WIFM – “What’s in it for me?” – is the key to adoption and growth. Highlights 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Kyle Gustafson & His Career Path 02:00 – Lessons from Office Depot, Staples, and OfficeMax 04:00 – Building Private Brands and Supply Chains at Amazon 06:35 – Transformation Mindset: Thinking 20 Years Ahead 11:35 – Why Companies Call for Help: Common Consulting Triggers 17:40 – Defining eCommerce: Where’s the line? 21:33 – Why Digital Transformation Never Really Ends 28:40 – Tech Adoption and the Power of WIFM 34:10 – The Alexa Microwave Story: When Customer Value Isn’t There 39:23 – Leadership Lessons from Mentor Ron Lala 45:10 – Book Recommendations & Closing Thoughts Resources Mentioned Viktor Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning Malcolm Gladwell – The Revenge of the Tipping Point Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley – The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI

August 6, 202548 min

People, Process, Progress: Inside ADI’s Continuous Transformation with Allie Copeland

Allie Copeland, Chief Transformation Officer at ADI Global, joins Aaron Sheehan to break down what transformation looks like in wholesale distribution. From merging companies and overhauling tech to building a customer-first culture, Allie shares how ADI keeps progress moving, even when change never ends. Episode highlights: 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Allie Copeland & ADI 02:15 – What Does a Chief Transformation Officer Do? 04:50 – Why Transformation Never Really Ends 09:15 – Turning Strategy into Action 12:54 – Upgrading Tech: From Mainframe to Microservices 18:25 – Planning for Agility, Not Just Stability 21:45 – “Even Better Together”: Customer-First M&A 25:15 – Decision-Making: When Changes Help (or Hurt) Customers 27:24 – Real Feedback: NPS, Surveys, and Store Pilots 29:30 – How Distribution is Evolving Beyond Inventory 34:32 – Culture Change: Project Avengers & Rebel Alliance 40:13 – Radical Transparency & Leading Through Uncertainty 42:35 – Leadership Lessons & Advice for Transformation 46:25 – Book Recs & Closing Thoughts Resources mentioned: • The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil • Apple in China by Patrick McGee

July 8, 202546 min

Not Just Sales: The True Value of eCommerce for B2B Brands with Jason Greenwood

This episode tackles the real reasons manufacturers and distributors stay stuck: old systems, patchwork processes, and business habits that don’t change overnight. Jason Greenwood and Aaron Sheehan dig into what goes wrong in B2B projects, how leaders can spot roadblocks early, and why honest internal conversations matter more than buying the latest software. Key Highlights 5:00 Why B2B companies still run on spreadsheets and ancient ERPs 9:00 Shadow IT in B2B operations 11:03 Field reps aging out, digital-native buyers moving in – how it’s reshaping expectations 13:05 The real question companies ask: Should we replace the ERP or launch eCommerce first? 15:23 Customers force the issue: “We’ll switch suppliers if you don’t make it easier” 17:05 How Jason breaks the customer base into three digital adoption buckets 19:16 Manual ordering habits (screenshots, PDFs) 23:20 When eCommerce is dismissed as ‘just for small customers’ and why that’s wrong 32:00 How eCommerce automation solves pain points beyond the transactional workflow Resources Mentioned Digital Services Layer (DSL): Jason’s concept for all the non-transactional digital capabilities customers expect. OroCommerce's AI SmartOrder: An AI-powered tool for processing unstructured purchase orders and enabling digital self-service. Upcoming Movie: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey Top Gun: Maverick B2B eCommerce World 2025 in Scottsdale, AZ

June 24, 202540 min

Growth Tactics for B2B eCommerce Teams: What Most Get Wrong About Email

Kyler Nixon, Co-Founder of Forward Studios, joins the show to unpack what most distributors and B2B eCommerce teams get wrong about email marketing and how to turn it into a growth channel. Drawing on first-hand lessons as a Chief Revenue Officer, Kyler breaks down how to capture more revenue, why most companies leave money on the table, and what practical steps move the needle in B2B email. Episode highlights: 00:30 – Intro: Kyler’s path from agency owner to B2B eCommerce 03:00 – What distributors get wrong about email marketing (and how Kyler found the gap) 05:42 – Planning and forecasting in distribution: What signals Kyler actually tracked 09:45 – Why the “endless aisle” is a trap for most distributors 11:40 – First growth levers: growing the sales team, fixing SEO, improving UX 16:33 – The lost revenue of not capturing email 22:40 – Personalization in B2B email: beyond “Hi, Bob” 23:50 – Simple segmentation that works: inside vs. outside the buying window 25:52 – Kyler’s 3-part B2B email marketing framework explained 32:10 – What the B2B Commerce Association adds for practitioners 37:23 – Kyler’s podcast and TV recommendations Resources Mentioned: How I Built This (podcast by Guy Raz) Wisdom from the Top (podcast by Guy Raz) Survivor (reality TV show) B2B Commerce Association The 2025 B2B Buyer Perspectives Report

June 11, 202532 min

Inside Schneider Electric’s Digital Transformation: AI, Marketplaces, and the Modern Customer

In this episode, we sit down with Steven Javor, Head of Digital Customer Experience at Schneider Electric, for an inside look at how a global leader navigates the realities of digital transformation, AI, and the fast-changing world of B2B distribution. Steven shares Schneider Electric’s lessons learned from building marketplace strategies, upskilling employees in AI, and what it takes to keep up with the next generation of B2B buyers. Key Takeaways: (02:05) An intro into what Schneider Electric does (05:28) Schneider Electric’s global approach to customer experience and digital strategy (07:34) How regional differences shape digital transformation in B2B (09:08) How B2B companies can succeed with digital (13:22) Steve’s takeaways from recent B2B Online events (15:21) The risks of not exploring and implementing digital solutions (20:33) The evolution from D2C to marketplace: supporting distributors instead of competing (24:25) Building AI competency at scale – Schneider’s internal mandate (29:10) The link between digitization, sustainability, and Schneider’s core business (31:06) Steven’s advice for digital leaders on aligning executive buy-in and driving change Thanks for listening to B2B Commerce UnCut: A Journey Through Change, powered by Oro. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe for more real-world B2B insights.

May 28, 202520 min

Beyond Portals: Building B2B Brands with eCommerce Websites

Beyond Portals: Building B2B Brands with eCommerce In this special episode, we bring you a live session from B2B Online Chicago 2025, featuring Aaron Sheehan, Head of Product Marketing at OroCommerce, and Taylor Simpson, eCommerce & Digital Marketing Strategist at Ciranda, a leading food ingredient distributor. Aaron and Taylor discuss why B2B eCommerce is about more than just portals – and how building a unified, customer-centric digital experience can transform both sales and brand value. Key Takeaways: (01:25) Why traditional portals fall short of building B2B brand trust (03:20) What's a B2B portal, and why it's not enough (04:05) Why branded websites don't drive growth either (05:38) What B2B buyers find frustrating with a current B2B commerce experience (06:50) The proposed solution: Integrating the portal and brand website into one experience (09:11) Ciranda’s journey from two sites to a single customer-first platform (12:14) Personalizing experiences for both major and long-tail food brand customers (13:50) Audience question: How are Ciranda's sales team's operations organized? (16:08) Ciranda's results one quarter after going live with OroCommerce Thanks for listening to B2B Commerce UnCut: A Journey Through Change, powered by Oro. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and subscribe for more real-world B2B insights. #b2becommerce #distribution #digitalcommerce