B2B Commerce UnCut Podcast: The Unvarnished Truth About B2B eCommerce

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Apr 2026

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About the show

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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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 Story07:44 – What ACES and PIES Actually Are (And What They're Not)11:35 – The #1 Data Problem That Looks Like Tech But Is Actually Humans13:48 – 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 Months23:29 – The Rebelle Rally: 2,500km, No GPS, Never Camped Before29:57 – Finding Your Limits (Or Not Finding Them)30:58 – Data Dependency vs. Human Instinct33:45 – AI in Automotive: Data Normalization, Agentic Shopping & Fleet Management42:33 – What the Aftermarket Needs to Attract the Next Generation47:31 – Sam's media recommendationResources Mentioned:SEMA Data Co-op — Industry data standards organizationThe Diary of a CEO — Podcast hosted by Steven BartlettRebelle Rally — The longest off-road navigation rally in the United StatesPodcast 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 Group01:50 – How SSG's Distribution Model Works: Salons, Licenses & the Back Bar03:25 – Cost-to-Serve: Is the Digital Channel Cheaper?06:00 – Giving Reps Visibility Into eCommerce Behavior07:34 – Commissioning Reps on eComm Sales and Why It Matters08:50 – Pricing Complexity: Custom Agreements and Margin Leakage12:40 – Sales Tax Complexity and Why SSG Uses Vertex15:00 – The Tech Stack: System 2000, Qlik, and Excel18:58 – Month-End Close: Reconciling Two Different Data Structures22:07 – AI in FP&A: What SSG Is Piloting With Qlik26:00 – What a Vendor Business Case Needs to Survive an FP&A Review30:35 – Advice for Digital Champions Making the Case Up the Chain34:45 – Payments Across Channels: Cards on File, Chargebacks & Debit Card Risk39:16 – Ryan’s media recommendationsResources Mentioned:Qlik — BI and analytics tool used by SSGVertex — Sales tax automation platformImbibe 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.”Highlights01:06 – Welcome back and introducing Heather Hershey03:35 – 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 systems19:40 – The strangler pattern: modernize in chunks instead of ripping everything out21:13 – Why commerce platforms become the orchestration layer for AI/NLP24:37 – If you had $100K for AI: where to spend it 27:27 – Prisoner’s dilemma: agentic shopping and the disintermediation trap34:53 – 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.Highlights00:00 – Introduction: Meet Kyle Gustafson & His Career Path02:00 – Lessons from Office Depot, Staples, and OfficeMax04:00 – Building Private Brands and Supply Chains at Amazon06:35 – Transformation Mindset: Thinking 20 Years Ahead11:35  – Why Companies Call for Help: Common Consulting Triggers17:40 – Defining eCommerce: Where’s the line? 21:33 – Why Digital Transformation Never Really Ends28:40 – Tech Adoption and the Power of WIFM34:10 – The Alexa Microwave Story: When Customer Value Isn’t There39:23 – Leadership Lessons from Mentor Ron Lala45:10 – Book Recommendations & Closing ThoughtsResources MentionedViktor Frankl – Man’s Search for MeaningMalcolm Gladwell – The Revenge of the Tipping PointPaul 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 & ADI02:15 – What Does a Chief Transformation Officer Do?04:50 – Why Transformation Never Really Ends09:15 – Turning Strategy into Action12:54 – Upgrading Tech: From Mainframe to Microservices18:25 – Planning for Agility, Not Just Stability21:45 – “Even Better Together”: Customer-First M&A25:15 – Decision-Making: When Changes Help (or Hurt) Customers27:24 – Real Feedback: NPS, Surveys, and Store Pilots29:30 – How Distribution is Evolving Beyond Inventory34:32 – Culture Change: Project Avengers & Rebel Alliance40:13 – Radical Transparency & Leading Through Uncertainty42:35 – Leadership Lessons & Advice for Transformation46:25 – Book Recs & Closing ThoughtsResources 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 Highlights5:00 Why B2B companies still run on spreadsheets and ancient ERPs9:00 Shadow IT in B2B operations11:03 Field reps aging out, digital-native buyers moving in – how it’s reshaping expectations13:05 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 buckets19:16 Manual ordering habits (screenshots, PDFs)23:20 When eCommerce is dismissed as ‘just for small customers’ and why that’s wrong32:00 How eCommerce automation solves pain points beyond the transactional workflowResources 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 JourneyTop Gun: MaverickB2B 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 eCommerce03:00 – What distributors get wrong about email marketing (and how Kyler found the gap)05:42 – Planning and forecasting in distribution: What signals Kyler actually tracked09:45 – Why the “endless aisle” is a trap for most distributors11:40 – First growth levers: growing the sales team, fixing SEO, improving UX16:33 – The lost revenue of not capturing email22:40 – Personalization in B2B email: beyond “Hi, Bob”23:50 – Simple segmentation that works: inside vs. outside the buying window25:52 – Kyler’s 3-part B2B email marketing framework explained32:10 – What the B2B Commerce Association adds for practitioners37:23 – Kyler’s podcast and TV recommendationsResources Mentioned:How I Built This (podcast by Guy Raz)Wisdom from the Top (podcast by Guy Raz)Survivor (reality TV show)B2B Commerce AssociationThe 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 changeThanks 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 eCommerceIn 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

May 6, 202550 min

A Long-Term Bet on B2B eCommerce with the Founders of OroCommerce

In this special episode, the original founders of OroCommerce — Yoav Kutner, Dima Soroka, and Jary Carter — join the B2B Commerce Uncut podcast for a behind-the-scenes conversation about what it took to build a B2B eCommerce platform before the market was ready.They share how their early experience at Magento shaped their thinking, why OroCommerce was never just a pivot from CRM, and what it means to build for long-term customer success in a landscape obsessed with trends. If you want a front-row seat to what B2B vision looks like and the patience it demands, this is the episode to hear.Key Takeaways(01:32) How the OroCommerce founders originally met at Magento(04:18) How CRM led to commerce — and why not everyone agreed at first(06:40) Why a CRM foundation made OroCommerce stronger(09:38) The dangers of chasing trends instead of solving problems(12:55) The long-term vision: faster time-to-market and real ROI(15:20) How the product roadmap evolved from CRM roots to full B2B commerce(17:55) Where OroCommerce sees B2B eCommerce heading over the next five years(25:20) The difference between true B2B architecture and B2B add-ons(27:55) What’s changed (and hasn’t) in the eCommerce platform landscape(31:30) How AI is starting to reshape B2B buying and operations(34:36) Practical early AI use cases in manufacturing and distribution(37:53) How OroCommerce balances AI experimentation without technical debt(40:30) The story behind Jary Carter’s return to OroCommerce — and what’s nextThanks for listening to “B2B Commerce UnCut: A Journey Through Change,” powered by OroCommerce. If you found this episode useful, leave a review and subscribe to catch the next drop of real-world B2B insights.#ecommerce #b2becommerce #digitalcommerce

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