Master B2B Friday 15

Hosted by Master B2B

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Episodes

100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Each Friday Master B2B founders Andy Hoar and Brian Beck take a quick 15 minute spin around the world of B2B eCommerce, with their take on breaking news and lively conversations about the most pressing topics facing manufacturers, distributors and brands selling online.

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60 recent

August 21, 2026Episode 14226 min

Has the Intent Box Replaced the Search Box?

Andrea Polonioli, product marketer at Coveo and a former cognitive science researcher, joins Andy Brian to dig into one of the most consequential parts of B2B ecommerce: search. Is the search box quietly becoming an intent box? Why does B2B search still break on a missing dash, even at digitally mature companies? And what happens to search when bots start buying from bots? Before that, the breaking news: Home Depot's Q2 earnings show its Pro segment and SRS Distribution outperforming DIY yet again, more proof that B2C giants keep pushing deeper into B2B.

August 14, 2026Episode 14124 min

What if you're not using one of the biggest B2B eCommerce growth levers?

Andy and Brian are joined this week by Kevin Kazenmayer, the VP of Business Strategy at TradeCentric to talk about punchout. Yes, punchout. Whether you're asking "what is punchout?" (it's a way for enterprises to make purchases from 3rd parties directly from their own procurement system); or whether you're thinking, "I thought that was old tech?" (electricity is old tech but it's necessary!) or "Aren't AI agents going to replace all this?" (not any time soon), this is a great discussion of one of the last big growth opportunities.

August 7, 2026Episode 14021 min

Is the CMO Role Disappearing in B2B?

On the podcast today, Andy and Brian chat with fellow Master B2B guy Jared Blank about why so many companies are eliminating (or have eliminated) the Chief Marketing Officer role, and whether B2B companies in particular have abandoned this position. Plus, does this differ for manufacturers and distributors? And finally, what can B2B companies learn from Big Ass Fans?

July 31, 2026Episode 13922 min

How to Use Analyst Research in eCommerce Tech Selection

Brennen Volbeda, Senior Director of Digital Experience & Strategy at PCNA, joins Andy Hoar and Brian Beck to pick up last week's conversation on the Paradigm B2B Combine and dig into how research actually fits into a real platform selection process. Brennen has run two selections in the last nine months, a PIM/PLM and an AI website search platform, and walks through how analyst research, requirements, demos, proof of concepts, and peer networks all play a role, plus the moment a proof of concept saved PCNA from signing the wrong PIM contract. Before that, the breaking news: Google employees are organizing around job security rather than pay, with an Alphabet Workers Union petition gathering more than 4,500 signatures calling for guaranteed severance and an end to layoffs without buyouts first. Andy and Brian debate whether tech workers negotiating security like professional athletes is really so different. Learn more about PCNA at pcna.com . Master B2B is the practitioner community for B2B eCommerce leaders at manufacturers, distributors, and brands. Join our free practitioner-only forum and learn about Nexus, our expert advisory program, at masterb2b.com .

July 24, 2026Episode 13826 min

Andy's New Paradigm B2B eCommerce Platform Combine

Brian is back from Ireland and he's chatting with Andy about his Paradigm B2B Combine, his eighth annual independent evaluation of B2B eCommerce platforms. Andy breaks down what the Combine is, why it exists as one piece of a platform selection process rather than the whole process, and what's new for 2026, including bring your own LLM, compressed development cycles, and why data quality is still the biggest gating factor for any platform. Before that, the breaking news: Amazon Business just disclosed its first new numbers in three years, a $60 billion annualized gross sales run rate, 11 million organizations served, and 97 of the Fortune 100 buying through the platform. Andy and Brian dig into what it means for distributors competing on service and domain expertise as AI narrows that gap. Get the Paradigm B2B Combine free at ParadigmB2B.com

July 17, 2026Episode 13723 min

Get Big or Get Small...

Meta just cut its AI developer pricing to a quarter of what Claude and OpenAI charge. Is that a smart land grab or a sign of weakness? Jared Blank and Andy Hoar (Brian's on vacation) break down the emerging market for cheap AI tokens, then dig into the trend reshaping B2B distribution: get big, get small, or get squeezed. Ferguson's $1.6B FloWorks deal and Affiliated Distributors' latest acquisition show the scale side. A small Akron, Ohio doorknob distributor shows the other. Plus: IBM's worst trading day in 115 years, and what it might mean for AI infrastructure spending. Topics covered: Why Meta cut AI token prices by 75%, and what happens next The emergence of token arbitrage (OpenRouter) and off-peak AI pricing Ferguson's $1.6B acquisition of FloWorks and what it means for distribution TAM Affiliated Distributors' acquisition of supplyFORCE Smart scale vs. dumb scale: when getting bigger stops working The case for specialization: a doorknob distributor's turnaround IBM's historic 25% stock drop and the AI infrastructure spending debate Subscribe to Friday 15 for a weekly conversation on B2B ecommerce, digital strategy, and where the industry is headed.

July 10, 2026Episode 13629 min

AI is changing executive careers faster than most leaders realize

In this episode of The Master B2B Friday 15, hosts Jared Blank and Andy Hoar welcome former Grainger executive Meeta Kratz for a candid discussion about leadership in the AI era. Drawing on decades of experience leading commercial growth and digital transformation, Meeta shares how AI is reshaping executive roles, accelerating the rise of fractional leadership, and changing the skills organizations need most. The conversation explores: Why executives need to rethink how they work with AI The growing role of consulting and fractional leadership How AI is transforming hiring and workforce planning Preparing the next generation of leaders for an AI-enabled workplace Practical lessons for executives navigating their own career transitions If you're leading digital commerce, sales, marketing, technology, or business transformation, this episode offers valuable perspective on preparing for what's next.

June 26, 2026Episode 13524 min

Are B2B and B2C eCommerce Becoming One in the Same?

This week, Andy and Brian talk about the convergence of B2B and B2C eCommerce. When they look at what customers of each type expect - and the way that B2B companies (and B2C) have responded to those needs, they wonder whether they're 2 different worlds anymore. And they announce that Master B2B has partnered with Shoptalk Fall to bring B2B programming to the B2C-focused event. For more information visit Shoptalk Fall's website .

June 19, 2026Episode 13421 min

Getting Your Catalog Data Under Control

This week...TWO special guest stars on the pod (well, one special guest star and one other Master B2B person stepping in for Andy while he's out). Elastic Path CEO Bryan House joins Brian and Master B2B's Jared Blank to talk about getting a grip on your product data. We chat about where to start, who needs to lead product data initiatives, and why homegrown systems may actually set you up for success (sometimes).

June 12, 2026Episode 13322 min

Who will your next hire be?

This week, Andy & Brian talk about the state of hiring in B2B. We seem to be in a "no hire, no fire" environment where we aren't seeing massive headcount reductions (outside of some tech companies) and we aren't seeing people leave their jobs on their own. So where does that leave companies that want to make sure their teams are optimized for the skills needed to use new AI technology? Should their next "hires" be technology or people? And how do you decide?