Meet the Advisors: Venky Shankar
Venky Shankar is Brierley’s Endowed Professor of Marketing and Academic Director of the Brierley Institute for Customer Engagement at SMU’s Cox School of Business. He brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of academia and the retail industry, previously serving as the Ford Chair in Marketing and e-Commerce at Texas A&M University.
His work focuses on retail innovation, omnichannel strategy, pricing, digital transformation, and AI in marketing. He has partnered with leading global retailers to help them adapt to disruption and drive growth through technology.
A recognized thought leader, Venky has published award-winning research on retail strategy and analytics, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the field. At the Brierley Institute, he leads efforts that bridge research and industry to improve how retailers engage today’s connected consumers.
How have you seen the retail industry evolving? Can you point to any hot trends?
The retail industry is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by evolving consumer expectations, digital and AI acceleration, and global disruptions like pandemic, wars, and tariffs. There has been a shift from transaction-based to experience-driven commerce, where customer engagement, personalization, and convenience define success. Physical stores are no longer just channels of sale. Rather, they are becoming immersive brand touchpoints, fulfillment hubs, and engagement centers. Data are the new currency, enabling smarter pricing, assortment, and inventory decisions.
Several trends stand out. First, Unified commerce comprising seamless integration of online, offline, mobile, and social channels, is redefining omnichannel strategies. Second, Generative AI is enabling hyper- personalized engagement, experience, and efficient content creation at scale. Third, Agentic AI is promising to dramatically alter the efficiency of workflows. Fourth, the adoption of retail media networks is turning retailers into advertising platforms, monetizing shopper data in novel ways. Finally, sustainable retail is gaining traction, as consumers increasingly expect brands to align with environmental and social values.
What does retail innovation look like to you?
Retail innovation is about solving real customer problems in simple, scalable, and value-enhancing ways. To me, it means smartly using technology for efficiency and personalized customer value. The most successful innovations are those that reimagine the customer journey—think personalized convenience like curbside pickup, inspirational offers, or AI-powered chat for customer support. But equally important are back-end innovations in supply chain transparency, predictive analytics, and demand forecasting to power great front- end experiences.
What role does cloud technology play in retail's digital transformation?
Cloud technology is the invisible backbone of retail's digital transformation. It enables agility, scalability, and real-time intelligence. From enabling seamless omnichannel inventory management to powering dynamic pricing engines and personalized marketing, the cloud makes it all possible. It also facilitates data democratization—breaking down silos for insights to flow across merchandising, marketing, and operations. In a world where speed and adaptability are paramount, cloud is a catalyst for continuous innovation.
What advice would you give to aspiring retail executives and thought leaders?
Stay relentlessly curious and customer-obsessed. Retail is no longer about managing SKUs; it’s about managing moments. Embrace data, but don’t lose sight of the human behind the data. Learn to balance short-term results with long-term brand building. And perhaps most importantly, build multidisciplinary fluency going beyond marketing to technology management, supply chain management, and finance. The future belongs to leaders who can connect the dots across domains and inspire others with vision and intellect.
Why are you and SMU Cox excited to be a part of the Retail Cloud Alliance?
At SMU Cox and the Brierley Institute for Customer Engagement, we are passionate about advancing thought leadership that bridges academia and industry. Being part of the Retail Cloud Alliance allows me to collaborate with forward-thinking companies and shape the next generation of retail innovation. I’m excited to co-create insights, frameworks, and talent pipelines that help retailers navigate complexity and unlock growth. Together, we can shape a smarter, more responsive, and more human-centric, technology-enabled future for retail.
