By Cory Whitfield, VP, Enterprise, Listrak
The biggest problem for retail CMOs and their marketing and e-commerce teams isn’t vision; it’s execution.
When Nike made headlines with its “Why Do It?” campaign, a new take on its iconic “Just Do It” slogan, reports noted the bold move follows a sustained sales slump. When the brand returned to Amazon this spring after a six-year hiatus, the move was seen as a reversal of the brand’s 2019 decision to focus on DTC, a well-documented shift where arguably a bold vision ran into tech alignment and execution challenges.
In a statement provided to the media at the time of the Amazon return, the company said it is focused on “investing in our marketplace to ensure we’re offering the right products, best services, and tailored experiences to consumers wherever and however they choose to shop.” One example: The brand also announced the rollout of an AI-powered conversational search experience on its owned platforms.
With the arrival of fall and the start of Q4, the race to the end of the year is on. Retail marketers are deep in 2026 planning, which means roadmaps, budget reallocations, and replatforming decisions are happening now and AI is on the top of everyone’s mind, however few admit their current tech stack can’t support it.
How Tech Stacks Support Marketers’ Visions
Retailers have spent years layering bolt-ons and custom integrations onto aging marketing stacks. The problem? Most outdated marketing clouds were built for IT teams, not CX leaders, which can mean journey builders that require engineers, audience builders stuck in batch logic and APIs and delays everywhere. And yet, many retailers stay put however out of sunk cost or internal inertia.
For marketers looking to ensure their tech stack can support their bold visions, here are few factors to keep in mind:
SMS Compliance Must Be Paramount.
SMS isn’t just another “channel;” it is a regulatory minefield. TCPA is evolving state by state. New rules around holidays, hours, and consent aren’t optional. TCPA and SMS regulations are getting stricter, and most platforms aren’t built to help brands navigate this risk. Most outdated marketing clouds offer little to no compliance guidance, just disclaimers. Look for platforms that can offer greater strategic support.
Consider Shopify’s Enterprise Momentum.
Shopify’s move into enterprise is forcing the ecosystem to mature, and outdated vendors aren’t keeping up. Shopify’s rise into enterprise isn’t theory; it’s reality. They’re now powering household names and global brands, and their tech partners are being forced to evolve upstream. Outdated marketing clouds don’t play well in this ecosystem, technically or commercially. Look for composable, native, scalable partners that match Shopify’s velocity.
Double Check for Hidden Fees.
The last thing marketers want is to see fees rising while engagement is dropping and unsubscribes are climbing. To make sure you effectively manage costs, remember that platform fees are just the start. Watch out for hidden fees, annual increases, contact fees, consultant dependency or costly IT hours to do basic tasks.
Look for Identity + AI.
Personalization isn’t new; precision is. AI without identity is just noise and real-time execution without unified data is just “spray and pray.” Today, it’s essential to unify data, identity, and cross-channel execution inside the platform… not across 12 tools. Forward-looking vendors have already leaned into identity-resolution infrastructure.
The Bottom Line
Heading into the remainder of 2025 and looking ahead to next year, retail marketers are not facing a strategy gap; they are grappling with a tech alignment problem. Most retail CMOs know exactly what kinds of experiences they want to deliver – but they just can’t execute it with the tools they have. For those marketers who find themselves in this predicament, know that you’re not alone, and you’re not stuck. There are platforms built for this new era… some composable, some hybrid, but all focused on helping marketers actually execute.
Making a tech-stack adjustment doesn’t have to mean upheaval. One global retail brand recently shifted its behavioral triggers and automated campaigns to a modern platform that could handle real-time identity resolution and compliance, while keeping their batch marketing messages on their existing corporate marketing cloud, taking a hybrid approach that is becoming the norm for brands seeking maximum impact with minimal disruption.
By making sure your tech stack is aligned to support and execute on their visions, marketers will be best positioned to win in 2026 and beyond.
