EP345 - Agentic Commerce, TikTok Shop & Tariffs with Steve Madden's Josh Krepon

Steve Madden’s President of DTC and Global Digital, Josh Krepon, examines the complexities of managing a multi-billion dollar retail brand within an evolving omnichannel landscape. Vertical integration between physical stores and e-commerce operations enables faster, more cohesive decision-making, allowing the company to maintain agility in a volatile market. The discussion highlights a strategic shift toward platform-specific, authentic social media content and the utilization of TikTok Shop as a discovery engine rather than a purely transactional channel. Krepon emphasizes the necessity of piloting modern AI and agentic commerce tools, moving away from rigid, long-term vendor contracts to remain competitive. By maintaining an in-office factory, the brand effectively balances rapid trend-chasing with operational speed. Furthermore, the rise of AI-driven chat interfaces is fundamentally altering consumer search behavior, forcing retailers to rethink their digital engagement strategies to remain relevant.