Daniel Bobroff In Conversation With Valtech’s Matthew Hildon

Retail futurist and marketing speaker Daniel Bobroff joined Valtech's Matthew Hildon for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping the future of retail, from the rise of agentic AI to the growing importance of platform thinking and seamless customer experience.

Bobroff, founder of Coded Futures and former innovation lead at ASOS, brings decades of experience across retail, marketplaces, and tech to a debate that too often gets lost in jargon. His contribution here is characteristically grounded: less about predicting the distant future, more about helping brands understand what they need to do differently right now.

At the heart of the discussion is a crucial distinction: AI that simply answers questions versus AI that takes action. The shift towards agentic AI, Bobroff argues, changes everything, freeing people from repetitive tasks and enabling them to focus on higher-value work, particularly in improving the customer experience. He points to Next as a concrete example, a retailer that recently announced a £1 billion profit driven in part by serious investment in AI across supply chain, forecasting, and pricing.

The conversation also covers the rise of platform business models, the growing challenge of retaining loyalty among increasingly fickle shoppers, and why physical and digital experiences can no longer be treated as separate disciplines.

Throughout, Bobroff's approach is practical and direct. Retail is changing faster than most organisations can comfortably absorb, and the brands that will thrive are those willing to move faster, think differently, and put genuine customer value at the centre of every decision.

The full conversation is available now on the Valtech website.