Biography

Jason Goldberg Biography

Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg is Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe, where he advises many of the largest retailers and brands in the world. A fourth-generation retailer, he launched e-commerce at Blockbuster in 1995, then built the online businesses at Best Buy and Target before most companies had a website. He co-hosts the long-running Jason & Scot Show podcast and writes a column for Forbes. The National Retail Federation has recognized him twice: on “The List” of 25 people shaping the future of retail, and in the 2027 class of Retail Voices by NRF.

Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg is Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe and a fourth-generation retailer who has spent 30-plus years inside the e-commerce business, not just writing about it. He launched online retail at Blockbuster in 1995, then Best Buy, then Target, before moving into agency leadership. Today he advises many of the largest retailers and brands in the world.

Jason co-hosts the long-running Jason & Scot Show podcast, writes a column for Forbes, and has built a LinkedIn following of more than 30,000 commerce practitioners. He served as Chairman of Shop.org and on the National Retail Federation’s Digital Advisory Board. He currently sits on the board of directors of VGL Group, a publicly traded retailer approaching $1 billion in revenue, and is a strategic advisor to the private equity firm NewRoad Capital Partners.

He is a member of the 2027 class of Retail Voices by NRF, which the National Retail Federation runs with Rethink Retail, and Rethink Retail named him a Top Retail Expert every year from 2021 through 2026. In 2017 NRF named him to “The List,” its annual honor for the 25 people shaping the future of retail.

Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg is Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe and a fourth-generation retailer who has been inside the e-commerce business for 30-plus years.

He launched online retail at Blockbuster Entertainment in 1995, then helped build the e-commerce businesses at Best Buy and Target. Since moving into agency leadership he has advised hundreds of retailers and brands through every major shift in commerce: the dot-com era, mobile, marketplaces, social commerce, retail media, and now agentic commerce. His current clients include many of the largest retailers and consumer brands in the world.

Jason has built a LinkedIn following of more than 30,000 commerce practitioners. He co-hosts the long-running Jason & Scot Show podcast with Scot Wingo, writes a column for Forbes, serves on the RetailWire BrainTrust, and is on the faculty of the Path to Purchase Institute. He has lectured on retail innovation at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and has testified as an e-commerce expert witness in U.S. federal court.

His governance work spans the trade, the operating side, and the investor side. Jason served as Chairman of Shop.org and on the National Retail Federation’s Digital Advisory Board. He currently sits on the board of directors of VGL Group, a publicly traded retailer approaching $1 billion in revenue that operates the ShopLC and TJC television and online jewelry brands in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. He is also a strategic advisor to the private equity firm NewRoad Capital Partners.

The National Retail Federation and Rethink Retail named him to the 2027 class of Retail Voices by NRF, a group capped at 50 members and chosen from hundreds of nominations. Rethink Retail has named him a Top Retail Expert (originally Top Retail Influencer) every year from 2021 through 2026, and in 2017 NRF named him to “The List,” its annual honor for the 25 people shaping the future of retail.

Suggested Intro

Our next speaker has been doing e-commerce since the days of dial-up. He launched online retail at Blockbuster in 1995, then did it again at Best Buy and Target, back when most companies didn’t even have a website. Today he’s Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe, where he advises many of the largest retailers and brands in the world. He co-hosts the Jason & Scot Show and writes for Forbes, and the National Retail Federation has honored him twice: as one of the 25 people shaping the future of retail, and as one of its 2027 Retail Voices. Please welcome Jason Goldberg, better known as Retailgeek.

Walk-on Music

“Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” by Pet Shop Boys

Headshots

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Logos

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Personal

I’m Jason Goldberg, and I love great shopping experiences. As a fourth-generation retailer, it’s in my blood. I started working for an independent computer retailer at age 14, where I demonstrated the (then brand new) Commodore 64 for potential customers. After college, I helped manage the retail channel for Commodore Business Machines before eventually being hired as the Sr. Director of Merchandising at Blockbuster Entertainment. During my tenure, we opened 4,000 stores, acquired 30 million customers, and built almost $9 billion in shareholder value (I also racked up $324 in personal late fees). After Blockbuster sold to Viacom, I moved back to the West Coast and, along with some really smart partners, started my first retail customer experience design firm. In the 30 years since, I’ve been a principal at several firms, designing shopping experiences for some really awesome clients like Walmart, Best Buy, Target, T-Mobile, Procter & Gamble, Dillard’s, and many others. Along the way I’ve worked with a ton of brilliant shopper marketers and have even been awarded a few patents. If you’ve ever had a bad experience shopping for a television or a mobile phone, it’s probably at least partially my fault (sorry about that).

Today I’m the Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe, which puts me on a plane more often than not. When I’m not on the road, I’m in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, where I’m the Starbucks customer of the month and a Gold Card holder since 2004 (Starbucks discontinued the Gold Card in 2019, but I’ve decided not to accept that). I share my home with my wife Leila, our son Stephen, and our dog Walter.

When I’m not working with clients, I write a column for Forbes and co-host The Jason & Scot Show podcast with my friend Scot Wingo, which is what happens when two retail nerds are handed microphones. I’m active on most social networks, but LinkedIn is where I actually live these days. I’d love to hear your feedback, and get connected there.

Cheers,

Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg