StudioForty9 attended the Retail Excellence Ireland Retail Retreat on May 20, 2026, at the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny. This event brought together over 400 retailers, brands, and industry leaders to shape the future of Irish retail.
Event Highlights
Irish retail is navigating a transformative era, balancing the efficiency of AI-driven insights with the essential value of human-centric storytelling. Key presentations included:
- Economic Outlook: Economist Jim Power noted that while global challenges persist, Irish retailers can compete on intelligence by embracing digital and AI.
- AI and Customer Behaviour: Ciarán Doyle from OpenAI emphasised that customers now arrive having already researched options using AI, making product data critical for visibility.
- Algorithmic Loyalty: Linda Cereda, formerly of Nike, discussed the rise of "algorithmic loyalty" alongside human connection as a new competitive edge, as traditional search usage changes.
- Authenticity: Holly Hayes, formerly of The Diary of a CEO, highlighted that "craft" and human-led brand voices are essential, as consumers move away from polished AI-generated content.
StudioForty9 Presentation
StudioForty9 were also delighted to take to the stage this year. Dancho, Ecommerce Strategy Lead, presented a framework for diagnosing the foundations of profitable ecommerce growth. He argued that many retailers fail to scale profitably because they follow a "Standard Growth Playbook" which consists of increasing ad spend, adding new channels, and chasing tools without first ensuring their business model can support that growth.
Instead of scaling revenue, the goal should be to scale based on what the business model allows. Dancho introduced a "readiness model" built on four key foundations to diagnose and resolve constraints before scaling:
- Unit Economics: Retailers must know their engine room, including gross margin per order, contribution margin, and allowable cost of acquisition (CAC).
- Customer Economics: The second sale is critical. Businesses should evaluate LTV versus CAC and deliberately engineer for repeat purchases.
- Operational Readiness: Growing demand with broken operations only scales the problem; retailers must ensure stock, cash flow, and lead times can handle order uplifts.
- Strategic Priority: Retailers must fix revenue per visitor (CVR x AOV) and unit economics before increasing ad spend. Ultimately, the fastest path to profitable scale is rarely "more," but rather better economics, better sequencing, and better clarity on where the true constraint lies.
Get the Growth Readiness Scorecard
Stop chasing revenue and start scaling for profit. Use our diagnostic framework to pressure-test your foundations, identify your growth constraints, and build a business model that is actually ready to scale.
