Wendy Wildfeuer Of Motom On The Future Of Retail Over The Next Few Years

Prioritize the Customer Journey: The path from discovery to purchase should feel effortless. Whether it’s spotting a product in an influencer video or trusting a recommendation from a creator, your platforms must make the leap from engagement to conversion as seamless as possible. One of our partners has nailed this by scaling their creator commerce efforts across thousands of creators, each with their own curated storefronts, ensuring a consistent and intuitive shopping experience for millions of customers.

As part of our series about the future of retail, we had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Wildfeuer.

Wendy Wildfeuer, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Motom, is creator economy and social commerce expert who empowers brands and retailers to turn creator marketing into sustainable revenue through Anchor, their white-label social commerce solution, Wendy’s background includes leading marketing, monetization, & development for iconic teen brands dELiA*s, Alloy, Gossip Girl, along with the earliest YouTube influencer networks, and launched NBCU’s first original digital IP production deal for brands with Broadway Video, creators of SNL.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I believe every career step, whether serendipitous or deliberate, shapes your trajectory. My journey began with my foundational years at the National Basketball Association, which I left to explore market research for an events company in the late ’90s. My assignment to cover a topic about an emerging space — “the internet” — marked a turning point. While researching topics and speakers, I encountered Matt Diamond, CEO of Alloy.com and dELiA*s. So I faxed (yes, faxed) over some pitch materials and within an hour I received a call from the person who was on the receiving end of that fax. It was an old colleague from the NBA who had just started working at Alloy. So as fate would have it, instead of Matt speaking at the event, I joined his team and spent over 15 years building Alloy into a youth marketing powerhouse. Fast forward, Matt and I co-founded Motom to innovate in the creator economy, focusing on empowering brands and creators through our white label social commerce platform, Anchor.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work at some incredible companies which naturally lend itself to some interesting (and fun) stories — from following Will Smith and Boyz 2 Men around San Antonio for the NBA All-Star Weekend in 1996 to negotiating NBCU’s first ever contract with Lorne Michaels’ production company and creators of SNL, Broadway Video, for an original content capability built for brands — the most fascinating chapter of my career has been co-founding Motom.

Having experienced the transition from a long-term role at fast-paced Alloy to a corporate environment like NBCUniversal, and then on to launching a startup, required a complete shift in mindset. Over the past four years, building Motom has been a study in perseverance and innovation. We’ve developed a social commerce solution that provides brands with scalable, creator-curated storefronts, enabling them to thrive in an Amazon-dominated retail landscape. Seeing Anchor evolve from concept to a critical capability empowering creators and brands has been the most rewarding challenge of my career.

Are you working on any new exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?

Currently, at Motom, we’re focused on expanding Anchor by Motom, a capability designed to reshape how brands and creators collaborate in the ecommerce marketplace. By offering auto-generated creator-curated storefronts, seamless affiliate integrations, and real-time performance tracking, all with little to zero tech involvement, we are providing a turnkey way for brands to scale and grow, along with giants like Amazon and TikTok Shop. Our goal is to empower brands, giving them tools to connect authentically with audiences while driving sales in a sustainable way.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful, who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

There are actually two people in particular that have had an impact on my career and who I will always be grateful to. Matt Diamond, my co-founder at Motom, has been a consistent mentor and inspiration throughout my career. From my early days at Alloy to our current collaboration at Motom, Matt’s ability to see opportunities in emerging markets and his belief in taking calculated risks have shaped my approach to business. His guidance taught me the importance of balancing creativity with strategy — a lesson I carry into every venture.

The other person is Alison Tarrant, formerly of NBCUniversal and now at The Trade Desk, Ali was pivotal in my growth and success during my time at NBCU. As a digital native navigating a world dominated by TV experts, Ali championed my expertise, ensuring I had a seat at the table with top NBCU leadership. Her confidence in my abilities and selfless mentorship created opportunities that shaped my career, all while fostering an environment of trust and collaboration. To this day, Ali remains a close friend and an incredible example of authentic leadership.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

While “goodness” can feel like a bold term, I aim to lead with empathy and mentorship. At this stage of my career, my focus is to bring that goodness to the day to day interactions with young professionals entering the workforce. My goal is to cultivate and train future leaders who have trust in their own leadership — setting the example so the “trickle-down effect” that often gets a bad rap, actually leads to a positive culture.

Shopping has changed in many aspects of all our lives. One of them is the fact that so many of us have gotten used to shopping almost exclusively online. Can you share a few examples of different ideas that large retail outlets are implementing to adapt to the new realities created by this new consumption model?

The truth is, with creators, ambassador programs, social media, etc. etc., consumers are consistently shifting their behaviors. To adapt to this new reality, large retailers and brands need to implement innovative strategies that redefine the shopping experience. With the rise of different social media platforms, we’ve seen the new era of commerce ushered in — retailers and brands are leveraging influencers and creators with a dedicated and informed audience to help sell their items. From there it’s just snowballed into a whole new side of commerce, and media. We have major retailers now playing in the media world with their own social commerce platforms to create omnichannel strategies.

Many brands partner with creators or influencers because they have power to help drive sales or spread awareness about a product directly through social media platforms which inherently, can enable the creator to become a social sales rep. But what’s different about this sales team is that the story selling can pair the authenticity with product discovery, making shopping seamless and integrated into, easy, one-click, daily digital interactions.

Another area of innovation is the development of white-label social commerce solutions especially for brands and retailers with a network of creators and ambassadors. Retailers are building branded storefronts that integrate social commerce into their ecosystems. For example, Anchor by Motom empowers brands to maintain control over their creator relationships, customer data, and shopping experiences without relying solely on third-party platforms. This approach ensures that brands can extend their identity into social spaces while being in control of the customer journey.

Lastly, brands are exploring omnichannel strategies to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping. Retailers like Lululemon have successfully combined in-store experiences with robust e-commerce platforms, offering services like virtual personal shopping and in-store pickup to create a unified customer experience. These strategies cater to the convenience of online shopping while maintaining the tactile and relational aspects of physical retail.

These examples highlight how retailers are meeting customers where they are — on social platforms, online marketplaces, or in physical stores — while maintaining control over their brand and customer relationships.

What are some ways retailers can pivot and take advantage of social commerce?

Three years ago, we knew that the future of shopping is social commerce, and so we set out to build a business rooted in this belief. We’re living in a time when influencers and creators can serve as both customers and modern-day store reps, authentically driving purchase decisions. Social commerce has already become as influential as e-commerce for many brands, but there’s a key difference: the balance of power. Platforms like TikTok Shop, Amazon, and LTK have invested billions in infrastructure to keep transactions within their ecosystems, leaving brands behind paywalls with little access to data, customer relationships, or a unified shopping experience.

That’s why we created Anchor by Motom. Our white-label social commerce solution flips the script, empowering brands to own their creator relationships, data, and customer experience — all under their own banner. Since we launched this product in fall 2023, our client list has included major retailers including Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Forever21, J.McLaughlin, and Chewy.com, as well as smaller emerging brands such as EmerginC. They each have seamlessly extended their identity into the social commerce space, with a brand-exclusive storefront where creators can work directly with them. It’s a solution designed not just for today’s challenges but for tomorrow’s opportunities, as social commerce becomes the dominant mode of shopping. Our clients are seeing increased conversion rates at 3x-10x over what they see in 3rd party marketplaces, plus they have direct access to full-funnel performance data and the ability to capture first-party customer data.

The parallels to the early days of e-commerce are striking. Back then, brands learned they couldn’t thrive in AOL’s walled garden — they needed to carve out their own digital presence to succeed. Today, the same is true for social commerce. Brands can’t afford to cede control to platforms; they need tools that let them meet customers where they are while maintaining ownership of their narrative and data. Anchor is that tool, built to ensure brands stay competitive, connected, and in control as we move into the next era of commerce.

How do you think we should reimagine shopping given the creator economy boom?

With the explosion of the creator economy and the fast pace that it will continue to evolve, brands and retailers need to stay ahead of the curve. Shopping behavior has already changed and has reimagined itself before our own eyes.

Brands need to lean into the idea that creators can be an extension of their own ecommerce experience and be bold with what we expect from these partnerships. There’s a tremendous opportunity for creators to earn sustainable income in affiliate space. We need to shift the power dynamic back to brands and retailers and arm them with relevant shopping tools that enable them to own their customer. The only way to do this is to be in the places and spaces where creators are engaging with their audiences and have the backend data to understand what is driving performance.

In your opinion, will retail stores or malls continue to exist? How would you articulate the role of physical retail spaces at a time when online commerce platforms like Amazon Prime or Instacart can deliver the same day or the next day?

Retail stores and malls aren’t disappearing; they’re evolving. Their future lies in reimagining their purpose to compliment the digital shopping experiences and meeting their customers where they are. With the 2024 growth of social commerce GTV to $63B, the fact that two-thirds of social shoppers prefer to shop directly from a brand/retailer site vs through social media, along with the soundbites heard from executives across major retailers at Shoptalk in Chicago this past October, IRL is making a comeback.

It makes sense that one key shift is toward becoming experience hubs. Stores like Sephora and Warby Parker are creating digitally integrated, immersive spaces where customers can interact with products, join community events, and connect with the brand’s story — something you just can’t replicate online only.

Another transformation is the role of service centers. Physical locations are increasingly being used as convenient pick-up, return, or even repair-hubs, as Patagonia does. This not only makes life easier for customers but also helps retailers manage logistical costs tied to e-commerce.

Finally, many stores are becoming showrooming spaces, where customers can see, try, and test products in person before completing their purchase online. This hybrid approach blends the tactile benefits of in-store shopping with the convenience of digital transactions, ensuring physical spaces remain relevant in the age of online retail.

The so-called “Retail Apocalypse” has been going on for about a decade. While many retailers are struggling, some retailers, like Lululemon, Kroger, and Costco are quite profitable. Can you share a few lessons that other retailers can learn from the success of profitable retailers?

I think it depends on the reason a brand is successful. Just because there is success one or multiple years, doesn’t mean it is necessarily attributed to the strategy of the business. Specifically, when it comes to apparel or beauty, it really is a result of what’s going on in the world and the trends being driven. For example, for a good three year’s athleisure and casual, comfortable clothing was on the rise. Clothing that could be worn comfortably after working out could also be worn to run errands led the style and trends, while now we are seeing an uptick in more dressed style — less sneakers, more loafers, trousers, blazers and even the work vest made a comeback.

Or think about dupe culture and the impact that social media had in its pervasiveness. The importance here is speed-to-market and smart marketing. And of course, then there is retail media which generates a lucrative revenue stream for retailers big enough to deliver the scale.

What makes an innovator when it comes to brands or retailers, are the ones who come to the table first when it comes to new technology, commerce platforms and the ones who keep their finger on the pulse of the shopping journey.

Amazon is going to exert pressure on all of retail for the foreseeable future. New Direct-To-Consumer companies based in China are emerging that offer prices that are much cheaper than US and European brands. What would you advise to retail companies and e-commerce companies, for them to be successful in the face of such strong competition?

When competing with Amazon and low-cost DTC entrants, the key to success is in the execution. Here’s a few ways how retailers and brands can set themselves apart:

• Create a Unified Commerce Experience: Shoppers expect seamless experiences across every touchpoint, from e-commerce sites and apps to social media and physical stores. This means investing in omnichannel capabilities like social commerce, BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store), real-time inventory visibility, and personalized in-store services. The goal? Make shopping effortless and consistent no matter where the consumer interacts with your brand.
• Own Your Social Commerce Experience While Leveraging DTC Enablers: Social platforms like TikTok Shop are powerful for discovery, but they can’t be the entire strategy. Brands must also own their DTC social commerce experience, where they control the branding, customer relationships, and valuable first-party data. This creates a seamless extension of their e-commerce site while leveraging creators and influencers as enablers to drive engagement and traffic. Think of social marketplaces as a way to reach new audiences, while your DTC platform becomes the hub for loyalty and deeper personalization.
• Prioritize Customer Relationships Through Branding and Value: A strong brand identity builds loyalty even when competitors offer lower prices. The key is to give customers clear reasons to choose you, whether it’s through superior quality, sustainable practices, or exclusive offerings. Tools like social commerce, community-building, and authentic storytelling create meaningful connections that go far beyond transactional value.
• Use Data to Drive Personalization and Smarter Decisions: Amazon’s edge lies in its data, but brands can level up by tapping into their own first-party data. Personalized product recommendations, dynamic pricing, and tailored promotions increase customer lifetime value and make every interaction more relevant. Understanding customer behavior — especially through social commerce — allows you to optimize strategies and deliver what your audience wants, when they want it.

Winning against Amazon and new entrants is no easy task, but by focusing on execution and delivering a customer-first, experience-driven strategy, brands can not only compete, but thrive.

Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a fantastic retail experience that keeps bringing customers back for more? Please share a story or an example for each.

A: I believe the most important thing a brand can do is build a team that’s innovative, open to new ideas, and works well together. At the end of the day, success comes down to people. Having worked with my co-founders for decades, I can confidently say that trust and collaboration have been the foundation of everything we’ve achieved. It’s not always easy, but it’s absolutely, critical.

When it comes to actionable strategies, I’d recommend focusing on three key areas:

1. Seamless Integration: Customers expect a unified shopping experience across all touchpoints, whether online, in-store, or through social platforms. For instance, one of our retail clients empowers influencers, ambassadors, and even store employees with personalized storefronts. This not only drives affiliate revenue but also keeps the customer relationship strong, even beyond the initial in-person or online interaction.

2. Prioritize the Customer Journey: The path from discovery to purchase should feel effortless. Whether it’s spotting a product in an influencer video or trusting a recommendation from a creator, your platforms must make the leap from engagement to conversion as seamless as possible. One of our partners has nailed this by scaling their creator commerce efforts across thousands of creators, each with their own curated storefronts, ensuring a consistent and intuitive shopping experience for millions of customers.

3. Engage with Your Creator Community: Creators are more than marketing channels — they’re collaborators and customers themselves. Brands that succeed treat creators as part of their team, providing tools like dedicated portals, flexible commission structures, special perks, and accessible data. Our clients provide their creators with a dedicated creator portal, built with them in mind, where they are empowered to earn revenue and connect more deeply with the brand. This isn’t just about transactions; it’s about building a community where creators feel valued, informed, and part of something bigger. When this happens, they naturally become powerful bridges between your brand and your customers, creating long-term success.

Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. Here is our final ‘meaty’ question. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Require that everyone below the age of 30 watch all of my favorite ’80s movies.

How can our readers further follow your work?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendywildfeuer

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!