Bedfellows: How Boll & Branch Keeps Humans and AI in the Same Sheets

Boll & Branch spent 12 years doing the unfashionable thing: perfecting the product first and figuring out distribution second. Chief Commercial Officer Katia Unlu joins Phillip and Brian on today’s episode to discuss Boll & Branch’s store expansion strategy, an AI-generated damage claim that went viral, and the case for stimulation over substitution. 

That’s Not How the Waffle Blanket Tears Key takeaways:

Brands of the DTC era that failed were distracted by over-indexing on one hero product and not focusing on customer experiences that drive retention and brand love.  Boll & Branch opens stores where their customers and ICP already live. A human CX team caught an AI-generated image in a fraudulent damage claim thanks to the team’s sharp knowledge of the brand’s fabric and tear patterns. This is human expertise and technological advancement meeting in the middle. Boll & Branch’s AI tools aim to stimulate the customer relationship rather than flatten it. The 2027 playbook is boring, but it works. Focusing on the fundamentals is key. [00:23:12] "People might buy something they enjoy, but they will actually defend what they love." – Brian Lange [00:29:45] "There's no shortcut for what real-life consumer insights can give you when you just go and talk to people in stores." – Katia Unlu [00:43:50] "We very much don’t want to substitute. We don't have an AI bot on our website that you can even ask questions to." – Katia Unlu

Associated Links:

Boll & Branch Scott Tannen's LinkedIn post on AI-generated return fraud at Boll & Branch  Read our in-store retail space analyses: Field Notes on Future Commerce More on human vs. agent: Episode 447: The Agent Has Left the Building Explore our Word of Mouth Index Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

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