Tim, could you share about your professional background and journey of becoming VP of Digital, Content, and AI at Wunderkind.
Over the last 30 years I’ve lived in the marketing, content and technology space, pretty much in that order. Working with platinum music acts in the 90’s morphed to producing #1 rated TV shows in the early 2000’s. As music became a digital medium, and TV birthed reality shows, I partnered with life long friend and Jackass co-creator Bam Margera to develop TV and digital content projects along with a record label and music touring property. Then branded content became a thing and I jumped on that train, blending music and video into branded experiences. In 2011, I went to work for Mark Cuban as VP of Marketing at his TV network HDNet, which we rebranded to AXS TV with AEG to become the premier live music channel delivered to more than 40 million homes in North America. In 2014, I jumped ship to the technology side with Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and integrated social data into live TV and events.
Building first-party databases was always a core component of how we connected to audiences in all of that work. Starting in 1996 with the band Everclear and their email fanclubs, to direct-to-consumer connections around Bam Margera’s skateboard/TV/music empire, to amassing millions into AXS TV’s database. Owned channels were something I had been familiar with for decades, and as the technologies evolved, I became more interested in being part of that innovation on the tech side.
Fast forward, I’ve spent the last 10 years inside global tech platforms furthering the advancements of consumer engagement, specifically through the email, text, social and commerce channels. As VP of Digital, Content and AI at Wunderkind I use that rich experience from my B2C and B2B work to help develop our global content strategies, along with enabling operational AI technologies to create efficiencies within the organization.
How has your background in brand marketing, content, and technology has shaped your approach to digital transformation at Wunderkind?
Watching traditional music sales (LPs and CDs) turn into digital sales was eye-opening. I worked on the launch of Duran Duran’s Electric Barbarella, which was the first ever single sold directly to consumers online, long before iTunes was a thing. Then I watched broadcast and cable TV disintegrate into digital as Jackass and Bam Margera took audiences online for video content – forcing technology to catch up with consumer demand.
Both the music and TV industries transformed in such dramatic ways, so quickly, that I realized disruption was the only norm. Even today, I’m watching AI obliterate the way marketers think, plan and execute their work. It’s exciting and unnerving at the same time… but I love it. And I try to bring that hindsight and experience to how Wunderkind evolves as tech platform to meet marketers’ needs.
Why is identity resolution crucial for retailers, and how does understanding customer preferences drive better personalization?
You can’t message a device you can’t identify, so lifting your reach is priority #1. Once identified, you can then personalize experiences based on their real-time behavior. Triggering a reactive personalized message based on this behavioral data (click and browse signals) enables one-to-one communications that drive measurable ROI across email, text, and onsite messaging.
How have customer expectations evolved in the context of CX and the eCommerce journey in recent years?
Customer expectations have shifted dramatically. Today’s shoppers don’t just want a smooth experience — they expect brands to anticipate their needs and deliver value in real-time, across every touchpoint. And that customer experience impacts retailers’ bottom line. In fact, a recent Wunderkind report of U.S. consumers found that 83% of respondents are likely to purchase when brands send messages about recently viewed products, showcasing that personalization at the right time can drive conversions.
How can retailers leverage the insights from Wunderkind’s 2025 Consumer Insights Report to stay competitive in the evolving market?
The Wunderkind research explores U.S. consumers’ shopping plans for 2025, key drivers influencing purchase decisions, and preferred channels for receiving offers and messaging. It also analyzes motivations for opting into brand communications, attitudes towards AI, and the value exchanges that encourage repeat purchases. The report offers detailed insights paired with strategic takeaways designed to empower digital strategists, marketers, and decision-makers.
I’d also encourage today’s marketers to explore Wunderkind’s ongoing report series on evolving consumer sentiment amid tariff-driven price shifts and economic uncertainty. One critical insight from the latest data: 38% of shoppers say they are spending more time comparing prices and 30% are browsing more websites before making a purchase. This surge in comparison shopping means more consumers are landing on retailer sites anonymously as they hunt for value. If your site is seeing increased traffic because of this behavior, you’re likely seeing more anonymous visitors than ever—making identity resolution not just useful, but essential. Harnessing this visibility gives you the power to personalize experiences, re-engage high-intent shoppers, and stay competitive in a market where even small price differences can shift loyalty.
How do Wunderkind Analytics and WunderkindAI empower brands to enhance customer engagement and eCommerce experiences?
At the core of Wunderkind’s solution is agentic AI that actively uncovers new opportunities for brands to engage audiences and drive incremental revenue. Instead of relying on manual analysis, the platform intelligently identifies high-impact moments, segments, and strategies—fueling more relevant, performance-driven messaging across triggered email, text, and other owned channels. Wunderkind Analytics delivers real-time, actionable insights, while WunderkindAI continuously optimizes audience targeting and experience creation to maximize outcomes at scale.
In your view, how is AI transforming the marketing landscape, and how can it help marketers create more relevant customer experiences?
AI is fundamentally reshaping the marketing landscape by shifting the dynamic from manual targeting to machine-surfaced opportunities. With access to deep behavioral data and real-time intent signals, agentic AI now detects the most opportune moments to engage and delivers hyper-personalized messaging automatically. Marketers are no longer chasing insights or guessing at timing—they’re acting on precise, AI-identified opportunities that drive relevance, performance, and revenue.
How does high-quality, real-time data contribute to the success of AI-driven marketing strategies?
High-quality, real-time data is the foundation that powers agentic AI to drive effective marketing outcomes. It doesn’t just inform AI—it enables it to act. In performance marketing, this type of data allows AI to continuously detect behavior shifts, surface high-impact engagement opportunities, and trigger contextually relevant messaging in the exact moments they matter. Rather than relying on static segmentation or scheduled campaigns, AI fueled by real-time signals can dynamically segment audiences, forecast intent, and personalize experiences with surgical precision. This proactive, insight-led approach turns data into immediate action—maximizing both relevance for the consumer and revenue for the brand.
What are the biggest challenges marketers face today in creating customer-centric experiences, and how can they overcome these hurdles?
One of the biggest challenges marketers face today is delivering truly customer-centric experiences in a landscape defined by economic uncertainty, shrinking budgets, and rapidly rising consumer expectations. Marketers are expected to do more with less—crafting seamless, personalized interactions across channels, all while responding to macroeconomic pressures like tariffs and shifting consumer behavior.
Wunderkind’s recent data shows that 68% of marketers are already planning to adjust their holiday strategies in response to these pressures, signaling that traditional Q4 tactics are no longer enough. To overcome these hurdles, marketers must move beyond broad campaigns and adopt a more disciplined, performance-driven strategy centered on real-time data, identity resolution, and AI.
Success today hinges on leveraging owned channels more effectively, recognizing and responding to customer intent in the moment, and scaling personalization through intelligent automation. Brands that prioritize high-quality data, deepen identity capabilities, and harness agentic AI to surface engagement opportunities—rather than hunting for them manually—will be best positioned to drive impact and stay resilient in a volatile environment.
What advice would you give marketers looking to leverage AI and data to enhance customer experiences in eCommerce?
AI and data are no longer optional—they’re essential for marketers aiming to create personalized, scalable customer experiences in eCommerce. Consumers now expect brands to understand their needs in real time, and the numbers back it up: Wunderkind research shows that 40% of consumers embrace AI-driven personalization, with adoption even higher among Millennials (60%) and Gen Z (52%). For these generations, AI-enhanced engagement isn’t a novelty—it’s the norm.
But to meet these expectations, brands must first solve a foundational challenge: identifying who their customers are. While 67% of brands rely on login or account creation for visitor recognition, only 38% currently leverage identity resolution partners. That leaves the majority of web traffic anonymous and untapped—a critical gap in the customer experience.
The advice for marketers is clear: invest in tools that don’t just analyze data, but act on it. Leverage identity resolution to transform anonymous traffic into known audiences, and deploy AI that proactively surfaces the best moments, segments, and channels for engagement. By combining high-quality first-party data with agentic AI, marketers can move beyond reactive personalization and deliver revenue-driving experiences that feel timely, relevant, and seamless—without requiring customers to raise their hands first.
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Tim Glomb, VP of Digital, Content, and AI at Wunderkind
By combining high-quality first-party data with agentic AI, marketers can move beyond reactive personalization and deliver revenue-driving experiences that feel timely, relevant, and seamless—without requiring customers to raise their hands first. LinkedIn.
