Digital Wave Technology’s Sandy DeFelice Joins Retail Unwrapped to Discuss Agentic AI, Product Attribution, and the Future of Retail

SVP of Revenue and Strategic Accounts shares how unified data, governance, and AI are reshaping search, commerce, and execution across retail.

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — Sandy DeFelice, Senior Vice President of Revenue and Strategic Accounts at Digital Wave Technology, was recently featured on Retail Unwrapped, the popular weekly retail podcast hosted by Shelley E. Kohan of The Robin Report.

In the episode, DeFelice explores how retailers are navigating one of the most disruptive moments in industry history, driven by the rapid rise of Generative AI, Agentic AI, and changing consumer behavior. As retailers face increasing pressure to move faster, reduce inefficiencies, and compete in AI-driven discovery environments, DeFelice emphasizes one truth: everything starts with trusted, governed data.

From Data Silos to Intelligent Execution

During the conversation, DeFelice highlights how fragmented data across merchandising, supply chain, pricing, and product systems prevents retailers from fully realizing the promise of AI. While many organizations have accurate data, it often lives in disconnected silos, slowing decisions and limiting automation.

She explains that Agentic AI changes the game, but only when it operates on unified, governed master data.

“The data has to be right,” DeFelice notes. “That governance and centralization is what allows these new agentic systems to actually execute, not just analyze.”

Why Product Attributes Now Decide What Gets Found

One of the episode’s most compelling themes is how AI-driven discovery is replacing the traditional digital shelf. Shoppers no longer browse lists: they ask questions.

“Best weekend drill.”“Best handbag.”“Affordable eco-friendly option.”

DeFelice explains that if product attributes aren’t structured, enriched, and governed, AI systems simply won’t surface them no matter how good the product is.

This makes product attribution, taxonomy, and centralized product data the new foundation for search, personalization, and conversion across every channel.

How Agentic AI Creates Real Business Impact

DeFelice also shares a powerful real-world example: a retailer facing a $400 million problem due to disconnected assortment, budgeting, and purchase order systems. By unifying data and automating execution through Digital Wave’s platform, the company eliminated overspending, aligned buyers to budgets, and restored control.

Agentic AI didn’t just analyze the issue. It helped execute the fix.

What’s Next: Autonomous, Data-Driven Commerce

Looking ahead, DeFelice predicts that retailers will increasingly rely on agentic systems to automate workflows, optimize decisions, and free teams to focus on higher-value strategy.

With clean, governed master data at the center, Agentic AI will:

• Adjust pricing dynamically

• Optimize assortments

• Improve product discovery

• Drive faster, smarter execution across the enterprise

Listen to the Full Episode

Hear Sandy DeFelice’s full conversation on Retail Unwrapped to learn how AI, data governance, and agentic systems are reshaping retail from the inside out. Listen to the episode here.