A column for executives who'd rather not waste their commute on noise.

What Shelf Life is

Shelf Life is a modern executive column on the future of retail, consumer products, AI, and brand strategy — published weekly across Substack, LinkedIn, and here.

It's written for senior leaders who need to make calls, fast, on what matters and what doesn't. Less white paper, more pull quote. Less generic trend deck, more "here's what's actually happening and what to do about it."

Who it's for

CEOs and CIOs trying to translate AI hype into operating-model reality. CMOs reading too many industry newsletters and not enough that say something. Buyers, planners, and merchants navigating tariffs, agentic shoppers, and consumer behavior that won't sit still. Boards trying to figure out whether their team is actually transforming or just rebadging the same playbook.

If you've been in the room when a tough call got made — or you're trying to be — Shelf Life is for you.

Why Jackie writes it

Because most of what's published about retail and AI either flatters the audience or hedges to death. Both fail the same test: would you proudly send this to a smart friend?

Shelf Life is the answer to that test. Sharp enough that a C-suite reader takes it seriously. Fun enough that they share it.

About Jackie Swanson

Jackie Swanson is a Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting, where she advises retail, consumer-products, and luxury leaders on AI readiness, agentic commerce, retail transformation, and operating-model design.

She writes Shelf Life, a modern executive column published weekly across Substack and LinkedIn that translates the week's retail and AI signals into decisions leaders can act on — less white paper, more pull quote. She is a regular source for trade and business press on agentic commerce, consumer behavior, fashion and luxury economics, and brand strategy, and speaks at conferences, executive offsites, and on podcasts.

She has spent her career inside the rooms where the calls get made — boardrooms, war rooms, and the occasional fitting room — and writes Shelf Life from that vantage. She is based in New York, publishes weekly, and reads more earnings transcripts than is probably healthy.

What you'll find here

• Editions — the weekly flagship column, archived by topic
• Top Shelf — the week's biggest signals, the Retail Signal Map, and the reads worth your shelf space
• Press — where Shelf Life shows up beyond the page
• Made to Measure — Jackie's consulting expertise, from Shelf Life signal to boardroom strategy
• Book Jackie — for executive conversations and consulting introductions