Building Seamless Retail with Engineering: A Conversation with American Eagle’s Uttam Kumar

At ShopTalk Fall, much of the spotlight shone on CMOs, brand founders, and retail strategists. But the unsung role shaping customer journeys is engineering. Behind every click, swipe, and in-store checkout are the systems that determine whether a brand feels seamless or fractured.

Q&A

Q: You’ve been at American Eagle for over 10 years. What has been the biggest tech-driven unlock for ecommerce growth?

Uttam Kumar: Flexibility. Ten years ago, launching a new capability could take months. Today, we work in agile sprints - testing, learning, and adjusting in two-week cycles. That cadence allows us to move at the speed of the customer. It isn’t about having one “silver bullet” system but about ensuring the stack works as a platform. If marketing wants to test a new promotion or product recommendation flow, we can make it happen quickly, measure it, and either expand or shut it down. Speed and adaptability have been the real unlocks.

Q: How do you think about making experiences seamless across online and in-store?

Kumar: Consistency is the biggest factor. Customers don’t think in channels. They might browse in-store and buy online, or discover online and return in-store. Any gap in that journey feels jarring.

Take payments: online we support PayPal and Cash App. If those aren’t available at the register, it creates friction. Customers don’t understand why the brand looks different depending on the channel. Closing those gaps - whether in payments, returns, or fulfilment options - is crucial. For us, that means making sure core capabilities are mirrored across ecommerce and stores, and that customer accounts unify the experience.

Q: Marketers often struggle with measurement because each platform reports differently. What role does engineering play here?

Kumar: Engineers are wired to think in data. Every sprint we run starts with a hypothesis, gets tested, and is measured against clear metrics before scaling. That mindset can help marketing too.

Instead of running campaigns across 10 platforms because each vendor says it’s important, you start small, measure rigorously, and double down only where growth is proven. Data is the referee. The beauty of agile engineering is that it reduces wasted effort and that same principle applies to budget allocation in marketing. Don’t spread thin, invest where the signal is strongest.

Q: AI is the buzzword of the moment. Where do you see the practical wins for retail?

Kumar: Personalisation. It’s not about flashy front-end AI, but about using data to anticipate needs. Imagine a customer buys a gift for their niece every December. AI should recognise that pattern, adjust recommendations by age, and proactively surface relevant options the following year.

That kind of memory creates the impression the retailer “knows” the customer. It saves time, adds value, and builds loyalty. It’s the same principle as a great store associate who remembers your preferences, only scaled through data.

Q: How do you translate this into organisational culture?

Kumar: The biggest shift has been moving from projects to products. Instead of delivering a one-off feature and walking away, we treat each system as a product with a lifecycle. That means ongoing optimisation, feedback loops, and accountability.

For marketing and business teams, it changes the relationship with engineering. They’re not waiting months for a delivery; they’re working alongside us in sprints, shaping outcomes together. That culture of shared ownership is what makes omnichannel feel real to the customer.

Closing Reflection

Uttam Kumar’s perspective reframes engineering as a commercial driver rather than a back-office function.

• Flexibility: Agile sprints make it possible to test and adapt at the speed of customer behaviour.

• Consistency: Omnichannel is about eliminating gaps that customers notice instantly - whether in payments, returns, or fulfilment.

• Data discipline: Engineering’s test-and-measure mindset offers a template for smarter marketing allocation.

• AI with purpose: The real win is not hype but memory - systems that anticipate customer needs and feel genuinely personal.

As ecommerce and physical retail continue to merge, the success of customer experience will depend as much on engineers as on marketers. American Eagle’s case shows that when technology and brand strategy move in sync, the result is loyalty built on ease, trust, and relevance.

Independently Created. Not affiliated with Shoptalk.

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