The Greenhouse at Howard Smith Wharves.

8:30 AM.

No generic slide decks.

No recycled playbooks.

Just 40+ commerce leaders, tons of coffee, a few mimosas, and the truth about what’s actually driving growth in 2026.

The Commerce Breakfast Table wasn’t designed to be another "networking event." It was designed to be a signal in the noise.

Hosted by ProfitPeak, Athos Commerce, and Evocative Media, the morning centered on a single theme: Precision.

In a landscape that’s increasingly crowded, "gut feel" isn’t enough anymore. Here is what the leaders in the trenches had to say.

From Gut Feel To Confident Calls: How Modern Commerce Teams Actually Make Decisions

Carla Penn-Kahn (ProfitPeak) sat down with Adrian Muscat (SABO)

By triangulating data and leveraging tools like ProfitPeak, SABO closes the gap between marketing demand and merchandising performance. This enhanced visibility replaces vibe-based decisions with hard evidence, allowing for superior execution across all departments.

Given the fortnightly pace of fashion, Adrian's strategy focuses on constant testing for product market fit to ensure every drop hits the mark. High-impact tactics like back in stock emails have already proven hugely successful, reinforcing a data-driven culture that prioritises results over intuition.

Product Discovery Unlocked

Kate Massey (Athos Commerce) spoke to Airi Sutherland (#9 Top 50 People in Ecommerce 2025).

Airi pointed out that when joining a new business, the priority is a rigorous assessment of the existing tech stack to identify where partners can better utilise current assets before sourcing new ones.

Her strategy focuses on actively solving high-impact problems first, specifically targeting the significant opportunities found in optimising advertising feeds. Additionally, it is vital to revitalise merchandising, a critical lever that many businesses overlook. This approach ensures operational efficiency by staying lean, focused, and commercially sharp.

Operational Excellence in Retail: What It Actually Looks Like at Culture Kings

The room went quiet for Jess Vasallo (Evocative Media) and Justin Hillberg (Culture Kings).

The key takeaway is that profitability lives and dies on the inventory line. To scale, Culture Kings operates as a product-led powerhouse where profit growth is the only metric that matters. They’re dismantling silos and syncing cross-functional teams to ensure every role owns the bottom line: because when teams drift, margins tank.

By leveraging multi-channel distribution and aggressive "early reads," Justin was able to keep inventory young and highly productive, ruthlessly eliminating the cash flow burn of dead stock. It’s simple: total visibility, zero silos, and a relentless focus on keeping the business healthy at every stage.

The Final Word

The morning ended with open networking, but the conversation didn’t stop there.

The consensus was clear: 2026 belongs to the operators who can turn scattered data into usable signals.

Move fast. Validate early. Over-deliver.

Missed the seat at the table? Book a Demo to see how ProfitPeak turns your data into proof.

Or read our latest case studies to see these strategies in action.