# Cold Calls to Conference Halls: Clear.io's Roddy Smith on E-Com's "OG" Ecosystem and the Future of AI

Roswell NYC’s Nihar Kulkarni sits down with clear.io’s Director of Partnerships, Roddy Smith, to explore how clear.io’s 25+ app ecosystem helps merchants drive acquisition, conversion, AOV, and LTV while simplifying life for agencies. Together, they reflect on the evolution of e-commerce partnerships, the rise of AI and conversational commerce, and why success in this industry still comes down to integrity, relationships, and knowing how to leverage new technology.

In this episode, host Nihar Kulkarni (Managing Director of Roswell NYC) sits down with one of his closest colleagues and a legend in the e-commerce partnership world, Roddy Smith. Roddy was the Director of Partnerships at clear.io, a powerhouse in the Shopify ecosystem. The two "OG" e-com veterans discuss the evolution of the partner ecosystem, what it really takes to succeed in partnerships (hint: it's not just selfies), and whether AI is coming for our jobs or just changing the way we shop. What is Clear.io? A Unified Toolkit for Merchants Roddy kicks off by explaining the clear.io model. Rather than being one single product, clear.io is an umbrella for over 25 apps, including six flagship products: reviews.io, influence, boost, address validator, rich returns, and viral sweep. This suite of tools is designed to hit the four key pillars for any merchant: acquisition, conversions, AOV, and LTV. The strategy, Roddy explains, is not to be a "Swiss Army knife". Instead, clear.io has acquired "best-in-class" tools for each category and bundled them together. For merchants, this means a reduced total cost of ownership, one bill, and one customer success manager. For agencies, it means one partner manager to handle a suite of solutions. The approach is "land and expand" —get one foot in the door with a single solution and then cross-sell across the portfolio. The Evolution of E-Com Partnerships (from the "OGs") Roddy and Nihar reminisce about first meeting at a Shopify Unite conference in 2017, back when the partner ecosystem was just emerging. Roddy, who started as an AE at Nextopia, says he naturally gravitated toward partnerships. "I focus on relationships," he says. "I want to know who I'm working with and I want to like who I'm working with". He notes that this relationship-first mindset is common for sales-oriented people who move into partnerships. In the early days, the ecosystem was small, and partnerships were managed on spreadsheets. There was no Slack, no Crossbeam, and PRMs (Partner Relationship Management) platforms didn't exist yet. The entire industry was built on genuine, personal relationships —a "trifecta between agency, tech, and platforms all sort of working together". How to Succeed in Partnerships (It's Not Just Selfies) For those looking to get into partnerships, Roddy offers a word of caution. Many people "want to get into partnerships because they see the selfies at events" —the "Instagram life" of traveling to ShopTalk in Vegas or NRF in New York. "That's not where the real work gets done," Roddy insists. "A lot of partnerships people move in silence". The key, he and Nihar agree, is integrity and authenticity. You must be willing to build and maintain relationships over the long haul. The AI Revolution: Conversational Commerce vs. The "Routine Economy" The conversation naturally shifts to the hottest topic in tech: AI. With Shopify's recent integration with ChatGPT and Perplexity, the question is: will AI-driven conversational commerce replace the traditional website front-end? Roddy's Take: "I see it more as... a channel". He believes it will work for "certain brands and certain products" , particularly "transactional things". For example, he can see himself using it for grocery shopping—planning a meal and having the AI create and place an order at a local store. However, he's skeptical about high-consideration purchases. "I don't think I'm going to buy... jeans through ChatGPT," he says. For products you need to touch and feel, like ski boots or a new TV, the traditional website and in-store experience will still win out. Nihar's Take: Nihar builds on this, citing the concept of the "Routine Economy". Brands need to aspire to become part of a customer's daily routine—like their toothpaste or dog food. This is where transactional AI and subscription models can win. For more considered purchases, like a gift, the "virtual tactile experience" of a website is still required. The Next Frontier: "Generative Engine Optimization" The rise of AI search also means the rise of a new marketing field. "There's a new term coming out called Generative Engine Optimization," Roddy notes , referring to the practice of optimizing content to show up in AI responses. Ultimately, both agree that AI is a tool to be harnessed, not feared. "AI is not going to take jobs away from people," Nihar says. "It's going to take jobs away from people who don't use AI". To connect with Roddy Smith, find him on LinkedIn.   Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on Youtube.

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