Full Bio
In addition to having a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, Jerry also has an MBA from the University of Miami with a specialty in Marketing and Marketing Research. He brings over 30 years of business experience in engineering and management through assignments with Pratt Whitney – United Technologies, Georgia Tech School of Mathematics, and Milliken & Company. In 2022, 2023 and 2024 he was named as one of the Top Retail Experts by RETHINK Retail.
Jerry is our resident rocket scientist. In his previous employment he was managing a stress testing laboratory on the Space Shuttle engines. In the field of retail technology, Jerry has researched and authored analyst reports on Order Management, Price Optimization, POS Software and Hardware Systems, Printers, and Global IT Spend. Jerry also provides the development expertise and analytics that go into our Retailer Technology Data Service Sophia and our Retail and CPG IT Spend models.
Jerry has been quoted by The Atlanta Journal Constitution, RIS News, Hospitality Upgrade, BusinessWeek, Retail Technology Quarterly, and Investor’s Business Daily, among others. Jerry has also appeared on Fox News Live and Fox Business discussing mobile commerce.
Products & Services
Analyst Corner Articles
- Oracle Retail Crosstalk 2026: The Clearest Case Yet for a Broad Unified Consumer Industries Platform
A retail technology analyst’s take on three days in Chicago Oracle just made the clearest case I’ve seen for a unified consumer industries platform. After three days at Crosstalk 2026… Read more: Oracle Retail Crosstalk 2026: The Clearest Case Yet for a Broad Unified Consumer Industries Platform - The secret to AI job security?
Over the past few months, I have been thinking a lot about what this new wave of generative AI really means for knowledge workers, careers, and companies. The ZDNET article,… Read more: The secret to AI job security? - Dreamforce 2025: From Unified Commerce to Agentic Orchestration—Salesforce Sets the Stage for the Next Wave of Value
Retailers and manufacturers face mounting pressure to adapt. Dreamforce 2025 responded not with incremental upgrades but with a clear operating roadmap that prioritizes scalable impact and measurable outcomes. Salesforce’s moves… Read more: Dreamforce 2025: From Unified Commerce to Agentic Orchestration—Salesforce Sets the Stage for the Next Wave of Value - SAP Connect – Big 5 for Retail: AI, Engagement, and Orchestration Unleashed
I just returned from SAP Connect 2025 in Las Vegas. This was essentially a new event as a unification of five prior events (CX, Spend, Success, Finance, and Supply Chain… Read more: SAP Connect – Big 5 for Retail: AI, Engagement, and Orchestration Unleashed
In THe NEWS
Oracle Retail Crosstalk 2026: The Clearest Case Yet for a Broad Unified Consumer Industries Platform By Jerry Sheldon
Oracle used Crosstalk 2026 to pitch a unified consumer industries platform spanning retail, restaurants, and hospitality, anchored by Fusion ERP, Oracle Retail Cloud (MFCS, Xstore, loyalty), and the new Oracle Retail Marketplace. Customer stories from Kroger, Vans/VF, Mr Price, Casey’s, Hot Topic, Gorilla Glue, and others highlighted data governance, embedded AI (predictive, generative, agentic), and measurable gains in revenue, speed, and tech-debt reduction, with Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, Infosys, KPMG, Retail Consult, Wipro, Elo, and Adyen as key partners.
The secret to AI job security?
A ZDNET article, “The secret to AI job security? Stop stressing and pivot at work now—here’s how,” argues that career resilience in the age of AI means embracing change and using AI tools personally and practically. The writer cites using Anthropic’s Claude for daily briefings as proof that integrating AI purposefully builds advantage and confidence.
AI Access vs. AI Engagement: Closing the Adoption Gap
AI adoption in enterprises is stalling not from lack of access but from low engagement, argues IHL Group VP of Technology Jerry Sheldon, echoing Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar’s view of AI as a worker tool, not a replacement. Sheldon urges retailers to embed LLMs into recurring workflows and use disliked tasks as an AI testbed, while highlighting future A2A (agent‑to‑agent) commerce as a key opportunity.
Dreamforce 2025: From Unified Commerce to Agentic Orchestration—Salesforce Sets the Stage for the Next Wave of Value
Retailers and manufacturers face mounting pressure to adapt. Dreamforce 2025 responded not with incremental upgrades but with a clear operating roadmap that prioritizes scalable impact and measurable outcomes. Salesforce’s moves in agentic orchestration and unified commerce should be on every leadership team’s radar, signaling where the market is headed and how organizations can differentiate.
Americans are spending less for the holidays. Retailers are scrambling to adapt
Walmart’s 2025 Thanksgiving meal basket serves 10 people for under $40, about $4 per person, making it their most affordable yet. However, it includes only 15 items—down from 29 last year—omitting pecan pie, sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and more, reflecting a trend of smaller portions to offer discounts amid inflation and tariffs. Retailers like Target and Aldi are also cutting prices, with consumers focusing on value and discounts this holiday season.