Starboard Advisory Group

Retail & Ecommerce Strategy

Great products deserve a story that sells them.

Whether you’re a global retailer reinventing for agentic commerce or a startup selling into one, I help you become your customers’ obvious choice.

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Heidi Isern, founder of Starboard Advisory Group
Heidi Isern · Founder

You’re in good company

Brands I’ve worked with and for.

  • Zelig

01How I help

In a market racing toward AI, clarity and experience win. I bring both, so you can know your customer, own your position, and lead the change.

  1. Agentic Commerce Transformation

    For brands and retailers

    Get ready for a world where AI agents shop for your customers.

    • Innovation and AI strategy
    • Executive workshops and alignment
    • Customer research and interviews

  2. Strategy & Positioning

    For retail tech startups

    Grow revenue and retention with messaging retail buyers get.

    • Customer insights and hero programs
    • Sales decks, sites, and blogs
    • Go-to-market and launch

  3. Analyst Relations & Industry Insight

    For both

    Get the right analysts, press, and industry voices telling your story.

    • Analyst briefings
    • Industry trends and research
    • CABs and think tanks

02Testimonials

What clients say

  • Heidi helped us ignite our brand identity as we came out of stealth at Zelig. She started by bringing our leadership team together around a clear vision, then helped translate that into sharp, differentiated messaging that really captured what made us unique. What I appreciated most was her ability to get to the core of both the customer and the brand, and turn that understanding into something compelling and actionable.

    Dave Canfield

    VP Strategy and Transformation · Rent the Runway

    Formerly Head of Strategy and Operations · Zelig

  • Heidi led our agent launch, and we achieved more than 300% higher adoption than planned. She brings strategic rigor, creative instinct, and a calm hand when the stakes are high. A true pleasure to work with.

    Lauren Lowman

    SVP Marketing · Ordergroove

03Who it's for

Built for retail leaders and the startups that serve them.

Sound familiar?

  • AI is changing how your customers shop, and you need a plan.
  • Your product is powerful but hard to explain to retail buyers.
  • You need senior marketing help without a full-time hire.
  • A big launch is coming and your team needs a dedicated lead.
  • You’re worried about blending into a sea of AI-generated sameness.
  • Leadership needs to hear directly from customers, with an unbiased outside facilitator.

04About

Heidi Isern speaking on a panel at a retail industry conference
NRF Panel on Innovation

Heidi Isern

I’ve spent 20+ years at the intersection of customer insight, brand, and growth. I started in strategy consulting as a Manager at Kurt Salmon (Accenture Strategy), trained in human-centered design research as a Senior Lead at IDEO, and shaped strategy and innovation at Levi Strauss & Co. and Gap Inc. I went on to serve as VP of Experience at Narvar and SVP of Product Marketing on the executive team at Ordergroove. I’ve led everything from board presentations to major brand launches, for companies ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 enterprises.

Today I partner with retailers, brands, and the retail tech companies that sell to them to navigate agentic commerce, sharpen their positioning, and become their customers’ obvious choice.

Press & speaking

Spoke at
Guest on
Featured in
Quoted by
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • CBS News

Let’s find the story your market will remember.

Work with me as a fractional leader, on a focused project, or as an advisor.

Book a call