CTOs are facing a paradox of unprecedented technological opportunity and macroeconomic volatility. And those in retail and commerce are feeling it the most.
Consumers expect personalized experiences, seamless buying journeys and interactions across all channels—both online and in-store. Meanwhile, the geopolitical crises and ongoing price increases are making it harder for CTOs to successfully marry budget management with innovation.
In short, it means the ‘traditional’ way of working for CTOs in commerce doesn’t work anymore. Just keeping the lights on is not good enough.
The emerging breed of CTOs are thinking differently. They are no longer just engineers and tech experts. They’re strategic decision-makers, team shapers and transformation catalysts.
And while every business is different, the most innovative ones have one thing in common: they are disruptive.
Managing Director, EMEA, Shopify.
The innovation mindset
There’s no single way to be innovative—but there are powerful frameworks that can shape how to approach problems and opportunities. Here are five that we see consistently driving impact for commerce CTOs.
1. First Principles Thinking
Instead of starting with existing processes or looking at what competitors are doing, first principles thinking means going back to the fundamentals. It’s about stripping problems down to their core truths—then rebuilding with clarity.
This approach pushes teams to avoid following hype or assuming the status quo is the best path forward. Instead of asking, “How do we make this work with our current tech?”, the better question becomes: “If we were building this from scratch, what’s the best way to solve it?”
It’s a mindset that leads to more focused investments, smarter tech choices and long-term, high-impact solutions.
2. The Dialectical Method
Too often, tech decisions are framed as binary choices. Build or buy? Monolith or microservices? Headless or full-stack? The dialectal method takes a different approach, embracing nuance to create the best of both.
Innovation-first CTOs move past those either/or debates. They look at both sides of the equation and ask: how can we take the best of each and build something better?
This kind of thinking leads to more flexible, extensible architectures—ones that blend speed and control, scale and simplicity. It’s not about finding a perfect model. It’s about finding the right model for the business, and building with the confidence that it can evolve over time.
3. Creative Destruction
Austrian political economist Joseph Schumpeter formulated the concept of creative destruction to describe how innovation fuels economic growth and development. He saw the key drivers of this process as entrepreneurs—those who were willing to disrupt the status quo and forward radical ideas.
In the realm of commerce, that can be the CTO.
This means actively rethinking legacy systems, experimenting with new experiences, and challenging internal norms. Whether it’s using AI tools to rethink customer support, shifting from monolithic systems to modular platforms, or redesigning checkout flows to match real-world behavior—the best ideas often come when questioning what has been accepted as standard.
Creative destruction doesn’t mean breaking things for the sake of it. It means asking: “What’s no longer serving us?” and having the confidence to change it before being forced to by internal and external forces.
4. Greedy Algorithms
Not every decision needs a five-year roadmap. Sometimes, the smartest move is the next right one.
Greedy algorithm thinking is about identifying the highest-impact next step—quickly—and acting on it. It’s how high-performing tech teams avoid getting stuck in endless planning cycles. They move, test, learn and iterate.
This approach is especially powerful in transformation programs, where complexity can become a blocker. Instead of aiming for a perfect rollout, teams focus on momentum—launching one product, replatforming one category, optimizing one part of the customer journey. Small wins compound fast.
5. Metcalfe’s Law
Originally formulated by Robert Metcalfe, the co-inventor of Ethernet, Metcalfe’s law says the value of a network increases exponentially as it grows. In commerce, that translates to this: the right ecosystem makes everything better.
Innovation-first CTOs prioritize open platforms, extensible architectures, and communities that allow teams to plug in new capabilities as they need them. Rather than building every tool from scratch or assembling dozens of disconnected point solutions, they invest in systems designed to scale value with every new integration.
The smartest platforms don’t just offer tools—they provide leverage.
Building Innovation into the Culture
Adopting these ways of thinking isn’t just for those in leadership positions, it requires root and branch cultural change. It means creating environments where experimentation is normal, where assumptions are challenged, and where teams are encouraged to think beyond “what’s worked before.”
For many organizations, that’s a big shift. But it’s one worth making. It does mean adjusting project and business performance measures though.
Instead of chasing exhaustive requirements lists or polished perfection, more teams need to work with defined minimum viable products, testing fast, and letting real data shape next steps. It means aligning around impact, not just output.
A Different Kind of CTO for a Different Kind of Future
The commerce leaders winning right now do not just deliver digital experiences. They design the operating models, teams and platforms that will define the next decade of growth and more.
That takes courage. It takes clarity. And most of all, it takes a mindset built for change.
Whether navigating a replatforming effort, exploring AI, or simply trying to move faster—you need to start with the right mindset to unlock better outcomes.
This is a moment of massive opportunity. The future belongs to the CTOs willing to shape it.
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