Think Retail

All across North America, the decriminalization or legalization of cannabis has given birth to a brand-new industry, and in many places you can now easily purchase cannabis online or in a store. Today we’re speaking to Steffen Schenk from mīhī cannabis. He’s the SVP of Customer Experience, and we are going to talk about how you create a customer-centric retail experience for a product that has been underground for as long as any of us can remember.

 

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We all know that fashion changes over time but what about the business model for fashion retailers? For a long time, it was a simple process. Customers go to a store, try something on and hopefully make a purchase. However, this is no longer the case as online shopping and subscription and rental services allow customers to shop from the comfort of their home. While the rising consumer activism has meant that customers aren’t always willing to support a company whose ethics do not match their own. In this episode, we speak with with  Joe Mimran , the co-founder of iconic fashion brands such as Club Monaco, Joe Fresh, Pink Tartan, Caban, and Alfred Sung about what the future of fashion retail could look like.

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Consumers are more empowered and educated than they’ve ever been throughout the history of modern capitalism. They want to know where their shoes are made, how their coffee was grown, and what conflicts their diamonds might have created, and they can find out in a matter of seconds. 

Environmental sustainability is a key issue that threatens to disrupt the entire planet and younger generations increasingly see this as a top concern. Designer and co-founder of the houseware brand Umbra, Paul Rowan, sees this as an opportunity for companies to step out of their role as sellers of stuff and to become the heroes consumers really want them to be.

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Is bigger always better? Large retailers with multiple locations and a global reach seemingly have infinite capital and resources, but this can come at a cost. The decision makers in these companies are often far removed from their customers, and any initiative to lead change can be met with differing opinions and agendas. Those smaller, independent retailers are faced with their own challenges. They generally have the power to implement change quickly and use firsthand insights into what their customers want and need. Today, we talk about why independent retailers are winning at customer experience.

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The environmental impact of plastic packages has become an issue customers, brands and governments can no longer ignore. The EU is poised to ban certain single-use plastics within a few years, and other governments are exploring similar policies as we speak. Younger consumers place an even higher importance on environmental issues, making this an important problem for brands to solve. Companies know this, but there isn’t a perfect solution – at least not yet. Today we are speaking to James Downham, President & CEO, PAC Packaging Consortium, who has spent a great deal of time and energy studying this issue, about the options, the challenges and promising future solutions. 

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What was once thought of as pure fantasy is no longer a far-fetched idea – humans inhabiting other planets and bodies in space. NASA is running a design competition for houses that could be 3D printed on Mars. Elon Musk’s SpaceX promises to take tourists on private trips to the moon in the near future. It’s just a matter of time before brands get involved as part of a new “space race.” Nike designing the hottest space suits? Kraft Heinz creating space food? In this episode, SLD’s Executive Vice President of Design and Innovation, Richard Dirstein, discusses whether or not brands should start planning their expansion to outer space, and what that future might look like.

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Retail brands know the key to success is understanding what the customer really wants – ideally before they even know they want it. Market research and consumer data analysts all promise to help retailers answer this tricky question. Most techniques rely on direct consumer feedback – and this may sound reasonable, but the results aren't always accurate. What if, however, you could actually look inside the customers’ mind, beyond their preconceived ideas or biases, to what really captures their attention? That is the promise of neuromarketing – research that measures consumers’ physiological responses to brands, providing a window into their true feelings and reactions like never before. Today we talk to renowned Neuroscientist Diana Lucaci about how retail brands can benefit from this cutting-edge technology.

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Technology has changed the retail landscape dramatically over the past 10 years, so much so that many people proclaimed digital shopping would kill retail altogether. In reality, technology has enabled retailers to connect with consumers better than ever before, and for those brands willing to innovate, it has provided them with a significant advantage in the physical store. But with so many options, it can be overwhelming trying to determine what digital solutions will actually provide an experience customers really want. Executed poorly, technology can become a high-cost/low-return experiment that is quickly outdated. Today we talk to Marcos Terenzio, our own Director of Digital Experience, about Virtual Reality, gesture technology, two-way interaction through mobile devices and more.

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Posting food images on social media has extended the communal aspect of preparing, presenting and eating food beyond the table. For foodservice brands it offers a powerful way to deliver the drool factor right to customer’s phones. Will this powerful trend continue? How can foodservice brands, small and large, take advantage of #foodporn now, and where will instagrammable food go next? Today, we talk with Helen Langford, who has worked with foodservice brands both large and small for many years – she doesn’t like the term “food porn” but she has a lot to say about how brands can elevate their use of Instagram.

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