Customer Centric Retailing Podcast

This episode’s special guest, Worth Darling, discusses the importance of leveraging your stores and store associates to create seamless BOPIS and ship-from-store omnichannel initiatives.

- How can retailers implement BOPIS & ship-from-store initiatives without risking the experience of their walk-in customers? Does BOPIS actually increase retail brands’ top-line revenue? Why should retailers take the leap of faith to implement a BOPIS strategy without having all the answers up-front?

- We dive into these questions and more with this episode’s special guest, Worth Darling, Senior Director of DTC Innovation & Technology at Vans. Speaking from his vast experience in the world of omnichannel retail, Worth discusses the importance of injecting a human touch into your omnichannel eCommerce strategies and how brands can rethink their retail strategy to foster a seamless integration of in-store and online fulfillment initiatives.

Our special guest, Barbara Thau, joins us to discuss exciting trends in retail with an emphasis on experiential shopping and customer loyalty. 

• How can retailers best leverage social commerce? What loyalty trends are successful in keeping customers engaged? How can retailers best employ technology to delight customers?

• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Barbara Thau, senior features editor for CO by the US Chamber of Commerce. As a senior features editor, Barbara often views the retail industry from above, observing the trends as they occur. Right now, it’s all about the experience that retailers are able to provide to their customers, taking it a step beyond purchase and focusing on loyalty.
  
  
  

Our special guest, Steve Dennis, joins us to discuss the importance of centering all operations around the customer and eliminating cumbersome silos in order to enable a frictionless experience.

• What are some of the ways that you think retailers can re-imagine their store layouts to accommodate modern buying behaviors? How should retailers approach measuring success for physical retail? What is Steve’s message for retailers that continue to be resistant to change?

• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Steve Dennis, Founder of SageBerry Consulting, retail guru, and best-selling author. Steve talks about the importance of centering all operations around the customer and eliminating cumbersome silos in order to enable a frictionless experience. He brings a pragmatic view to the current retail landscape and what it takes to survive and thrive.

Our special guest, Greg Buzek, joins us to discuss how retailers can prepare for the post-pandemic retail landscape. 

• What were the major factors that influenced retail success in the pandemic? What sorts of tools and technologies should retailers continue to invest in after the pandemic has completely waned? How can the little guy keep up?

• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Greg Buzek, founder and co-CEO of Omni Talk, Founder and President of IHL Group and one of the Founders of the Retail Orphan Initiative. Greg’s professional background provides him with a unique view into the retail industry, one that focuses on the data and technology needed in order to provide the best experience possible for the consumer. He is also one of the founders of the Retail Orphan Initiative, a wonderful charitable organization that you can get involved in at www.retailROI.com.

Our special guest, Chris Walton, joins us to discuss the five major trends poised to disrupt the retail industry.

• What is necessary to make micro fulfillment work? How is computer vision set to shake up the retail industry? Are the big retailers going to completely monopolize the market in the years to come? How can retailers win at social commerce? 

• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Chris Walton, founder and co-CEO of Omni Talk, one of the fastest-growing blogs in retail. Chris is carefully watching as the retail industry evolves, and he sees the trends we discussed converging over the next decade to change the way customers shop and the way retailers sell. Technology is undoubtedly key to all of the trends discussed, and it’s an area where retailers simply can’t afford to fall behind.

Our special guest, Ashley Merrill, joins us to walk us through Lunya’s story and how she’s been able to stay agile whilst staying true to the brand.

• What is the inspiration behind Lunya? How can digitally native brands compete in a hyper-competitive world? How can a brand remain agile without compromising on its mission and story? What are fast-fashion brands really doing to the retail industry?
• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Ashley Merrill, founder and CEO of Lunya. Ashley walks us through her brand story and why she’s been able to keep experiencing success even in the toughest of conditions. She strongly believes that it’s a combination of agility and confidence in her brand mission and value. She is constantly looking for ways to adapt and evolve based on client feedback without compromising on the brand she wants to build.
  
  
  

Our special guest, Rick Watson, joins us to provide his perspective on the ingredients required to win in a competitive retail environment, and why retailers are approaching KPIs completely wrong. 

• What does omnichannel really mean? How can DTC retailers win? What are the biggest challenges that brick and mortar retailers face as they reopen stores? What are the KPIs that retailers should really be paying attention to?
• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Rick Watson, founder and CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting and eCommerce specialist. Rick leverages his engineering background to provide a no-nonsense approach to the customer experience. He believes data is king, and that retailers need to truly understand their customers by leveraging data in order to stand out from the competition.

Our special guest, Sylvain Nigra, brings decades of experience at some of the most successful brands in the world to talk about what it takes from a technology perspective to deliver the best retail customer experience possible.

What are the main in store technology retailers should be adopting to be successful? What should be the first step in the project rollout? What tools do store associates need to best serve customers?

We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Sylvain Nigra, founder and co-CEO of Retail Performance 360 and former retail director for top luxury brands including Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors. Sylvain brings decades of experience at some of the most successful brands in the world to talk about what it takes from a technology perspective to create the best customer experience possible. He is confident that there’s no time to waste, and that the right technology and retail associates training needs to be in place to enable and empower these associates.

Our special guest, Kenny Anderson, joins the podcast to discuss how merchandising has and must evolve in order to keep up with modern supply chains, customer expectations, and concerns about sustainability.

• How has merchandising evolved over the past decade? What is the right balance between online and offline retailing? How can luxury brands best promote sustainability without compromising on profitability? 
• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Kenny Anderson, start-up board advisor for unRisky Business and former Vice President of Merchandising for top luxury brands including Hugo Boss and Armani. Kenny truly believes that you have to meet your customers where they are and cater to their needs, and that can only be achieved by paying attention to behaviors and discourse. Merchandising has and must evolve in order to keep up with modern supply chains, customer expectations, and concerns about sustainability.  
  
  

Our special guest, Liza Amlani, joins us to discuss the importance of sustainability and diversity in retail.

•  How has the role of the merchant evolved in the past years? How can retailers promote sustainability in fashion without compromising on profit? Is it possible to anticipate demand? How can the retail industry promote and benefit from more diversity?  
• We ask these questions and more of our special guest, Liza Amlani, founder of the Retail Strategy Group, Allyship Advocate, and former buying lead for Ralph Lauren. Liza has the amazing boots-on-the-ground experience to share with her clients, and she’s clearly passionate about very important topics in the retail world sustainability and diversity, and Shopify preorder. She strongly believes that retailers can be ethical and equitable without compromising on their bottom line.