Welcome to this special podcast on Diversity in Retail that we recorded for a MLK day Retail Innovation Week 2022 session. Topics in this expert will include talent cultivation, marketing representation and public accountability; as well as representative marketplaces, community engagement and how technology can help develop empathy.

Experts in this session today include Ron Thurston who is a retailer leadership executive and board member. He is Amazon best-selling author of RETAIL PRIDE The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career.

Also on the panel is Alissa Allen - an expert in Diversity Equity & Inclusion and SVP of Strategy & Innovation at The Integer Group, the commerce arm of TBWA-Worldwide. 

Also joining us is Felita Harris, the Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer at Harlem's Fashion Row, the premier agency creating a bridge between fashion brands and designers of color.

And finally, Bonin Bough is one of the foremost-awarded marketing executives in the world and Chief Growth Officer of social platform Triller, as well as the Founder of investment firm Bonin Ventures. 

Moderating the session is Scott Lachut, a partner at PSFK.

Welcome to the RIW newsletter, the essential weekly inspiration for every changemaker working in retail and along the customer experience journey. This week we're sharing ideas around 3 key themes that should inspire new ways you plan out your customers journey in 2022 and beyond. 

In the first section we look at how Quick Retail is delivering some serious Urban Planning Whiplash
.15 minute-or-less delivery is remaking the city faster than anyone predicted. Whether it's discussions about real estate zoning or adding e-bike lanes to the city streets, one thing's for sure: the pandemic has created a perfect moment to drive a radical evolution of our commercial and personal experiences. 



For the next section of this podcast we look at how stores are Monetizing Shoppers With Retail-as-Media Initiatives.

With captive audiences (in some stores) spending considerable time browsing and lining up at check out, retailers are realizing there are multiple ways to turn their footfall into a windfall, and are deploying a host of new owned initiatives and offerings.

And for the final section of this podcast, we look at how Retailers are seeking a Product-led Sustainability Halo.

Retailers are benefitting not only from their own sustainability efforts but those of the merchandise partners they stock the products of. By investing in sustainable business practices across every element of the product journey, brands and retailers are finding that their positive impact can both drive efficiencies and secure long-term value and customer loyalty - turning positive social and environmental impact into measurable brand value.

Welcome to PSFK's weekly newsletter. This week, we're sharing ideas around 3 different themes on the business of innovation. We present links to some luxury collaborations and innovative product pop-ups that might surprise you, inspiring sustainability initiatives across industries, as well as take a look at the emergent ways brands and retailers are beginning to sell directly to shoppers’ emotional states. 

In the first section, Luxury Goes Mad For Mashups.. 
The luxury collaboration - from streetwear brands, hotels, and more - is nothing new, and has even been a key feature in defining (and gatekeeping) the upper echelons of the fashion industry, serving as the left hand to high couture's right. Still, a recent slate of collaborative efforts from some of the top fashion houses is making waves - and not because of the names involved, but instead because of the variety of products and alternative spaces they're taking place in. 


In the next section of this show, we look at Product-led Sustainability Strategies. By investing in sustainable business practices across every element of the product journey, brands and retailers are finding that their positive impact can drive efficiencies and secure both long-term value and customer loyalty - turning positive social and environmental impact into measurable brand value.

And for the final section of the podcast: Selling The Mood.  Brands and retailers have always sought to find an emotional connection to drive engagement and loyalty with their shoppers, but now they're trying to sell directly to the customer's sense of well being. Companies are matching their products with their customers' emotional needs and creating new products, packaging and experiences as a result.  

That's all we have for today. This podcast was based on the research from the team behind PSFK IQ. PSFK IQ is a business intelligence platform where innovators turn for research. Visit PSFK today to find out more about the library of 400 trend reports and 150 thousand case studies and data points.

http://www.psfk.com/membership

This week, we're sharing ideas around 3 different themes that might inspire new thinking in your work. We present links to the latest initiatives reinventing food service offerings; to innovations in self-service and automation; as well as a look at the ways both blue-chip and emerging brands are uniquely engaging their consumer communities to drive growth and differentiation. 

So in the first section we look at the reinvention of food service 

Innovations within the food and beverage industry, alongside changing consumer expectations, are inspiring retailers and brands to compartmentalize and activate against various elements of the dining and hospitality experience. From sustainable initiatives to viral must-try’s, brands are creating a holistic path to purchase for consumers by providing them with emotional and situational solutions. 

In the next section of the podcast we look at The Great Automation.

A next-generation wave of contactless, self-serve and automated kiosk solutions are making it possible for consumers to engage with products and accept deliveries in increasingly novel and convenient ways. Beyond commercial use, vending solutions are also buttressing public health efforts by making always-on support available to segments of critical in-need populations.

In the final section of the podcast: Leveraging community.

Are brand communities more valuable than loyalty membership programs? Personal recommendations account for roughly $6 trillion in annual global spend, resulting in five-times more sales than paid advertisements. Beyond just boosting the bottom line, having a hyper-loyal and engaged fan base affords brands and retailers a variety of options, with passionate communities at times even taking an active role in areas like product development.