Future Shop Podcast with WSL

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s CEO and Chief Shopper talks to Helena Foulkes, current board member of Costco & Harry’s, former president of CVS Pharmacy and CEO and Board Member of the Hudson’s Bay Company, amongst other roles.  

They discuss:

• Her reflections on the pandemic: What she has learned about retail, leadership and the future.  
• How and why the power dynamic shifted from manufacturer to retailer to technology -- and now to consumers.
• The lasting effects of the pandemic. (It’s not technology.)
• The power of community, and the role retail.  
• How companies can prosper in times of paradox and complexity.
• The big opportunity in the consumerization of healthcare. 
• What makes for future retail winners and losers (a clue: people and innovation, not AI).

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s CEO and Chief Shopper talks to Mara Sipzener, General Manager of Loyalty at CVS Pharmacy about what’s driving all the recent activity and upgrades to retail loyalty programs.  

They discuss:

• What shoppers expect to be loyal today
• Why CVS, Walmart, Target Bath & Body Works, and others have upgraded their programs recently
• How loyalty programs need to focus on not only delivering affordability (discounts) but also convenience and personalization
• How the new shopper journey (and all the many touchpoints) needs to be part of a meaningful program
• Best-in-class loyalty programs (a hint: REI is one)

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Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s CEO and Chief Shopper and Justin Honaman, Head of Worldwide Retail & CPG, GTM & Segment Leader for Food & Beverages for Amazon Web Services, continue discussions about emerging technology and the implications for the future of retail.

They discuss:

•  How quickly companies are integrating generative AI into operating systems
• Efficiency plays that are delivering better access to information and images faster
• The intense focus on stores and how new technologies are impacting in-store experience, through physical store technology 
• The implications for loyalty programs and retail media
• Overall, the importance of unified commerce to create a truly meaningful customer experience

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Craig Dubitsky, founder of Happy™ products, about his recent launch of Happy™ Coffee, his partnership with Robert Downey Jr., and how philanthropy is embedded in reinventing the category at retail. 

They discuss:

• What it takes to be a serial entrepreneur (a clue: it’s being obsessed with people)
• How to disrupt massive, CPG categories, including home care, lip care, oral care and now coffee
• Building a unique business model based on bringing happiness to everyday categories at affordable prices
• Finding the right retailers who understand and can articulate the emotional opportunity on the shelf
• How to embed philanthropy into a brand to make a real difference to people’s mental health and wellbeing
• The importance of design in creating something people want and use everyday 
• Forgetting the usual business buzzwords and focusing on – and articulating – what people want and need to be happy

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to WSL Retail Strategy Consultant, Elia Auchane, and Retail Innovation Manager, Allie Chilicki, about curating a Retail Safari® at the inaugural Cosmoprof Miami event.  And the power of connecting in store and on the convention floor.

They discuss:

• A behind-the-scenes view to customizing the perfect Retail Safari® 
• Best-in-class retailers in the Latin-inspired Miami market
• The power of people to build emotional engagement at retail, at Nike and at Aesop
• How Amazon and Ulta unlocked the challenges of doing business today
• The excitement of seeing AI at work, IRL
• Opportunities that emerged when retailers, brands and service companies from Latin and South America and the US came together in Miami 

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Alex Gourlay, Executive Chair of Holland & Barrett, the UK’s leading wellness retailer, and formerly Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, and President of Walgreens about the future of health care retailing.

 They discuss:

• The generational opportunities in health care (from food to pharmacy)
• How younger people are much more proactive in taking care of their health, and how longevity means opportunity to support older people with solutions for a continued healthy life 
• The power of the pharmacist and the importance of maintaining personal relationships with customers 
• How technology creates great opportunity for personalization with shared data to deliver specific one-to-one solutions
• The power of physical retail that is simplified, edited and organized by solutions 
• Early “green shoots” of integrated health care, but with much more opportunity still to come to build “a magic box”

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In this Cloud Chat episode, Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s CEO and Chief Shopper and Justin Honaman, Head of Worldwide Retail & CPG, GTM & Segment Leader for Food & Beverages for Amazon Web Services, continue Cloud Chat, a short, sharp take on emerging technology and the implications for the future of retail.

They discuss:

• The year ahead: the yin and yang of the economy, technology and how companies – and shoppers -- are responding, and will
• How slow some companies have been to respond to personalization.
• The urgency to test generative AI and its power to enhance customer experience, and company efficiency
• The need to stop silo-ing e-commerce from the rest of organizations
• Best-of-breed technologies, and what’s to come 

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Maly Bernstein, CEO, Bluemercury, the luxury specialty beauty retailer, about her vision for the future of beauty retail and how her strategy is coming to life neighborhood by neighborhood.

They discuss:

• What makes Bluemercury shoppers unique 
• The focus on personalized skincare – both products and services 
• The importance of new categories and private brands 
• The new store format, with its “modern residential” focus, in-store service bars, master classes and other events that are driving shopper engagement and loyalty
• How wellness is delivered through unique products, partnerships services, and human experiences
• The role technology and AI will play in the future to enhance service and customer experience

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to WSL’s president Candace Corlett about the latest How America Shops® research that reveals how Americans are feeling (not happy), and what that means for 2024 and beyond (challenging). 

They discuss:

• How shoppers see the challenges for their standard of living in 2024, and what they plan to do about it.  
• The lack of innovation that leaves shoppers wanting – with little inspiration to pay more.
• Where shoppers will actually spend more in 2024 – categories, services and retail experiences. There are some.
• New ways shoppers are defining convenience, value and values.  There’s a whole new vernacular emerging.
• And lots of surprising white space opportunities (segments of shoppers, categories and more….).  Hint: Pet Owners.

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In this episode, Wendy Liebmann, WSL’s CEO and Chief Shopper and Justin Honaman, Head of Worldwide Consumer Goods at AWS, continue Cloud Chat, a short, sharp, sometimes provocative take on emerging technology and the implications for the future of retail.  

They discuss:  

• The holiday season – binge or bust – and implications for 2024
• What’s up – and down – with Generative AI
• E-commerce and creating a more flexible platform
• Soon-to-be-revealed AI use cases from brands and retailers
• All in 10 minutes or less.

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