Resilient Retail

🥳 SEASON FINALE! Today is our final, regular programming for Season 2 of Resilient Retail. Today, our host Kristen LaFrance is walkig us through the three pillars of community-led retail, aka- the next era of successful commerce. Tune in to hear her thoughts, emotions, and heartfelt response to this season. But don't worry- we'll be back with a wrap up episode soon. Cheers!

Today Steph Laposta is joined by Jeremy + Julie Brown of Province of Canada for the last episode of Real Life Retail, a weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. To finish the season off they talk about the creation of Province of Canada, the patience it takes to build a business, their thoughts on having a physical retail store versus online, and their dreams for the future of Province of Canada!

REI needs no introduction. They’ve been a juggernaut in the outdoor retail industry for decades, and most of us already know that their customer experience is absolutely unmatched. In this episode, Chief Experience Officer Curtis Kopf digs into the ways that REI builds community, adventure, and sustainability into every touchpoint. That means amazing experiences in their physical stores, online, and everywhere in-between.

This Friday, Kristen is joined with Kat Cole to cover the hottest industry news and trends of the week. Sadly we have reached the finale of Resilient News! To finish the season off we chat about leading through change, having empathy as a business owner, and staying on track with the mission.

So much of Resilient Retail this season has been about the importance of brand. But what happens when you take brand out of the equation? Well, you get Italic. They’re rethinking the basics of commerce by connecting top-tier manufacturers directly to customers at the lowest possible markup. It’s a more radical move than you might think. This episode is all about a fundamentally different approach to growth based on a simplified supply chain and a membership model.

Venus ET Fleur is a husband-and-wife-led luxury brand disrupting the flower industry - not least by offering roses that last a full year with minimal upkeep. That alone would set them apart. But they’ve also nailed an exciting, innovative approach to meeting their customer’s needs, no matter how they enter the funnel. Maintaining pitch-perfect operations is important for a brand like VEF. After all, they’re dealing with living, breathing products that need special care to arrive on customers’ doorsteps in tip-top shape. This episode is all about the ways that operations feed directly back into the customer experience.

DTC subscription and in-store retail often feel like they’re coming from opposite ends of the shopping spectrum. So what happens when you combine the two? Shane Pittson, VP of Growth at Quip, is all about creating a shopping experience that helps customers build healthy oral care habits in the most convenient ways possible. This episode digs into the relationship between retail and subscription, Shane’s innovative rewards program, and how Quip has hit an 80% response rate on their post-purchase survey.

Join Steph LaPosta each week for Real Life Retail. A weekly segment with honest, candid conversations with retailers. Today we have a special episode in celebration of PRIDE month! Joined by Queeriosity folks Eli Holtz and Kai Joseph, to chat about starting Queeriosity, the struggles of going through the production process, getting their product sold in retail stores, and we even get a little taste of the game, Queeriosity: The LGBTQ+ Social Game!

Most entrepreneurs would have balked at the decision to launch Neighborhood Goods in late 2018. After all, many department stores were barely surviving by the end of the 2010s, and the department store retail model appeared to be on the verge of collapse. But against all odds, co-founder and CEO Matt Alexander has leveraged amazing growth in changing economic times.

So what sets Neighborhood Goods apart? It all comes down to a creative rethinking of the in-store experience. They start by curating a smart range of products. Then, they display them in dynamic, engaging spaces built for human connection. It’s all about bringing to life the kind of community experience that transforms a quick errand into an enjoyable event.

🚨BREAKING NEWS: Arpan Podduturi, Director of Retail Product here at Shopify joins the show for a surprise announcement of a new Shop App feature that will have a massive impact on local retailers. You don't wanna miss this episode.