Welcome to the NOW NORMAL. During this Retail Adventures podcast Kizer & Bender & Baum discuss how our world - and retail - is changing daily, plus how retailers are learning to pivot.

Is your business ready to reopen? Some states are allowing stores to reopen, others are still waiting for the okay to move forward. Preparing to reopen your doors should be a top priority that takes meticulous planning.

Joining KIZER & BENDER & BAUM is Mary Liz Curtin, speaker, author and owner of Leon & Lulu and the Three Cars Cafe. The conversation centers around what’s happening at retail right now, plus things to think about as you plan to reopen your store after COVID-19 closures.

Today is Tuesday, you know what that means? We’re gonna have a special guest! Joining KIZER & BENDER & BAUM on this episode is Matt Korn, Digital Marketing Manager for The Walt Disney Company. Matt has helped build organic and paid social media strategies from the ground up, has supported multi-million dollar product launches, and has developed marketing concepts that have disrupted the market. And he’s here to help YOU make the most out of your social media marketing efforts. We had a gazillion questions – this is a truly magical podcast!

In this episode KIZER & BENDER & BAUM have a conversation about where retail is right now and where it’s headed, followed by an interview with special guest, Christine Grecco, a creative customer-focused technology professional with 18 years of progressive experience in computer programming, software development and website design. Christine shares how to quickly create an online store with easy-to-use platforms during COVID-19. Plus, Georganne and Rich sing. Badly.

Right now it’s all about online retailing, but we think consumers will be itching to get back to stores once we receive the all clear. But here’s the thing: they will return with higher expectations. Retailers will need to fix the in-store experience, remove the pain points – before before the store reopens. What can you do to make the shopping experience easier?

KIZER & BENDER & BAUM discuss what you can do while your business is closed, including why merchandising your sales floor during the COVID-19 closure is important, and which parts of your store are considered “lake front property”. You’ll also hear about the best in customer connections, email blasts and social media posts we have seen lately, all excellent examples to get your creative juices flowing.

Retail Adventures Podcast with KIZER & BENDER & BAUM will cover all things retail, beginning with what you can do right now to keep your store fresh and in front of customers. We're talking Non-stop, Traffic-Building, Profit-Producing, Attention-Grabbing, Sales-Generating, Competition-Miffing, Customer-Winning Retail Ideas you just can't afford to miss!

Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are consumer anthropologists, keynote speakers, authors, consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, restaurant, hospitality, travel, beauty, funeral, sales, and service industries since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are contributors to MSNBC’s Your Business. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers and have been named two of Retailing's Most Influential People. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. Their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog is consistently listed among important retail and small business blogs. KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire and are partners and emcees for the popular Independent Retailer Conference.

Wait. KIZER & BENDER & BAUM? The Baum is Jason Baum, a brilliant marketer and a partner we have relied on for years. Jason is a voice actor, worked in television series development, had a radio show on WGLS-FM, and is a seasoned association professional for a number of industries, including the Craft & Creative Industry where we met. Jason is the perfect complement to our conversations about marketing and all things retail and we can’t wait for you to meet him.