Retail Gets Real

Back-to-school spending is expected to reach an unparalleled $41.5 billion, up from $36.9 billion last year; back-to-college spending is expected to hit $94 billion, about $20 billion more than last year’s record. On today’s show, Rachel Bonsignore, vice president of GfK Consumer Life, talks about what’s driving back-to-class shopping this season, how Generation Alpha’s Millennial parents are being influenced, and what’s motivating consumer behavior among the generations. Dig into the data at nrf.com/backtoschool.

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Replay from Retail Gets Real episode 281: Christopher Thomas-Moore, senior vice president of customer and store experiences at Domino’s, joins the show to discuss his career journey, how the company leads when it comes to innovation, and the future of the quick service restaurant industry. 

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On today’s show, Nasrin Mostafazadeh, co-founder of AI company Verneek, talks about building AI platforms for retailers to enhance the customer experience, puts the current AI buzz into context, and discusses the real threats and opportunities the technology represents.

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ThirdLove is known for marketing body positivity and offering size-inclusive bras, including half-cup sizes. On today’s episode, we’re talking to ThirdLove co-founder and CEO Heidi Zak. We’ll hear about what led her to start the company back in 2013, how the brand connects with today’s customers and ThirdLove’s recent expansion into bricks-and-mortar locations.

Zak also shares how inclusion and diversity values help shape the business and discusses the impact of the TL Effect – an initiative to support entrepreneurial women of color. 

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On today’s episode, we’re talking to Sam’s Club Executive Vice President and Chief Merchant Megan Crozier. We’ll discuss how Crozier’s team decides what makes its way onto Sam’s Club shelves, her 20-year career journey starting as an engineer at a Walmart distribution center in Temple, Texas, and leading through a time of accelerated change.

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M.M.LaFleur is not a women’s workwear business — founder and CEO Sarah LaFleur says it’s a company that supports working women. LaFleur talks about the distinction on today’s show, as well as the brand’s bricks-and-mortar strategy, how women are dressing for work in a post-pandemic world, what it means to “lead from the front” and her biggest style inspiration.

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Retail security has moved from physical security to loss prevention to asset protection. Now it’s at the enterprise risk management phase, according to David Johnston, NRF’s vice president of asset protection and retail operations. On today’s show, Johnston dives into current priorities and challenges in the retail loss prevention and asset protection community, including growing concerns about organized retail crime. He also shares more about what to expect at this summer’s NRF PROTECT event for loss prevention and cyber risk professionals.

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On today’s show, Addison Bay founder and CEO Marguerite Adzick talks about starting the women’s activewear business, the company’s growth and culture, and her advice for other entrepreneurs.

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Today’s episode is all about change and evolution: Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson talks about his personal career shift from corporate lawyer to ecommerce CEO, as well as Overstock’s recent transition from a general merchandise retailer to focus solely on home furnishings and how it stands out among other online furniture retailers.

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The Port of Los Angeles (combined with Long Beach) handles about one-third of all container traffic in the United States and operated at 120% capacity during the pandemic. On today’s show, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, joins NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay to share some of the supply chain lessons learned during the pandemic, the importance of collaboration and early planning, and what the coming year will bring for the retail industry. 

Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.