Retail Remix

Brands and retailers that specialize in formal events and big “life moments” (think weddings, proms and the like) need to think about customer loyalty — how to win it and how to keep it — in a completely different way.

For example, David’s Bridal has leaned into community and crowdsourcing to create programs that allow consumers to build beautiful life moments. During this episode of Retail Remix, Kelly Cook, the President of Brand, Technology and Finance for David’s Bridal, shares how the brand has: 

• Developed the Diamond Loyalty Program to reimagine the way friends and family members can contribute to weddings; 

• Applied trends and learnings from the Diamond program to develop a prom iteration that has supported its partnerships with schools; and

• Collected data and insights about Gen Z consumers to refine its approach to retention marketing and content creation across key channels such as TikTok. 

RELATED LINKS

• Visit the David’s Bridal website 
• Follow David’s Bridal on TikTok
• Connect with Kelly Cook on LinkedIn
• Download Retail TouchPoints’ latest loyalty research

Kelly Cook will be speaking at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo to share more insights into how David’s Bridal is rewriting the loyalty playbook. Click here to get your ticket and get more

Brian Librach has held leadership positions at various retail brands, from Old Navy to Pacific Sunwear and Urban Outfitters. So needless to say, he’s faced his fair share of hardships and lessons learned.

The one big thing he has found is that many retail leaders are “stuck halfway up the ladder.” This reality ultimately inspired him to write his book: The Retail Leader’s Roadmap. 

During this episode of Retail Remix, Brian shares:

• The big lessons he learned during his rich career in retail;
• What he learned from his industry peers while writing the book; and
• How retail leaders can get “unstuck” and embed learning, development and inspiration into their days. 

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Brian Librach
• Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
• Get a copy of The Retail Leader’s Roadmap

Connected TV (CTV) is becoming a central marketing and advertising channel for brands as streaming networks bolster their subscription offerings. They’re becoming a conduit for delivering engaging, personalized campaigns that drive brand awareness, product discovery, in-store traffic and conversions. 

Roku is helping drive this new era of shoppable content by providing the streaming devices consumers need to access content across apps and devices. Plus, through partnerships with companies like Walmart, it is helping shape the future of the category. 

During this episode of Retail Remix, Sarah Monahan, Roku’s Head of Verticals, shares: 

• How the streaming wars will continue to drive the evolution of CTV; 

• Tips to help retailers align their CTV decisions and tactics to specific business objectives and success measures; and 

• Details on how Roku is partnering with brands, retailers and even streaming services to support innovation in CTV advertising and creative storytelling.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Roku’s Advertising services
• See more CTV coverage on Retail TouchPoints
• Read the deep-dive report on CTV best practices

Retailers know that digital influences the customer journey, from initial awareness to post-purchase. So why is there still such a staggering divide between consumers’ digital and physical brand experiences?

We explore the gaps, challenges and opportunities on this week’s Retail Remix with Justin Racine and Zach Zalowitz of Perficient. Together with host Alicia Esposito, they explore: 

• The key digital influencers for in-store traffic and activation; 

• The increasingly central role of inventory visibility and omnichannel inventory management in the customer experience; 

• Why retailers should place more emphasis on the post-purchase experience; and

• How different retail teams and functions can support the bottom of the funnel, which is becoming a new “battleground” for retailers.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Perficient
• Download Retail TouchPoints’ research on retailers’ omnichannel challenges and priorities
• Read our coverage of the post-purchase experience

Juxtapose positions itself as a “creation-oriented investment firm,” which means their investment process is based on businesses that don’t exist yet. Focusing on industries that are under-served, Juxtapose’s team then harnesses the power of entrepreneurialism and an investment firm’s diligence to identify and invest in new business opportunities.

During this week’s Retail Remix, Ben West, Partner at Juxtapose, digs into the company’s investment process and how this approach shapes his perspectives on:

•  What makes a successful brand; 

• How businesses should balance brand building and scaling their business; and

• The state of the investment market, and what emerging consumer brands need to know.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Juxtapose
• Read more about VC-related topics and trends on Retail TouchPoints

Register for the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, taking place June 4-5 in Chicago, to explore the evolution of the customer journey. Hear from executives at Babylist, IKEA, Liquid Death, Rebecca Minkoff and more, about how they’re embracing the convergence of content, community and commerce.

Four years and 200 episodes later, we’re celebrating how far the retail industry and the Retail Remix podcast have come! What better way to do that than to listen back to the conversations that sparked some of the show’s top geek-out moments?

Listen to find out which guests drove some of our most thought-provoking conversations on: 

• Omnichannel strategy;
• The evolution of store design;
• The future of digital communities; 
• Branded content strategy; and 
• The unique role of mobile apps.

Stitch Fix has access to rich data and insights to understand consumers’ wants, needs and behaviors. Additionally, it harnesses the unique knowledge and expertise of its styling and merchandising teams to ensure it is striking the right balance between personalized service and surprise and delight. 

During this episode of Retail Remix, Loretta Choy, Chief Merchandising and Client Services Officer of Stitch Fix, shares how the team: 

• Blends the traditional art of merchandising and the science of data analysis to ensure clients feel seen and understood; 

• How the Stitch Fix Style Forecast has become a pillar of the company’s approach to service and support; and

• Which trends from the Forecast will influence Stitch Fix’s merchandising decisions and even activation strategies through 2024.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Stitch Fix
• See the latest Stitch Fix stories on Retail TouchPoints
• Read key takeaways from this Retail Remix episode
• Get your copy of the Style Forecast

Up to 81% of consumers say they prefer to shop with brands and retailers that have both online and offline channels, according to CI&T’s latest Connected Retail Report. 

This data point may not be surprising most, but it’s the underpinning of a lot of new trends around how consumers browse, compare and purchase products across channels, and Melissa Minkow, the author of the report, sits down with host Alicia Esposito to dig into the key takeaways, including: 

• Whether price-conscious consumers are willing to sacrifice their experience for a good deal; 

• How consumers’ evolved omnichannel priorities will influence brand investments; and

• How consumers want to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support their shopping behaviors. 

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about CI&T
• Download a copy of the 2024 Connected Retail Report
• Read the article highlighting key takeaways
• Connect with Melissa on Linkedin

Ron Thurston turned his passion for retail into the book Retail Pride and podcast series Retail in America. Now, he's turning his learnings speaking with retail leaders, associates and emerging talent alike into a new company: OSSY. 

During this episode of Retail Remix, he reflects on how his career pivot over the past three years has brought him to founding OSSY. He discusses: 

• What’s “broken” in retailers’ approach to talent acquisition and hiring; 
• The hidden biases in the recruitment process; 
  Why it’s time for retailers to rethink talent progression and training; and 
• How OSSY is designed to empower emerging retail talent to take charge of their careers. 

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Ron Thurston on LinkedIn
• Learn more about OSSY
• Follow Retail Pride on Instagram
• Listen to our previous episode with Ron

Although generative AI has the power to shake up all retail functions, early use cases and success stories suggest that marketing, content and ecommerce teams have the most to gain. These teams are feeling more pressure to create relevant, impactful and on-brand content. Gen AI will allow them to accomplish all of this — and at scale. During this episode of Retail Remix, Alicia Esposito explores the opportunities for brands and retailers with Michelle Bacharach, Co-founder and CEO of FindMine. They discuss:

• How Gen AI can support the creative process, from ideation to execution;
• Tips for balancing the efficiency and automation of Gen AI with the need for creative, high-touch branded content; and
• How the rise of Gen AI will influence the way brands build, empower and inspire teams across business functions.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about FindMine
• Explore the latest in Gen AI trends and use cases on Retail TouchPoints
• Read our multi-part series on AI use cases