Retail Remix

Welcome to the new frontier of retail marketing, where the power of “mind building” is reshaping the industry. Mind building takes the concept of worldbuilding and elevates it to a whole new level, focusing on immersive experiences that captivate the minds and emotions of customers. 

In this episode of Retail Remix, we relive a session from the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo. Ari Peralta, CEO of the research consultancy Arigami, shares the transformative potential of mind building in retail marketing and explores how it can unlock the true power of brand engagement and customer loyalty. Listen to learn:

• How the future of marketing is all about reframing marketers as neuroscientists;
• How gamification is a powerful method to understand and design experiences based on how our brains work; and
• Why the booming wellness industry is creating more opportunities to resonate with consumers through experience design.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Ari here!
• Learn more about Arigami.
• Read some of Ari’s work on Retail TouchPoints
• Read more about marketing trends on Retail TouchPoints.

In today's highly competitive retail landscape, private label brands have emerged as a powerful force, capturing the attention of both consumers and retailers alike. Once considered a category of cheap generic alternatives, private label has undergone a remarkable transformation and become a way for retailers to differentiate. 

In this episode of Retail Remix, host Alicia Esposito chats with Todd Maute, who is a partner at the brand strategy firm CBX, to dig into how retailers can build robust and relevant private label brands. Listen to learn about:

• Changing consumer behaviors, especially in light of economic uncertainty and volatility, and how these trends impact the private label industry;
• Why it has been challenging for retailers to harness the power of their private label brands;
• Data-driven strategies for building and promoting private-label brands.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more about Todd here!
• Learn more about CBX.
• Read more about private-label trends on Retail TouchPoints.

The future of commerce is marked by resilience, diversification and a willingness to embrace technological change.

Square's third annual Future of Commerce report sheds light on this optimism, including how businesses are embracing new revenue streams through services and partnerships, implementing cutting-edge technologies to power connected experiences and using AI to drive efficiency.

In this episode of Retail Remix, host Alicia Esposito chats with Roshan Jhunja, Head of Retail at Square. The pair dig into the report and other research the company has conducted. Listen to learn:

• How retailers can embrace diversification to meet customer needs and boost revenue results; 
• Ways to capitalize on Gen Z’s desire to support local small businesses; and
• Why the evolution of AI and other cutting-edge technologies is creating new growth opportunities for brands of all sizes. 

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Roshan here!
• Learn more about Square.
• Read the report, Future of Commerce: 2023 Edition 
• Download Square and Afterpay’s State of Retail Report

Read more about digital commerce trends on Retail TouchPoints.

The beauty and skincare markets are growing increasingly crowded and competitive, but Covey Skincare has managed to stand out thanks to the powerful influence of its founders and a streamlined, science-backed methodology.

In this episode of Retail Remix, host Alicia Esposito chats with Asha Talwar Coco, CEO of Covey Skincare. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of how Covey has tackled this challenge and discover actionable takeaways for your own business in this rapidly evolving industry. Listen to learn:

• How friends Emily DiDonato and Christina Garcia used their personal and professional lives to inspire the brand vision;
• Covey's approach to brand storytelling and how it influences all stages of the funnel; 
• How Covey actively involves its community, or “flock," through social media and user-generated content; and
• Covey’s playbook for growth and expansion and how different distribution channels will play a role. 

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Asha here!
• Learn more about Covey Skincare.

Read more about DTC trends on Retail TouchPoints.

If brands want to connect with the hearts and minds of today's consumers, they need to foster a vibrant community across all channels. Dormify, the brand designed to serve young consumers outfitting dorms and other small spaces, uses its ambassador program to guide major decisions, from product development to marketing and brand expansion.

In this episode of Retail Remix, host Alicia Esposito chats with Amanda Zuckerman, Co-founder, President, and Chief Brand Officer of Dormify to dig into how the brand activates and engages its community to forge more meaningful connections and drive customer loyalty. Listen to get insights into: 

• How Dormify adapts and evolves its community initiatives as consumer behaviors evolve; 
• The unique role that content plays in engaging this community across all channels; 
• How Dormify empowers customers through virtual styling service and self-service tools; and
• Why partnerships are the key to expanding and improving the value of community efforts. 

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Amanda here!
• Learn more about Dormify.
• Follow Dormify on Instagram and TikTok.
• Check out Dormify’s Bed Visualizer!
• Read more about self-service trends on Retail TouchPoints.

Generative AI has garnered a lot of buzz (and debate) in the retail industry. Although the technology is still relatively new to many brands, some have tested the tech and realized clear benefits, especially within marketing and ecommerce. 

In this episode of Retail Remix, host Alicia Esposito chats with Sarah Coles, who drives go-to-market strategy for Persado. During their conversation, Alicia and Sarah explore this exciting new world of ecommerce and how generative AI can help improve marketing efficiencies, reduce cart abandonment and drive ROI. Listen to learn:

• Why brands need to ensure the generative AI output reflects their brand voice and goals to be most effective;
• How marketers still need to analyze the output and use it as a starting point, not a replacement for human creativity; and
• The opportunities for brands to experiment with different generative AI use cases and applications to find what works best for driving business impact.

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Sarah here!
• Learn more about Persado.
• Dig into Dynamic Motivation for Real-Time Personalization.
• Download the ultimate CMO guide to generative AI. 
• Read the generative AI series on Retail TouchPoints. 
• Get more expert perspectives from the Persado team. 

Marketers understand the importance of both brand and performance marketing. Brand marketing aims to create a strong brand identity over time, while performance or demand marketing focuses on delivering measurable results such as lead generation, sales and revenue. The real challenge for modern marketing teams is balancing the two strategies while ensuring long-term goals are not compromised. So, how can marketing teams invest their resources in creating content that delivers immediate results and long-term value for their brand? 

During this episode of Retail Remix, learn how to balance brand and performance marketing by getting tips from Ilene Richardson, Founder and CEO of Imaginary Content, a company that helps brands navigate new content and commerce realities. Listen to learn:  

• How to prioritize investments in both brand and demand marketing; 
• Which channels and platforms are rising to the top in strategic marketing conversations; 
• How to approach these topics amid new financial pressures; and 
• The importance of measuring the impact of content to optimize investments and maximize reach. 

RELATED LINKS 

• Connect with Ilene here! 
• Learn more about Imaginary Content. 
• Learn more about content impact trends at Retail TouchPoints. 

Consumers today demand seamless and personalized shopping experiences across all channels – that even applies to the checkout experience. But the reality is the payment process is still cumbersome and complex online. 

Shilpi Narang, SVP of Customer Experiences at Bolt, believes that identity can help unlock shopping innovation on any surface. During this episode of Retail Remix, hear how the payment experience can be reimagined to boost conversions and drive long-term loyalty. Listen in to learn about: 

• Why the “last mile” of the purchase experience is so challenging for brands and retailers;
• Real-world examples that showcase innovation in the payment experience; and
• How a more collaborative and cross-functional approach to the buying journey impacts how employees use data to improve and optimize digital experiences.

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Shilpi here!
• Learn more about Bolt.
• Read about fad vs. timeless fashion and ecommerce trends.
• Learn how to create lifetime customers.
• Learn more about digital CX trends at Retail TouchPoints.

ThredUP's annual resale report predicts that the U.S. resale market will reach $70 billion by 2027, outpacing the growth of traditional retail by 9X. Why? Because consumers, especially Gen Z, are looking to make smarter, more eco-friendly buying decisions. Brands like American Eagle are tapping into this growing market by partnering with thredUP to offer innovative programs through apps like Snapchat that appeal to their young, digital-savvy customers. These initiatives reflect the brand's DNA and cater to their customer's preferences, a trend that thredUP believes more brands will embrace in the near future.

During this episode of Retail Remix, our host Alicia Esposito talks with Anthony Marino, President of thredUP, about the evolution of the resale market and how retailers are taking a “phygital” approach to tie the entire shopping experience together. Listen in to learn about: 

• The universal challenges companies face bringing resale to market;
• Ways to integrate resale into the broader customer experience and innovate through new experiences; and
• How resale can coexist with the brand through the help of partners like thredUP.

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Anthony here!
• Browse thredUP’s latest products.
• Learn more about thredUP's Resale-as-a-Service offering.
• Check out thredUP’s annual resale report.
• Learn more about resale trends at Retail TouchPoints.

For years, retail industry experts discussed augmented reality (AR) at a high level. Now, we're finally seeing the technology being used in creative and innovative ways. 

During this episode of Retail Remix, our host Alicia Esposito speaks with Neil Redding, Head of Product at Auki Labs, about how AR can drive the entire customer experience, from discovery to conversation. Neil also shares how his company is fueling AR innovation by helping people, technology and AI interact in physical spaces to drive the future of shopping. Listen in to learn: 

• Where the industry currently embraces AR and how other unique companies are experimenting with AR in their shopping experiences;
• What needs to happen to bring digital information and data into stores successfully; and
• How Auki Labs is helping retailers think more creatively and innovatively in leveraging AR in stores.

RELATED LINKS

• Connect with Neil here!
• Learn more about Auki Labs.
• See the technology in action.
• Read Auki Labs’ stance on augmented reality.
• Learn more about augmented reality trends at Retail TouchPoints.