Our interview guest is Tobias Buxhoidt, CEO and co-founder of parcelLab, who joins us to discuss customer expectations surrounding post-purchase communication from retailers and what retailers can do to turn negative events surrounding supply chain, fulfillment, or last mile into positives. In news, Party City looks to pivot their focus to year-round celebrations (but not at the expense of seasonal sales) and they provide an update on Halloween sales. Also, we look at a merger between two northeastern U.S. grocers and a report on traffic trends at U.S. malls.

Our partner for this week’s show is Quantum Metric (visit https://quantummetric.com/podoffer and use the code RETAILFOCUS to see if you qualify to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer).

Our interview guest is Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Retail. He joins the show to discuss Oracle Retail’s 2021 Retail Consumer Research report, expectations for November and December, and what we can expect regarding customer behavior as we turn the calendar to 2022. In news, both Simon and Kimco provide updates on occupancy (with both companies trending in the correct direction) and we look deeper into David Simon’s outlook on JCPenney and the mall landscape as a whole. And, Kroger releases details of their membership platform pilot to be rolled out to four U.S. metros.

Partners for this week’s show include Feedback Loop (visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail for three free full tests of your ideas, messages, concepts, and more) and Quantum Metric (visit https://quantummetric.com/podoffer and use the code RETAILFOCUS to see if you qualify to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer).

Layton re-joins the show this week as we dive into specialty retail. First, it’s a quarterly look into the automotive retail segment as O’Reilly’s produces strong sales numbers but warns that inflation may soon have a limiting effect on sales growth. Conversely, Sherwin-Williams is experiencing demand but a lack of raw materials to meet said demand and we speak to how they are seeking to retain customers through such conditions. To close, we look ahead at Tanger and Simon earnings and an expanded partnership between Instacart and Dollar Tree (and some limitations thereof).

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop. Visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail for three free full tests of your ideas, messages, concepts, and more.

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, who joins us to discuss the deeper look at Deloitte’s holiday sales projections released this week—subjects include the demographic groups expected to drive spend and the three types of consumers borne out by the data generated by their annual survey. In news, Albertsons displays Q2 sales numbers that are better than expected and provides an update on inflation; additionally, a major grocery retailer launches a new advertising platform.

Our interview guest is Emily Grey, founder of the Flourish Market and a retail and brand consultant, who joins us to discuss (among other things) what small retailers can expect during Q4, adjustments such retailers have made during the pandemic, and how upstart brands can get their products on store shelves this holiday season. In news, we discuss new Supermarket News data regarding center-store sales in grocery (including what retailers say they are doing to differentiate offerings) and preview Wawa’s rollout of self-checkouts to select locations.

Our interview guest is Jim Inglis, retail industry veteran, former Home Depot executive, and author of the book Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture Can Change Everything. He joins us to discuss the book’s many topics, including what gave Home Depot a leg up on competition in the 1980s and 1990s and lessons we can learn from the company’s meteoric (and successful) rise. In news, we briefly discuss Walmart’s last-mile platform, GoLocal, signing its first partnership deal and Target bringing aboard two buy-now-pay-later partners.

Our interview guest is Michael Osborne, President at Wunderkind, who joins the show to discuss the present state of retailers’ digital marketing to consumers, what we can expect during the holiday season based on their Black Friday & Cyber Monday Performance Marketing Report, and where retailers can improve in their marketing efforts. In news, Bed Bath & Beyond sees sales take a step back amidst a poor August (though buybuy BABY displays promise), and a Deloitte report indicates that younger consumers may be heading to the frozen foods aisle with increased frequency.

Our interview guest is Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI, who joins the show to discuss their 2021 State of Transportation & Logistics Report as it pertains to retail as well as some data from the logistics sector specific to the holiday season. In news, Costco reveals earnings, but more importantly they reveal how inflation and supply chain issues have affected their approach to business. Additionally, we look ahead to a proposed IPO for an up-and-coming c-store chain in Yesway.

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman at Deloitte LLP and their U.S. retail, wholesale, and distribution leader, who joins us to discuss Deloitte’s preliminary U.S. holiday forecasts which suggest a big sales jump could be in order. In news, Kroger announces a new convenience-centric partnership with Instacart and provides insight on macro-level grocery trends, we get updated third-party Walmart+ subscription numbers, and Meijer eyes yet another small-format store.

Our interview guest is Eric Miao, Chief Customer Officer with Attentive, who discusses how retailers are currently using SMS as a marketing tool and how they can leverage the platform in a way that remains authentic to their brand. He also discusses examples from popular retailers’ launch of SMS campaigns, including Michaels’ launch during a recent Q4. In news, Academy Sports + Outdoors sets sales records amidst high demand for athletic wear and outdoors gear, and we look ahead to Halloween seasonal sales in 2021.

The Retail Focus Podcast is proud to partner with Quantum Metric to present this week’s show. Visit them at quantummetric.com/podoffer, promo code RETAILFOCUS, to see if your business qualifies to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer. Restrictions apply.