Brick & Mortar Reborn

Dreaming of Innovation with Angela Gearhart: Reshaping the Sleep Number In-Store Experience Amid Changing Consumer Behaviors

A bed is a really personal purchase. It’s something that you touch and feel every day. So how do bed sales work when people don’t want to go to the store? Today’s guest is Angela Gearhart, the Vice President of brand experience at Sleep Number. Listen to today’s interview to hear about what Angela’s thinking about innovation now, how consumer behavior and purchasing decisions have changed, and what changes Sleep Number has made in the store experience due to COVID.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Angela’s background and role at Sleep Number✔ Angela’s thoughts about the future of innovation✔ Biggest changes Angela’s seen in consumer behavior patterns✔ How purchasing decisions have changed✔ Whether recent consumer behavior changes will stick✔ Changes Sleep Number has made in the store experience since the pandemic✔ Other brands with experiences that Angela appreciates✔ Advice Angela would give to smaller retailers about starting to create a good brand experience✔ Whether experiences are meaningful or just a buzzword✔ Future technologies that stand out to Angela
✔ What to do in Minneapolis
Resources:
Angela Gearhart
QUOTES:
“I think it’s a really a great time for innovation.”
“As we shift hopefully out of this soon, retailers will need to think about how to engage consumers and really give them a good reason to leave their house.”
“From a retail perspective, those consumer exchanges are not going to change. They’re not going back. The world has changed.”

Designing the Future of Retail with Eric Kuhn: Navigating Post-Pandemic Challenges Through Innovation at Bergmeyer

How has the pandemic affected design problems for brands? Today’s guest, associate design practice, and retail market leader at Bergmeyer, Eric Kuhn, can explain. Listen to today’s episode to hear Eric talk about his role at Bergmeyer, how the design process at his company changed when COVID hit, and how retailers can better manage crowds in a COVID and post-COVID world from a design perspective.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Eric’s role in his company✔ What Bergmeyer does✔ The types of clients Eric works with✔ How the design process changed when COVID hit✔ How brick-and-mortar retailers can better manage crowds from a design perspective✔ Walmart’s new store concept✔ What’s changed or accelerated due to COVID✔ Technologies that were adopted faster than Eric expected✔ Changes that we’ll see in stores in the future✔ Places Eric recommends visiting in Boston
Resources:
Eric Kuhn
QUOTES:
“In our retail segment, we could work with anywhere from Claire to Circle K, and lots of different brands in-between.”
“I think what we have to do is start thinking about these alternative product delivery solutions.”
“If you think about a customer going to Walmart, it’s about fulfillment.”

Reimagining Retail with Grace Gan: Harmonizing E-Commerce and In-Store Experiences in a Post-Pandemic World

How are e-commerce and in-store experience complementary, and how has the pandemic affected that, both for brick and mortar-heavy brands and e-commerce-heavy brands? Today’s guest, Senior Director of Consulting and Retail Expert for The Sound, Grace Gan, has some ideas about the subject. Listen to today’s episode to hear what Grace has to say about the problems her company solves for brands, how COVID has altered their priorities, and what changes she expects to see in the future.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Grace does at The Sound✔ Problems that brands using The Sound are trying to solve✔ How COVID has changed priorities for brands✔ Whether Grace’s clients are trying to design more e-commerce strategies right now or more store-centric transactions✔ Changes that Grace expects to see continue post-pandemic✔ The role of the physical store in the near future✔ E-commerce brands thinking about creating complementary brick and mortar locations✔ Great in-store experiences Grace has seen✔ Fun things in New York that Grace enjoys
Resources:
Grace Gan
QUOTES:
“They want to ensure that every single person who does make it in to the store is going to find what it is that they need, have a great experience, and walk out, hopefully, with a purchase.”
“You’ve gotta think about both aspects as being complementary and wanting to make sure that you’re not just thinking about maximizing conversion when you’re in-store, but maximizing it across the entire decision journey.”
“COVID really only acted as an accelerant that squeezed them even further and pushed them to really think about what are they going to do and what are they going to think about next.”

Spirited Innovations: Mike Provance on Navigating the New Frontier of Liquor Retail with 3x3 Insights

Liquor stores aren’t one of the things that most people think of when they think of shopping online – including liquor store retailers themselves! At least, that was true until the pandemic. With recent events in mind, liquor stores, like everything else, really need an online presence. And today’s guest is ahead of his time as the head of a company that’s been helping liquor retailers gather and use data for several years now. Listen in to hear Mike Provance, founder and president of 3×3, discuss how brands and liquor retailers use his services, what omnichannel means for liquor retailers, and what advice Mike has for independent liquor retailers during this time.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What got Mike started with 3×3✔ How Mike’s business works with clients✔ How Mike uses data✔ The customer engagement platform that brands and retailers use✔ Changes Mike has seen to consumer behavior✔ Use cases that exemplify how transaction data is collected and used✔ What Mike asks retailers to focus on✔ How Mike’s company looks at omnichannel✔ Advice Mike has for independent alcohol retailers✔ An impressive in-store experience that Mike has seen✔ Technologies that have been adopted at a faster pace than Mike expected✔ What liquor stores need in the future✔ Actionable advice for liquor stores✔ What Mike recommends doing and seeing in North Carolina
Resources:
Mike Provance
QUOTES:
“Even within a chain of stores, it can vary based on the demographics around the store.”
“What occurred though, was that they put in these systems to handle the transactions online, but didn’t give a lot of thought to well, how do I make sure my customer shows up there?”
“I think that the biggest thing is really to look at your business from the customer point of view.”

Bridging Digital and Physical Realms: Chuck Steelman on Revitalizing Retail in a Post-Pandemic World

If you’re wondering how to combine your online and brick-and-mortar store experiences, are you asking the right questions? Or should you be thinking about how to ensure that your brick-and-mortar locations have something to offer that just can’t be had online?
Today’s guest is Chuck Steelman of Trademark Property Company. Listen in to hear about how his company uses technology to communicate with customers, what he’s seeing changed and overcome since the pandemic, and what guidance he would give to retailers.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Chuck’s career and experience in fashion and retail✔ What Chuck’s day-to-day looks like✔ Challenges that Chuck’s tenants have seen since the pandemic started✔ COVID-related changes that will stick post-pandemic✔ What guidance Chuck would give smaller retailers✔ Favorite store experiences Chuck has seen✔ What larger companies are doing to bring in traffic✔ Technologies that were adopted faster than Chuck expected✔ The importance of putting customers first✔ Fun things to visit in Dallas
Resources:
Chuck Steelman
QUOTES:
“Number one, the biggest challenge that we have when it comes to event planning is crowd control.”
“I think it’s all about the relationship. You have to know who your customer is. You have to know their name. You have to know about their life.”
“When you have that one on one time, it does allow that customer to feel special, to feel important.”

Navigating the Retail Future with Bilal Soylu: Innovations and Insights from XcooBee’s Journey

What rules have changed since the start of the pandemic, and how are retailers addressing the current situation while also keeping their eyes on future goals? Today’s guest is Bilal Soylu, the founder of the company XcooBee. Listen in to hear Bilal explain what his company does and how his clients use the information they get from XcooBee. You’ll hear what Bilal has to say about the use cases for his services, the goals that retailers set for themselves, and what Bilal sees happening in the future.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ How Bilal ended up creating XcooBee✔ What XcooBee provides for clients✔ XccoBee’s use case for restaurants✔ What Bilal reminds companies to think about when delivering an in-store experience✔ Whether the rules of working with a sales associate have changed✔ Goals that retailers have✔ Favorite in-store experiences that Bilal has had✔ Technologies that have been adopted at a faster pace than expected✔ What the future holds✔ How clients can quantify data✔ Bilal’s favorite places to go in his area
Resources:
Bilal Soylu
QUOTES:
“The unfortunate thing is when we’re looking at trends and studies and so forth, not everyone behaves the same way.”
“We talk in omnichannel in terms of communication, we’re not just talking phone. We really need to look at retail experience from any channel that the customer wishes to engage with you.”
“When I look at what is memorable, those were normally the memorable experiences – where people knew me, the understood what I was wanting to do without necessarily having to be prying.”

Harnessing Real-Time Insights with Keith: Bridging Data Gaps in Retail with Retail Aware

Data about what’s happening with a brand or in a retail store is always useful. And if retailers didn’t understand how important real time information was before the pandemic, they certainly do now. Today’s guest founded a business meant to help retailers and brands gather and use real-time shopper data. Keith is the CEO and Founder of Retail Aware. Listen in to today’s episode to hear what Keith has to say about the problem that his business solves, what decisions clients make with the data he provides, and what’s changed since the pandemic began.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ How Keith got started with Retail Aware✔ The problem that Retail Aware solves✔ The typical type of client that Keith’s company works with✔ Business intelligence as a sensor✔ How typical implementation that allows clients to get data work✔ Decisions that Keith sees retailers make with real-time data✔ The evolution of in-store data gaps in recent years✔ What Keith is counseling his clients about post-pandemic✔ Technologies that Keith has seen adopted faster than expected✔ Whether AI will have the biggest impact on shopping behavior✔ Spots in Omaha that Keith recommends visiting
Resources:
Keith Fix
QUOTES:
“Retail Aware was kind of born out of a need that I encountered in my previous lifetime.”
“We cut our teeth in the grocery space.”
“I think the biggest thing is the pandemic didn’t change the course of everything. What happened is it accelerated a lot of the trends we were already seeing.”

Brick, Mortar, and Evolution: Dusty’s Insightful Journey through Pandemic Shifts in Retail Real Estate

Real estate is an important factor for brick and mortar retail businesses – they can’t do their work without it. Today’s guest is the EVP of real estate at Baceline investments in Colorado. Listen in to hear Dusty talk about the local industry and how it’s influenced by retail right now, the marketing program that tenants of Dusty’s company use, and marketing advice for brick and mortar businesses struggling in the pandemic.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Dusty’s role at Baceline Investments✔ What got Dusty involved with Baceline✔ What the journey has been like for Dusty’s company during COVID✔ The role the local industry plays in retail right now✔ What the in-store experience has been like✔ Trends that Dusty has seen altered due to the pandemic✔ Dusty’s marketing program for tenants✔ Marketing advice for brick and mortar business in respect to the pandemic✔ Common leasing related challenges that tenants experience✔ Technology changes that are game-changers for the retail side✔ What the future looks like to Dusty✔ Dusty’s favorite spots in Colorado
Resources:
Dusty Batsell
QUOTES:
“We lost 20 tenants, but since that period we’ve been able to gain – I want to say it’s 25 tenants.”
“For the most part, it seems that people are staying closer to home.”
“It’s a scary world, and it can be expensive if you’re a small business and you have the resources to do it.”

Fashion Narratives with Magdy Kotb: Weaving Success in the Clothier World

What do your clothes say to the world, and why is important to know that? Today’s guest has answers. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Magdy Kotb of The Clothing Coach in San Francisco. Magdy grew up in the suit business and takes the role of a clothier seriously. In today’s episode, you’ll hear what Magdy has to say about his career trajectory, how COVID has affected his business, and how Magdy finds clients.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Magdy’s company and how he got started✔ A typical client of The Clothing Coach✔ Magdy’s trajectory between starting in sales and opening his company✔ What Magdy saw as far as clients and growth pre-COVID✔ Magdy’s thoughts on in-person retail shopping post-COVID✔ What’s changed for Magdy’s business since the start of COVID✔ What’s kept Magdy going through the difficult times✔ What Magdy’s goal is for The Clothing Coach✔ How Magdy is getting clients these days✔ Magdy’s advice for frustrated entrepreneurs✔ Magdy’s favorite brands in San Francisco✔ Feedback that Magdy gives back to other entrepreneurs✔ Whether Magdy’s focus and goals are local or broader than that
Resources:
Magdy KobtThe Clothing CoachThe Clothing Coach on InstagramMagdy on Instagram
QUOTES:
“Really we kind of tie in much more about nonverbal communication, what the clothing represents, what it means, and really we help clients make a statement without saying a single word.”
“The real shift is partly due to the death of the clothier, at least in my industry.”
“The Clothing Coach really, it’s to save the world one gentleman at a time.”

Branding in Flux: Navigating the Retail Renaissance with Amish Tolia of Leap

Today’s guest has a lot to say about how brands can accelerate and grow, even during a pandemic. Amish Tolia is the Founder and co-CEO of Leap, a company that works with a variety of different brands. This gives Amish a ringside seat to how brands and customers are changing and adapting to the current circumstances and where they might go in the future. Listen in to hear what Amish has to say about why he’s seen acceleration during the pandemic, what changes he’s seen in customer behavior, and how his company helps other brands grow.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Leap does✔ How Amish got started with Leap✔ Why Amish has seen acceleration during the pandemic✔ What the bulk of Amish’s clients look like✔ What Leap provides back to brands✔ The changes Amish has seen in customer behavior✔ What to do and not do when creating an omnichannel experience✔ Amazing in-store experiences Amish has seen✔ Technologies that Amish saw being created faster than expected✔ What technology will have the biggest impact on shaping the future of brick and mortar retail✔ Biggest hurdles or pain points that prevent brands from growing✔ Why brands should use a service Like Leap to grow✔ Amish’s favorite stores in the New York area
Resources:
Amish Tolia
QUOTES:
“Through the pandemic, post-pandemic, you can say we are continuing to grow, we’re adding new locations and brands every single week.”
“If you’re a brand on the Leap platform, you very much get a full suite of both qualitative and quantitative analytics and insights that you can then leverage to fuel your business.”
“We probably catch ourselves working a bit more than we used to because the commute times are gone or being able to go out with friends to restaurants, those things are changing.”