Brick & Mortar Reborn

Digital Meets Physical: Crafting the Future of Retail with Tim Kane of Zebra Technologies

What do retailers need to do to successfully blend their online and offline experiences? How will mobile solutions factor into the retail stores of the future? Today’s guest is Tim Kane, retail solutions consultant at Zebra Technologies, and he joins the podcast today to discuss the changes that are happening in the retail space. Listen in to hear what Tim has to say about changes that retailers should make as customers come back to stores post-pandemic, how retailers make decisions about brick and mortar solutions, and how retailers can best utilize labor.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Zebra Technologies is all about✔ Biggest changes that Tim has seen in customer behavior✔ Whether online shopping behavior will stay the same or change post-pandemic✔ Changes that retailers should make as customers come back to the stores✔ General advice to retailers for combining online and offline experiences✔ Example of a retailer experience that Tim really likes✔ Three characteristics of customer profile that represents today’s brick and mortar retail store✔ How to analyze and make a decision about brick and mortar solutions✔ What retailers should be thinking about in their locations of the future✔ Technologies that were adopted faster than Tim expected✔ How retailers can best utilize labor✔ Places Tim recommends visiting in Boston
Resources:
Tim Kane
QUOTES:
“I think that we’re going to see a significant stickiness to online – if that’s going to end up being 20%, 25%, who knows – but that still means 75% of the shoppers are going to go to stores.”
“The advice that we try to give them is be as consistent as you can be. So try to make sure that your brand is represented online the same way you would want to have it represented when you get to the store.”
“If you go to the store a couple of times and you don’t find your product, you’ll find another store, or you’ll just go online for that product going forward.”

Shopper Insights: Navigating Grocery Trends and Consumer Engagement with Hugh Holman of Observa

Grocery shopping is vital to consumers even when other types of retail aren’t as vital, such as during a pandemic. Today’s guest works with a number of retail brands that are found in grocery stores. Hugh Holman is the CEO of Observa, a company that delivers in-store analytics in real-time to optimize the supply chain as well as the shopper experience. Listen in to hear what Hugh has to say about how Observa works, what long and short-term changes Hugh has seen in shopper behavior, and what his findings say about how brands position themselves and engage with customers.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What led Hugh to start his company✔ How Observa works✔ Changes in customer behavior during the pandemic✔ Long term changes in consumer behavior✔ Experience Hugh has seen in stores that he likes✔ What’s changed to make grocery stores more engaging to customers✔ Findings of what brands engage with customers and how they do it✔ Key takeaways for how brands position themselves✔ Technologies that are being adopted at a faster pace than expected✔ What the future looks like for technologies in grocery✔ How grocery chains can use data to market to more people✔ What Hugh recommends visiting in Seattle
Resources:
Hugh Holman
QUOTES:
“We use artificial intelligence, then, to digitize the photos.”
“We merge with other data to deliver rich insights to our clients.”
“The public has been trained at least some percentage and they now know how to order online.”

Unified Branding: Crafting Cohesive Retail Experiences with M.J. Munsell of MG2

Designing a brand is difficult enough, and in today’s environment, many retailers are trying to find ways to combine their offline and online brands to create one seamless experience. Today’s guest is hear to talk about that. M.J. Munsell is the Chief Creative Officer at MG2, a global architecture, design, strategy, and branding studio. Listen in to hear M.J. discuss her role at MG2, the creative process of building a brand process, and what retailers should be doing in preparation for the holiday season.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What MG2 does✔ M.J.’s role at MG2✔ What goes into the creative process of building a process for a brand✔ Changes that M.J. has seen in customer behavior✔ Whether the pandemic-related changes are temporary or permanent✔ What retailers need to do to prepare for the holiday season and beyond✔ Areas that retailers get wrong when combining online and offline✔ Holistic things to look for in building in-store experiences✔ M.J.’s favorite in-store experiences✔ Technologies that are being adopted faster than M.J. expected✔ Fun things to do in Seattle
Resources:
M.J. Munsell
QUOTES:
“I read 45% of Boomers are shopping more online.”
“One of the trends that we’re looking at is supporting local businesses.”
“The experience in-store, particularly at the front of the store, is kind of in flux.”

Data-Driven Retail: Harnessing Location Analytics with Ethan Chernofsky of Placer.ai

If you’re in retail, you know how important it is to have the right data. Today’s guest is in the business of collecting and finding use cases for data. Ethan Chernofsky is the VP of Marketing for Placer.ai, a location analytics company. In today’s episode, Ethan explains in detail what his company does and how retailers use the data that Placer works with. Listen in to hear what Ethan has to say about use cases for Placer’s services, how use cases have changed during the pandemic, and what retail should do and not do to create a good omnichannel experience.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Placer.ai does✔ How Placer’s technology works✔ Use cases for Placer’s services✔ Whether use cases have changed during COVID✔ What common operators need to do to prepare for the future✔ What retailers should avoid doing right now✔ Things to take note of when thinking about an omnichannel experience✔ Retailers that have done the online/offline experience really well✔ Technologies that are revolutionizing retail✔ Technologies that were adapted faster than Ethan expected✔ Technologies that will have the biggest impact on shaping the future✔ Fun spots to visit in Tel Aviv
Resources:
Ethan Chernofsky
QUOTES:
“The cool thing about data is it’s essentially an endless well of information. It’s just, can you figure out the right questions to ask?”
“When you think of the world of ecommerce and online distribution, the cheat code that that channel had was the ability to very rapidly optimize and maximize output.”
“Be wary of the extreme narratives.”

Powering Through: Essential Insights with Scott Williams of Batteries Plus in a Pandemic Landscape

During a pandemic, you find out what businesses are truly essential. It’s perhaps not surprising that the businesses that power everything from medical devices to cars to household electronics are very much essential during such a complicated time. Today’s guest is Scott Williams, the CEO of Batteries Plus. Listen to the episode to find out what Scott has to say about the biggest changes to his business, how those changes varied from state to state, and what retailers should be doing as the pandemic comes to an end.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Batteries Plus is all about✔ How Scott got started with Batteries Plus✔ Biggest changes Scott has seen since the beginning of the year✔ Trends that Scott saw across the US✔ Changes that Scott thinks will stick or evolve✔ Changes outside of curbside that Batteries Plus has made✔ Advice for mid-stage operators trying to survive and thrive✔ What retailers should avoid doing as they come out of the pandemic✔ Approaches to education in the in-store experience✔ One of Scott’s favorite in-store experiences✔ Technologies that are being adopted faster than expected✔ Technologies that will have the biggest impact on brick and mortar in the future✔ Scott’s advice for retailers✔ What to check out in Milwaukee
Resources:
Scott Williams
QUOTES:
“Prior to the pandemic, we didn’t actively use the word “essential”. But certainly, when everything happened and the shelter-in-place went in, we quickly learned how essential our products were.”
“During that time, we actually had a national shortage on batteries that go into Power Wheels.”
“We’ve found that our immediacy needs have gone very high.”

PODCAST 29: Sandra Duff

If you’re looking for a way to present your brand to the world in a new and different way, today’s guest may be able to help. Sandra Duff is the Senior Vice President of Strategy Activation & Operations at Jackman Reinvents, and she joins the podcast today to talk about her expertise in brands, consumers, and how the retail space is changing. Listen in to hear what Sandra has to say about what her workday looks like, what changes Sandra has seen in consumer behavior, and what approaches Jackman takes to help their customers.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Jackman does✔ Examples of brands Jackman works with✔ What Sandra’s day to day work looks like✔ The biggest changes Sandra has seen in consumer behavior✔ How many of the changes Sandra thinks will stick✔ Whether things like curbside pickup and delivery will decrease from current levels even if they stay elevated from pre-COVID levels✔ What approaches Jackman takes to helping customers✔ Sandra’s advice to smaller operators✔ How much personalization matters going forward✔ Sandra’s favorite in-store experiences✔ Key takeaways for other retailers✔ Sandra’s thoughts on the future of brick and mortar✔ Places Sandra recommends in Ontario
Resources:
Sandra Duff
QUOTES:
“I think it might be one of the trends that we think might actually stick around, because people have realized “I can do this stuff,” and they’re making choices differently as a result of that.”
“When I think about how some retailers that are really small have now started to do things like delivery on their own without a third-party service, I just think that’s so interesting.”
“I think we’re going to keep expecting this pace of innovation.”

The Future of Retail: Stephan Schambach on Reinventing Shopping Experiences with NewStore

How can retailers make shopping more convenient than ever before for their customers? Stephan Schambach, founder and CEO of NewStore, has some ideas. Listen to today’s episode to hear Stephan talk about the kinds of problems NewStore solves for retailers, why stores can do without traditional point of sale systems, and the trends that Stephan is seeing in retail today.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Stephan’s background✔ The differences between locations that do and don’t have NewStore✔ How Stephan got excited about NewStore and the problems it solves✔ Working without a traditional point of sale system✔ The biggest changes Stephan has seen in customer behavior pre-COVID✔ The biggest changes Stephan has seen in customer behavior during COVID✔ Whether the trends Stephan is seeing are temporary or permanent✔ Whether we’re going to see a trend of smaller stores and fewer big department stores✔ The best in-store experiences Stephan has seen✔ Stephan’s favorite places to shop✔ Key takeaways for retailers who are considering their strategies✔ Technologies that were adopted faster than Stephan expected✔ Fun recommendations for Boston
Resources:
Stephan Schambach
QUOTES:
“The clever thing about the eCommerce piece is that the item doesn’t necessarily have to come from the website.”
“I think we will basically, in particular for vertically integrated brands, there will be no cash, there will be no terminals, no printers required.”
“I think cash is basically outdated.”

Revolutionizing Retail: Jon Cheney on 3D Visualization and The Future of Shopping Experiences

How can retailers help their customers answer questions about their products when customers can’t touch or pick up the product in person? Today’s guest has answers. Jon Cheney is the CEO and founder of Seek, a company that helps retailers provide customers with visualization options through 3-D technology. Listen in to hear what Jon has to say about how retailers use Seek’s technology, how Seek helps them get returns, and how his technology can both help eCommerce retailers and supplement in-store experiences.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Seek is all about✔ How a typical retailer uses Seek’s technology✔ How retailers get returns with Seek✔ Whether Seek’s technology is mainly for bigger brands or smaller brands✔ Changes in customer behavior during the pandemic✔ How travel is going to respond✔ Long-term changes in retail✔ How Jon thinks his technology can supplement the indoor experience✔ Jon’s favorite in-store experiences✔ Takeaways for retailers✔ Technologies that have been adopted at a faster pace than Jon expected✔ The biggest technology that retailers will need to adopt✔ Areas to check out in Utah
Resources:
Jon Cheney
Seek
QUOTES:
“Typically, we’re helping retailers sell their products.”
“Brands that are hoping it goes back to normal in retail might be disappointed.”
“Don’t be afraid of change. I mean change is the only constant I’ve found in life.”

Adapting Delicacies in a Pandemic: Joe Guith on McAlister’s Deli’s Evolution and the Future of Dining

How are customer behaviors changing during the COVID-19 pandemic? Can brands see a change in the types of products customers want in the current environment? That’s one of the topics that Joe Guith tackles in today’s podcast.
Joe is the president of McAlister’s Deli, a large regional brand. Listen in to hear what Joe has to say about his role in the company, how the company has adapted during the pandemic, and what Joe thinks will shape the restaurants of the future.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What McAlister’s Deli is and what Joe’s role is there
✔ How McAlister’s as adjusted to the pandemic
✔ How many of the changes due to the pandemic will stick
✔ Consumer and customer behaviors that have accelerated during the pandemic
✔ Investments Joe is thinking of making in the business
✔ How McAlister’s handles adapting to local market demands
✔ Things that Joe thinks will shape the restaurants of the future
✔ Automation that will impact the industry
✔ How McAlister’s has been staying in contact with customers
✔ Types of food that are more prone to be ordered curbside
✔ Advice Joe would give other restaurant operators
✔ Fun brands in Atlanta that Joe recommends
Resources:
Joe Guith
McAlister’s Deli
QUOTES:
“As relates to our business, I do believe that digital is easier. It’s more convenient.”
“There’s definitely been a surge in the indulgent category, whether that be sandwiches or definitely in the dessert category.”
“If your brand promise or your business value or experience has been largely predicated on physical, in-person interaction, how are you extending that in a digital world?”

Empowering Curls & Commerce: Amaya Smith’s Journey Navigating Product Junkie Through a Pandemic

Women of color know that it can be difficult to find the products that they want and need for their hair, and today’s guest, Amaya Smith, saw that need and responded by creating her brick and mortar business, Product Junkie. Amaya envisioned a brick and mortar customer experience from the start. Then COVID-19 happened. Listen to today’s episode to hear Amaya’s story and learn how her business was affected by the pandemic, how she pivoted, and what resources and tips she has for other businesses in the same boat.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What the Product Junkie brand is all about
✔ How Amaya started the brand
✔ How COVID-19 has affected Amaya’s business
✔ What changes Amaya made due to the pandemic
✔ Amaya’s recommendations for other entrepreneurs
✔ New technology that Amaya has implemented over this time period
✔ Trends that Amaya has seen change on the consumer side
✔ Advice for brick and mortar operators during the pandemic
✔ Places that Amaya would recommend visiting in the DC area
Resources:
Amaya Smith
Product Junkie
QUOTES:
“We really tried to curate a nice mix of brands for customers and also bringing in some unique items and brands you can’t find in other stores is really our big selling point.”
“It was a huge challenge to figure out how to really pivot super super quick with the business.”
“The DIY movement is increasing even more.”