Brick & Mortar Reborn

From Plates to Places: Navigating the Evolving Landscapes of Retail and Restaurants with Sherif Mityas

It’s not only retail spaces that are undergoing changes at the moment, but also restaurant spaces. Joining the podcast today to talk about both the retail and restaurant space is Sherif Mityas. Sherif is a strategist in the retail and consumer spaces as well as the former Chief Experience Officer for TGIFridays. Listen in to hear what Sherif has to say about changes that he’s seen in consumer behavior, advice for restauranteurs and retailers, and what technologies he’s excited about.
Sherif Mityas former chief experience officer for TGIFridays.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Sherif’s career background
✔ The best retail and restaurant experiences Sherif has seen
✔ The biggest changes Sharif has seen in consumer behavior
✔ Whether Sharif thinks that pandemic related changes are temporary or permanent
✔ How to create a welcoming experience when customers aren’t coming in
✔ What has not changed in restaurants and retail over the last few decades
✔ Tactical advice for restauranteurs and retailers
✔ Restaurant brands that have created great experiences
✔ Technologies that are being adopted at a faster pace than anticipated
✔ Technologies that Sherif is excited aboutretailers in the coming years
✔ Sherif’s thoughts on facial recognition
Resources:
Sherif Mityas
QUOTES:
“Not a lot of people before this had ever ordered online. They never thought about getting groceries online. And now, that’s exploded.”
“You’re not going to always do curbside. But you might do it once a month, and before you never did it at all.”
“Fulfilling a need is still at the core of the hospitality and retail industry.”

Bridging Retail Realities with Sucharita Kodali: From Digital Discoveries to Brick-and-Mortar Engagements

As retail evolves and changes in general and in response to the current moment, it’s important for companies and brands to understand how best to connect with and educate their customers about what they can offer. To talk about the changing approaches in retail today, Sucharita Kodali, Retail Industry Analyst at Forrester joins the podcast today to talk about how retailers can draw customers into brick and mortar locations, how to capture demand signals in-store, and how to bridge the gap between digital and brick-and-mortar experiences.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Sucharita’s history in retail
✔ Why Sucharita was interested in joining an analyst group
✔ What Sucharita has learned from different retail companies
✔ Changes that are likely in the retail world post-pandemic
✔ What retailers can do to draw people back into brick and mortar locations
✔ How to connect with and educate customers more about the brand
✔ Ways for retailers to capture demand signals in-store
✔ How companies can bridge the gap between digital and brick and mortar experiences
✔ What in-store experiences retailers should be mimicking in the coming months and years
✔ What technologies are being adopted faster than expected and will help retailers in the coming years
Resources:
Sucharita Kodali
QUOTES:
“Short-term, there’s just going to be a lot less buying in categories that are not essential.”
“A lot of it is, let the customer give feedback, let them provide the feedback on what they know.”
“That’s one of the advantages of being behind digitally is that there’s no need to really reinvent the wheel.”

The Retail Reset with Carol Spieckerman: Navigating Change, Crafting Omnichannel Strategies, and Embracing Tomorrow’s Tech

Are retailers in danger of losing their point of view? Are changes that retailers have made because of the coronavirus crisis going to be permanently adopted, or just temporary? These are some of the topics that today’s guest, internationally recognized authority on retail and brand positioning Carol Spieckerman, will discuss in this episode. Listen in to hear what Carol has to say about changes that Carol has seen in client work and consumer behavior, best practices that retailers can implement right away, and which technologies are being quickly adopted or left on the back burner.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ How Carol helps retailers
✔ Changes that Carol has seen in client work
✔ Biggest changes that Carol has seen in consumer behavior recently
✔ Whether Carol thinks the current changes will be long-term or temporary
✔ What retailers get wrong about omnichannel experiences
✔ Whether online strategies are as strong as in-store strategies
✔ Best practices that retailers can implement today
✔ Best in-store experiences Carol has seen
✔ What smaller brands can learn from larger retailers
✔ How brands can build their ideal customer profile
✔ Technologies that are being adopted faster than Carol anticipated
✔ Whether retailers will need to start adopting artificial intelligence
Resources:
Carol Spieckerman
QUOTES:
“It turns out that all those convenience options that retailers were cooking up before the corona crisis have now become safety enablers.”
“These days, the impulse shopping and the treasure hunt environments that were driving so much of retail before, they can create tension.”
“Retailers really need to own their story and they need to own their capabilities and they need to understand that look at all of those as part of their arsenal.”

Retail Renaissance with Rob Fishman: Navigating Shifts, Shaping Experiences, and Seizing Tomorrow’s Technologies

Rob Fishman is an entrepreneur who has been in a number of different business and management fields over the years. He’s also the author of a book about retail success in an online world. Listen to today’s episode to hear what this very special guest has to say about current changes in the retail world that may be around for the long term, the types of businesspeople and how each type is approaching pandemic-related challenges, and which technologies are being adopted faster than Rob ever expected.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Rob’s background
✔ Big changes in consumer behavior that Rob has seen
✔ What current changes may become long-term changes
✔ How retailers get the online/offline combination wrong
✔ Tough questions that retailers must ask themselves
✔ Types of businesspeople
✔ Tactical things that retailers should avoid doing right now
✔ Best in-store experiences Rob has seen
✔ Rob’s favorite brand experiences
✔ Technologies that have been adopted faster than Rob expected
✔ Technologies that Rob thinks will have the biggest impact on the future
✔ Advice for retailers
Resources:
Rob Fishman
QUOTES:
“For those brick and mortar retailers who have not chosen to change, it’s going to be a real challenge.”
“The buyers also are really leveraging technology moreso than ever, so that’s where the retailers now have to be very very careful about what they’re promising and what they’re doing.
“This is the time, for any of the retailers paying attention to what I’m saying, it’s the time to do a strengths and weaknesses analysis.”

Designing Tomorrow’s Retail: Paul Conder on Crafting In-Store Experiences and Meeting Evolving Consumer Expectations in a Luxury World

Today’s guest is Paul Conder. Paul is the VP of Customer Experience at CallisonRTKL, the number one retail architecture and design firm in the world. In today’s episode, Paul discusses changes in the in-store environment, customer segmentation, and the consumer expectation of luxury. Listen in to hear what Paul has to say about whether the pandemic has accelerated certain trends, what brands and retailers should be avoiding right now, and the importance of understanding your customers now and in the future.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Paul’s company does
✔ How it is to work with the brands Paul’s company works with
✔ Whether things have changed in the in-store environment
✔ Whether the pandemic has accelerated or deaccelerated processes
✔ Advice for smaller brands and retailers
✔ Advice for optimizing
✔ Areas that brands and retailers should avoid right now
✔ Favorite retail experiences
✔ Must-haves in creating a good in-store experience
✔ The importance of understanding your customer
✔ Tactical methods for segmenting customers
✔ Technologies that have been adapted more quickly than expected
✔ What the future of retail will look like
Resources:
Paul Conder
QUOTES:
“Customers are setting the bar extremely high, not just in terms of the digital experience but also in terms of what actually happens in the store, in terms of the quality of service.”
“There is a very small silver lining in our industry which is that it’s pushing people forward on things that they thought have been trends for ten years. “
“People’s expectations about luxury have changed a lot and it’s been really interesting to watch, but that’s not evenly distributed and it’s very different from country to country and from market to market.”

Fashioning the Future of Retail: Insights from Suuchi Ramesh on Navigating Market Shifts and Learning from the Giants

Today’s guest is Suuchi Ramesh. Suuchi is the founder and CEO of Suuchi Inc, a platform for fashion brands and retailers. Succhi joins the podcast to share her insight into the changes in the retail space in the current era. Listen in to hear what she has to say about how retailers can prepare for market changes, what retailers can learn from Amazon, and what the future holds for retail.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Suuchi’s company and how she started it
✔ Biggest changes that Suuchi has seen in customer behavior
✔ What retailers should be doing to prepare for market changes
✔ Key areas of tech that companies should be looking at
✔ How companies can bridge the gap between online and offline
✔ What can be learned from Amazon
✔ Advice for smaller retailers for how to learn more about their customers and become more customer-centric
✔ Technologies that Suuchi feels have been adopted at a faster pace than expected
✔ What the future of retail looks like
Resources:
Suuchi Ramesh
QUOTES:
“Number one, I think from a consumer standpoint, consumers want a lot more transparency to what they’re buying and how what they’re buying has been made.”
“A mobile-first philosophy is super important.”
“It’s really about having all parts of the supply chain connected so you have an informed view.”

Conversations with a Retail Geek: Jason Goldberg on the Post-Pandemic Retail Landscape and Mastering the Blend of Online and Offline

What is a “retail geek”, and what can they tell you about today’s retail market? You’ll find out when you listen to today’s interview with Jason Goldberg, the Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis. Listen in to hear what Jason has to say about the challenges for retailers as the country moves on post-pandemic, what retailers should be focusing on right now, and the importance of door side and curbside pickup in the current retail environment.
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Jason’s “retail geek” moniker
✔ Jason’s association with the National Retail Federation
✔ Biggest challenges for retailers as they get back to things post-pandemic
✔ Changes that retailers should be focusing on
✔ What retailers get wrong about combining online and offline experiences
✔ The importance of getting door side or curbside pickup right
✔ Best in-store experiences Jason has seen brands create
✔ Best practices for retailers to focus on now
✔ Which technologies are being adopted quickly
Resources:
Jason “Retail Geek” Goldberg
QUOTES:
“I actually think we’re probably at the very end of the beginning of things.”
“We’re seeing a huge consolidation in retail.”
“There are all these operational things you would think about that are all predicated on knowing is that a permanent shift in consumer behavior or a tertiary shift in consumer behavior?”

Redefining Retail with Chris Walton: From Target’s Future Vision to Current Realities in the Age of COVID-19

Today’s guest, Chris Walton, has a long history in retail. He started out at The Gap, and is the former Vice President of Target’s Store of the Future project. He’s now the founder and CEO of Omni Talk, a keynote speaker, and a senior contributor to Forbes, among other things. Listen to the episode to hear what Chris has to say about how COVID-19 is changing consumer behavior, what changes retailers should be making right now, and how to build up a retail brand.
 
Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ Chris’s retail background
✔ Changes in customer behavior since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
✔ Short and long-term changes that retailers should make
✔ How retailers can implement a streamline digital and physical strategy
✔ How to bring in-store experiences online
✔ Best practices for retailers to focus on right now
✔ Areas that retailers should avoid
✔ Best in-store experiences Chris has seen
✔ How to evaluate retail technologies
✔ How to build up a retail brands
Resources: Chris Walton
QUOTES:
“Even amid COVID-19, only 53% of the American population, for example, has tried e-groceries.” “The thing that I think is the biggest concern right now is that stores just aren’t the safest place to shop.” “The mall developers need to step up, and for the most part I would say they haven’t been.”

Beyond the Product: Richard Kestenbaum on the Power of Values in Modern Retail and Navigating the Post-COVID Landscape

Today’s consumers have a variety of different ways to shop and buy, so it’s important for retailers not just to have a great product, but also to communicate their message and values clearly to the consumer. That’s part of what today’s guest is here to talk about Richard Kestenbaum is Cofounder and a partner at Triangle Capital LLC and a contributing writer to Forbes. Listen in to today’s episode to hear what Richard has to say about the challenges that he’s noticed in consumer behavior, what retailers need to be thinking about post-COVID-19, and why retailers need a solid message about their values as a foundational part of their business. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ What Richard does at Triangle Capital
✔ Richard’s backstory
✔ The biggest challenges Richard has noticed in consumer behavior
✔ Whether Richard approaches coaching with a pre- and post-COVID approach
✔ What retailers are getting wrong in developing omnichannel experiences
✔ Best practices retailers can use to implement their values
✔ What consumers are looking for
✔ Whether there are areas that retailers should avoid
✔ The best in-store experiences that Richard has seen
✔ Technologies that are being adopted faster than others
✔ Technologies that Richard thinks are ready to take off
✔ Richard’s guidance for listeners
Resources: Richard Kestenbaum
QUOTES:
“In order to do what we do, you have to spend all day talking to CEOs, because they’re the only ones who can make the kinds of decisions involved in doing mergers and acquisitions.” “We’ve seen that as new brands are created and go direct to consumer, the cost of acquiring customers is very high.” “If the customer acquisition cost is not built into the foundation of the business, it’s going to be really hard to get to profitability.”

Charting the Course of Retail’s Future: Insights from Carlos Castelan of the Navio Group on the Nexus of Experience, Technology, and Sustainability

Today’s guest is Carlos Castelan, Founder and Managing Director of the Navio Group. In today’s interview, he shares his thoughts about the future of the retail experience, how it’s been affected by the pandemic, and where retail is headed in the future. Listen in to hear Carlos talk about the origin of his firm and where they got their name, what sort of long-term changes are coming to the retail space, and what technologies Carlos is excited to see more of. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:
✔ The origin of The Navio Group
✔ Where the word Navio came from
✔ Biggest changes Carlos has seen in customer and consumer behavior
✔ Whether the COVID-related changes will be the new norm
✔ Long-term changes that are coming to retail
✔ The importance of sustainability
✔ What retailers get wrong when it comes to creating online and offline experiences
✔ Advice to retailers when opening back up post-COVID
✔ Things that retailers should avoid doing right now
✔ Carlos’s favorite in-store experience ✔ Key takeaways for retailers to help them build their in-store experience
✔ Technologies that are being adopted at a faster pace than Carlos anticipated
✔ Technology that Carlos is excited about
✔ What Carlos sees for the future of retail
Resources: Carlos Castelan
QUOTES:
“The word Navio really comes from the old explorers that would use ships to go out and chart new courses.” “I think if we start to look at what’s happening outside the US, I think that probably serves as a decent model for what will happen on the back end.” “I do think that this whole process is going to necessitate the acceleration of any sort of e-commerce investments.”