As a Senior Manager on the Strategy and Insights for Retail and Consumer Goods team at Salesforce , Caila Schwartz’s goal is simple – help retailers gain a competitive edge via actionable data and insights. Schwartz joined Retail Refined for a conversation with host Melissa Gonzalez on how that goal takes shape in practice, diving into the ways Schwartz and her colleagues attempt to get retailers up to speed with the ever-shifting retail landscape....
Oct 06, 2020•40 min
As is the case in many other industries, independent wine and spirit retailers in a post-COVID world are seeing a drop in sales and revenue. The reason? The shifting demands of online shoppers has reduced their desire to discover new brands. Mike Provance , the CEO of 3×3 , works to change that. 3×3 is a marketing technology company dedicated to helping independent liquor retailers engage with and market to consumers. He joins Melissa Gonzalez to discuss how 3×3 leverages data to develop hyper-t...
Sep 29, 2020•27 min
On this episode of Retail Refined with host Melissa Gonzalez , Showfields CEO Tal Nathanel outlined how “the most interesting store in the world” is attempting to revolutionize retail. Showfields’ mission is to “create a better way for customers to discover, engage and show emerging brands and artists of tomorrow.” In practice , that means offering a reimagined customer experience driven by the brand’s commitment to curation, content, commerce, convenience and connection....
Sep 22, 2020•33 min
Live selling has a new look, and retailers are finding new opportunities to connect with audiences. While live selling came to prominence through TVs with players like QVC, today’s shopper desires an experiential retail experience from their smartphone. eCommerce and live selling expert Brandon Kruse , CEO of CommentSold , shared his insights and predictions for this type of shopping.
Sep 15, 2020•25 min
Successful business leaders are always looking for the next way to cut costs, maximize profits, and run their company more efficiently. Brick-and-mortar retailers with a significant amount of ecommerce sales experience a huge amount of inefficiencies in their fulfillment and shipping processes. How can they utilize their existing infrastructure — their people, product, and stores — more efficiently? Is there a way to improve both the company’s logistics and the customer’s shopping experience at ...
Sep 08, 2020•28 min
In a (bring your own device) retail world, the lines between the physical and digital worlds continue to merge thanks to the possibilities of computer vision. In this episode with guest Christian Floerkemeier, CTO and co-founder of Scandit, learn how Scandit is helping retailers automate end-to-end retail operations by moving routine processes and tasks onto mobile devices powered by high-performance barcode scanning software. From consumer self-scanning apps for self-checkout and Scan-and-Go sh...
Aug 04, 2020•25 min
Computer vision and advanced algorithmic sensors have changed the possibilities of consumer facing technologies. From augmented reality to virtual reality, kinect technology to motion capture, host Melissa Gonzalez speaks with Adaora Udoji, Director of Corporate Innovation of RLab about the latest trends that are evolving and how COVID is accelerating adoption and testing, as well as some of the exciting start-ups moving the needle. We are no longer in a world that can wait for long tail pilot t...
Jul 28, 2020•29 min
A look into capturing customer intent and how brands and retailers will be positioned better than before post COVID. In this discussion, host Melissa Gonzalez dives into the possibilities of contactless data capture with Amanda Latifi, Co-Founder and CEO of Hafta Have. Technology has traditionally been cumbersome and heavily reliant on hardware but now solutions are becoming "lighter" weight and the value proposition to the customer, not just the retailer, is becoming clearer. Listen to how Haft...
Jul 21, 2020•26 min
With the evolution of the store, it has now become table stakes to invest in a modernized POS system- one that can be in service of contactless payments, omni-channel retail and clienteling. Having seen demand by brands and retailers to take the step to modernize skyrocket, CEO and Founder Nitin Mangtani speaks to Melissa about how to create a modular system that truly empowers store associates and allows them to flex across channels to better serve customers. Hear why he alludes to the Nordstro...
Jul 14, 2020•28 min
In this episode, Melissa speaks with founder Spencer Hewett on how the possibilities of RFID are involving with RADAR’s speed and accuracy around item-level analytics and autonomous checkout. With the goal of giving retailers insights to understand what is happening in their store locations at any given moment, they are helping their partners illuminate. what’s on the sales floor vs. in the stockroom in real-time, let alone find misplaced items in real-time. Here how they are taking insights ano...
Jul 07, 2020•25 min
Originally launched to support their brand-owned locations, 3Den is now expanding their offerings to become an operator of spaces. With a simple check-in process, hear how their technology is creating operational efficiency and reducing costs for companies while also enhancing consumer experiences. Living in a time of COVID and beyond, 3Den is opening up real time visibility into space capacity, traffic flows and democratizing appointment based retail experiences. About the Company: 3Den (pronou...
Jun 30, 2020•20 min
The belief that necessity drives innovation has never been more prevalent than it is today. As the world is catapulted into new norms and expectations, we are seeing the baseline of ease and convenience being reset and converging with a heightened expectation of meaningful experiences. We are passing through the rubicon of digitization and brands, and retailers will be in a race to catch up. There will be a heightened need for an agile and nimble approach to retail. In this episode , join a dyna...
Jun 23, 2020•38 min•Ep. 12
As the physical world becomes more digitally integrated, strategies around signage will become more comprehensive and sophisticated. Brands and retailers will need to uncover opportunities to interact in ways that not only feel safe but also educate, entertain and build customer loyalty. Digital signage is only the medium, experience is the crucial layer on top. From order queing via geofencing strategies to AI and personalization to voice activated messaging, learn how Raydiant CEO Bobby Marham...
Jun 16, 2020•21 min•Ep. 11
In a post-COVID world, sampling will be a new experience. The evolution will be solved by the digitization of vending led by a curated consumer journey. In this episode , host Melissa Gonzalez speaks with Marci Weisler , Chief Commerical Officer of Vengo Labs , a leading digital marketing and retail tech company connecting brands and consumers in the places they go by combining media, product sampling and retail. Learn how digital machines will go contactless and be a key tool for data collectio...
Jun 09, 2020•26 min•Ep. 10
With ShopShops , viewers can watch hosts, from experienced salespeople to fashion or beauty influencers, via a QVC -style live stream as they display clothes and accessories for up to several hours. In this episode of Retail Refined , Melissa learns how ShopShops is democratizing access to both brands and influencers and allowing them to bring offline shopping online. Founder Liyia Wu shares what makes a live stream event successful and a few unexpected lessons, such as coordinating the sale of ...
Jun 02, 2020•24 min•Ep. 9
In this podcast, Melissa Gonzalez discusses the evolution of store design through data collection and statistical analytics with George Shaw , founder of Pathr . Via computer vision and AI, George discusses how Pathr is able to capture actionable insights to inform operations teams, LP and marketing teams alike to illuminate shopper groups, customers and staff interactions and throughput opportunities at check-out. Social distancing will guide new store layouts, but science will help inform opti...
May 26, 2020•23 min•Ep. 8
In this episode, Melissa is joined by Trevor Sumner , CEO and founder of Perch , a leader in interactive product engagement marketing retail displays. From beauty to CPG to grocery, learn how in-store digital experiences can illuminate insights such as identifying top sellers, product merchandising opportunities and increasing ROI through story animation and education. Hear first hand case study data around recent learnings on how to capture first party product feedback data real time, increase ...
May 19, 2020•31 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, we speak with Haniff Brown , Founder of Fit:Match to discuss how AI is helping consumers get exactly what they want. Much like netflix powers a recommendation engine for content, Fit:Match can scan a person in 3 minutes and use that data to find and suggest the brands and retailers that carry items that have the ideal fit for a person’s body type. Bio: Haniff Brown considers himself to be a passionate entrepreneur helping to solve real, everyday consumer pain points. Prior to FI...
May 12, 2020•31 min•Ep. 6
In this episode we discuss how FutureProof is helping propel the industry forward when it comes to the acceleration of contactless and mobile payments in grocery, fashion and beyond. No longer a generational conversation, we are seeing an emergence of the DIY consumer and we speak about how that is shaping adoption. And the automated checkout experience is not only powering efficiency and convenience but it’s enabling deeper levels of personalization as they are able to layer in product recommen...
May 05, 2020•25 min•Ep. 5
With new norms emerging such as a new equilibrium in supply and demand and emerging family priorities, we are seeing an increased adoption of technologies that reposition how consumers receive products and services. Last mile is focusing on hyper convenience with speed, ease and utility as the guiding light. Experiential tech won’t go away, but we will see brands and retailers lean more heavily into order management, distribution fulfillment and mobile payments. On this episode of Retail Refined...
Apr 28, 2020•28 min•Ep. 4
First Insight approaches retail with a forward looking view to consumers via predictive analytics. Through their extensive longitudinal data they are formulating insights around how consumers are being reconditioned. They are seeing a convergence of demographics and a shift to online happening as people shift to staples and stockpiling, but what does the future look like? This week on Retail Refined , learn how Greg Petro and his team are collecting data to access the future as companies will no...
Apr 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 3
The future of payments will be more fluid than ever in tomorrow’s “new norm.” Customers are engaging with brands across channels with fewer pauses and will expect that fluidity to continue in a seamless and frictionless way, from in-store to online. In this discussion, learn how Klarna is helping brands and retailers re-think strategies around the point of sale. David Sykes is the Head of U.S. for Klarna , one of Europe’s largest banks offering direct payments, pay after delivery options and ins...
Apr 14, 2020•30 min•Ep. 2
Designed for retail leaders and retail lovers alike, the Retail Refined podcast is designed to explore the in-store technology of the future, challenge the industry’s preconceived notions, and sit down with retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail. The guide on this journey is Melissa Gonzalez , CEO and Founder of The Lionesque Group and Principal of MG2. Melissa has built a reputation in the retail industry through being a go-to expert...
Apr 07, 2020•31 min•Ep. 1
