There was no shortage of trends poised to disrupt the retail industry this year — from sustainability to the metaverse. But which trends actually made an impact, and which were just hype? During this special, rapid-fire episode of Retail Remix, we dig into the Big 8 trends spotlighted by January Digital in early 2022. Vic Drabicky and Sarah Engel dig into: How these key trends have shaken out over the past 10 months; Which brands and retailers are investing in these areas and have seen success; ...
Oct 31, 2022•51 min•Ep. 133
Consumers are searching for product information on a host of new channels, from marketplaces to social networks, but Google still plays a key role in the customer experience. But that doesn’t mean Google isn’t taking cues from these new consumer behaviors to shape product and experience innovation. During this special episode of Retail Remix, Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product for Shopping at Google, shared detailed insights about nine new features and tools that are making it easier for ...
Oct 24, 2022•30 min•Ep. 132
Nikki Baird is no stranger to tough conversations. She has held roles as a retail technology executive and an industry analyst, so she knows what it takes to assess, challenge and prioritize new trends and tech investments. Now, as VP of Strategy for Aptos, her job is to discuss the unique challenges and priorities of retail clients, and how they should shape their technology roadmaps. During this week’s Retail Remix, Nikki gets real about innovation in retail, and offers her unique perspective ...
Oct 17, 2022•36 min•Ep. 131
If you have a cooler or an insulated lunch bag, you likely have an Igloo product. Although the brand has such a vast wholesale network, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) experience was key to establishing a direct line of communication with consumers to build out its product portfolio. Early on, the focus was on acquisition. But then, Kizzy Ezirio, Digital User Experience Director at Igloo, and her team wanted to focus on using direct engagement channels to collect more robust data about customers and ...
Oct 10, 2022•46 min•Ep. 130
As one of the founders of Max Brenner, the highly popular chocolate brand and restaurant chain, Oded Brenner was considered the world’s real-life Willy Wonka. Now, after a brief hiatus, he’s embracing his inner “business artist” and building a new brand: Blue Stripes. While both businesses are connected by a core ingredient, the cacao fruit, Blue Stripes is leaning into CPG and a mission rooted in sustainability. During this episode of Retail Remix, Oded shares his founder story and: Why the cac...
Oct 03, 2022•30 min•Ep. 129
Frost Li has a rich history in tech, and she even helped Wish build out its growth division. In fact, it was during her time at Wish that she discovered her fascination with retail and, specifically, helping retail brands grow. Social commerce has become a key method for brands of all sizes to reach their audiences and grow market share, however, different platforms have walled gardens and limited capabilities that prevent merchants from reaching their full potential. During this week’s Retail R...
Sep 26, 2022•30 min•Ep. 128
After inspiring retail pride on a global scale, author and industry legend Ron Thurston is bringing his passion and perspectives on the road... literally . He has been traveling the U.S. in an airstream, stopping in different towns and sitting down with the people powering retail stores. He took time out of his adventure to sit down for this episode of Retail Remix. Listen in and learn: What’s really happening in retail across the U.S. (and beyond big cities); How to combat “the Big Quit” and cr...
Sep 19, 2022•43 min•Ep. 127
When we think of customer experience, the awareness, education and engagement stages of the shopping journey come to mind. In fact, merchants tend to focus on everything that comes before conversion. But as consumers pay more attention to ease and speed of fulfillment, the post-purchase experience is becoming a top priority. During this episode of Retail Remix, Narvar’s Founder and CEO Amit Sharma offers his insights on: Why the post-purchase experience has been overlooked and what retailers ris...
Sep 12, 2022•31 min•Ep. 126
Amazon aggregators took the ecommerce world by storm during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, as these companies navigate economic volatility and shifts in the investor market, they’re focusing on building viable business models with long-term potential. For this Retail Remix episode, we revisit a session from the 2022 Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, which features executives from three of the top Amazon aggregators: Acquco, Elevate Brands and Perch. In conversation with Nic...
Sep 05, 2022•34 min•Ep. 125
Gen Alpha is gaining more spending power and, in turn, more influence on the retail industry. That is why retailers like Kids Foot Locker are focused on creating unique opportunities for these consumers to interact with each other and with the brand. On Retail Remix, we revisit a recent conversation with Jill Feldman, VP and General Manager of Kids Foot Locker. She shared: How Gen Alpha behaviors differ from Gen Z; Why millennial parents are driving these behaviors and expectations; How Kids Foo...
Aug 29, 2022•24 min•Ep. 124
Changing consumer behaviors and the impact of shopping holidays like Prime Day are encouraging marketing teams to rethink the traditional holiday calendar. In fact, Julie Van Ullen of Rakuten Rewards believes that brands need to look at holidays, promotions and rewards initiatives through an integrated and holistic calendar. During this episode of Retail Remix, she shares her perspectives on how marketing teams need to evolve. Listen to learn: How inflation and economic volatility are shifting c...
Aug 22, 2022•37 min•Ep. 123
Inflation. Shifts in consumer spending. New digital behaviors. There are several trends that could shake up the gifting space, but as we head into the holiday season, brands and retailers need to think about how they can turn these challenges into new opportunities. Are you ready to differentiate and drive revenue through personalized gifting experiences? During this episode of Retail Remix, GiftNow’s John Grech and host Alicia Esposito discuss: The behavioral shifts impacting the gifting space;...
Aug 15, 2022•47 min•Ep. 122
In the past, consumers who wanted to get their ears pierced had two options: tattoo shops and the mall. According to Louisa Schneider, the mall-based piercing experience in particular felt uncomfortable and impersonal. She knew there was a better way and that’s why she started Rowan. Now, the ear-piercing brand is growing steadily, thanks to its super-fun studio experience, a successful partnership with Target, and a loyal base of licensed nurses who act as the brand champions and piercing squad...
Aug 08, 2022•32 min•Ep. 121
It’s never been easier for a brand to gain a foothold online, but even the most innovative brand can only go so far until it needs to invest in its ecommerce experience. Unfortunately for smaller brands, their limited budgets can make it seem like those experiences will always lag behind the bigger brands. One solution? No-code automation. On this week’s episode, host Alicia Esposito chats with Mason Co-founder Kausambi Manjita about how she’s helping brands find the tools required for ecommerce...
Aug 01, 2022•34 min•Ep. 120
Before she founded Parachute, CEO Ariel Kaye had a deep background in consumer behavior research. She used her rich history in understanding and learning to connect with people to create the basis for her business. Although Parachute started in bedding, the company has expanded strategically into adjacent categories, including bath goods, décor, furniture and even loungewear. During this episode of Retail Remix, Ariel joins us to share her unique perspectives on the brand’s growth, including: Ho...
Jul 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 119
We’ve all heard that the customer has more control over the shopping experience, but that hasn’t stopped most retailers from sticking with their same-old business strategies. Joel Bines believes now is the time for retailers to act — and he has a playbook for success. During this episode of Retail Remix, Joel digs into his book, “The Metail Economy: 6 Strategies for Transforming Your Business to Thrive in the Me-Centric Consumer Revolution.” He shares: How the me-centric consumer revolution bega...
Jul 18, 2022•38 min•Ep. 118
In his time at Timberland, Bevan Bloemendaal drove global retail experiences and creative services. He helped bring the brand’s sustainability mission to stores and helped establish new processes for teams across the organization to collaborate to bring physical and digital together. Now, as Chief Brand and Creative Officer at NELSON Worldwide, Bevan is helping shape brand experiences for brands across industries. During this week’s Retail Remix, he digs into the trends shaping the future of ret...
Jul 11, 2022•43 min•Ep. 117
As the ecommerce universe expands, brands and retailers have more opportunities to reach and sell to consumers. Although digital channels can help companies realize a lot of value, they also can create a lot of complexity, especially because all of these different channels have different data requirements and content best practices. Greg Ives and Bradley Hearn of ChannelAdvisor have seen this complexity first-hand and have guided B2C companies as they strive to bridge their owned ecommerce sites...
Jul 04, 2022•42 min•Ep. 116
Digital channels are so powerful for retailers because they offer a wealth of data about how consumers are interacting with content, products, offers and more. As digital gets more embedded into our everyday lives, retailers are using technology and data-powered solutions to support their goals. During this week’s Retail Remix, Parrish Chapman, Director of Enterprise Sales Key Accounts at Samsung shares how retailers can: Embrace technology to create seamless experiences, from the couch to the s...
Jun 27, 2022•29 min•Ep. 115
Fit is a leading cause for product returns. And as consumers shop more online and via their mobile device, they want to ensure they’re selecting the right products and sizes for their needs. Sure, there are many fit tools out there, but FIT:MATCH was designed to add more dimension (literally) to the process, creating more accurate fit recommendations and better curation for consumers. During this week’s conversation, we hear from the company’s founder and CEO, Haniff Brown, as he shares: His vis...
Jun 20, 2022•36 min•Ep. 114
It seems like any retailer can open a marketplace today...and many are. As the space becomes more crowded, these platforms need to work harder to stand out. That’s why Italic is leaning into a very specific value proposition: A vertically integrated model that gives consumers access to luxury-grade products at a fraction of the price. During this week’s Retail Remix, Jeremy Cai, Founder and CEO of Italic, gives the scoop on: How his roots in manufacturing inspired him to start the Italic busines...
Jun 13, 2022•45 min•Ep. 113
We’ve all seen the data: when brands share user-generated content (UGC), consumers trust them more and, in turn, are more likely to make a purchase. As VP of Marketing for ResellerRatings, Christina Kay lives and breathes UGC. During this week’s Retail Remix, she shares her perspectives on how UGC is driving the future of social commerce. Listen to learn: How the rise of ecommerce and new channels like TikTok are driving UGC’s shift to video content; Ways brands can reuse and repurpose content t...
Jun 06, 2022•39 min•Ep. 112
After his own scary experience with Teflon poisoning, Jordan Nathan started Caraway to provide a safe cookware option for consumers. But little did Jordan know, shortly after he started his company, the world would be spending a lot more time at home. During this Retail Remix conversation, Jordan shares what he’s learned building the Caraway brand. He reveals: How the mission of “clean cooking” comes to life across all channels and engagement moments; The power of content, especially user-genera...
May 31, 2022•31 min•Ep. 111
Retail media networks are having a real moment. It seems like everyone is trying to capitalize on this new revenue opportunity, and are taking a page from Amazon’s growth playbook. But why? For this week’s Retail Remix, we dig into the retail media trend by revisiting a fireside chat between Nicole Silberstein, Ecommerce Editor for Retail TouchPoints, and Jess Huang, a former Partner at McKinsey & Company. During the discussion, which was part of the Retail Innovation Conference virtual expe...
May 23, 2022•21 min•Ep. 110
We’re back from Chicago after a whirlwind few days at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo! Our heads are still reeling from all of the incredible content and conversations that took place, so we’re going to break down everything we learned on the podcast. Join Alicia Esposito and content specialist Erica Vallecorsa as they discuss: Core themes that supported the entire agenda program, including community-driven commerce and authentic engagement; How the convergence of digital and physica...
May 16, 2022•31 min•Ep. 109
As consumers spend more time and money online, brands and retailers need to work harder on optimizing their digital experiences. But where are retailers spending the most time and money? During this Retail Remix conversation, Alicia Esposito digs into new and compelling research about how retailers are navigating this quickly evolving and increasingly competitive space. She chats with Brian McGlynn of Coveo and Brian Kilcourse of RSR Research about key findings and trends to watch. They will ans...
May 09, 2022•41 min•Ep. 108
Experts predict that social commerce will explode into a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for brands and retailers. But which areas of the social commerce landscape hold the most promise? And most of all, where are the gaps? During this week’s Retail Remix, we sit down with Ricardo Belmar, Director Partner Marketing for Retail & CPG at Microsoft, who has been closely studying social commerce and all of its parts. Through candid conversation and personal experiences, he shares his thoughts on...
May 02, 2022•44 min•Ep. 107
Over the past two years, the Buy Now, Pay Later space has exploded. Retailers of all sizes and across categories have embedded BNPL capabilities into their customer experiences to help boost shopper satisfaction and basket sizes. But how will the tech landscape continue to evolve as consumer and retailer adoption rates rise? During this week’s Retail Remix, Adam Mawdesley, CRO of SplitIt digs into the “fairytale” of BNPL, including: Current consumer behaviors and how payment preferences have cha...
Apr 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 106
The road to business expansion is not a one-way path. There are multiple routes, complete with twists, turns and bumps along the way. But if brands and retailers want insight into trends that will likely trickle into the global marketplace and impact their future success, they should look at APAC. To dig into some of the emerging and growing trends in this unique market, we have Julian Reis, Founder and CEO of SuperOrdinary on the show. He shares: The unique opportunities beauty brands have to b...
Apr 18, 2022•31 min•Ep. 105
While ecommerce and social media have certainly made shopping easier, they also have made it a bit overwhelming. With instant access to so many brands and products, it’s difficult for consumers to easily weigh options and find the best, safest product. This is especially true if they’re shopping for babies. Brands like Lalo are attempting to change all that, and they’re seeing a surge in growth as a result. During this week’s Retail Remix, the company’s co-founders, Greg Davidson and Michael Wie...
Apr 11, 2022•37 min•Ep. 104
