Brick & Mortar Reborn

Craig Patterson is the Editor-in-Chief of the leading Canadian retail industry news magazine, Retail Insider. He joins the show to discuss how retail has changed in the last few years, why online shopping still has value in a post-covid world, and his take on the future of retail.    Topics discussed:  Craig's background and why he started Retail Insider  What Retail Insider does and does not cover  The current biggest stories at Retail Insider  Changes to the retail space in the past few years  The value of selling experience as a retailer  Resources that will help you keep up to date with the latest in the retail industry  Tips to future-proof your retail business

Marshall Kay is the founder of RFID Sherpas and a retail entrepreneurial consultant. In this episode, we dive into the technology of RFID technology, and how it can help retail brands in their stores. RFID creates smart lables that will help stores collect and manage more data about the movement of their inventories. This technology is inexpensive to implement and it will fundamentally improve the running of your store.   Topics discussed:  What is RFID Sherpas and how does it assist retail entrepreneurs?  Why you want to use RFIDs in your store How Marshall discovered RFID technology  Is RFID technology expensive?  Are there any privacy concerns with using RFID tags in your store?  Examples of stores using this new technology today  Common mistakes stores will make when implementing RFID technology  The future of RFID in retail 

Ron Thurston is the host of the Retail in America Podcast. He spent many years working on the front lines of retail, and then he wrote his book, Retail Pride, to celebrate his career journey. On his book tour, he also meets front line retail workers around the country and documents his adventures on his podcast. On the show today, we talk about what it's like to work on the front lines of retail in 2022. Ron shares everything retail businesses need to know about supporting the workers on the front lines.    Topics discussed: About Ron and the Retail in America Podcast  Retail as a fulfilling and exciting career  Stories from the front lines of retail in America  Retail as an “accidental career” for a lot of people  How people find success in their retail careers  What retail companies can do to inspire pride and build employee loyalty  Proof that retail workers actually love their job  What front line retail workers need from the organization

April Sabral is the founder and CEO of retailu, an online, on-demand leadership development platform for retail professionals. She is also the author of The Positive Effect, where she details her journey working in retail. In the episode today, we talk about the biggest lessons April has to share about leadership in the retail industry, including her ACT model that she uses to teach retail professionals how to build strong teams.  Topics discussed:  April's background and about retailu About April's book, the Positive Effect  The ACT model and how it helps you build a strong team in the retail industry.  Biggest leadership lessons from all of April's work in the retail space  Why being nice actually helps you get your way in life  Riding the highs and lows of day-to-day working in retail  Managing conflict and difficult conversations as a leader  Staying focused on the most important asset in your store - people

Mina Fader is the Managing Director of Wharton's Baker Retailing Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, Mina discusses the present and future state of retail. She breaks down the fate of the brick and mortar space in the digital, post-COVID world, and you might be surprised to hear her take on where retail is heading in the future.  Topics discussed: About Mina and how her career in retail developed  About the Wharton Baker Retailing Center  How you can learn from the Wharton Baker Retailing Center  Some of the most compelling research in the retailing space today  Merging online and offline worlds as retailers  Why brick and mortar stores will not go away  Consumers valuing social purpose and authenticity in the younger generations  How retail professionals can grow and thrive post COVID

Hitha is the Chief Research Officer at H Squared Research LLC, a consumer spending columnist at US News and World Report, and the author of the book “Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crimes Fund Terrorists.” She is a self-proclaimed futurist related to all things retail, and in this episode, she discusses some of the trends that we should be looking for in the retail space.    Topics discussed: What's exciting right now in the retail industry  What contributes to businesses' success and failure in the retail space  A description of the modern consumer and key behaviors  Why brick and mortar is part of the future even with online retail  The current state of the black market and what we all need to know  The role retailers have in battling the black market  Advice for brick and mortar retailers to thrive again after COVID  Future trends to look for over the next few years

What is the NRF (National Retail Federation) and what do they do? Today's guest, Katherine Cullen, is the senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation's research team. That means that she leads NRF's research on consumer spending and emerging retail trends. What does that information tell us about retail today? […]

Over recent years, there have been many changes in what people expect from retailers. People want to shop locally, but they also want the convenience afforded to them by big retailers. SpotOn helps smaller retailers achieve that. Today, you'll hear from Doron Friedman, co-founder of SpotOn. Listen to the episode to hear more about Doron […]

Has the definition or expectation of convenience changed over time? The people who might best know the answer to this are people in the convenience store business – people like today's guest. Pervez Pir is the President of Retail at Loop Neighborhood Marketplace, and he has an important perspective on the value of convenience and […]

When you're a business operator, how can you make sure you're on track, gather the information you need, and keep up with what your team needs and what they're doing? The answer is good operations management. And that's what today's guest's business does – operations management and analytics. Tommy Yionoulis is the founder of OpsAnalitica. […]

Retail has undergone a lot of changes over the past few years. In today's episode, you'll hear from Dan Goldman, strategic consumer and retail industry executive who explains what's changed for the retail industry during the pandemic, the importance of focusing on creating closer relationships with customers and appealing to their motivations, and what Dan […]

You can't think about brick-and-mortar retail without considering franchises. Is a franchise right for you? Will a specific franchise work in your region of the US? How much work does it take to maintain a franchise? These are some of the important questions that a person must consider when thinking about franchising. In today's episode, […]

White Castle isn't as big as some other hamburger chains, but it is the oldest chain in the United States, and it remains family-owned even after 100 years, which is a big feat. In today's episode, you'll learn more about White Castle and why it remains a success so long after its initial appearance. Jamie […]

What is different about selling your brand in a multi-brand, brick and mortar store? Is this a good idea for a direct-to-consumer brand that wants to add a brick and mortar option for customers? How does it work? Today's guest is Matt Alexander, the co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Goods, a department store that sells […]

How do robotics function in the retail world now, and how will they play into retail settings in the future? Today's guest is working in the cutting edge of autonomous robotics and will explain a lot of the thinking around robotics in the retail space. Josh Baylin is the Vice President of Product and Marketing […]

Having a great idea for a business doesn't necessarily mean you understand how to best manage your money, make a financial plan, or handle cash flow. So where does an entrepreneur turn when they need to learn how to manage the financial end of their business responsibly? They can turn to someone like today's guest, Tracey Bissett. Tracey provides her clients with coaching. She prefers to frame it as teaching them how to become financially fit, rather than focusing on financial literacy. She helps her clients succeed by making sure that they understand how to manage their money in a smart way. Listen to the episode to hear Tracey explain what her clients are looking for and how she guides them, the biggest mistakes she sees, and what main ideas she wants her clients to walk away with. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Tracey's history and the company she runs ✔ The types of clients Tracey works with ✔ What clients reach out to Tracey for ✔ What Tracey means by financial fitness ✔ What are the “whys” Tracey gives clients to think about ✔ Some of the biggest mistakes Tracey sees ✔ Whether entrepreneurs know they are making mistakes by the time they come to Tracey ✔ What most business owners are successful at when managing their money ✔ Whether most business owners understand their financial statements ✔ Whether Tracey has a few main components she wants clients to walk away with ✔ Differences in how Tracey coaches from a geographic standpoint ✔ Tracey's process with clients ✔ Why cash flow planning is important and how to set the price ✔ Advice for growing a healthy and sustainable business Resources: Tracey Bissett Money Meeting Agenda QUOTES: “I do have quite a few people reach out and start wanting to plan for a future-oriented business so they're getting their business plan together.” “Most people don't decide to start their business not to get a paycheck.” “It's not that we're solving all the problems immediately, but we're quantifying them, and then they're able to move forward with action steps to actually solve things.” “If we're trying to understand what they can or can't afford, what I find is the easiest way to do that is build out a cash flow forecast.” “If

Is the Great Resignation just a buzzword, or is it rea? Either way, employees are quitting their jobs and looking for new roles. And research shows that workers who are engaged in their work and workplace can actually be more likely to outperform competitors. It’s time to start rethinking employee management and come up with new strategies for improving the employee experience. Here to talk about this subject today is Vikas Bhambri from Kustomer and Devon Mychal from Talkdesk. In their conversation today, they’ll be exploring ways for companies to have a truly employee-centered workforce with top-down advocacy for employee wellbeing. Listen to the episode to hear them discuss why it’s more difficult to sustain engagement in the workforce, especially for deskless employees, how to address staff shortages and reductions, and what ripple effects a workforce experiences from high turnover. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Vikas does at Kustomer ✔ What Devon does at Talkdesk ✔ Why has it become more difficult to build and maintain an engaged workforce ✔ The perfect storm of legacy concepts, remote working, and bring-your-own-device ✔ Addressing staff shortages and reductions ✔ How to set up workers for success ✔The ripple effects of high turnover rates in a company ✔ Hits to morale due to turnover ✔ Training and updates due to new technology ✔ How recognition plays a role and how companies should manage it ✔ Trend changes that are going to have a future impact on workforce management Resources: Devon Mychal Vikas Bhambri Talkdesk Kustomer QUOTES: “The staffing shortage is real and companies are getting creative in terms of how they’re approaching these things.” –Devon Mychal “Even for very large legacy brands and companies, you’re seeing how a change in leadership can not only have an impact on the employee brand but ultimately the bottom line and the share price.” –Vikas Bhambri “Any individual leaving a company has a profound impact.” –Vikas Bhambri “Companies that aren’t investing in a strong customer experience brand and really making that a priority are having trouble attracting agents and keeping agents because they don’t want to be a part of something that doesn’t value the work that they do. –Devon Mychal “The recognition has to be meaningful, it

No matter what's going on in the world, people will still fall in love and want to get married. For that reason, businesses like David's Bridal are always going to be important, in the midst of COVID or during any other time. In today's episode, you'll hear from Kelly Cook, EVP and Chief Marketing and IT Officer for David’s Bridal. Listen in to hear what she has to say about how she ended up at David's bridal, what changes she's seen in the behavior of consumers who are using David's bridal, and what David's has coming in the future in terms of technology and omnichannel experiences. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Kelly's background ✔ What David's Bridal is about ✔ What brought Kelly to David's Bridal initially ✔ What “transforming” means to Kelly ✔ Changes Kelly has seen in consumer behavior ✔ Key omnichannel experiences that David's has adopted ✔ What David's is seeing on the horizon that they want to do ✔ Technology decisions that are important for David's Bridal ✔ The elements that make the loyalty program at David's successful ✔ Metrics that David's is held to ✔ Best in-location experiences Kelly has had with other brands ✔ Kelly's advice for retailers Resources: Kelly Cook QUOTES: “Loving the love business, which is what we're in at David's.” “It's really about pulling back and looking at every single way we serve her, and figuring out better ways to do that given the way she lives her life today.” “One of the things that we're really going to be focused on this year is digitally transforming the entire wedding planning process for her.”

See's Candies is a retailer that hardly needs an introduction, because it's so widely known. And what could be better than working for a popular candy manufacturer and retailer? In today's episode, you'll hear from Pat Egan, the CEO of See's Candies. Listen in to learn about what brought Pat to the brand from the energy field, how to keep employees happy and providing great experiences for customers, and how to balance innovation with the essence of an established, historic brand. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Pat's background ✔ What brought Pat to the brand ✔ Changes Pat has seen in consumer behavior ✔ The secret to happy employees and good in-location experiences ✔ Balancing innovation and keeping the brand essence intact ✔ What customers enjoy about the brand and store location experiences ✔ Advice Pat would give to other retailer ✔ See's company culture ✔ Keys to keeping customers happy ✔ What brick and mortar retailers can learn to make them better ✔ Celebrating See's centennial ✔ See's plans for the future ✔ Pat's favorite in-store locations outside of See's Resources: Pat Egan QUOTES: “Our job is to make people happy. And we get to do that every day.” “In 2019, we broke a million packages shipped for the first time in company history, this year we anticipate breaking about 2.2 million.” “Always take care of your customer and listen to them.”

What is driving the demand for self-service technologies inside store locations? That’s one of the things that you’ll hear about in today’s episode. Joining the podcast today is Samuel Mueller of Scandit, a company that provides technology that facilitates better communication between retailers and consumers. Listen to the episode to hear what Samuel has to say about how he began Scandit, what changes he’s seen in consumer behavior, and what he sees in the future of the retail industry. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Scandit is all about ✔ What led Samuel to start Scandit ✔ How retailers use Scandit technology ✔ Changes in consumer behavior and the use of technology ✔ Whether there will be more technology changes in the near future ✔ Samuel’s advice for retailers ✔ Influencing factors that drive demand for self-servicing technology ✔ The future of the retail industry and physical store locations ✔ Samuel’s favorite places to visit in Zurich Resources: Samuel Mueller QUOTES: “If you think about what a smartphone does and what a smartphone is, it’s really, in many regards, an extension to ourselves at this point.” “Everyone obviously needs to think hard about the core operational needs and digitization needs relative to business strategy and strategic objectives that they’re setting out to accomplish.” “Physical store locations, in some sense, are sort of experience, curation, and instant gratification hubs of sorts.”

https://brickandmortarreborn.com/podcast-player/4746/podcast-71-samuel-mueller.mp3 Play in new window | Duration: 00:27:06 | Recorded on November 10, 2021 What is driving the demand for self-service technologies inside store locations? That's one of the things that you'll hear about in today's episode. Joining the podcast today is Samuel Mueller of Scandit, a company that provides technology that facilitates better communication between retailers and consumers. Listen to the episode to hear what Samuel has to say about how he began Scandit, what changes he's seen in consumer behavior, and what he sees in the future of the retail industry. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Scandit is all about ✔ What led Samuel to start Scandit ✔ How retailers use Scandit technology ✔ Changes in consumer behavior and the use of technology ✔ Whether there will be more technology changes in the near future ✔ Samuel's advice for retailers ✔ Influencing factors that drive demand for self-servicing technology ✔ The future of the retail industry and physical store locations ✔ Samuel's favorite places to visit in Zurich Resources: Samuel Mueller QUOTES: “If you think about what a smartphone does and what a smartphone is, it's really, in many regards, an extension to ourselves at this point.” “Everyone obviously needs to think hard about the core operational needs and digitization needs relative to business strategy and strategic objectives that they're setting out to accomplish.” “Physical store locations, in some sense, are sort of experience, curation, and instant gratification hubs of sorts.”

What do you need to think about when establishing a franchise business model? What's attractive about fast-casual restaurants? These are some of the questions that Michael Mohammed will address in today's show. Michael is the CEO of Chronic Tacos, a restaurant that focuses on food authenticity and a flavor experience. Check out the episode to learn what Michael thinks about the experience customers get in Chronic Taco locations, what the keys are to building a brand, and how to know what customers are demanding. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ The Chronic Tacos story ✔ How many restaurants there are ✔ The restaurant's business model ✔ The experience created in Chronic Tacos locations ✔ Michael's background outside the restaurant industry ✔ TWhat intrigued Michael about the fast-casual restaurant industry ✔ The keys to building a brand ✔ Michael's plan for scalability ✔ Challenges Michael experienced franchising locally and overseas ✔ Consumer trends that have changed in the restaurant industry ✔ Knowing what customer demands are ✔ How to ask for customer feedback ✔ The Chronic Tacos approach to managing social media pages ✔ How to create visibility in a new market ✔ Critical aspects to a great in-location experience ✔ Why brands fail at delivering great in-location experiences ✔ What's ahead for Chronic Tacos Resources: Michael Mohammed QUOTES: “We really try to engage all the senses in our restaurant.” “So much was in the founders' heads, of how this worked and what made it work.” “We try to really be engaged with what's going on in our social media platforms and respond right away and engage with them.”

How can brands continue having a conversation with their consumers through multiple channels? Today's guest is Mariam Reza, and she explains the value and details of conversational AI. Listen to her interview to hear what Mariam has to say about the company she works for, LivePerson, how they enable brands to better reach out to their customers, and what the demand is for a conversational AI experience. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Mariam's career path ✔ How Mariam started out with LivePerson ✔ What LivePerson is all about ✔ How LivePerson enables its customers to reach out to their customers ✔ Having one customer conversation across different mediums ✔ The state of the demand for AI-powered experience ✔ Challenges in the conversational AI space ✔ Tactical steps for putting together a conversational AI plan ✔ What brands need to know Resources: Mariam Reza QUOTES: “I love that our vision as a company is really to make life easy for consumers and brands.” “If I take store as one channel, you've got all the others, really, living on your device.” “In building very good AI, you need very very very good experts.”

How can you build an online shopping type of experience in a brick and mortar retail space? That's one of the things that today's guest will be talking about. In today's episode, you'll hear from Hemant Chavan of Brik and Clik, an idea that's meant to unite the online and offline shopping worlds. Listen in to hear what Hemant has to say about how his clients use the product he offers, what today's top value drivers are, and what technologies Hemant is excited about. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Hemant's background ✔ Brik and Clik ✔ How clients use Hemant's product ✔ Why customers work with Hemant instead of creating their own stores ✔ Top value drivers today ✔ How long customers will work with Hemant ✔ Hemant's favorite technologies ✔ Advice for smaller store owners regarding checkout and the post-selling experience ✔ How Hemant's VR model is different ✔ Hemant's vision of the future for brick-and-mortar retail stores ✔ Why you should support small businesses Resources: Hemant Chavan Brik and Clik QUOTES: “We're kind of recreating that online experience in-store by getting these essential products out to the customers where the customers are.” “We're big proponents of using the technology to empower our salespeople and our staff instead of replace them.” “The best part of it is, when your lease is over, you can have that store with you forever.”

Things are possible in a virtual experience that may not be possible in a physical store. To talk more about what's happening virtually and what's possible, Neha Singh of Obsess joins the podcast to talk about the technology her company offers and how the brands who use her technology create experiences for customers. Listen in to learn about use cases for Obsess's software, how brands think about creating immersive experiences, and what separates virtual experiences from online stores. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Neha's background ✔ What got Neha excited about starting Obsess ✔ Use cases for Obsess's software ✔ How brands measure the effects of the technology ✔ Why these retail segments are the first movers in the VR storefront ✔ How brands consider creating immersive shopping experiences ✔ How virtual experiences compare with online stores ✔ Differences between younger shoppers and other demographics when it comes to technology ✔ Advice for integrating physical and online retail experiences ✔ How an immersive experience helps brick-and-mortar brands tell their story better Resources: Neha Singh Obsess QUOTES: “Our mission is to reinvent online shopping interface.” “Basically, there's like a huge almost disconnect between the experience of buying this product like if you were in the store versus the experience of buying it online.” “To integrate it into online it's actually fairly easy and it gives you a much higher user base.”

Retailers know that things can change fast, so getting real-time data can make a big difference in allowing them to make the decisions they need to make to provide customers with a great experience. That's what Nick Delyani's business, Xovis, provides to retail clients – real-time information that can help ensure they make informed decisions. Listen to today's conversation to learn more about what Xovis does, what Nick has seen change in retail over the last 18 months, and the benefits of real-time data over historical data. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Nick does ✔ What Nick's company, Xovis, does ✔ The types of companies that use Xovis's services ✔ Biggest changes that Nick has seen with consumer behavior ✔ Nick's favorite experiences in retail ✔ Advice Nick would give to retailers about building a great experience ✔ Benefits of real-time data vs. historical data ✔ The insights that retailers are getting from COVID ✔ What clients learn from using Nick's business ✔ Important in-store movement patterns ✔ Elements that provide great in-store locations ✔ Technology that's going to have a big impact on brick-and-mortar retail Resources: Nick Delyani QUOTES: “We've seen the customers come in and spend maybe less time in space than they have in the past.” “It's important to make decisions quickly to react to the customer's experience.” “I think really what we've figured out so far is that people like painless checkout.”

Why do you have to either go big or go small when launching a food product? What's the most important thing you can do when you're looking for a new retail location to expand to? Today's guest will explain his thoughts on these topics and more. Listen to today's episode of Matt Matros with Shopflix. You'll learn what Shopflix does, what goes into a product launch, and how to know when it's time to expand. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Matt's background ✔ What goes into getting a product launched ✔ What Shopflix does ✔ How Shopflix charges its customers ✔ The typical Shopflix customer ✔ How Matt knows when it's time to expand ✔ Advice for entrepreneurs who want to go big ✔ Keys to a great in-location customer experience ✔ How to attract the best talent ✔ Technology that's important for restaurants now and in a few years ✔ What's important to customers walking into a brick and mortar location ✔ What got Matt started with Shopflix ✔ Audiences that work best for Matt's technology ✔ What Shopflix has in the pipeline for this year ✔ Advice for small retailers and restaurants ✔ Where to find Shoplix shows Resources: Matt Matros QUOTES: “I'm a brick and mortarer through and through.” “We like to say we're content with a click-to-buy.” “The Beatles became famous, but they didn't go on the road until they became famous at home.”

Running an omnichannel business involves a lot of different moving parts for your online and offline locations, but how do you connect all those moving parts to provide your customers with the most seamless experience? Today's guest says that's one of the biggest challenges her customers face. Allison Auclair is the Vice President of Product Management at Oracle NetSuite. In today's episode, she discusses how customers use NetSuite, why creating a great customer experience is so important, and how to win customers in an omnichannel world. Listen to the episode to hear what she has to say about the importance of making connections between services to create a more seamless experience. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Allison's background ✔ What customers come to NetSuite for ✔ Use cases for NetSuite ✔ Changes that Allison witnessed during the pandemic era ✔ Allison's favorite in-location experiences ✔ Why creating a great customer experience is more important than ever ✔ Brand optimization issues that customers bring to Allison ✔ The keys to winning customers in an omnichannel world ✔ What customers need to do before calling NetSuite ✔ Technology that Allison expects to take off on the brick-and-mortar side of things ✔ Advice on what not to do ✔ What retailers should do first ✔ Thinking about fracture points in the customer experience ✔ Allison's favorite local places to visit Resources: Allison Auclair QUOTES: “One of the biggest challenges I see customers come in with is connecting the experience together.” “There are only so many things that I'm willing to go in person and it's usually because it's something I want to touch and feel and see and experience in person.” “The other part, I think, of making that seamless experience is having all of your different fulfillment options everywhere.”

Online experiences became more important for brands during the pandemic, which has led to a lot of creativity when it comes to services like Jebbit. But how does that translate to in-store shopping? In today's episode, you'll hear from Pamela Erlichman, Chief Marketing Officer at Jebbit. She discusses how Jebbit technology works and how customers use it, what declared data is and how it's used, and how Jebbit can be used in-store as well as online. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Pamela does at Jebbit ✔ How to interact with Jebbit technology ✔ Success customers have with Jebbit ✔ How consumer behavior has changed recently ✔ Value drivers that may have changed for customers since COVID ✔ What declared data is ✔ What customers say about how declared data changes the way they provide experiences to their customers ✔ How Jebbit can accentuate experiences in locations ✔ What technology we're going to see more of ✔ Brands Pamela loves ✔ How brands will extend their experience into locations ✔ Advice Pamela would give retailers to improve their marketing strategy Resources: Pamela Erlichman QUOTES: “Giving something of benefit and value to begin with is a much better way to engage.” “Declared data is a form of first-party data that is directly given by consumers.” “Purpose. Convenience. Giving you a minute of reprieve. All of those things matter.”

The demand for digital, remote shopping services has only grown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The company co-founded by today's guest has been around for years, but you can understand how they would have picked up in usage since early last year. Andre Hordagoda cofounded Go Instore, a service that allows consumers to use video to talk to sales personnel and shop, giving them an in-store experience but from their homes. Listen in to today's interview to learn more about Andre, how his company's technology works, and what drives customers to make purchases. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Andre's background ✔ Go Instore's technology ✔ How the technology works for the customer ✔ What clients see when they visit the website ✔ The biggest changes in consumer behavior over the pandemic ✔ Value drivers that move customers to purchase ✔ Andre's favorite stores to experience and visit ✔ Technology that Andre sees in the future of retail ✔ What Andre is excited about in the future Resources: André Hordagoda QUOTES: “There's a massive difference between a website's performance and a physical store's performance.” “It's taken us seven years and a global pandemic to become an overnight success.” “We have been doing live-streaming for four years. We were pioneers. We did it before it was big in .”

It's not always obvious how a shopping center or mall can engage consumers and pull in foot traffic, but today's client has ideas. Peter Tonstad is the CEO of Placewise, a company that works with malls and other types of shopping centers to attract customers, benefit tenants, and bridge online and offline gaps. Listen in to hear what Peter has to say about what should be done differently post-pandemic, how malls can successfully engage shoppers, and what smaller strip centers can do to build foot traffic. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ How Peter got started with Placewise ✔ What Placewise's typical clients are like ✔ What needs to be done differently post-COVID ✔ The different dynamics in the evolution of shopping centers ✔ How malls and large shopping centers attract customers back ✔ Bridging the gap between online and offline ✔ Ways that malls can measure their success in engaging shoppers ✔ How smaller strip centers can create footfall ✔ What Peter does to coach clients to create focus areas for clients ✔ Why clients want to work with Placewise ✔ In-store experiences that Peter likes ✔ What's going to be important for shopping centers to embrace ✔ The future of malls and shopping centers ✔ Fun things to do in Norway Resources: Peter Tonstad QUOTES: “Yes, footfall is challenged by e-commerce, and it's also challenged by let's say overrepresentation of physical retail in general.” “I think the key is: malls serve as community offerings.” “It's more complex technically to serve a shopping center.”

What does online shopping really have to do with driving customers into the store? What if you learned that in-store experiences often start outside the store and that some of the best in-store experiences start online? That's what today's guest will be talking about. Oscar Sachs is the Co-Founder and CEO of Salesfloor. Listen to his interview to learn how the platform works, how store associates can use the platform even with in-store customers, and how virtual shopping can be used to drive more consumers in-store. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Oscar's history and background ✔ The Salesfloor platform ✔ How store associates engage with the in-store customer ✔ How an in-store experience starts outside the store ✔ Whether consumer behavior patterns have changed in the last few years ✔ Whether the person needed for a store associate role has changed ✔ How virtual selling affects in-store traffic ✔ Oscar's favorite in-store experiences ✔ The future of tech inside of retail stores ✔ Oscar's tips for retailers ✔ Fun things to do in Montreal Resources: Oscar Sachs QUOTES: “I'm not just saying “hey do you want to buy a pair of pants?” I'm showing them how to create outfits.” “It's time for retailers to say I need to bring what made me great in-store and made my brand so successful, I need to bring that online.” “We have technology that measures how store interactions online are directly driving customers in-store to purchase.”

Fashion retailers have been through a difficult period, but at this point, their customers miss them as much as they miss their customers. Chris Kaighn is the Senior Vice President – Boutiques, Real Estate, and Strategic Partnerships at Francesca's. Listen in to hear what she has to say about changes she's seen in the landscape during her time in this role, the top demands of her customers, and what to look for in associates. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Chris's background and current role ✔ Who Chris serves in her role at Francesca's ✔ Recent changes Chris has seen ✔ What parts of the experience Chris focuses on ✔ Top demands of customers ✔ What “free to be you” is all about ✔ What differentiates Francesca's ✔ Technology that needs to be implemented in Francesca's locations ✔ How important it is to address diversity and inclusion ✔ Top skills that Chris looks for in associates ✔ Empowering the workforce ✔ How to get people excited about coming back to locations ✔ How Chris is thinking about the future of Francesca's ✔ Experiences that Chris loves from other brands ✔ What Chris thinks people should do in Columbus Resources: Chris Kaighn QUOTES: “I think for that customer, it's critical that we stand for something.” “We need to make our brand the employer of choice out there.” “How we serve is just as important as who we serve.”

What is hyper-wellness? How do you blend medical services with non-medical services, while meeting all of the regulations and requirements involved? In today's episode, you'll hear from Jim Donnelly of Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy. Listen in to hear what Jim has to say about how he knew when to scale, what makes his services unique, and what makes people say “wow” when using his services. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Jim's background and how he got started with Restore ✔ Important lessons Jim learned through marketing and how they helped him build Restore ✔ The signal to scale ✔ The things that make Restore unique ✔ What gives people a “wow” moment after visiting a Restore location ✔ Critical technology for Restore ✔ Jim's favorite in-store experiences ✔ Advice for small retailers trying to create a brand identity ✔ The critical time when Jim decided on franchising ✔ How Jim built up the store during COVID Resources: Jim Donnelly QUOTES: “We said from the beginning we're going to make it open, transparent, and social. And throw a little bit of fun on there.” “We're lucky in that we have a product that applies to the vast majority of the population.” “I happen to like the fact that what we do is complex and has a lot of nuance to it.” “That's the number-one principle around hyper wellness. You have to walk out feeling better than you walked in.”

You're already familiar with SMS messages, but you may not be familiar with their power as a marketing channel. Today's guest works for a company that harnesses that power and uses it to drive consumers into their customers' retail location. Listen in to today's interview with Brian Malkerson, Chief Revenue Officer at Attentive. Today, Brian discusses what it was like building Attentive, how customers work with a company like Attentive, and how people on the consumer end interact with the Attentive platform.” Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Brian's background ✔ What it was like building Attentive from the ground up ✔ The typical customer for Attentive ✔ How customers use Attentive ✔ How does a company that wants to get into SMS marketing work with a company like Attentive ✔ How consumers interact with the platform ✔ Strategies retailers look for in a text messaging campaign ✔ Whether consumers are comfortable communicating with brands via SMS ✔ How retailers are engaging shoppers in-store ✔ Attentive's content team ✔ Value drivers that may have changed over the past few years ✔ Favorite in-store experiences that Brian has seen ✔ Technologies that we're going to see in the next 10 years ✔ Cool things that Brian recommends doing in New York Resources: Brian Malkerson Attentive QUOTES: “We're happy to jump on a quick call and walk anyone through just to educate them on the space, even if now is not the right time or they're looking at other options.” “If you can't do something at scale and have high-quality users, then no marketing channel is going to be very effective.” “I think that's kind of the million-dollar question for a lot of people is first early last year, “how do we quickly adapt to this environment?”

How important is workforce management and what tools do employers use to do it? Listen in to today's interview with John Orr, the SVP Retail at Ceridian. In today's episode, he talks about the customer use cases for Ceridian's services, the challenges that brick-and-mortar spaces are currently facing, and how customers are thinking about employee treatment, retention, and workforce management since the pandemic. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ John's background ✔ What Ceridian does ✔ Customer use cases for Ceridian's services ✔Why customers come back to Ceridian ✔ Challenges that brick-and-mortar retail spaces face ✔ How workforce management technology makes an impact on brick-and-mortar stores ✔ Why engagement is important ✔ What Ceridian is thinking about the future of engagement ✔ Tools that retailers employ to manage their workforce ✔ Customers that John has worked with to improve the in-store performance of employees ✔ Guidance for retailers on changes that have happened in consumer behavior patterns ✔ Bringing employee engagement and customer experience together ✔ What John is excited about technology-wise ✔ Fun things to do in Atlanta Resources: John Orr Ceridian QUOTES: “We span all sectors of retail, and in our vernacular, retail includes hospitality.” “I think they buy the technology and the platform and they stay for the service.” “We're all trying to do one-to-one marketing with our customers, and their experience. The same holds true for the employees.”

Footwear can fit better and feel better, and Volumental is proving it. Today’s episode features Alper Aydemir, the CEO and co-founder of Volumental. Listen in to hear more about what Volumental does and what the role of Volumental and similar technology is in the future of retail. In today’s episode, Alper discusses what his typical clients are like, how the company’s tech works with the client, and what technology retailers should be thinking about for the future. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Alper’s history with Volumental ✔ Why Alper started his own company ✔ What Volumental is all about ✔ Who Volumental’s typical clients are ✔ How Volumental’s tech works with its clients ✔ Whether there’s more interest in Volumental’s product now ✔ Whether Alper is seeing a change in consumer behaviors ✔ Why in-location experiences matter ✔ Alper’s favorite in-store experiences ✔ What retailers need to be thinking about on the technology side Resources: Alper Aydemir Volumental QUOTES: “One thing that has happened throughout last year is we made something like 8 years’ worth of progress in e-commerce in 8 months.” “It doesn’t cut it anymore to just have a picture and a size dropdown. Everyone has that.” “You own your own body data and how things fit you, and you’ll be able to carry that from place to place and get the best experience.”

What differentiates a luxury brand from other types of brands, and what do luxury brands need to do in order to drive value and keep on thriving, even during an event like a pandemic? That’s what you’ll hear about today from Tony Drockton, Founder and Chief Cheerleader at Hammitt, a company that sells luxury purses and bags. Listen in to hear what Tony has to say about value drivers, customer experiences, and what wholesale brands should be doing if they want to transition to selling directly to the customer. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Tony’s background ✔ What Hammitt is all about ✔ Value drivers that are important to the Hammitt bag ✔ Changes Hammit had to make during the pandemic to reach customers ✔ What kind of experience customers have at Hammitt ✔ Suggestions for wholesale brands ✔ How Tony looks at the mix of distribution ✔ New store locations because of the pandemic ✔ Tools that will be important for brands to implement ✔ Tony’s favorite places in Hermosa Beach Resources: Tony Drockton Hammitt QUOTES: “The customers like to say that Hammitt is the most functional luxury bag they carry.” “I believe the luxury category requires that human touch. That one-on-one.” “Bad retail has always been dead.”

Resale has many differences from other types of retail. What gets the retail customer in the store? What keeps them coming back? And with their business model, how seriously may they be affected by an event like a pandemic? That’s what you’ll hear today from Kate Paynter, a franchise owner who had to close all of her stores for eight weeks at the beginning of COVID. Hear how they operated, how they survived the shutdown, and how they came back in today’s episode.  Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Kate’s trajectory in business ✔ How much has changed about the customer during COVID ✔ How Kate decided to open another store ✔ What’s changed for the store during the pandemic ✔ What changes Kate had to make to sustain things during COVID ✔ Kate’s thoughts about the growth of the clothing resale business over the past few years ✔ Technology trends for the industry ✔ Whether anything has changed about the way they take in product ✔ How Kate keeps employees loyal ✔ Technologies that Kate wants to see integrated into the store ✔ Advice for entrepreneurs who want to grow ✔ What Kate has learned over the past year ✔ Where people should visit in Cincinnati Resources: Kate Finger Paynter QUOTES: “Our customer loves the hunt.” “We can see a customer from newborn all the way up to graduating college.” “We have a big reason for customers to want to walk into our store and that’s because we’re going to pay them cash.”

Buying shoes can be a treat if you have the right shoe-buying experience. Today’s guest, Jared Margolis of Payless, wants to bring a clean, attractive, omnichannel experience to the shoppers that come to Payless, both in the US and internationally. Listen in to hear what Jared has to say about why he joined payless, what he thinks is important when it comes to omnichannel, and what kind of changes his company is making to the in-store experience. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Jared’s background ✔ Why Jared joined Payless ✔ How Jared approached his task ✔ What’s important to Jared when he talks about omnichannel ✔ What the company is trying to figure out before scaling again ✔ Whether there’s a focus on how consumer behavior has changed ✔ Changes to the in-location experience ✔ Great experiences Jared has seen in-location ✔ Favorite stores that Jared likes to shop in ✔ Advice for brands that want to reinvent themselves ✔ Jared’s favorite technology for on-location experiences ✔ Jared’s predictions on in-store experiences post-pandemic ✔ How inventory changes based on location ✔ Fun things to do in Miami Resources: Jared Margolis QUOTES: “Having this blank canvas in America, we still have some great momentum coming in from our international business.” “The brick and click is just critical. You can’t do one without the other, especially in the shoe business.” “The vision that we have here at Payless is really to focus on being part of the community.”

Even if a value-driver seems obvious, businesses might still miss it. Today’s guest mentions a few seemingly obvious things, like providing basic needs and understanding the consumer, that some brands still struggle to get right. Jeremy Goldman is a Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, and in today’s episode, he discusses value-drivers he’s seen over the past few years, frameworks for building a memorable brick-and-mortar experience, and how to encourage people to come back to the location to shop. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Jeremy’s career ✔ What Insider Intelligence is all about ✔ Jeremy’s podcast and its focus ✔ The consumer behavior changes and value drivers that Jeremy has seen over the past few years ✔ What experience means to Jeremy and how to create one ✔ Why the in-location experience matters ✔ Jeremy’s favorite brands ✔ Frameworks for building a brick-and-mortar experience ✔ Creating a memorable experience online ✔ How to encourage people to come back for an in-store shopping experience ✔ Technology that was adopted faster than Jeremy expected ✔ Jeremy’s comedy shows and things he wants people to see in New York Resources: Jeremy Goldman QUOTES: “Animals like to see each other in person versus through screens.” “It turns out that there’s data that shows that having a good experience in one channel, like brick and mortar, can have a halo effect so that then people start to buy more from you online.” “COVID was the impetus for me to realize that something was the superior experience. I think that’s what a lot of people are finding.”

What is digitization and why is it so important right now? That’s one of the subjects that today’s guest talks about. Dustin Jones is the founder and CEO of the Unified Commerce Group, and he joins the podcast today to give his perspective on brick-and-mortar retail as a buyer. Listen in to hear what Dustin has to say about his acquisition of Frank and Oak, how to define a next-generation retail brand, and how to scale globally. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Dustin’s background ✔ What enticed Dustin to acquire Frank and Oak ✔ What defines a next-generation retail brand ✔ What Dustin defines as digitization ✔ Advice Dustin gives to retailers to think about their brick-and-mortar side or their digital side ✔ How to scale globally ✔ Dustin’s favorite locations for customer experiences ✔ Why Dustin believes in physical retail ✔ Favorite places in Hong Kong Resources: Dustin Jones QUOTES: “We believe that the future of retail is brands that are digitized and direct.” “I believe that the next generation of brands are going to be all about being purpose-driven.” “How you think about, as an owner, connecting yourself digitally to your community is really important.”

Post-pandemic, is a location still as important as it used to be in retail real estate? And how can a retailer get the location that they need in order to make their venture a success? Today’s episode features an interview with Bart Waldeck of Tango Analytics. He discusses what Tango does and the types of clients they attract, how their software can help clients, and what the role of the brick-and-mortar store is going forward. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What Tango does ✔ The types of clients that use Tango ✔ How the software helps enable retailers to procure a location ✔ How COVID has changed or affected consumer behavior ✔ The role of the store going forward ✔ How retailers can use technology to connect with their customers better ✔ Whether location is as important as it used to be ✔ How to integrate local locations to a successful online business ✔ Brands Bart enjoys shopping with ✔ Fun things that Bart likes about Chicago Resources: Bart Waldeck QUOTES: “We provide the data and analytics that help them understand what’s a good going rental rate within the market itself.” “I’d say lastly, probably, omnichannel is finally here.” “In all the different permutations of how you can buy things today and receive them, the store is going to be checking two out of three of those boxes most of the time.”

Western is an interesting niche for a brand. It is a niche, but it is also a niche that a large part of the population participates in, so there’s a lot of opportunities there. Today’s guest is Paul Hedrick, founder of Tecovas, a Western brand. Listen in to the episode to hear Paul talk about what his brand is all about, how he grew his physical locations quickly, and how to make an accessible luxury product. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ How Paul founded Tecovas ✔ What the Tecovas brand is all about ✔ The process involved in making boots ✔ How many stores Tecovas has ✔ How Paul managed to grow his stores so quickly ✔ How Paul picked locations ✔ The key elements that make Tecovas unique ✔ How to make a luxury product that’s accessible ✔ Brands that Paul admires ✔ Advice for companies who want to know what to put in the store location ✔ What Paul believes is the power of data technology ✔ Best things to do in Austin Resources: Paul Hedrick QUOTES: “Our goal is really to be the most beloved Western brand in the world.” “I would say that the overarching element is hospitality.” “A brand with the most friends wins.”

If you aren’t too familiar with it, you might think that appointment-based shopping only recently blossomed because of the pandemic, but today’s guest says that appointment-based shopping had proved itself long before the emergence of COVID-19. Listen in to today’s episode to hear John Federman, CEO of JRNI, a company that helps retailers create and change their customer’s experience with appointment-based services. John discusses what his customers are looking for, why in-person experiences are so important, and why smaller retailers might have an advantage right now. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What JRNI is all about ✔ A typical customer and how they use JRNI ✔ What the customers who use JRNI can achieve long-term ✔ Changes that John has noticed in consumer behavior ✔ Why in-person experiences matter ✔ In-store experiences that John has enjoyed ✔ Advice for smaller retailers ✔ Technologies that have grown over the past few years ✔ Technology that will shape the future of brick and mortar ✔ What appointment-based shopping does for retailers ✔ What makes an in-location experience great ✔ What John would recommend seeing in Bostons Resources: John Federman QUOTES: “There’s always a mix between need and want with a consumer.” “At the end of the day, shopping at some level is a visceral, emotional experience.” “Every vertical needs to make their business more efficient.”

How has the pandemic affected the investors that retail stores need? Today’s guest works with retail investors and has insight into the issue. Gabriella Santaniello is the Founder and CEO of A Line Partners, a retail research firm. Gabriella is a retail industry expert herself with years of experience in the field. Listen in to today’s episode to hear more about A Line Partners and what they do and to find out what Gabriella thinks about changes due to COVID, how retailers could improve in-store experiences and what trends she’s seeing in 2021. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ What A Line Partners does ✔ What firms hire A Line Partners for ✔ How it was working for notable brands before A Line Partners ✔ How things have changed through the COVID days ✔ What changes Gabriella thinks are going to stick post-COVID ✔ Whether Gabriella’s research provides an edge to investors ✔ Guidance Gabriella would give retailers on in-store experiences ✔ What Gabriella looks for in changing a store ✔ Gabriella’s favorite retail store ✔ How customers value authenticity ✔ Trends Gabriella is seeing for 2021 ✔ What Gabriella wants to see in stores Resources: Gabriella Santaniello QUOTES: “Retailers now are having so many issues with inventory.” “If you’re running lean inventory levels, you might as well send it to the stores because you’re going to fulfill online from the stores.” “Authenticity’s a big deal. And they know when you’re not being authentic.”

What’s it like to try to run a mall during the height of the COVID pandemic and lockdowns? Today’s guest knows. Marina Satoafaiga is the Marketing and Business Development Manager at The Shops at Montebello and she has a lot to say about how the community around the Shops at Montebello was affected by the pandemic and the changes since, and how the changes in the community affected retailers. Listen to Marina talk about how to connect and engage with shoppers during a pandemic, interactions that are coming back now that restrictions are easing, and consumer behavior changes that will stick around post-pandemic. Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: ✔ Marina’s role and what her day-to-day looks like ✔ What it’s like managing a shopping mall during COVID ✔ What Marina did to connect with customers as the pandemic began ✔ Interactions that went away during COVID that are coming back now ✔ Consumer behaviors that are going to stay post-COVID ✔ Marina’s example of a consumer experience ✔ Marina’s favorite experience ✔ Technologies that have been adopted at the Shops at Montebello ✔ Foreshadowing the future of retail ✔ Marina’s advice for retailers ✔ Where Marina recommends going in Southern California Resources: Marina Satoafaiga QUOTES: “Like any crisis or any pandemic, the communication departments are really the ones leading the way.” “Our center’s really a conduit for community.” “For me, and I keep saying it in this podcast, community has always been my favorite.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”