Gordon On Brick-and-mortar Retail

If you are counting on human-free stores and driverless cars, you'll want to skip this episode because it's a downer. To be sure, if you're big on the romantic potential of check-out lines, tune in! Francois Chaubard, CEO and Co-founder of Focal Systems explains why human checkout people, and drivers, aren't going anywhere any time soon. He'll also discuss where "pragmatic AI" is making a difference in-store, and on-shelves, in retail, right now.

This is the premiere episode fo the Gordon Daily Retail View, which follows the people and companies making news, and covered in the Gordon Daily Retail Monitor. Go to https://gordonmag.com/retail-monitor/ to learn more and subscribe, free. Westleaf is a fully integrated cannabis company based in Canada. You’d think that Weed would sell itself, but it's an incredibly competitive business, where legal manufacturers compete with each other, and the black market. We follow up with Westleaf which just announced a major order for white-labeled vape pens… even as US consumers freak out over the safety of inhaled THC products.  

The Gordon Magazine podcast speaks with Mohamed Haouache, CEO of TheStorefront.com, to discuss the interactions between online and offline in modern retail, some tips for creating successful pop-ups, and how an oversupply of retail real estate inventory is creating opportunities for firms like his.

Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor, is a consultant, retail expert, and a motivational speaker in the brick-and-mortar retail space. Bob joins the Gordon podcast to prescribe a more human approach to growing sales and building in brick-and-mortar retail, centered around better staff with better retail training.

Joey Moore, Head of Evangelism for EMEA & APAC at Episerver, joins the Gordon Podcast to discuss the impact of AI-driven smart mirrors that are delivering recommendations to changing rooms in retail clothing stores.

In this episode of the Gordon Podcast, the ne'er do well twin brother of Gordon Magazine, we’re talking to Colin Hunter, CEO and co-founder of technology-driven custom tailor Alton Lane. This episode is part two of a two-part interview with Colin. In this episode Colin tells us about the wider applications of body scan in retail -- where it could revolutionize retail, and areas where it decidedly will not. He also discusses the recipe for success around in-store robotics, and what parts of the customer experience still require a human touch. If you missed part one of our interview with Colin, you'll definitely want to check it out. We discuss how body scan is enhancing the customer experience. We also discuss how bodyscanning has eliminated the need for custom tailors, but that these measurement robots might just be the saviors that keep custom tailoring alive. Gordon Magazine is an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communications which, when done right, provide insights, enrichment, and joy that you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in brick-and-mortar retail. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com.

In this episode of Gordon, the unimaginatively named podcast of Gordon Magazine, we’re talking to Colin Hunter, CEO and co-founder of technology-driven custom tailor Alton Lane. This episode is part one of a two-part interview with Colin. In this episode, Colin discusses how body scan is enhancing the customer experience. We also discuss how bodyscanning has essentially made the custom tailor obsolete but that this might just be what keeps custom tailoring alive for the next generation of sartorially inclined consumers.  Gordon Magazine is an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communications which, when done right, provide insights, enrichment, and joy that you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in brick-and-mortar retail. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com.

“When you are a hammer,” it is said, “everything looks like a nail.” I believe that Gen Z has a corollary to this, which is: “when you are a screen, everything looks like a problem that you can solve using a screen.” I strongly disagree with this philosophy, so much so that I launched Gordon Magazine, to show that the most delightful and enriching experiences happen face-to-face. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in brick-and-mortar retail. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com. Gordon is the podcast of Gordon Magazine. In the very first interview of Gordon, we're speaking to Colin Hunter, Co-founder and CEO of Alton Lane, a company that leverages bodyscanning technology to change the in-store experience in men's fine tailoring... while, also, using it destroy the person who the whole darned podcast was named for. Pretty darned rude, if you ask me. Actually, it's okay - Colin and I patch things up at the end. We also get a chance to discuss the impact of bodyscanning across all of retail, the future of men's tailoring, and why technologists seem to be the only ones good at creating in-store customer experiences in retail anymore. Give this podcast trailer a listen and if you're interested in learning more, check out the full episodes at iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, please subscribe, review, and share Gordon online, so your friends can find it too. If you hate it, I would advise you to still write us a good review, and say it's a must-listen somewhere where your competitors will see it - they might as well suffer too, right?  

In this episode of the Gordon podcast we're talking to Bruce Winder, retail consultant and former big retail executive on the future of brick-and-mortar retail specifically does it have one and how does it thrive going forward. Gordon is the podcast of Gordon Magazine, an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communications which, when done right, provide insights, enrichment, and joy, which you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in brick-and-mortar retail. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com. Brick-and-mortar retail is desperate for innovations that will help it build connections with customers - giving them a compelling reason not just to visit stores, and also to complete their purchases there. For larger retailers cultural inertia, high debt levels, and plain old pigheadedness are getting in the way of that innovation. This has many large retailers getting taken to school on in-store customer engagement by new entrants coming from the world of etail. Some new arrivals to the world of brick-and-mortar like Glossier are tapping exciting technology innovative delivery workflows another gadget tree to create a wow factor for customers. Conversely, other traditional retailers like Best Buy have perfected a few simple but critical items to create the minimum acceptable model for getting people into their stores and getting them to complete their purchases while they're there. In this episode part one of a two-part interview Bruce discusses why online-only, e-tailers just entering into the physical, brick-and-mortar world are outperforming more experienced counterparts, how and why some big retailers are dropping the ball, and the role of private equity in the retail meltdown.

At Gordon, we decided not to spend any money developing a new name for the podcast... and we've passed the savings along to you. On today's episode of Gordon, the podcast of Gordon Magazine, we’re talking to Denise Williamson, CEO and Co-founder of Williamson PR, and 180 - the Store. Gordon Magazine is an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communications which, when done right, provides insights, enrichment, and joy, which you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in brick-and-mortar retail. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com. Denise launched what may have been the first retail establishment connected to a public relations firm in October 2017. Denise leverages her PR expertise to engage customers with stories. So Denise's store may be called 180. but it seems like it's moving in the same direction with her agency, helping customers understand and connect the wares of her clients, which are found right in the shelves of her store. On this episode, part one of a two-part interview, Denise describes how those stories complement her retail business, building connections between buyers and designers, and other ways she makes her store a destination with customers... around her neighborhood and around the world.

This episode of Gordon is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Bruce Winder, Co-founder and Partner at the Retail Advisors Network, on the future of brick-and-mortar retail. Gordon is the podcast of Gordon Magazine (www.gordonmag.com). Gordon Magazine is an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communication which, when done right, provides insights, enrichment, and joy, which you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in the brick-and-mortar retail space. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com. In this episode, Bruce discusses why online-only companies and erstwhile consultants entering the brick-and-mortar space are taking more experienced industry veterans to school, and how some simple fixes as Best Buy created a straightforward recipe for brick-and-mortar success. Bruce also discusses how and why some big retailers are dropping the ball, and the role of private equity in the retail meltdown. If you missed part 1 of this interview, it's definitely worth a listen. Bruce discusses how cultural inertia, combined in some cases with crippling debt levels imposed by private equity acquirers, have left many brick-and-mortar retail chains struggling to move beyond short-termism and make the changes required to re-engage with their customer base.

This episode of Gordon is part-2 of a 2-part interview with Denise Williamson, CEO and Co-founder of Williamson PR, and 180 - the Store.   Gordon is the podcast of Gordon Magazine, an online publication that believes in the inherent value of face-to-face communication which, when done right, provides insights, enrichment, and joy, which you just can't get from a screen. Gordon magazine highlights this value by covering best practices and opportunities in the brick-and-mortar retail space. Learn more at www.gordonmag.com. On this episode, part two of a two-part interview, Denise discusses best practices for retailers, how big retailers like Barnes and Noble need to change their mindsets to succeed, and how she is getting consumers to move beyond price and really care about what she is selling at 180 - The Store. If you missed part one of this two-part interview, you'll definitely want to listen to that one first. Denise talks about how stories - the bread and butter of the public relations business -- are key part of her retail business. She uses those stories to build connections between buyers and her designers, making her store a destination with customers... around her neighborhood and around the world.