Grocery Is Your Business

For over half a century, Gourmet Foods International has maintained an unwavering passion for connecting consumers with the perfect specialty products from all over the world, including: Domestic and Imported Cheeses, Meat and Seafood, Hors D'Oeuvres, Bakery, Pastries, and Desserts, Condiments and Spices, Pastas, Grains, and Beans, Oils and Vinegars, Food Service Supplies, Olives and Vegetables, and Beverages. Brian Scott, President of Gourmet Foods International, takes Marc Raco and Sterling Hawkins (CART) on a journey through the business and its landscape, sourcing great cheese, navigating supply chain in times of COVID-19, and even a cheese and cracker tasting! Recorded on location at NGA 2020 in San Diego.

For more than 75 years, Topco has leveraged the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of its member companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace through innovative product offerings and services, which are driven by insights and analytics. Topco's membership collectively represents billions in annual retail sales volume with thousands of stores, and Topco was formed to help ensure regional grocery retailers and wholesalers the ability to support their communities by providing families with high quality yet affordable products and services. Annie Charlip, Associate Category Manager - Marketing at Topco Associates LLC, joins Marc Raco and guest host Sterling Hawkins (CART) on location at NGA in San Diego.

"Leader of the Pack (VRRROOOM!)"/CEO & President Lauren G. R. Johnson of the family-owned Rudy's Markets (a Bend, Oregon grocery business which also runs the brands Newport Avenue Market and Oliver Lemon's) joins Marc Raco and guest host Sterling Hawkins (CART) on location at NGA in San Diego. She discusses the importance of change and differentiation, the value and importance of community involvement for the brand, presentation in general and attending to the tiny details. the value of employee-owners, being a visiting destination for tourists.growing sales vs. growing the business, surrounding yourself with your peers and being aware of what's happening in the industry, the annual customer appreciation sale, being a family business, and attention-getting business cards (and why they provide business cards to employees).

The Hawkins family name is synonymous with retail and consumer focused innovation, and father and son co-founders Gary Hawkins and Sterling Hawkin currently run Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART), evaluating over a thousand new retail technology companies every year. On location at NGA in San Diego, Gary and Sterling offer insights into the state of the grocery industry, retail in general, and the opportunities for the future with innovation and forward thinking.

Puzl creates robot-ready intelligence for retail robots. The hyper-fast AI-platform-as-a-service is setting the performance standard for robot manufacturers and retailers worldwide. Co-Founder/CEO Matt Bartelsian shares how robots and the Puzl platform can be game-changers in the grocery business. Recorded on location at NGA in San Diego, with guest co-host Sterling Hawkins.

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the nation's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving over 1,100 member companies and over 3,000 locations throughout 28 states from 8 full-line wholesale divisions. The consolidated sales for AWG are approximately $9.7 billion.  On location at NGA in San Diego, VP of Sales and Solutions Stacey Bowen provides a glimpse into the impact AWG Maes, and how, in addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies which provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, print and digital marketing services, and health and beauty care, general merchandise, specialty/international foods and pharmaceutical products.

Rochester, NY-based Freshop, a company building eCommerce solutions to provide full digital engagement for grocery and specialty retail -- including solutions for mobile, fulfillment and delivery -- is a powerful and customized online shopping experience for supermarket customers. CEO Brian Moyer offers a look inside the company's journey and what's possible, on location at NGA in San Diego.

Ron Bonacci, Vice President of Marketing and Advertising for Weis Markets (a large regional grocery chain headquartered in Sunbury, PA with more than 200 stores in 7 states) shares insights on innovation, eduction, and keeping pace with change as a grocery retailer with Marc Raco and Sterling Hawkins on location at NGA in San Diego.

Jason Schulweis, SVP and Head of Brand Partnerships and Integrated Marketing for Morning Brew,  offers crucial insights about current trends within media and marketing due to the impact of COVID-19, how marketers can authentically connect with consumers, and the importance of brand purpose in the face of this new reality.

Aside from the physical health risks stoked by COVID-19, there's another byproduct of the pandemic that's potentially terrifying: the social impact of isolation and quarantines. Given the number of people directed and electing to work from home, social distancing becomes both a personal challenge as well as an important business concern. From London, Julia Hobsbawm (social entrepreneur and author of The Simplicity Principle) shares important insights, strategy, and perspective, along with useful plays, for business leaders facing the realities of social distancing amongst their workforce and customers.

How do you protect on-demand or gig workers, their fleets, and their customers, during the COVID-19 crisis? How can companies like Postmates, which rely on going workers for their business model, succeed and survive, what particular concerns and considerations are in play, and what happens as restaurants and other suppliers close and face hard times? Vikrum Aiyer, Vice President of Public Policy & Strategic Communications at Postmates and Former Obama White House Senior Advisor, joins from San Francisco with perspective, insights, solutions, and a go-to enter to the playbook.

Retailers need management solutions from ordering to invoice reconciliation for beverage alcohol retailers of all sizes. Distributors need automated payment collection, maximized delivery efficiency, pricing communicated electronically, and a refined sales strategy. Suppliers need detailed insights into their product portfolio’s supply and demand, optimized market execution, and accessible competitive market data. Mark Kimber, Chief Revenue Officer for Fintech (offering cutting-edge, strategic solutions that support ordering efficiency, sales strategy, invoice and payment reconciliation, data reporting, pricing and promotion communication, and regulatory resource connectivity for the beverage industry and retailers), offers insights on how his company is a leader with a mission to solve common issues within the beverage alcohol industry. Recorded on location from NGA in San Diego.

If trying to keep the doors to a business open isn’t challenging enough, especially when you don’t know how long you have to do it for, diligent consideration of the productivity, safety, care, morale, and profitability of your employees may be even more daunting. Dr. John Sullivan (internationally known Human Resources thought-leader from the Silicon Valley and Professor at San Francisco State) and Celeste Thompson (Chief People Officer/Founder at TRIBE Human Resources Consulting) join from California and New Jersey to walk through some crucial Human Resources concerns and considerations in the new business realities of COVID-19.

SPECIAL REPORT: Wendy Liebmann, Founder, CEO, and Chief Shopper of WSL Strategic Retail, shares critical considerations for brands and retailers to manage the new realities of a retail landscape during and after the COVID-19 crisis.

In retail, it’s often the relationship that matters more than anything. In the grocery business, it might be relevant even more than anywhere else. Case and point: Relationshop— whose story began  more than 30 years and is now leading the industry with technology, solutions and strategies to help retailers personally connect with shoppers. With a passionate, technology-driven, marketing team with deep experience inside retail offering robust analytics, personalized promotions, and a web and mobile engagement platform. Along with other support and professional services. It’s all designed to deliver what matters most -- measurable improvement in transaction counts, sales and loyalty to a brand. Founder and CEO Galen Walters, and Chief Strategy Officer Randy Crimmins offer key insights on location at NGA in San Diego.

If you talked with someone in charge of a major aspect of retail at Foot Locker, you’d think the conversation would have something to do with sneakers. And although the topic of "sneakerheads" was unavoidably mentioned, the real focus is: the critical impact Store Design has on customer experience. And how even basics such as lighting and sound can have a major effect on retail success.  Kambiz Hemati, VP of Global Retail Design for  Foot Locker (a leading global athletic footwear and apparel retailer, which caters to the sneaker enthusiast), shares the importance of learning from retail concepts outside of your sector — the ones who have best in class experiences with customers — and how they can inspire next-level design. He also shares why Starbucks may have played a meaningful role on the Foot Locker store design, and why success with technology might rely more on what’s coming into a store than what’s already in it.

Chris Briglin, Director, Enterprise Mobile Product Marketing at Samsung, and Tracy Hansen, President, North America and Global CMO of ProGlove, Inc, join Marc Raco on location at NRF Big Show to announce and discuss the need and applications for their partnership and the launch of their combined solution consisting of ProGlove’s MARK product family of wearable barcode scanners and Samsung’s latest ruggedized smartphone for business – the Galaxy XCover Pro.

We’re joined this week by Zac Wilson, Manager of eCommerce at Raley’s. Zac shares his experience launching eCommerce, what were the biggest challenges and how grocers can set themselves up for success.Everything from marketplaces to dark stores, we consider what innovations and solutions will best serve grocers and their shoppers. But in light of an ever changing retail landscape, Zac emphasizes, “remember why we're doing the business and who comes first, it's the customer, you have to center everything around your customer, your clientele and the areas in which you operate in.”Tune in now for the full interview with Zac!Interested in learning more about the value of grocery eCommerce? You might like these resources: Understanding the Online Grocery Shopper (Blog): https://www.mercatus.com/blog/understanding-online-grocery-shopper-behavior/ 4 keys to eCommerce success (Blog): https://www.mercatus.com/blog/4-keys-to-ecommerce-success/ The risk in outsourcing your grocery eCommerce (Blog): https://www.mercatus.com/blog/equity-investment-report-highlights-the-risk-in-outsourcing-your-grocery-ecommerce/ (edited) 

How do you get the attention of consumers and turn their heads when only 6% of the grocery business is conducted online? The opportunity ahead  is huge. Access to great marketing in a tough marketing and advertising landscape can be challenging, and doing it right can be tough to tackle without building out infrastructure or wasting capital while you figure out what works, from new marketing platforms to content marketing. Hawke Media founder Erik Huberman shows how his company is a  solution to this issue, as hosts Rob Sanchez and Anne Marie Stephens  talk through this  full-service marketing consultancy, acting  as an Outsourced CMO for  clients, growing businesses of all sizes and industries. Recorded on location at Grocery Shop.

One significant trend in food is fresh, locally-sourced produce and grocery essentials delivered to the consumer’s doorstep the same day. One growing player is Farmstead, who also boasts free delivery, forever. To unpack this trend, Rob Sanchez and Anne Marie Stephens talk with Pradeep Elankumaran, the Co-Founder and CEO of Farnstead, on location at Grocery Shop.

Here’s a very interesting concept: create fresh meals, then fill smart Fridges at central locations with wholesome, delicious salads, bowls, snacks and more. Farmer's Fridge is on a mission to make it simple for everyone to eat well, with a  rapidly growing network of 350+ user-friendly smart Fridges stocked with chef-curated, restaurant-quality meals and snacks. What’s more, unpurchased items are regularly donated to local food pantries, providing responsibly sourced nutrition to community members in need. Its a bold idea, clearly in motion. "Grocery Is Your Business" hosts Rob Sanchez and Anne Marie Stephens talk with the president of Farmer's Fridge, Mike Brennan, on location at Grocery Shop.

Rob Christian, CEO of Shophero, joins us in this week’s episode of the Digital Grocer Podcast. With extensive experience and knowledge in the grocery retail space, Rob offers his insights on how grocers should strategically approach their eCommerce experience. Rob notes that retailers need to undergo a grocery eCommerce culture change. “The [traditional] culture of grocery retail does not support the concept of people going on the computer and making a purchase.”  He goes on to stress the importance of maintaining control over the shopping experience. As a retailer, deciding, “I can no longer lose my brand. I have to create a seamless shopping solution, so my customer comes to my site and they see my brand”. Tune in for the full interview. Rob, Sylvain and Mark discuss the role technology partners have in empowering grocers to get back in charge of their eCommerce experience. Find out how Mercatus empowers retailers to get back in charge and own their shopper experience.

Imagine smulti-tenant and private networks of automated Micro-Fulfillment Centers that combine the speed of local delivery with the efficiencies and scale of robotic fulfillment. Proprietary robotic and AI technology enable retail and CPG partners to profitably deliver to their online customers within one hour and scale their operations as their business grows. This is what a company called Fabric does, and Rob Sanchez, along with Anne Marie Stephens, talks with Fabric’s Chief Commercial Officer Steven Hornyak, on location at Grocery Shop.

This week, we’re joined by Dan Bourgault and Beccah Rybalsky from Replenium, a provider of intelligent product replenishment solutions that improve the way consumers shop for everyday products. Dan and Beccah discuss how Replenium helps levels the playing field for grocery retailers competing with Amazon’s service Subscribe & Save, empowering retailers to build customer relationships and loyalty, all while maintaining full control of customer data. Dan and Beccah note the power of shopper data and how grocers access to the conversion points in shopper data puts them at an advantage, especially when partnering with CPGs: “It’s one thing to have the data and be in control of it, but you’ve got to know how to use it. You got to know what to do with it. And you’ve got brilliant CPG partners who know exactly what to do with that and how to help you with it to help drive sales for you, as well as for them. And they will invest behind you on that.” Listen now to learn more about Replenium and key insights into how grocery retailers can compete with the likes of Amazon, Walmart and Kroger.

Wrap-up roundtable with Jeff Baskin of Radius Networks, and Jack Record of ShopperKit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Groceryshop 2019: Interview with Bernardine Wu, CEO of FitforCommerce.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Groceryshop 2019: Straight from the Mercatus booth - part 2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Groceryshop 2019: Straight from the Mercatus booth -part 1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wrap-up roundtable with Jeff Baskin of Radius Networks, and Jack Record of ShopperKit.

Groceryshop 2019: Interview with Bernardine Wu, CEO of FitforCommerce.

Groceryshop 2019: Straight from the Mercatus booth - part 2.

Groceryshop 2019: Straight from the Mercatus booth -part 1.

This episode features a wide-ranging conversation with Sylvain and Kevin Coupe, The Content Guy over at MorningNewsBeat.com.  Sylvain opens the conversation by asking Kevin why retailers don't always think of themselves as a brand and don't use their own data to the greatest possible degree and using Walmart's evolution as an example. To a great extent, Amazon has woken everybody up to the value of customer data in growing customer affinity through suggestive selling. The conversation turns to a timely topic, which is the risks that come with using gig workers as an extension of the retailer's business and brand, including what will happen to the gig economy should the U.S. slide into recession. Lastly, the two touch on the nature of ecommerce giants Walmart and Amazon and their critical failing in not having enough people there who are merchants.

On this episode, we're joined by Karen Short from Barclays Investment Bank to discuss her team's research findings on the strong affinity shoppers have with Instacart and how that impacts grocery retailers' strategic business interests. In one example, when asked whether she felt that Instacart is a strategic fit for retailers or not, Karen comments: "More importantly, it was an instant solution, but longer term, the bigger and bigger Instacart gets, the less control you as a retailer have. And so you lose the control with the customer, you lose the customer data, or at a best case scenario, you're just sharing the data, but Instacart has data." Tune-in to this latest episode to hear more about the findings from the Barclays report. For a copy of the report, contact Karen Short directly at karen.short@barclays.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, we're joined by Karen Short from Barclays Investment Bank to discuss her team's research findings on the strong affinity shoppers have with Instacart and how that impacts grocery retailers' strategic business interests. In one example, when asked whether she felt that Instacart is a strategic fit for retailers or not, Karen comments: "More importantly, it was an instant solution, but longer term, the bigger and bigger Instacart gets, the less control you as a retailer have. And so you lose the control with the customer, you lose the customer data, or at a best case scenario, you're just sharing the data, but Instacart has data." Tune-in to this latest episode to hear more about the findings from the Barclays report. For a copy of the report, contact Karen Short directly at karen.short@barclays.com

How a dynamic rebrand of Weight Watchers in both name (to WW) and a focus on community, impact, and wellness is reimagining a brand into the future. Jon Mandell, SVP, Membership Marketing and Global Ecommerce of WW (formerly Weight Watchers) joins Rob Sanchez, Marc Raco, and guest host Joe Yakuel (Agency Within).To hear more from speakers like Jon and Joe, check out CommerceNext on July 31st & August 1st in NYC. In this episode: What the WW rebrand means for the company, and how a focus on overall health and wellness along with partnerships with DJ Khaled and Kevin Smith is pivoting the brand towards a younger generation How WW is helping members make healthy choices with meals through the Freestyle plan and showing how to build healthy meals and by offering smarter snacks  John’s experiences with WW as a member before joining the company  The challenges of conveying the value of the products and goods WW sells to members without it coming off like a sell or a necessity to being a member of the program The extensive look in the mirror that was a part of the WW rebrand, and the changes made both to the program and the product offerings to reflect the changes in what accounts to wellness and health in 2019 The tools that WW has at its disposal to get feedback to improve the program; studios led by WW coaches, and Connect, a closed social group within the WW app mean to support and uplift members Ways WW is looking to move into the food delivery and meal kit realms through partnerships with brick and mortar chains to carry meal kits and brands like Blue Apron, to further WW’s ability to help people who want to take control of their wellness Finding a balance between utilizing scientific studies to prove the benefits of the WW and cutting through the marketing noise without making the claims seem inflated Why the universality of the message of a sustainable dieting program that works makes targeting marketing less of a concern WW’s barcode scanning app functionality and how finding broad partnerships with grocers most WW members have access to is essential to maintaining their engagement with the app Other incentives attached to the WW app, such as “wins” and other ways to build up points that are social in nature and not strictly tied to dieting Plus, we get to know some of John’s early inspirations that laid the foundation for his focus on growth and expansion at WW, and what kind of food he wishes was under 5 points

How Thrive Market's moves to attract health-focused and trendy members while being ahead of the curve has led to an active community and a product offering that leans toward the health-conscious alternative goods...Sunil Kaki, SVP of Marketing for Thrive Market, joins Rob Sanchez, Marc Raco, and guest host Joe Yakuel (Agency Within).To hear more from speakers like Sunil and Joe, check out CommerceNext on July 31st & August 1st in NYC. In this episode: Thrive Market’s conceptual evolution from a groupon-style model to a membership model more in line with Costco where membership unlocks low cost, non-GMO food goods delivered to members’ homes The way Thrive utilizes social media groups, surveys, and internal purchase data to refine the catalog to make sure that the decisions to make certain products private label are going to be top sellers  How Thrive’s moves to attract health-focused and trendy members while being ahead of the curve has led to an active community and a product offering that leans toward the health-conscious alternative goods such as coconut oils/milks/etc. and charcoal toothpaste The downsides of trying to be ahead of the trend, and how that can backfire either in a product not selling or selling too well and affecting the availability of raw goods Thrive’s value for customers who are looking for foods that adhere to specific dietary lifestyles (keto, vegan, etc.) and how utilizing social media metrics and influencers has focused Thrive’s marketing focus to bring in people who are engaged in specific diets How Thrive has innovated its fulfillment and distribution to help profit margins as the brand’s scale has grown over time Thrive’s giveback pledge to various charitable causes, how this slice of the profit margins factors into the company’s finances, and why this is a central aspect of the company’s DNA The savings guarantee, where Thrive will refund membership fees if customers aren’t using or seeing value in their membership and refund them the difference from their membership fees, and the goodwill that Thrive builds through its brand identity How Thrive’s focus on being fair and sharing data with vendors and partner brands has established a healthy and positive community on the business side where other brands have failed by focusing just on ensuring the lowest prices for the customer What Sunil thinks is the future for the grocery industry, and why there should be more a focus on storytelling and direct marketing with consumers Plus, Sunil talks about some causes he believed in in his youth back in India and how his early experiences in the US prepped him to Thrive’s core values, his favorite products from Thrive, as well as his best and worst experiences as a consumer

More than ever, retailers are challenged to effectively compete and differentiate. Aisle Ahead is the first to provide grocery retailers with an e-commerce and shopping trip planning platform that’s customized in its entirety, allowing each retailer to do exactly that. The platform cultivates consumer connections and empowers the grocery shopping experiences by understanding each shopper and their intent, from simply planning a shopping trip to online ordering—along with extending  capabilities that enable grocers, brands, and smart kitchen manufacturers to uniquely connect with consumers and influence decisions through content. At Grocery Shop in Las Vegas, Rob Sanchez and Charles Beckwith sat down with Aisle Ahead CEO Steve Siopsis  and Director of Marketing Jordan Kooijman. In this episode Steve and Jordan talk about why Aisle Ahead’s e-commerce solutions let retailers maintain their own identity and to facilitate delivery and other services The issues with most white label services and why Aisle Ahead stands out What Big Oven is, and how it helps customers find new recipes to try and develop profiles to help target content for what those clients want How the acquisition of Big Oven changed the nature of the company and helped complete the circle from assisting customers in finding recipes and bringing them to the point of purchase How technology has changed the way groceries sell and why content and personalization matters more now than ever The ways the meal kit movement has made grocers need to focus on the whole cooking and shopping experience, and create a need to engage on a whole new level The challenging logistics of in-store fulfillment in grocery stores and how Aisle Ahead aims to solve these issues and make this a reality They way media influences customer’s cooking habits and how Big Oven is tapping into this The gameification of social media and how Big Oven plans to use that to drive engagement How selling through experiences and offering unique services through Aisle Ahead can help grocery stores differentiate and gain new customers

A nearly three decades old big-name company in the grocery space has only had recruiting as a function for the last five years. With 20 new openings to deliver in the next few months and a shortage of full stack developers, how does a company like Whole Foods solve its recruiting and retention goals and growth? Rob Sanchez sat down with Jen Davis, Global Technology Recruiting Director, on-location at HR Retail 2019 in Austin TX. Coming up you’ll hear how Whole Foods strives to tap into communities to find the right talent, put a focus on diversity of thought, add new technology to the process, handle data, and structure  training for optimal employee performance and retention. Testing, learning Around since 1980, recruiting a 5 year old function The objective of 20-net new openings to deliver in other next 6 months A shortage of full-stack developers Tapping into communities to tap into talent Project-oriented training vs. classroom The importance of diversity of thought Tools in the HR space - video interviewing The on-boarding process Structure in training for regular check-ins Handling data, documents, communication

Electronic Data Interchange (or EDI) allows  business information to exist in a standardized format, allowing one company to send information to another company electronically and to become trading partners.  Haitham Ghadiry, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for TrueCommerce joins Rob Sanchez and Charles Beckwith on location at Groceryshop in Las Vegas about the most complete way to connect your business across the supply chain - in a way that is more connected, more supported, and more prepared for what’s next.   Haitham’s work with TrueCommerce, and how they help suppliers connect to the channels they need in order to do business How TrueCommerce helps retailers and suppliers with managing essential stock items, inventory, SKU numbers, shipping labels, etc, and organizes this information in ways that save time and money Why the current consumer client necessitates a company like TrueCommerce who helps retailers streamline the process of doing business in every direction Amazon’s entry into the grocery business, what this means for the industry, and why Haitham welcomes this potential shakeup The Endless Aisle Initiative and other trends in the industry that will help manufacturers and retailers work more efficiently The high demands of the Endless Aisle Initiative, and why a solid infrastructure is necessary before considering it Why retailers should have their supply chain teams and their marketing teams work closely together to maintain an efficient and accurate customer experience Advice for sales professionals engaging in B2B and B2C sales Some tips on how to reassess yourself as a leader in a busy and fast paced industry

Susie Fogelson is the founder of F&Co, a consulting company focused on how understanding the food-connected audience and food culture insights can help a brand find a purpose and share their products through storytelling and experiences. Learn about the food-connected consumer, the increasing focus on multi-sensory engagement, the growth of meal kits, and how brick and mortar stores can engage with these trends.  This episode was recorded on location at Groceryshop in Los Vegas, NV.

Michelle Farabaugh is the Chief Marketing Officer of Harry & David, America's premier choice in gourmet food gifting and entertaining for 85 years and part of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. family of brands. Learn how vertical integration, in-house marketing, experiential events, and a focus on emotional connection with consumers can keep a legacy brand thriving. This interview was recorded on location at eTail West in Palm Springs, CA.