Q's Tech Briefing

The one where Ben + Manolo talk about the "M" word (Metaverse) and have a measured, non-hype filled discussion about how making burritos in Roblox, attending a concert in Fortnite and wandering through Meta's Horizon Worlds are just the beginning of how brands and QSR are experimenting with virtual world experiences.

The one where Ben + Manolo share their thoughts on how Brands, Retailers and other Industries could use the new integration between Salesforce Media Cloud and AWS.

Ben + Manolo talk about the potential for retail media in and Amazon Apparel store and why Nike's going after StockX for NFT shoes.

Rob Carpenter, CEO of Valyant AI (https://valyant.ai) shares his company's origin story. How they went from from creating AI holograms to designing a Conversational AI platform to help QSRs with operational challenges such as labor shortages, automating operations and enhancing customer drive-thru experiences.

The one where David Title, Partner at Bravo Media (https://bravomedia.com/) a NYC based Experiential Agency + Production Studio returns to share the latest on the resurgence of events and experiences in NYC, Zara's viral "fake" Storefront on Instagram and Fox's new XR show "Alter Ego"

The one where returning guests, Susan + Scot Westwater, Founders of Pragmatic Digital share some of their 2021 research on what consumer really, really want to do with Voice technology. Find out more https://www.pragmatic.digital

The one where Ben + Manny share their initial reactions to the 14 Sept Apple Event "California Streaming" unpacking all the important details about the new iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch that into a short 15 min recap

The one where Ben + Manolo react to Facebook + Ray-Ban's latest wearable, $299 "smart" sun glasses that make it easy to take even more sneaky photos/videos and post them to your social media feeds - as well as listen to music or answer you mobile phone.

The one where the guys just hit "record" as they discussed the latest experiments by big companies using DeepFakes for business pitches, the future of advertising and the Metaverse

The one where Ben + Manolo share what it was like to attend RetailX 2021, one of the first retail trade conferences to be held in person in 2021.

Q Division looks back at some of the COVID "inspired" technology, ex. smart-masks, digital signage that checks if customers are wearing masks, have a temperature or are 6 feet apart, UV cleaning robots, to decide if they are still relevant or not.

Q Division talks with Nicolas Riegert, CEO/Founder of PayXpert a fintech startup shares his vision of the future of financial services and how his company is enabling a future of seamless digital payments and a unified shopping experience that bridges both in-store + e-commerce channels.

The Q Division team interviews Thibaut Levesque, VP of Business Development for Unnax, a Fintech start-up exhibiting at Mobile World Congress 2021 in Barcelona. Thibaut shares the Unnax vision for the future of banking and how the Unnax platform will democratize open banking through a modular technology platform.

The Q Division team virtually visits the Salamantex booth at MWC Barcelona to interview Sabine Roiss, Head of Events + Business Development about the opportunities in accelerating crypto-acceptance at the POS for merchants, service providers and retailers.

Q Division talks with Gulru Atak Gundem, Citi's Business Development/Innovation Lead about how the banking sector is being reshaped by fintech start-ups and the role Citibank plans to play in the future of financial services. Key topics covered: Competing with Big Tech (google, amazon, apple) Services for ecommerce/D2C, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Alternative payment platforms, digital ecosystems (across devices, in-store/on-line), adapting to new customers expectations in the wake of accelerated digital behaviors.

The one where Ben + Manolo recap MWC Barcelona 2021, offering their POVs gained from hosting livestreams from the show floor and moderating special industry workshops in Fintech, Autonomous Vehicles, 5G IoT and Industry 4.0

Check out the new show format! 15 min briefings on the week's trending retail + commerce tech topics. (we call it Q's tips) In this episode, Ben + Manolo share their off-the cuff insights on the relevant announcements from Apple's WWDC 2021.

Q's Tips, is the short version of Q's Tech Talks, each show is under 15 Min. In this episode, Q Division breaks down all the buzz around NFT's. What are they? what are they for? and is there really a place for them in Retail?

Q Division talks with returning guest, retail pioneer, advisor and Host of The Voice of Retail Podcast, Michael LeBlanc as he shares how Canada's retail industry is faring 1 year after COVID shut down the country. Topics Discussed: How Canadian Retailers, have adapted Post COVID Differences between US + Canadian Retail Recovery, Canada's Retail Industry - What's Next?https://the-voice-of-retail.simplecast.com/

Q Division talks with Cory Kiesel, Vertical Practice Director, QSR/Fast Casual Restaurants at Stratacache, the leading provider of intelligent digital signage, digital merchandising, mobile enablement, and rich media customer engagement at retail. Topics Discussed - -How Tech is Redefining the Modern QSR Experience-Digital Acceleration + QSR as a holistic platform-Construction Considerations for Drive Thru Expansion-AI and optimizing the Drive Thru Experience-New strategies for indoor digital menu boardsRegister for Cory Kiesel's upcoming Webinar on QSR as a Platformhttps://www2.stratacache.com/qsr-webinarseries

Q Division talks with Dan Williams, Strategy + Commerce Partner, at Stratacache, the leading provider of intelligent digital signage, digital merchandising, mobile enablement, and rich media customer engagement at retail.Topics Discussed - -The Importance of a Content Strategy-Digital Menu Board Optimization + ROI-Common Mistakes in Digital Menu Board Design -In-Store Digital Menu Boards + Digital Drive Thru

Q Division talks with Jonathan Rosen, SVP Content Strategy + Consumer Experience at PRN, a digital media company specializing in in-store retail media, a shopper marketing solution that activates shoppers along the path-to-purchaseTopics Discussed - -Retail Media - Untapped Revenue Opportunities-Monetizing Strategies for Retail Media-Creating an In-Store Media NetworkRegister for Jonathan's Upcoming Webinarhttps://www2.prn.com/monetization-webinar

Q Division talks with Risa Crandall, SVP CPG Strategy + Sales at Aki Technologies, https://www.a.ki/ a mobile marketing company using a unique strategy to determine mobile ad personalization and receptivity called Moment Marketing Science.Topics Discussed - What is Moment Marketing Science?Ad Targeting and Personalization at ScaleCampaign Measurement: Impressions vs. Sales LiftMessaging Opportunities for Brands, Retailers + QSRConsumer Sentiment and Data Privacy

Q Division talks JoAnn Martin, VP of Marketing at Searchspring, a provider of intelligent site search and merchandising solutions for brands and retailers. Searchspring has helped customers like Moen, Fabletics, Volcom, Wild Fang and Alternative Apparel https://searchspring.com

Q Division talks with Scot + Susan Westwater, Co-Founders of Pragmatic Digital, and Co-Authors of the book; Voice Strategy, Creating Useful + Usable Voice Experiences. Topics discussed - Voice Commerce vs Voice Assistants, Consideration for Voice Strategies, Use cases for shopping and engagement, Voice Ux and Post COVID trends. https://www.pragmatic.digital​www.qdivision.us

The team for Q Division attended this year's all digital 2021 CES event. Ben + Manolo break down all the main themes and tech trends from the show, discussing why some are important and why others are short-term concepts that will never see the light of day.

In this episode we talk to Katerina Axelsson, Founder CEO of Tastry, A Sensory Science Company using chemistry + machine learning to provide amazingly accurate product recommendations. Tastry has unlocked how human senses interpret product chemistry

Charu Thomas, built an award-winning AR tech that makes picking orders 40% faster and 80% more accurate over existing technology. Listen in as she shares her insights on the future of BOPIS, Micro-fulfillment and Augmented Reality.In this episode:- Evolving eCommerce supply chain, utilizing retail stores + micro-fulfillment centers- Adapting legacy systems to innovative supply chain and logistics models- Considerations for retailers, on evolving supply chain, logistics models and systems

Preparing for Retail Holiday Season 2020: A discussion with Danny Shaw, Chief Revenue Officer at Oculogx on what could be an unprecedented peak season for retailers, e-commerce and supply chain.In this episode:-Peak season forecast for retail sales-How Brick/Mortar can capitalize on e-commerce-How to create better in-store + e-commerce customer experiences

In 2020, digital adoption has been accelerated, more people are interacting with brands using Voice Assistants and Smart Speakers. Audio branding is a critical part of how consumers will experience brands as part of the future of voice commerce. In this episode Co-Authors, Colleen Fahey + Laurence Minsky share insights on from their book "Audio Branding: Using Sound to Build Your Brand"

In this episode, guests: William Rosen + Laurence Minsky share insights and strategies from their book "The Activation Imperative - How to Build Brands + Business by Inspiring Action" providing a framework for marketers on how to respond to the accelerated adoption of digital shopping behaviors caused by the pandemic.

The one where Ben + M walk through all the new Amazon Devices that were announced at the Amazon Fall Hardware Event 2020

Our featured guest Dirk Huelsermann, Managing Partner of London based, Stratacache Capital shares his insights on how COVID has reshaped VC investments in the retail tech and digital OOH + placed based media space. (30 min show) Now Streaming https://youtu.be/sQsi69N3ubg

What does Times Square look like in post-pandemic? Our guest Rafale Chang, CEO/Co-Founder of TigerParty an 11 year old experiential agency specializing in Times Square events shares his insights on what's next for the "World's Crossroads" and hear his amazing stories on what it takes to create large scale interactive events like Movie Premiers, New Year's Eve and Presidential Election Nights in Times Square. Now Streaming https://youtu.be/OVcDDXAMAJI

This week's featured guest Jeff Ketner, CEO of Ketner Group Communications - shares his insights on how Retail Tech + Digital Commerce Startups have adapted to the COVID disruptions, In this episode we learn about the challenges for startups as retailers accelerate digital transformation efforts, advice on connecting with investors + clients when the world has transitioned to virtual pitches, product launches and ask the question: what's the future of trade conferences? Now Streaming https://youtu.be/m5fcF8_cUzU

Special Guest: CEO/Founder of Experiential Agency OpenEye Global, Bryan Meszaros shares his insights on how businesses should be thinking when it comes to integrating digital and physical customer experiences.

The world is slowly re-emerging from the COVID lockdowns – people have started to get back into their routines and are returning to the workplace. But this time it’s going to be very different, across industries many companies are trying to anticipate what to expect when the workforce comes back into the office. Our guests, Ferd Dimailig and Dan Kraiss Principals of Box Studio and Architecture firm specializing in Office design share their insights on the future of the workplace.

COVID continues to reshape consumer behavior across all digital channels. What behaviors will stick? What does it mean for the future of physical store? E-commerce boosts curbside, drive-thru and BOPIS what new types of customer expectations are evolving? Our guest Joe Scartz shares his insights and how his agency Velocity Commerce Group is navigating a post-COVID commerce.

The one where we talk with Richard Mandeberg, Managing Director of Discourse Data, a bay area start-up using machine learning to process massive amounts of unstructured data to unlock consumer trends and sentiment. In this episode, Richard shares insights on how COVID is reshaping consumer attitudes on Wearables and Autonomous Vehicles.

As countries try to reopen, what should retailers know about the new rules of engagement in social situations? We talk to a medical front liner and a psychologist about how consumer behavior changes when anxiety levels are high and they are constantly on guard. Our panel shares their insights on what places are riskier then others - and we get the medical facts on social distancing and mask wearing

The one where Ben + M unpack the real reason Microsoft is shuttering its retail stores, share the latest on Watch Party apps, and explain why top brands are taking a "break" from social media.

The one where the boys break down all the things that were announced at Apple's WWDC 2020 this week. Hear about Apple's roadmap for a brand new OS, new hardware, what's next for apple's iOS 14, upgraded AirPods and the new features coming out in WatchOS

The one where Ben + M discuss how privacy is an illusion, Apple + Google's Contact tracing API and how Machine Vision can help with #COVIDcode retail compliance issues.

The one where the boys examine the impact of #COVIDcodes - raising the bar on customer expectations for Grocery + QSR. What do customers prefer? BOPIS, Delivery or Drive Thru.

Next up in our "Virtual Senses" Series - We breakdown the current state of AR/VR + Mixed Reality Technology. Where's it working? Where it's not. What will it take for for VR to make it into the mainstream.

The next in the series on emerging "virtual sense" technology: focusing on the areas of touch, vision, sound and even smell. In this episode the boys discuss the current state of Voice Assistants and Hyperdirectional Audio - ALL NEW: companion video series "Q's Tips" on this episode available at https://qdivision.us/media/

The one where the boys kick off a topic series on emerging "virtual sense" technology: focusing on the areas of touch, vision, sound and even smell. In this episode Ben shares his experiences with virtual touch tech. - ALL NEW: companion video series "Q's Tips" on this episode available at https://qdivision.us/media/

The one where Ben + M discuss how the COVID-19 crisis will tip the scales for those folks that have been hesitant to order their groceries on-line. M explains his theory on what happens when EVERYONE decides to order online at the same time. Will retailers be ready? or will it break their BOPIS solutions.

The one where the boys share their experiences from Euroshop 2020, a huge retail trade fair held every 3 years at the Messe in Dusseldorf. In this episode you'll how they used a professional magician to exploit the tech used in cashierless stores to "shoplift" merchandise without paying.

The one where Ben + M interview Marc Bujold, Director of Sales + Marketing for Position Imaging Inc. (https://position-imaging.com) Marc shares his client case study about how Tractor Supply Co. launched iPickup™ a next generation solution engineered for BOPIS (Buy Online Pick Up in Store) and Click-and-Collect orders.

The one where Scala's Sr. Solutions Architect John Fuch's drops some serious screen display knowledge on Ben + M. In this episode, John shares some interesting best practices for determining the right size of screen, based on content + context at retail.