In a follow up to our final Retail Trend, Retail Media Networks, we share a rich conversation with Francisco Larrain, CTO at Topsort, an innovative tech company that enables retailers and marketplaces to quickly launch, scale and intelligently optimize ad businesses with AI-based retail media infrastructure. We couldn’t ask for a better way to foll…

The sixth, and final, episode of our mini-series is titled, Retail Media. We discuss this new frontier. These brand or company-specific networks allow a brand to create media experiences across the customer journey (online and offline) while creating an entirely new high margin revenue stream via advertising. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff F…

The fifth episode of our mini-series is titled, Talent. We discuss all things talent and talent management where new thinking is required. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Email Cristene at cristene@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn h…

RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Email Cristene at cristene@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Follow us on Instagram @retaildoneright Tweet us @RetailD0neRight Michael Cooke is our brilliant sound engineer and editor Jade Siriswa…

The third episode of our mini-series is titled, Tech Debt as Business Risk. While it’s called tech debt, it’s really about business strategy - and the ability of the business and the ability of all its systems to respond to customers and changes in the market. Here are a number of articles that provide detailed explanations: Technical Debt Skeleton…

This is another trend we saw come up through the WARDLEY maps. Supply chains came to the breaking point during the pandemic but they were stressed beforehand. As complexity increased - distance, currencies, intermediaries - new ways of working, rapid changes in communications modes. The systems designed to run “lights out” were completely opaque wh…

Omnichannel has nothing to do with the customer. Customers don’t see channels. They see tasks and transactions. Why can’t we? (It’s because we are tied to staying in old lanes; because it’s easier to measure and we think we know the metrics.) INTRODUCTION We’re kicking off Season 4 with our own mini-series – Retail trends that are the result of a t…

Consumers continue to demand change from retailers and brands. They are shopping their values. But has this become simply a marketing message for brands and retailers today? Or are we making real progress on the sustainability front? What’s missing today is a simple framework, or a set of principles, that retailers and brands can implement quickly …

We welcome Doug Stephens, Founder and CEO of the global advisory firm Retail Prophet to Retail Done Right. Doug is a retail futurist and best-selling author of 3 books, including his newest, “Resurrecting Retail.” His perspective is grounded in fact, yet far reaching. And we cover a lot of ground in this interview. From people to product, and espec…

It’s a mad world when the Holiday season starts so early. We look into the Holiday season – that we’re already in. Woven into the season, which is not just topical but extremely important, we are talking Sustainability – or I should say, the customer is telling us sustainability matters. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonza…

What’s a natural extension to the platform Amazon has built that we discussed in detail during Episode 3? Healthcare. Why? It serves Amazon and their network of employees while also being another service they could offer to their broader network of marketplace members and business partners and possibly directly to their incredibly large customer ba…

Amazon is a platform. Though we are starting to see others following this business model, Amazon offers a scale unrivaled. But if you’ve created a great brand and want to extend your offering, there’s clearly an opportunity to leverage your brand equity and customer base to create a network and ecosystem that supports services or products. We discu…

This episode begins our short series discussing Amazon it their impact on Retail. Our series comes at this from a physical retail, online retail and shopper behavior perspective by looking at the offering, tools and services Amazon has introduced and offered their customers, including the end-user customer and retailers in their marketplace. This e…

To kick off Season 3, we’ve invited back our first 3-time guest, Shelley E. Kohan. As we leave Summer behind and look toward the 4th quarter and the Holiday Season, consumer outlook seems dark. Is there a storm ahead? Is the outlook possibly a bit better than consumer sentiment would suggest? We will talk about the state of the retail industry toda…

We close out Season 2 with our point of view on retails heroes, villains and change makers. Yes, we’re naming names. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Email Cristene at cristene@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Follow us on Insta…

Two of the current trends in our post-pandemic world that are driving the resale/reclaim/recycle retail boom are inflation and sustainability. These two trends warrant a deep dive individually, but how they are impacting and helping to drive the resale retail boom is worthy of inquiry. Martin Peers briefing for The Information highlighted Rent the …

There is real value in physical retail. But it can be expensive, slow to develop and risky. There’s a solution out there… Pop-Ups. You aren’t locked into a long-term lease. The CapEx can be minimal. You can get open quickly. You can test and learn new ideas, assortments, experiences. You can be seasonally relevant. Why aren’t we seeing more Pop-Up …

A human tragedy is happening before our eyes. Today, we discuss Ukraine. It’s a human tragedy that’s occurring in front of our eyes via our screens. Our hearts go out to all those who are living through this - the brutal reality is on the ground. We focus our attention on how retailers and brands are responding. And what a response! This is somethi…

We dive into a great new study on retail and consumer brands, “2022’s New Normal for Retail,” from IBM’s Institute for Business Value. This rich report clearly states that retailers and brands need to be present on all fronts and show consumers they share their values. CONSUMERS HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE WRINGER But they’ve been resilient. They’ve foun…

Private label, white label, owned brands. What are the differences? Why do they exist? What value to they bring to the customer as well as to the retailer? We explore all these questions and just how a retailer should approach creating their own owned brands with our special guest, Juli Lassow, Owner and Principal of jhl solutions. PRIVATE LABEL, W…

It doesn’t seem right to end the year without sharing a recap from our perspective. Plus, though it’s not without reservation, we will share a few predictions for 2022. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.net and connect on LinkedIn here Email Cristene at cristene@retaildoneright…

Diversity and inclusion must go beyond the time constraints of Black History Month, the new Juneteenth Federal Holiday and Pride Month, amongst others. This needs to be every day. We discuss the relevance of these “months” and just how important it is to practice diversity and inclusion every day, in every decision. There are numerous through lines…

What makes you trust a retailer? How can retailers earn that trust? And in these days of hyper-transparency, how can you continue to forge trusted bonds with customers that transcend price, supply chain, delivery or other bumps and bruises to your relationship? We explore the trust customers put in their retailers and how retailers continue to earn…

Waiting for anything sucks. In a physical retail store, waiting can directly impact your experience and the impression you take away with you. But waiting to pay is the worst! I’m in your store. I’ve selected what I want. Then I have to wait to give you my money? There’s never been a better time to rethink, redesign – to reinvent – the check-out ex…

If there’s one thing that can impact your stores it’s having the right people on the front line. But many retailers everywhere seem to be struggling to find and retain staff. There's a war for talent. What needs to happen to attract and retain the right talent today? We talk to Lou Chestman and Jackie Culp of Next Performance Horizon to find out. O…

We are kicking off our 2nd season with a return appearance by one of our favorite guests from Season 1, Shelley E. Kohan. Retail is evolving so fast, driven by a continued change in consumer behavior and the fact that we have not been able to fully put the pandemic behind us, so we wanted to set a baseline regarding the health of retail today. RETA…

Placemaking is an art, and maybe a little bit of science. In retail, it’s critical. We dive into placemaking with our special guest, Yann Mathias, Director of Innovation and Impact at MTArt Agency. We discuss some of the more intangible parts of retail that are critical including the state of retail design today, the evolution to experience design,…

The pandemic has impacted commercial and retail real estate, which, in many instances, are connected. Our sense of self is tied to our sense of place. We explore current retail, workplace and urban planning trends with an expert, Paul Bate of Paul Bate Consultancy. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at…

Retail is a driver of our economy. We are joined by a recognized pundit and industry expert who is also a contributor to Forbes.com, a professor at Fashion Institute of Technology and Syracuse University and currently Chief Strategist at The Robin Report, Shelley E. Kohan, for a wide ranging discussion about current retail performance, trends and i…

The merchant is a critical part of retail. Determining what products you are presenting and selling to your customer is fundamental to who you are as a retailer. Our special guest, Linda Choong, knows all about this as the former Chief Merchandising Officer at Design Within Reach and currently a retail and business advisor heading up her own practi…

We are joined by William Thomas of Empathetic Machines to discuss five things retailers need to do to move out of pandemic panic, and towards forward momentum. While we have some fun with this, the discussion covers some important topics. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.net a…

A retailer seeks to be a cornerstone of the local community even as it fights a legal battle to reduce its tax burden. An online menu is tied to a kitchen without a restaurant. William Thomas of Empathetic Machines helps take us on this dark journey. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildon…

We speak with Neliana Fuenmayor, Founder and Chief Executive of A Transparent Company, about how consumers are citizens in the "glocal" fashion economy. Neliana Fuenmayor gave up a passion for design to redesign supply chains. She now helps fashion businesses shift from linear thinking to an open, transparent mindset in support of making the transi…

Our shopping habits have changed, but we're still going to the store together in an odd sort of way. At least in part, we go shopping for the human experience. People are vital to the retail experience, and our guests, Jackie Culp, EVP Next Performance Horizon and former Regional VP for Luxottica and Lou Chestman, EVP Next Performance Horizon and f…

Digging deeper into the Customer Channel, this episode explores the impact technology is currently having on physical retail. Shopping habits have changed and tech is supporting this along with providing retailers with better data and capabilities. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoner…

We are swiftly moving into a new age of retail. Normal is no more. Stores remain important, but now they play a different role. We have moved beyond omni-channel or even a unified shopping experience. This is the age of the Customer Channel. RETAIL DONE RIGHT is produced by Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz Email Jeff at jeff@retaildoneright.ne…