EP 225: How Weather Forecasting Is a Trillion-Dollar Retail Opportunity

02/07/25 • 21 min

Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

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Special Guests:

Evan Gold, EVP of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Planalytics

Matt Flentge, Director of Category Marketing at Ace Hardware Inc.

Let’s move beyond Punxsutawney Phil's shadow and his Spring 2025 prediction into the sophisticated world of weather-driven retail strategy. The ritual is a convergence of folklore and cutting-edge analytics that has implications for the $7 trillion U.S. retail market. Join Shelley, Evan Gold, EVP of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Planalytics and Matt Flentge, Director of Category Marketing at Ace Hardware as they discuss the weather; last year marked the fifth warmest spring in 130 years, setting a challenging benchmark for 2025 performance comparisons. While Phil's prediction of a late spring captured the headlines, the real story lies in how modern retailers are transforming weather forecasting into actionable business intelligence. Weather influences over $1 trillion in annual retail sales, with spring weather sensitivity affecting retail traffic by up to 5 percent annually. Learn how retailers like Ace Hardware are leveraging hyperlocal weather data to optimize everything from inventory management to digital transformation. Successful retailers are using advanced analytics to transform climate challenges into strategic advantages that optimize forecast accuracy, drive top-line sales, and enhance service levels for physical and digital retail.

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We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Special Guests:

Evan Gold, EVP of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Planalytics

Matt Flentge, Director of Category Marketing at Ace Hardware Inc.

Previous Episode

EP 224: The Robin Report Roundtable: Key Forces Reshaping Retail's Future

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

The Robin Report Experts

· Mark A. Cohen, Former Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and Former CEO Sears Canada.

· Phil Lempert, SupermarketGuru® expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape.

· Jasmine Glasheen, a go-to retail and SaaS content strategist, also well-known for insights on generational purchasing behavior

The convergence of geopolitical tensions, technological revolution, and changing consumer behaviors are creating strategic challenges and reshaping retail, all which demand immediate C-suite attention. Join Shelley and her roundtable of TRR contributors (Jasmine Glasheen, Mark A. Cohen, and Phil Lempert) as they discuss how to navigate unprecedented disruption and anticipate the short-term future. Listen in to learn how emerging trends suggest a fundamental restructuring of retail economics that will require agile leadership and innovative approaches to maintain competitive advantage.

Next Episode

EP 226: Beyond the Saks-Neiman Merger: The True Cost of Market Consolidation

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Special Guests:

Mickey Alam Khan, CEO of Luxury Roundtable

Pam Danziger, TRR contributor and founder Unity Marketing

The shift in luxury retail's competitive landscape through the Saks-Neiman Marcus merger could have a domino effect on the operational synergies of both companies, unlocking fundamental questions about the sustainability of the luxury department store model. At stake is the state of personalized luxury retail when longstanding customer relationships and local market expertise are at odds with the impersonal efficiencies of large-scale consolidated operations. As the evolving dynamics of signature, singular brand stores and large multi-brand retailers unfold, it is evident that luxury brand houses are increasingly gaining control their own destiny through direct-to-consumer channels. Join Shelley, Mickey Alam Khan, CEO of Luxury Roundtable, and Pam Danziger, TRR contributor and founder Unity Marketing, as they dive into Richard Baker's acquisition track record and question whether Saks Global can gain strides against global luxury brands which have become its largest competitors. Or is the Saks model the demise of luxury department store retail?

Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report - EP 225: How Weather Forecasting Is a Trillion-Dollar Retail Opportunity

Transcript

Transcript by Descript:

You know, we have a phrase that we use a lot of analytics, which says, you know, you can't control the weather, but you can control how it affects your business, right? Because the impacts of the weather are known and therefore you can take an action now to leverage those analytics, to improve service levels, forecast accuracy, drive, top line sales, right?

So all of those other factors, absolutely retailers are grappling with, but the impact of