Winning Retail

Tony Saldanha – Transformant

A Double Take on Empowering the Customer with Sandy Gilsenan and Kim Nemser from Warby Parker

Winning Retail

04/06/23 • 42 min

Hello and welcome to Winning Retail. This episode features an interview with Sandy Gilsenan, Senior Vice President of Retail at Warby Parker, and Kim Nemser, Chief Merchandising Officer and Head of Product Strategy at Warby Parker.

On today’s episode, Kim and Sandy discuss revolutionizing and customizing the eyewear industry, using omnichannel tactics to create trust with customers, and Warby Parker’s journey to its 200th store.

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“It's here in our hometown in New York City, opening up our 200th store this weekend. And I think that these incredible experiences that we've been able to really provide for our customers by having these in-store interactions have been really, I think, incredibly memorable.

Not just for our customers, but also for our store. The idea of seeing one of our customers leave so happily, having this holistic vision care offering offered to them in one of our locations to me is still an incredibly unique proposition, especially for our customers to see our frames live and in person.” - Sandy Gilsenan

“A typical journey as the customer first meets our brand through a home try-on program, they get those five frames. Maybe they go online to see them, maybe they heart some, and then they go to a store. They come to the store informed about our brand. And I think one of the things that I always applaud, is our store associates are, best in class in terms of training, learning about customer experience.

We really focus on that. So I think it's this idea, you know, the word omnichannel is probably a bit overused, but we sort of like to say we're gonna create as many channels as our customers dictate necessary for them to trust the brand and find the product that they love.” - Kim Nemser

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Show Notes

(02:39) - Sandy’s journey to Warby Parker
(03:57) - Kim’s journey to Warby Parker
(06:57) - Warby Parker’s 200th store
(14:27) - Buy a pair give a pair
(19:54) - Seamless technology
(29:52) - Getting to know Sandy and Kim

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Links

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn

Connect with Sandy on LinkedIn

Tony Saldanha – Transformant

The Consumer Care Community with Moritz Klaemt, Vice President for Digital Marketing & eCommerce at Henkel

Winning Retail

05/26/22 • 34 min

This episode features an interview with Moritz Klaemt, Vice President for Digital Marketing & eCommerce at Henkel. As a CPG brand specialist in Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care Division, Moritz helps to drive consumer value and alleviate pain points through digital transformation.

On today’s episode, Moritz discusses Henkel’s digital community platform, “Ask Team Clean,” explains the difference between consumer centricity and consumer engagement, and touches on the future of AI.

“Understand what is relevant for the consumer, and only then say, ‘okay, what role do I now play with my brands?’” -Moritz Klaemt

Show Notes

(1:35) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(2:45) Moritz’s background
(6:06) A primer on Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care division
(9:54) Moritz’s approach to E-commerce
(11:35) Introducing “Ask Team Clean”
(16:49) Putting the consumer first, brand second
(20:17) The relationship between consumer care and retailers
(24:26) Data collaboration with retailers
(27:22) The future of AI
(29:23) Lightning round

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Links

Connect with Moritz on LinkedIn

Connect with Moritz on Twitter

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

The Freedom of Flip-Flops with Scott Ziegler, EMEA Retail Director at Havaianas-Alpargatas

Winning Retail

05/12/22 • 31 min

This episode features an interview with Scott Ziegler, EMEA Retail Director at Havaianas-Alpargatas. For 38 years, Scott has worked with some of the most iconic brands in the apparel world, from Foot Locker in the U.S. to now Havaianas in Europe, which sells over 200 million pairs of flip-flops each year.

On today’s episode, Scott walks us through their Madrid flagship location, makes a case for RFID, and explains what LMX Theory is and how he uses it to build out his teams.

“One of the great joys that I have is going into stores in Europe - and that was one of the big surprises for me - is how enthusiastic the employees were for the product.” -Scott Ziegler

Show Notes

(1:27) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(3:23) Scott’s background in retail and current role at Havaianas
(4:54) The freedom of flip-flop culture
(6:55) Transporting customers to the beach through store design, ambience, and passionate employees
(9:52) Recent developments: click-and-collect, franchising, and digital windows
(11:16) A walk through the Madrid flagship store
(13:56) Using technology to improve inventory accuracy
(15:34) The two-way trust exchange of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
(19:34) Allowing employees to do their job and bring solutions
(21:58) Enhancing the customer experience
(24:23) Lightning round
(27:54) Scott’s parting advice

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Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

Bringing the Brand to Life with Jonathan Muir, Global Director of Retail Activation at adidas

Winning Retail

04/07/22 • 34 min

This episode features an interview with Jonathan Muir, Global Director of Retail Activation at adidas. Since joining the iconic sportswear company in September, Jonathan has helped to take adidas’s brand campaigns and bring them to life in stores.

On today’s episode, Jonathan walks us through their Berlin flagship location, makes a case for app integration being retailers’ number one priority, and reveals why he thinks sneakers create such an emotional bond with customers.

“I would love to get to the point one day where we’re not really just looking at conversion as a purchase at the cash desk. It's more about did that person join your platform or not?” -Jonathan Muir

Show Notes

(1:27) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(2:29) Jonathan’s journey across the globe
(6:07) Making brand campaigns come to life in retail environments
(7:36) A walk through adidas’s Berlin flagship store
(11:14) Driving the experiential with “Green Lab”
(12:50) A paradigm shift in the shopping experience
(15:09) How adidas is using the digital to power the physical
(17:18) Making app integration a focal point
(20:06) How to build a value-added experience that benefits consumers
(23:12) Jonathan’s key to driving acceptance and adoption
(25:50) The emotional connection of sneakers
(27:59) Lightning round
(32:43) Jonathan’s elevator pitch on retail activation

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Links

Connect with Dean on LinkedIn

Taking Inventory with Dean Frew & Johan Stenström, CTO & SVP of SML Group and Supply Chain Developer at Stadium

Winning Retail

03/24/22 • 38 min

This episode features an interview with Dean Frew and Johan Stenström, CTO & SVP of SML Group and Supply Chain Developer at Stadium, respectively. SML recently partnered with Stadium to provide their item-level RFID solutions, helping increase inventory accuracy at the Swedish sports retailer to 99.5%.

On today’s episode, Dean and Johan discuss the origins of their partnership, the buy-in needed for digital transformation, and why the most successful retailers are the ones challenging their assumptions about inventory accuracy.

“Retailers who are challenging their assumptions about their inventory accuracy and their true in-store performance are the ones who are moving forward.” -Dean Frew & Johan Stenström

Show Notes

(1:35) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(2:54) Johan’s background at Stadium
(3:50) Dean’s background at SML Group
(5:31) The evolution of RFID technology
(8:24) Stadium enters the picture
(14:22) Out-of-stock: a common use case
(17:08) Optimizing other nodes in the supply chain
(19:23) How RFID has benefited Stadium
(21:14) Overcoming data obstacles
(22:47) Why are some retailers still not using RFID?
(29:50) Lightning round
(35:04) Final advice

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Links

Connect with Johan on LinkedIn

Connect with Simone on LinkedIn

Bricks and Mortar with Simone Sweeney, Vice President Global Retail Development, The LEGO Group

Winning Retail

03/03/22 • 38 min

This episode features an interview with Simone Sweeney, Vice President Global Retail Development at The LEGO Group. Since 2015, Simone has helped develop, lead, and implement global retail programs for the nearly 90 year-old brand.

On today’s episode, Simone discusses the concept of “retailtainment,” the challenges of opening 300 stores in over 40 countries over the last two years, and how technology plays both an inspirational and practical role.

“Everything that we do is our mission to inspire and develop the future builders of tomorrow." -Simone Sweeney

Show Notes

(1:27) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(2:50) Simone’s journey in retail
(6:22) Introducing the concept of “retailtainment”
(11:58) The inspirational and practical role of technology in Lego stores
(17:50) Diving into the experiential “Brick Lab” experience
(21:08) The challenges of leading a global retail company
(26:48) Creating a seamless offline and online shopper experience
(30:26) What makes the Lego brand special?
(32:36) Lightning round

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Links

Connect with Antonia on LinkedIn

Tracking the Single SKU with Antonia Johnstone, CEO of Sign of the Times

Winning Retail

02/17/22 • 30 min

This episode features an interview with Antonia Johnstone, CEO of Sign of the Times. For over 45 years, Sign of the Times has been London’s premier luxury resale store, which Antonia acquired in 2019.

On today’s episode, Antonia discusses her journey as an entrepreneur, the complexities of her industry’s supply chain, and why fashion must reduce its environmental impact.

“100 billion apparel items are produced yearly and 60% of those will be discarded within one year. It’s quite a big issue, and I think fashion needs to lighten its footprint on the planet.” -Antonia Johnstone

Show Notes

(1:27) Tony’s takeaways on the conversation
(3:28) Antonia’s journey as an entrepreneur
(6:26) A day in the life
(9:08) Resale as a sustainability initiative
(10:39) The role technology has played at Sign of the Times
(12:30) Using microscopic photo AI to authenticate merchandise
(13:53) The complexities of the luxury resale supply chain
(18:23) Why fashion must reduce its environmental impact
(23:08) Biggest challenges and tracking the single SKU
(25:13) Lightning round

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Links

Follow Sign of the Times on Instagram

Connect with David on LinkedIn

NRF 2022 Recap

Winning Retail

01/31/22 • 32 min

This episode features a recap of NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show, which took place in New York City from January 16th-18th.

On today’s episode, we hit the convention floor and hear from various companies about how they are tackling some of retail's most pressing matters, from staffing shortages to supply chain issues to leveraging massive amounts of data.

Show Notes

(3:38) What were the big themes of this year's convention?
(5:30) Zliide, the automated checkout company
(7:38) Exotec, the warehouse automation company
(10:24) Retail Robotics, the parcel locker company
(14:42) Ulisse, the behavioral AI company
(16:00) Heuritech, the image intelligence company
(17:57) Dressipi, the fashion AI company
(19:23) Nobal Technologies, the interactive mirror company
(21:04) Scandit, the barcode scanning AR company
(22:45) Tokinomo, the shelf advertising robot company
(25:19) Yugabyte, the open-source, multi-cloud company
(27:20) The future of retail technology
(28:58) The advantage of being press at NRF
(30:08) Why New York is the perfect location for NRF

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Harnessing Technology to Survive and Thrive with David Walmsley, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Pandora

Winning Retail

03/09/23 • 32 min

This episode features an interview with David Walmsley, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Pandora. David has led multiple consumer businesses through their digital transformation and, in the process, scaled omnichannel growth.

On today’s episode, David discusses using technology to customize the e-commerce experience, prioritizing bringing your whole company up to speed on digital transformation, and how these advancements are helping to reduce Pandora’s carbon footprint.

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“Our starting point, our point of departure, was always keeping our people safe, and then keeping our customers safe, and then thinking about how we could use technology to amplify our business in that very strange time that we all lived through, particularly in 2019. And we didn't just survive; we thrived through that time.” - David Walmsley

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Show Notes

(02:01) David’s journey to Pandora
(06:58) What is Program Pheonix?
(10:06) Technology and culture change
(19:17) Changes in the business model
(25:54) Getting personal with David
(30:52) David’s advice as CIO

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Links