The Retail Experience Show

LensCrafters’s Dean Butler on Creating Enthusiastically Satisfied Customers

In this episode of The Retail Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Dean Butler, Founder and CEO at LensCrafters, an international retailer of prescription eyewear. They discuss how Dean started LensCrafters with the revolutionary premise to make "glasses in about an hour" and what steps they take to create "enthusiastically satisfied customers all the time." They also talk about best practices for advertising and customer service, advice for young entrepreneurs, and what's changed in retail — or hasn't — over Dean's 40-year career.
Topics discussed:
How Dean started LensCrafters with the revolutionary idea of "glasses in about an hour," and how he applied what he learned at P&G to marketing it.
The two biggest things you can do as a retail leader to create "enthusiastically satisfied customers all the time."
The importance of empowering your staff, and why greeting a customer within 30 seconds of them walking in makes a difference.
Best practices for your marketing, including having a provocative and substantive proposition and making your product the hero.
What's changed in retail over the years, and what hasn't.
Advice for young entrepreneurs on why they should focus on hard work and willingness instead of an idea. 

Bob’s Discount Furniture’s Bill Barton on Leveraging Technology to Create True Omnichannel Experiences

On today’s episode of The Retail Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Bill Barton, President and CEO at Bob's Discount Furniture, a furniture store chain. They discuss how Bob's Discount Furniture creates omnichannel experiences for their customers, as well as how they’re leveraging technology like tablets and 3D room simulation apps to improve customer service and the customer journey. They also talk about how the best way retail leaders can scale their business and set themselves up for success is by knowing their customers, knowing their value proposition, and building a great team.
 
Topics discussed:
 
How Bob's Discount Furniture was the "original disruptor" in the furniture industry, and how they've grown to 170 locations across 24 states.
How Bob's is creating omnichannel experiences for their customers, especially through shopping carts that can be accessed online and in-store.
How Bob's creates consistency across their locations, how they maintain their values and culture, and why succession planning is a key strategy.
How supply chain challenges prompted investment in a tablet that allows for real-time updates for in-store customers.
How Bob's is leveraging augmented reality technology through a 3D Room Designer application that customers can use in a location.
Advice for retail leaders who want to scale their business, focused around knowing your customers and your value proposition, and why building a great team is key.
Why the future of retail will be found in better understanding and facilitating the customer journey. 
 

Jenna Posner’s SNIPES Journey: A Blueprint for Transforming Retail with Tech

Jenna Posner is the Chief Digital Officer for SNIPES, one of the fastest growing sneaker and streetwear retail platforms in Europe and the US. Jenna is a seasoned retail industry professional having worked as a retail technologist and digital retailer for an impressive lineup of innovative tech startups like Radius8 (Fiserve), Clutch, Curalate (Bazaarevoice) and Levelup (GrubHub).
In this episode, Jenna gives us an overview on her current role at SNIPES, and shares some tips on how she supports all channels of the business by prioritizing customer experience, cultivating a strong partnership with vendors, and leveraging technology to expedite and augment her team’s efforts.
 
Topics discussed:
- Jenna’s career journey, from being a retail technologist to a digital retailer, and how she came to work at SNIPES
- A brief history of SNIPES, and how established vendor relationships and legacy knowledge let to it’s steady growth and success
- Jenna’s primary role and three main disciplines Jenna focuses on on a day to day basis
- Using technology to improve customer confidence
- How the company utilizes the BOPUS (buy online, pick up in store) business model
- Jenna’s view on the future of e-commerce
- The importance of using information and data to better engage with consumers and drive value
- SNIPES’ ‘‘Crack the Code” initiative
- Jenna’s advice for start-up retailers to prepare them for the future

Psycho Bunny’s Matthew Morein on How to Build Strong and Consistent Omnichannel Brand Experiences

On today’s episode of The Retail Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Matthew Morein, VP Brand & Marketing at Psycho Bunny, a men's clothing company that "redefines the classics." They discuss the ways in which Psycho Bunny builds its brand on three things — quality, color and vibrancy, and "the double take" — and how every effort to create a consistent brand experience both online and in-store gets filtered through those three pillars. They also talk about how to elevate brand perception, the experiences Psycho Bunny offers in-store to delight customers, and why the future of retail commerce will focus on in-store experiences.
 
Topics discussed:
 
How Matthew's career began in art, video, printmaking, and music, his introduction into clothing through his roommate's clothing boutique, and how he worked as a stylist before moving into marketing and becoming head of branding at Psycho Bunny.
How Matthew's day-to-day focus is driving awareness of the brand, and how to build the brand experience into new stores.
Why the Psycho Bunny brand’s foundation is on providing quality, color and vibrancy, and "the double take" through everything it does.
How Psycho Bunny has created a strong brand that customers are drawn to, and why "quality acts as a retention metric."
How Psycho Bunny creates its in-store design that features screens, LED panels, walk-through portals, and more, and how that experience is mirrored on the website.
The ways in which Matthew creates a consistent omnichannel experience across every touchpoint, all grounded in their three pillars.
Why the future of retail commerce will focus more on in-store experiences and creating something you can't get on a mobile screen. 

Bridging Online and Offline: A Discussion with The Vitamin Shoppe’s VP of Marketing Nadina Guglielmetti

In today’s podcast, Bobby is joined by Nadina Guglielmetti, Vice President, General Manager, Marketing at The Vitamin Shoppe, a popular specialty vitamin and supplement retailer.
Nadina shares how her team at the Vitamin Shoppe makes use of a process that allows them to democratize work and enables them to plan and strategize with consistency across all channels whether it be for brand launches, promotions, or brand messaging. She highlights the importance of leveraging data and technology and of having a solid understanding of both the online and offline world in building better customer relationships.
Topics discussed:
Nadina’s  background in retail, advertising, pr, and marketing working for top-tier brands, and what led her to working with the Vitamin Shoppe
Best practices she learned from her previous roles which she was able to use in her current role managing omnichannel marketing for the Vitamin Shoppe
What differentiates The Vitamin Shoppe from other retailers and the advantages it has as a mid-sized company with a simple organizational structure
The four areas Nadina focus on in managing her team’s daily marketing processes
What excites her about the world of brick and mortar
Strategies Nadina and her team uses to ensure consistency in their customers’ experience
The important role technology plays in marketing
How AI can help address the challenge of identifying and connecting all customer touch points
Nadina’s advice for retailers looking to grow their business

Using Technology to Bridge the Gap between In-Store and Online Retail with Showfields CEO Tal Zvi Nathanel

In this episode of the Retail Experience Show, Tal Zvi Nathanel, CEO and co-founder of Showfields, joins Bobby to discuss the vital role of experiential retail in today's landscape. Tal shares his perspectives on the importance of creating memorable experiences that engage customers' senses, offer inspiration, and provide validation. He delves into how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift in customer expectations and the need for retailers to understand their target audience to create tailored experiences. Additionally, Tal explores the potential of technology in retail to enhance customer experiences, provide valuable insights for brands, and bridge the gap between in-store and online interactions.
Key Topics Discussed:
The role of experiential retail in creating memorable experiences.
The impact of COVID-19 on customer expectations.
The significance of understanding the target audience for retailers.
The use of technology in retail to enhance customer experiences and capture valuable insights.

A Sweet Journey: An Interview with Pat Egan, CEO of See’s Candies

In this delightful episode of The Retail Experience Show, Bobby interviews Pat Egan, the insightful President & CEO of See's Candies. Pat shares his journey to leading one of America's most iconic confectionery companies. Key topics discussed include customer experience, innovation, maintaining brand identity, and adapting to the digital age, offering valuable insights for retail operators. 
[NOTE: This interview was originally recorded in November 2021]
Key topics discussed:
 
Pat's background and journey to See's Candies: Pat shares how his prior experiences have prepared him for the role of CEO and how they influenced his approach to leading See's Candies. Retail operators can learn from Pat's leadership style and the importance of bringing diverse experiences to their own businesses.
The importance of customer experience: Pat emphasizes that a strong customer experience is at the core of See's Candies' success. Retail operators can take away the importance of understanding their customers' needs and desires, focusing on creating an environment that fosters loyalty and repeat business.
Innovation in products and customer interactions: Pat discusses how innovation is essential for staying relevant in the market. He encourages retail operators to think beyond product offerings, considering innovative ways to engage with customers both in-store and online to drive customer satisfaction and increase sales.
Maintaining brand identity: Pat highlights the importance of preserving the essence of the brand while adapting to changing market conditions. Retail operators can learn the value of staying true to their brand's core values and messaging, which helps maintain customer trust and loyalty.
Adapting to the digital age: Pat shares insights into how See's Candies has embraced technology to improve customer experience and streamline operations. Retail operators can consider investing in technology to enhance their customer experience, optimize inventory management, and maximize the efficiency of their operations.

adidas’s Jonathan Muir on Creating Customer Communities Through Retail Activation

On today’s episode of the Retail Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Jonathan Muir, Director of Retail Activation at adidas. They discuss what retail activation is and how it can be used to increase acquisition and engagement by focusing on the products, stories, and experiences a brand presents to its customers. They also discuss ways to achieve true omnichannel engagement, how to measure retail activation’s success, and how the future of brick-and-mortar will be found in one-to-one experiences.
 
Topics discussed:
 
How Jonathan created Baseline, a niche sneaker business, and worked for Nike on ways to increase personalization before becoming the Director of Retail Activation at adidas.
What a day in the life of a retail activation director looks like, from connecting with retailers on the ground to overseeing how customers perceive the brand, its products, and its stories when they walk in the door.
What retail activation is, and how it can ignite product, marketing, and operations to create a blaze for a brand.
Why brands need to constantly be creating and iterating around retail experiences for their customers — not just do something once a quarter or year.
Advice for brands who want to lean further into retail activation, and how brick-and-mortar can be used as an acquisition channel to create brand fans.
How to achieve true omnichannel marketing through data collection that drives customers back into the store.
Why the future of retail will be found in brick-and-mortar retailers creating communities for customers that they can't find online.