RETHINK RETAIL

This episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast was recorded live at Shoptalk Europe. On June 8, 2022, Parag M. Parekh, co-Chief Digital Officer at Ingka Group, the largest IKEA franchisee, stopped by the RETHINK Retail podcast booth to chat with host Gabriella Bock about IKEA's rapid digital transformation since the COVID-19 pandemic as well as why "being good is good business." If you enjoyed this ep...

In this episode of the RETHINK Retail podcast, host Julia Hare sits down with The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Sharon Leite. During their conversation, Sharon shares stories from her recent appearance on Undercover Boss and reveals some pretty interesting findings from The Vitamin Shoppe's 2022 Health and Wellness Trend Report. Julia and Sharon also discuss TikTok and how businesses can best prepare for vir...

Host Melissa Minkow sits down with Bridget Dolan, Global Managing Director of Shopping Partnerships at Youtube. During their conversation Bridget shares her journey to Youtube after spending 20+ at Sephora and dives deep into how she is helping bring Youtube's shopping vision to life for retailers and brands. About the guest: Bridget Dolan is the Global Managing Director of Shopping Partnerships a...

CBRE Vice President and CRE Fast Five Host Karly Iacono is here to share good news for retail! According to Karly, we have flipped the script of brick-and-mortar doom and gloom, and are seeing double the number of announced store openings vs closings for 2022. On this episode, we discuss all things retail real estate including consumer trends, BOPIS and how migration during the pandemic has impact...

Hello RETHINK Retail listeners! Today we are celebrating our 200th podcast episode. Joining the show is our producer Gabriella Bock, Natalie Arana, our brand marketing manager and Paul Lewis, RETHINK Retail’s co-founder and managing director.   Join us as we reminisce on why we launched the show and how it set the foundation for RETHINK Retail as an entity. We also answer your audience-submitted q...

On this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast we are joined by guest Oliver Brunschwiler. Oliver is a board member and former Lead Link of FREITAG, a global brand that creates one-off bags and accessories made from used truck tarps and fully compostable textiles. We discuss the story behind the FREITAG brand, the similarities between snowboarding and business leadership, and how the pandemic refra...

The Metaverse certainly seems to be on everybody’s mind this year but, so far, everyone we’ve spoke to seems to have a different definition of what the Metaverse actually is. On this episode, we go straight to the source as Julia Hare sits down with Eva Press, vice president of the global business group at Meta. During their conversation, Eva reveals how social commerce has evolved during her time...

Hello and welcome back to the RETHINK Retail Podcast. On today’s episode we are revisiting a discussion from the RETHINK Retail archives. Recorded in November 2019, Julia Hare sits down with Alexander Genov, head of customer experience research at Zappos. A pioneer in human-centric experience, Zappos differentiates itself through its top-tier customer service—a strategy that Genov says helps the b...

Host Gabriella Bock is joined by Leilani Han, executive director of commerce at Wirecutter, a New York Times-owned product review publication that attracts an average of 12 million readers a month. During their conversation, Leilani discusses the evolution of affiliate marketing as well as how Wirecutter tests products, identifies strategic partnerships and earns the trust of its readers.  About L...

In this episode, host Gabriella Bock catches up with Marie Driscoll, Coresight Research's Managing Director of Luxury and Retail, to discuss Marie's experience and observations from World Retail Congress where she moderated a panel on seizing opportunities within new markets and channels. Marie and Gabriella also discuss the state of retail, Gen Z and opportunities for luxury in the metaverse. If...

On this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, Marni Schapiro, the Head of Global Advertising & Affiliate Partnerships at Afterpay, shares some interesting financial insights on Gen Z consumers and reveals why it's critical for retailers to seek new platforms to market and advertise themselves on. Prior to joining Afterpay, Marni built her career with editorial companies like Marie Claire and Cosm...

In this episode, host Carl Boutet sits down with guests Megan Lunde and Rasmus Hyltegard to discuss digital transformation and bust a few myths about customer data and marketing. They’ll also weigh in on a few recent digital transformation stories that have been making headlines in the news. Megan Lunde is a Solutions Consultant at Amperity, an Enterprise CDP trusted by the world’s most loved bran...

In this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, host Trevor Sumner sits down with Shrenik Sadalgi, director of research and development at Wayfair Next. During their conversation they discuss Shrenik’s professional journey to Wayfair and dive deep into fascinating topics like immersive technology, the Metaverse and the future of 3D search. Shrenik Sadalgi is an ideator, a futurist, a thinker-doer a...

In this episode, host Haixia Yu sits down with Better Choice Company’s EVP of Strategy Rob Sauermann, to discuss the company’s expansion into international markets and how the company considers factors like cultural nuances when entering a new market. Rob Sauermann is the Executive Vice President of Strategy at Better Choice Company, a rapidly growing pet health and wellness company that owns prem...

In this episode, host Julia Hare sits down with Parachute Home Founder and CEO Ariel Kaye. A rising star among the house and home category, Parachute Home makes premium quality home essentials rooted in minimalist décor, a neutral color palette, and natural materials. The brand, which is in a period of rapid growth, saw almost $150M in revenue in 2021, and is thriving through the power of social m...

At just 23-years-old, Jeremy Cai founded Italic, a revolutionary marketplace that offer consumers atelier-grade essentials from the same manufacturers as top brands with zero markups and logos. Named one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Retail Companies of 2021, Italic is quickly becoming a social media star and favorite among millennial consumers as it disrupts the premium and luxury reta...

The last two years have forced a fundamental change from the tactical implementation of commerce technology to become commercialized as a strategic growth driver. In this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, author and technology futurist Daniel Burris sits down with Richard Berkman, global leader for IBM Consulting's Digital Commerce & Enterprise Design Thinking practices, to discuss the futu...

In this episode guest host Shannon Ryan is joined by Sandra Byrne, senior manager for Lush Cosmetics, a bath, body, skin and hair care company devoted to creating fresh, low-waste and cruelty-free products. Sandra has worked for Lush for nearly 18 years and is the store manager of the world's largest Lush shop in Liverpool, UK. In this episode we hear Sandra's journey of how she transformed her Hi...

In this episode, Julia Hare speaks with CEO and Founder Gail Amsterdam of Amsterdam Associates, a retained executive search firm focused on recruiting retail and digital senior talent for growth-oriented businesses. Gail shares what qualities she looks for in retail executives, how leadership has changed, and stories from her career that will surprise you! If you enjoyed this episode, please let u...

In this episode, guest host Alicia Esposito speaks with Dr. Lily Talakoub, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and CEO of Derm to Door. Derm to Door is a robust, curated skincare e-commerce platform with a dedicated shopping mobile application, AI-driven skin analysis and a network of tele-dermatology providers offering on demand appointments from your phone or tablet. Knowing how to t...

Welcome to the RETHINK Retail Podcast, your go-to weekly podcast where we team up with industry experts to discuss the news, trends, and big ideas that are redefining commerce. On today's episode, host Julia Hare speaks with Karli Bruno, e-commerce & digital marketing manager at Davines, a professional haircare brand care-crafted in Italy and focused on sustainable, natural ingredients. Karli shar...

Welcome to the Retail Rundown, your go-to weekly podcast where RETHINK Retail teams up with industry experts to discuss the news, trends, and big ideas that are redefining commerce. Have you heard of the effortless economy? In today's digital world, convenience is the number one priority for shoppers, and a seamless consumer experience is a standard expectation. This has created clear opportunitie...

Retail is a fast paced diverse, and exciting industry—and managing complexity and ambiguity has been the theme of the past two years. In this episode, host April Sabral dives into the topic of positive leadership with guest Emma Taylor, vice president of North American stores for REISS, a modern, global fashion brand offering stylish women's and menswear. Prior to joining REISS, Emma spent nearly...

Welcome to the Retail Rundown, your go-to weekly podcast where RETHINK Retail teams up with industry experts to discuss the news, trends, and big ideas that are redefining retail. In this episode we hear from up-and-coming designer Gwen Beloti as she shares the story behind her namesake jewelry brand, the Gwen Beloti Collection. Founded in 2019, the Brooklyn-based brand is committed to providing w...

Today we’re kicking off another episode of the Retail Rundown podcast with guest Nicolas Safis. Nicolas is the Group Innovation Director at Carrefour, which is the eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, operating a massive fleet of hypermarkets, grocery and convenience stores in over 30 countries. Join us as we discuss Carrefour's recent and upcoming digital innovation initiatives, inclu...