Future Shop Podcast with WSL

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Justin Lafoe, most recently Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising for Trader Joe’s and, prior to that, SVP of Merchandising & Retail, Disney Parks, Experience & Products, where he worked for 25 years. They discuss: How delivering a relevant shopper experience has changed as a result of technology and COVID. How deep understanding o...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to six industry leaders about key trends that will impact retail in 2024-2025.  Listen to: Susan Lang, CEO, XIL Health Michael Clinton, CEO & Founder, ROARForward Parbinder Dhariwal, VP & General Manager, CMX , CVS Health Dawn Clark, Co-founder & Principal Architect, Osean Studios Justin Honaman, Head Worlwide Retail & CPG, GTM, Food/Beverage,...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to WSL’s president Candace Corlett about t he latest How America Shops® research that addresses the foundational changes in shopper sentiment and behavior as a result of five years of turmoil. (That’s right, it’s not only about the pandemic.) They discuss: The paradox of shoppers’ “just in case” approach to spending versus treating themselves The paradox of sh...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Noah Rosenblatt, president, SpaceNK North America, about the company’s unique retail model , and how to straddle Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, and Walmart all at the same time.  They discuss: Why the changing beauty landscape exemplifies where retail at large is headed  How to successfully straddle luxury and mass distribution at the same time How the pandemic...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Parbinder Dhariwal, VP & General Manager of CMX, at CVS Health , about the evolution of Retail Media Networks and the opportunity they offer to create more personalized shopping experiences.  They discuss Whether this is the moment of one-to-one shopper personalization. The challenge of digitizing a traditionally analog retail business  How Retail Media...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Michael Clinton, author of ROAR into the Second Half of Your Life - Before It’s Too Late , and CEO and Founder of ROARforward, a joint venture with Hearst Ventures.  They discuss: The new 50+ cohort and the social movement driving change in the developed world, as people live longer.  One-third of the population is already 50-plus with substantial – and gro...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks to Susan Lang, founder of XIL Health , a women-owned healthcare analytics and technology company that advises major corporations on health care strategy and  invests in healthcare startups. In her prior life, she was a senior executive at Express Scripts, and has spent her entire life working in healthcare. They discuss: Healthcare at retail in the next 3 - 5 -...

In this issue: Wendy Liebmann talks to Debbie Kelly, the new Director of Insights at WSL, about WSL’s latest How America Shops® study , entitled Leading Shoppers From Troubles to Joy.   They discuss: After three years of the pandemic, how shoppers are making different decisions about what brings them joy, and what’s still only about the lowest price. What makes for joyful shopping in these inflati...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Dawn Clark, Executive Creative Director, SVP, Global Design Studio for Starbucks , noted retail architect, who runs Osean Studios, and was most recently director of design and construction for Amazon, where she led the design of the new Amazon Style concept store, and prior to that Nordstrom. They discuss: How to create a “human” store, and how that has cha...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Lisa Paley, president of Haleon, NA, formerly GSK Consumer Health, about how to build a modern consumer healthcare company. They discuss: Critical requirements of a modern organization, including purpose, a founder mentality, and agility.   The three C’s of success: delivering for the consumer, the retail customer, and colleagues. How to integrate establi...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Candace Corlett, WSL’s president, about the current state of planned disruption that shoppers have created for themselves, and the resultant impact on brands and retailers. They discuss: How shoppers have created new and dynamic ways to shop That there is no longer an orderly path to purchase The implications for supply chain of people now buying in 40% m...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Dan O’Connor, founder of the Future Commerce Initiative and Executive in Residence at the Harvard Business School, about the future of commerce and retail. They discuss: How retail is fast moving into a 50:50 (in-person vs. not-in-person) world. The dramatic complexity of the retail landscape with some 70 different store types around the world and 15 digi...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks to Chris Perry and Oskar Kaszubski of Firstmovr , a Center of Excellence for CPG eCommerce Education & Change Management about how to build and educate companies to constantly adapt to the new digital retail landscape. They discuss: The ever-expanding digital eco-system, and the need for constant learning across all areas of organizations The multi-dimensio...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Justin Honaman, head of Worldwide Retail & Consumer Goods, Go-to-Market at Amazon Web Services, and worldwide segment leader for Food & Beverage. They discuss: Immersive retail, the power of personalization, frictionless retail and where the Metaverse is already having an impact The role of the physical store, and the impact AI can have on curating...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Joi Pratt, Senior Consultant for Shopper Activation, at WSL Strategic Retail, about how the WSL team brought the future of retail to life in real time through a customized Retail Safari®.  They discuss: The 5 Health & Wellness trends that were the focus of a two-day event conducted in collaboration with the Kroger Company in Cincinnati.  The diversity...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Mindy McKnight, CEO of M-Star Media Inc., content developer and founder of Hairitage by Mindy, about how to build a successful CPG brand today. They discuss: The essence of building a successful multi-million dollar brand without losing its founder soul, and its solution driven reason-for-being The keys to creating a modern business collaboration: a partne...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Jenny B. Fine, executive editor of WWD and Beauty Inc. , about the transformation of the beauty industry and how it has and will change over the coming decade.  They discuss: Younger, Generation Z consumers and how their beauty priorities are based on not only looking good but also doing good How wellness is being fully integrated into beauty, with more to...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Matthew Liebmann, Chief Innovation & Data Officer at Vista Group about the role of physical experiences in addressing the increasingly disturbing societal issues of loneliness. They discuss: Loneliness and the decline of socialization prior to the pandemic, and its continuing impact across populations The opportunities that retail and movie theaters ha...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Phil Wahba, senior writer at Fortune magazine , about what it takes to lead successful retail companies in complex times,  as operational issues clash with increasingly demanding shopper and workforce expectations.   They discuss: The qualities the next generation of retail leaders must have to succeed How empathy is a critical CEO requirement in post-Covi...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Dr. Somi Javaid, OBGYN and chief medical officer at HerMD , about a new healthcare model that is empowering women to take control of their sexual health and wellness needs, and the opportunities she envisions for retailers and brands. They discuss: How traditional medical practices and retail have ignored women’s wellness issues, leaving health and wellne...

In this episode WSL’s Wendy Liebmann, CEO, and Candace Corlett,  President, discuss WSL’s latest research, the health and wellness shopper revolution it reveals and the implications for retailers and brands.  They discuss: How health and wellness has changed over the last 8 years, and the new conditions, such as mental health, that are impacting Americans’ health issues. How trust of established p...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Damian Kernahan, founder & CEO of Proto Partners , an Australian-based customer experience consultancy, to understand how technology, the Covid pandemic and increasingly complex shopping behaviors are driving the urgency to build shopper-centric organizations.  They discuss: The challenges to building a shopper-centric organization in today’s increasin...

In this episode: WSL’s Wendy Liebmann, CEO, and Candace Corlett,  President, discuss how shoppers are dealing with spiraling price increases, how this moment is different from 2008, and how companies need to respond.  They preview WSL’s upcoming Wellness study (The New Wellness Frontier).  And the baseball season.  (Yes, really!) They discuss: WSL’s latest research on shoppers’ responses to inflat...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Kate Ancketill, founder and CEO of GDR UK , about the future of the physical store in a digital, and Meta-age.  They agree there will always be a significant role for good physical retail, however, it must be fully omni-channel and logistically optimized to support ecommerce. They discuss: How stores must move away from the transactional, and towards enhan...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Sally Mueller, CEO and co-founder of Womaness , a brand that is changing not only the conversation around menopause and women’s sexual health but also breaking taboos in branding, retail distribution and merchandising.  They discuss: How to build a brand through continuous consumer and shopper research How to identify gaps in the marketplace that lead to n...