Future Shop Podcast with WSL

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Chris Skyers, former Vice President of Own Brands for the Wakefern Food Corporation (which includes ShopRite), about the social imperative and commercial opportunity to support under-served communities. They discuss: The importance of access to affordable and healthier options; it’s not just about lower prices How important it is to see the whole shopper a...

In this episode WSL’s Wendy Liebmann and Candace Corlett discuss that, in spite of all the attention given to ecommerce during the pandemic, the physical store matters. But not the same way it used to. They discuss: Why the store still matters to shoppers What shoppers expect from stores today [hint: efficiency and happiness] How, in a world of so many choices, people have created a new shopping j...

In this episode  Wendy Liebmann talks with Andrea Leigh, former Amazon executive, and founder of The Allume Group, an ecommerce education community, about the future of commerce. They discuss: How lifestage and lifestyle needs coupled with new technologies mean that shopping is now a passive -- rather than an active -- activity. That “always shopping” has impacted loyalty to retailers and brands H...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Bryan Gildenberg, senior vice president of Commerce for the Omnicom Commerce Group about how to create a vision of the future when we are still living in a world of wet cement. They discuss: Major pandemic shifts that will impact grocery retail, including Instacart How the physical store will be the replenishment arm of e-commerce and that an endless aisl...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Paco Underhill, founder of Envirosell, author of Why We Buy, What Women Want, and his newly published How We Eat, about the changing world of food and drink, and the impact on grocery retail in this US.  They discuss: The social, political, economic, and technological developments impacting food consumption and food retail That increasingly knowledgeable...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks to Lauren Brindley, Group Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Beauty and Personal Care, Walgreens, about whether the future of the beauty category is now truly connected to health and wellness.  They discuss: How US shoppers have come to understand the natural link between beauty, health, and wellbeing and the opportunities for healthcare compani...

WSL’s Wendy Liebmann, CEO, and Candace Corlett,  President, challenge the notion that companies cannot anticipate the future in these times.  The shopper and retail trends WSL identified and has been tracking for 4 – 5 years are now clearly redefining the retail landscape. They discuss: How powerful shopper movements and new shopper values are transforming retail How new retail opportunities, from...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks with Tim Girvin, founder and chief creative officer of Girvin Inc., about how companies need to tell their stories in this age when shoppers are more focused on their health and wellbeing than on accumulating things. They discuss: The importance of truth in storytelling when shoppers have access to so much information How to integrate the story through everyth...

Wendy Liebmann talks with Anne Fink, president of global foodservice at PepsiCo about how she, her team, and her foodservice community responded when the industry shut down overnight -- and how together they have reinvented their business model for these changing times. They discuss:  The importance of taking care of all constituents – employees, customers, consumers, and communities Staying true...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Joclyn Konrad, Executive Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Rite Aid, about the company’s new RxEvolution retail concept and the future of retail healthcare delivery.  They discuss: How the new concept focuses on younger shoppers and their extended family (including pets), providing whole health solutions – from pharmacy to front store, and from tr...

Wendy Liebmann talks with Peter V.S. Bond, VP of CPG Strategy and Development for Fetch Rewards, about whether it is possible to build shopper loyalty today, and how important it is to understand where shoppers are on their loyalty journey. They discuss: The critical components retailers and brands need to build loyalty How to connect actions to loyalty; recognizing that not all shoppers are drive...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann and Candace Corlett walk – and talk – you through a virtual Retail Safari®. They share their latest observations of what’s working and not at retail – from department stores, drug stores, mass merchants, specialty beauty and more... They discuss: How department stores are winning and losing (yes, some are winning) How retail partnerships -- the Power of Two – are cr...

Wendy Liebmann talks with Martin Waters, CEO of Victoria’s Secret, about the transformation of the iconic Victoria’s Secret brand, with lessons for retailers and brands about how to stay relevant, always, and how to boldly move ahead when evolution is not an option.   They discuss: How to ensure a company is sensitive to cultural shifts that ensure a brand’s continued relevance to shoppers How to...

In this episode: Wendy Liebmann and Candace Corlett preview WSL’s latest How America Shops® research, The New Shopper Truths. The study reveals the now entrenched shopper values that define how companies need to position themselves and communicate to shoppers in the coming years. They discuss: That “fairness” is now the underpinning of what shoppers expect from companies How shoppers question the...

In this episode Wendy Liebmann talks with Ping Hao and Burke White, founders of Brand3P, and developers of the Walmart.com marketplace about the current opportunities -- and challenges -- for brands and retailers as e-commerce marketplaces fast become a primary distribution channel. They discuss: Why marketplaces are growing (Hint: because shoppers are there), and when to consider them as part of...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann and Jo Horgan, Founder & Co-CEO of Mecca Brands, discuss how retail innovation must be a discipline embedded into the culture of organizations to stay relevant to what shoppers want in a fast-changing world.    They discuss: Putting shoppers at the center of a company’s innovation culture How retail innovation is not something that companies can stop and start;...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann and Candace Corlett provide a preview of What’s Up in WSL’s latest How America Shops® research. You’ll learn  Why retailers’ efforts to differentiate are not working. How spontaneous shopping is impacting traffic, both in-store and online.  What categories are most susceptible – and most opportune -- to the spontaneous trip. What to do about it.  Send us Fan Mail Vi...

In this episode: Wendy Liebmann discusses how retailers have the opportunity to reintroduce themselves to shoppers as they move out of their COVID-cocoons with Steve Sadove, retired Chairman & CEO of Saks Incorporated, and current board member of Colgate-Palmolive and advisor to Mastercard and private equity. They discuss: The new foundation for retail  How to build relationships with shoppers...

In this episode, Wendy Liebmann discusses the expertise, mindset, and agility retail leaders will need in the future with Professor Stephan Kanlian, Chairperson of FIT’s Master’s Program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management, and Morgan Hagney , AVP, Maybelline New York.  They discuss: Critical capabilities required in the new phygital retail environment The urgency to build consumer...

Wendy Liebmann and Paco Underhill, founder of Envirosell, the behavioral research company, discuss how retail must respond faster to social change if it is to keep up with shoppers.   Wendy and Paco discuss: What shoppers expect now from retailers and brands What made a good store a decade ago does not work today How supply chain innovation opens the doors for curation, personalization, and locali...

Wendy Liebmann and Terry Thomas, EVP & Chief Customer Officer, Unilever US, discuss how diversity and inclusion are critical to building a modern, socially responsible company that today’s shoppers expect. Wendy and Terry discuss: What Diversity and Inclusion actually mean (it’s more than ethnicity) Why an intrinsic, top-down approach is critical, and how to execute it How to build and retain...

Our own Wendy Liebmann and Candace Corlett (WSL’s dynamic leadership duo) discuss the new realities of the emerging retail world and challenge whether or not new shopping patterns formed during the pandemic will endure.   Wendy and Candace discuss: Whether physical stores will remain viable How time is now the focus of every trip  How “spontaneous” shopping is the biggest retail opportunity and ch...

In this episode, our own Wendy Liebmann and Christine Cross, UK-based global retail consultant, discuss trends that are already disrupting retail around the world. Wendy and Christine discuss: The impact of channel agnosticism on how people shop, and where companies invest The growth of DTC and how it enables brands to stay closer to shoppers How shoppers (and investors) are increasingly concerned...

Our own Wendy Liebmann and Colleen Lindholz, President of Kroger Health , discuss the power of retail to transform lives, and Kroger’s journey to help Americans be healthier -- during the pandemic and every day. Wendy and Colleen discuss: Kroger’s “Food as Medicine” strategy grounded in affordable, personalized solutions How the shopper is the center of the strategy  Kroger’s multi-disciplinary ap...

In this episode our own Wendy Liebmann and Norman De Greve, Chief Marketing Officer at CVS Health, discuss how retail, and companies that sell through retail, need to communicate differently with shoppers today; what’s the same, what’s different and what the future will demand. Wendy and Norm discuss: How digital has changed and how companies must communicate with shoppers The impact of COVID19 Th...