Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The retail industry stands at a crossroads where artificial intelligence threatens to eliminate millions of jobs while simultaneously creating new opportunities—but only for those retailers smart enough to adapt. Rather than competing with AI, forward-thinking executives are discovering how to ampl...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The Federal Reserve's policy paralysis is creating a perfect storm for retailers heading into the most critical selling season of the year. Inflation is still threatening, labor markets are more fragile than they appear, and tariff-driven price increases are hitting apparel and durables precis...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The retail apocalypse isn't coming—it's here, and survival depends on adaptation, not market dominance. Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted beyond price sensitivity to a complex value equation encompassing convenience, curation, and experiential factors. Consumers have restructure...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Do you know how to unlock the hidden opportunities in what your customers aren’t telling you? Traditional consumer research captures what customers say they want but misses the subconscious decisions driving 85 percent of purchasing behavior. Ethnographic research reveals the gap between stated pre...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Greg Licciardi, Vice President of Sponsorships and Partner Programs at the Association of National Advertisers; Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Fordham and Seton Hall Universities.   AI may replace some marketing functions as a more precise, cost-efficient way to reach and retain c...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The traditional wholesale model isn't dying—it's evolving into something far more strategic and profitable than many executives realize. The widespread belief that direct-to-consumer channels automatically deliver superior margins is a myth. Successful brands are leveraging sophisticated...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest:  Nikki Baird, VP of strategy and product at Aptos The retail landscape is facing unprecedented disruption as traditional profit centers collapse, and new opportunities emerge from the chaos. This isn't just another economic downturn—it's a fundamental shift where retailers...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guests:  Lisa Holland, Executive Head Enterprise Analytics at Albertsons Companies Dan Bonert, Senior Vice President of Retail Media, Merchandising Analytics and Collaborations at NIQ Wendy Liebman, CEO and Founder/Chief Shopper at WSL Strategic Retail Craig Dubitsky, Founder of Happy Coffe...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Arick Wierson, Emmy-winning producer and TRR contributor  The retail apocalypse isn't coming from Amazon or an economic recession—it's being manufactured in Washington through tariff policy that defies basic business logic. A comprehensive analysis of C-suite perspectives a...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guests:  Sonja Chapman: Associate Professor in the Department of International Trade and Marketing at SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology Ken O’Brien: CEO and President of Gemini Shippers Group The shifting seas of trade policy is creating economic whiplash and ripple effects far beyond im...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Jan Kniffen, CEO of retail consultancy, J Rogers Kniffen Worldwide  Today's retail industry faces unprecedented transformation driven by three major forces: tariff restructuring affecting global supply chains, AI implementation across all business functions, and evolving consume...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Maytee Pereira, Managing Director in PwC’s US Customs and International Trade practice  Regardless of the flipflops of the Trump administration’s trade policies, retailers are operating in the middle of a tariff war. When nations retaliate, executive strategies for tariff-driven disr...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest: Marie Driscoll, a retail analyst, consultant and TRR contributor The luxury market finds itself at a critical inflection point with industry titan LVMH serving as a perfect case study of resilience buffeted by volatility. As aspirational consumers pull back spending and economic uncertainty...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest:  Mita Malhotra, President of Chewy Health Pets are big business; 66% of U.S. households are pet parents. Chewy has been a pioneer in online pet care and is now transforming in-person veterinary care by seamlessly integrating ecommerce convenience with personalized clinical experiences. In fa...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guests: Michelle Bellanca, CEO and co-founder of Claros Technologies  Arick Wierson, Emmy Award-winning producer and TRR contributor The retail industry faces a transformative reckoning beyond tariffs and supply chain disruptions: PFAS chemicals. These "forever chemicals" are ubiquitous i...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guests:  Ann Cantrell, small business owner and FIT associate professor Liz Alessi, retail supply chain expert We’re celebrating Earth Day Week early! The fashion industry has an environmental crisis on its hands. It uses an astronomical number of resources (a single T-shirt requires 700 gallons of...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Dominick Miserandino, CEO of Retail Tech Media Nexus Consumer attention is the ultimate currency in today’s disruptive marketplace. Retailers are becoming publishers as a strategy to forge deeper connections with customers through authentic storytelling. Savvy retailers are leveragin...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest: Stephanie Cegielski, VP of Research at ICSC  The retail marketplace is in the throes of transformation. Despite the popular narrative of a retail apocalypse, commercial spaces are undergoing a renaissance. If developers and retailers are inventive and bold, store closures offer an opportunit...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest: Sandy Stein, founder of Retail Speak, and TRR contributor What makes a retail brand resilient? It starts with visionary leadership that sees the business holistically balancing merchandising expertise and creativity with financial discipline. Urban Outfitter CEO and founder Richard Hayne has...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest:  Mark A. Cohen Former Director of Retail Studies at the Columbia Business School, and Former CEO Sears Canada. Hudson’s Bay, once Canada's proud retail institution, has descended into Chapter 11 restructuring. And the blunt truth is it’s not because of recent trade tensions as the compa...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Guest: Lindsey Scheftic, CMO, Owner and Founder, The CMO Sidekick   Fractional CMOs with blue-chip experience are sources of enterprise-level talent accessible even to mid-market companies. Couple that resource with AI tools that are moving at the speed of light, these strategic co-pilots are separ...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Warren Shoulberg, Retail Journalist and TRR Writer Consumer spending is increasingly reflecting personal values. In a disruptive, unpredictable marketplace, the rise of grassroots activism presents unprecedented strategic challenges for retail executives. These orchestrated economic...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Phil Lempert, consumer behavior analyst The bird flu outbreak has transcended egg producers in the farming industry to become a critical economic disruptor and potential public health threat. With consumers spending 53 percent more on eggs in January 2025 compared to the previous yea...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guest: Jonathan Gold, Vice President of Supply Chain and Customs Policy, National Retail Federation In a year of unprecedented economic uncertainty, the possible implementation of widespread tariffs has far-reaching implications for retail markets and consumer behavior. Beyond the immediate...

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Special Guests:  Mickey Alam Khan, CEO of Luxury Roundtable Pam Danziger, TRR contributor and founder Unity Marketing The shift in luxury retail's competitive landscape through the Saks-Neiman Marcus merger could have a domino effect on the operational synergies of both companies, unlocking fu...