Talk Retail to Me

From the floor at NRF 2026, Dan Wittner sits down with Freddy Guard from Snowflake to unpack what retail leaders are really talking about this year. It’s not just about AI—it’s about making AI real. In this episode of Talk Retail to Me , they cover: Why “agentic commerce” has become the word of the show What retailers are learning about turning AI into real business impact Why data readiness is st...

From holograms and go-karts to voice tech and virtual reality, Day 2 at NRF 2026 offered no shortage of surprises—and even more insight into what truly matters in retail innovation.  In this episode of  Talk Retail to Me , we bring together three perspectives—a consultant ( Dan Wittner from The Parker Avery Group ), a retailer ( Ryan Holm from Helzberg ), and a solution provider ( Dustin Sundy fro...

Episode Overview In this episode of Talk Retail To Me , Parker Avery’s chief revenue officer,  Dan Wittner , and Blue Yonder's head of global retail strategy, Jim Hull , discuss the evolving landscape of retail, focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence, the importance of data quality, and the transformation of store models into fulfillment centers. They explore the challenges retaile...

Episode Overview Retailers recognize the need to transform, but most are missing the crucial first step. In this episode of  Talk Retail to Me , Parker Avery’s  Dan Wittner  joins  Snowflake ’s  Freddy Guard  for a candid discussion about one of the most underestimated barriers to retail innovation: disconnected, messy, and misgoverned retail data. Whether it’s launching AI initiatives, reshaping...

As retailers gear up for the critical back-to-school and holiday seasons, new tariffs on Chinese imports—some as high as 145%—are causing significant disruptions in global supply chains. In this episode of Talk Retail to Me , Parker Avery’s CEO, Clay Parnell , is joined by the firm’s Chief Consulting Officer, Amanda Astrologo , and industry thought leader Walt Holbrook to discuss the current chaos...

In this episode of The Parker Avery Group's "Talk Retail to Me" podcast , retail experts Marty Anderson and Mike Johnson delve into how our firm collaborated with a major theme park retailer to untangle the complexities of managing over 300 unique stores. From hyper-localized assortments to razor-thin inventory margins, these consultants detail how data, analytics, and a clear roadmap contributed...

Episode Overview In this dynamic roundtable, host Sam Iosevich  monitors a panel of pricing experts as they discuss how to tackle the complexities of modern  retail pricing . From inflation and AI to organizational alignment and price wars, this episode delivers sharp insights and practical guidance. Guests Robert McGuire , Retail Pricing Leader Jeffrey Kittell , VP, Pricing & Strategy, Sparta...

In this episode, Tricia Gustin is joined by Sam Iosevich from Parker Avery and Dilip Popat from Novulis Consulting to discuss how AI-driven demand signals transform retail and CPG industries. The conversation explores the power of the Enterprise Intelligence Hypercube , an advanced platform that integrates data across all organizational functions to provide real-time, actionable insights. Sam and...

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me, we dive into a transformation at one of America's largest family-owned luxury retailers. What started as a straightforward client project to clarify roles became a journey of rebuilding trust, transforming leadership behaviors, and healing a deeply fractured organization. Join Parker Avery CEO Robert Kaufman, Principal Kathi Toll, and host Tricia Gustin as the...

In this episode of Parker Avery's "Talk Retail to Me" podcast , Clay Parnell (president and managing partner) and Marty Anderson (principal) discuss a recently completed project for a $7 billion jewelry retailer. The two retail experts share valuable insights from the project which entailed developing a comprehensive, actionable roadmap to address business and technology challenges resulting from...

In this episode of the 'Talk Retail to Me' podcast by The Parker Avery Group, Tricia Gustin , senior director Carrie Habel , and senior manager Dustin Wright discuss a recent store operations improvement project. They detail their innovative approach, including a capsized train-the-trainer strategy and deep store collaboration, to identify inefficiencies such as laborious administrative tasks and...

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me,  Parker Avery’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kaufman  shares his insights about the changing role of the retail chief supply chain officer. Answering questions from a  recent interview with media outlet, Modern Retail , Robert discusses how changes in consumer shopping behaviors, combined with global macroeconomic events and disturbances have added great co...

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Senior Director and omnichannel expert Rob Oglesby shares his insights into how big box retailers are handling the in-store fulfillment of omnichannel orders . Answering questions from a recent interview with media outlet Modern Retail , Rob outlines the implications, challenges, and risks, even as this capability becomes critical to many retailers’ success. R...

Hosted by retail demand planning experts,  Sam Iosevich ,  Marty Anderson , and Steve Gordon, Parker Avery's recent  Talk Retail to Me  Transformation Happy Hour covered  integrated business planning as a key strategic focus area  for leading retailers and consumer brands. The trio outlined key enablers around technology, business process, and organization that help companies unleash collaboration...

This episode of Parker Avery's Talk Retail to Me podcast focuses on business process transformation. Featuring two of our retail leaders, Clay Parnell and Deanna Emsley, we take a deep dive into what it means to transform business processes. We cover what areas are focus points for our clients, how Parker Avery helps retailers and consumer brands prioritize and navigate these process transformatio...

With technology moving at lightning speed, proper management of master data is critical to fully take advantage of new tech innovations. Yet, many retailers struggle with master data management and data governance. Hosted by Parker Avery retail consultants and master data experts, our June 29 Talk Retail to Me Transformation Happy Hour explored the most pressing master data challenges Parker Avery...

Back by popular demand! Due to so much interest in our earlier podcast discussion on Transformational Leadership , we hosted an online happy hour focused on the same topic so we could answer your questions in a live format.   This fun, interactive event was hosted by Parker Avery OCM experts and retail veterans, Kathi Toll ,  Marty Anderson , and  Carrie Habel who refocused the traditional paradig...

In this episode of  Talk Retail to Me ,  Parker Avery consultants  and retail veterans  Marty Anderson , Deanna Emsley, and  Mike Johnson  take a deep dive into the world of retail hierarchies. Senior Director of Marketing,  Tricia Gustin , hosts the discussion, during which the experts discuss: What are retail hierarchies and what roles are involved? Why they are so often mismanaged or poorly exe...

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me , Parker Avery consultants take a deep dive into allocation and replenishment. Coming off the heels of Shoptalk 2023, where so many people are still reaching for the shiny tech, we are focused on ensuring the basics of retail are securely and optimally in place so those customer-facing innovations work well and deliver a great customer experience. Allocation an...

Organizational change management and retail experts Kathi Toll and Carrie Habel discuss transformational leadership and why this competency is critically important. They outline how it differs from change management and specific tactics retailers and brands must take to evolve their organizations and people into transformational leaders. Meet Kathi Toll: https://parkeravery.com/kathi-toll/ Meet Ca...

In this episode of our Talk Retail to Me podcast , we discuss integrated business planning (IBP) and how Parker Avery approaches this strategic capability that many retailers and consumer brands struggle to effectively grasp because of the traditionally highly siloed nature of planning. This episode features Sam Iosevich , Parker Avery’s Chief Analytics Officer, and Steve Gordon, our Chief Custome...

Tricia Gustin , Senior Director of Marketing for The Parker Avery Group is joined by Parker Avery’s CEO, Robert Kaufman , along with Senior Manager John Lawing. The trio takes a deep dive into the product development process and supporting PLM systems. Based on their decades of experience helping Parker Avery clients enhance this key functional area, they also highlight best practices and innovati...

In this episode of Talk Retail to Me , Tricia Gustin is joined by Parker Avery's Chief Analytics Officer Sam Iosevich , along with Senior Analytics Consultant Scott Kirila and Professor Alex Iosevich from the University of Rochester mathematics department. This episode provides an insider’s view of the university’s STEM Tripods 2022 summer research program. The group discusses the "real world" ret...

This episode of Talk Retail to Me features Principal Marty Anderson and Senior Manager Dmitry Magas , who are both retail pricing and advanced analytics experts.  A few weeks ago, Maria Monteros from Modern Retail interviewed Marty and Dmitry for an article she wrote titled, “ Not raising prices is the hot new inflation marketing tactic .”  We invite you to sit in on their conversation, where the...

This week, we welcome Mark Burstein who is the EVP, Industry & Market Development for Logility.  Logility is a supply-chain-focused solution vendor that is accelerating the digital sustainable supply chain by helping retailers seize new opportunities, sense and respond to changing market dynamics, and more profitably manage their complex global businesses.  Mark is also a Contributing Member o...