Total Retail Talks

In episode 197 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Charles Lee, founder and CEO of eTruism, a nonprofit online marketplace that converts excess inventories into cash that can be used to make a social impact. Listen in as they discuss eTruism's business model and how it benefits multiple parties in the supply…

In this episode of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Ryan Babenzien, founder and CEO of GREATS, a luxury sneaker brand. Listen in as Ryan discusses the digital-native brand's entrance into brick-and-mortar retail, including the value of knowledgeable store associates. This episode was recorded live at Shoptalk 2019 in Las Vegas.

In episode 195 of Total Retail Talks, Joe Keenan interviews Chris Fitzpatrick, vice president of business analytics and strategy at Vineyard Vines, a clothing and accessories retailer founded in Massachusetts. Listen in as they discuss how Vineyard Vines’ use of an analytics tool has enabled the brand to obtain a single view of its customer across…

In episode 194 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews April Sabral, vice president of retail sales and operations at DAVIDsTEA, a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer. Listen in as they discuss DAVIDsTEA's use of an employee engagement app to communicate quickly and directly with store associates, how use of the…

In episode 193 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan talks with Jennifer Song, president of Tobi, a women’s online fast-fashion retailer. Listen in as they discuss Tobi's recent relaunch of its mobile app with SaaS platform Poq, including how the refreshed app has helped the brand acquire loyal customers.

In episode 192 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Stephanie Maes, vice president of retail performance at AdoreMe, and Keith Sherry, CEO at StoreAdvise. Listen in as they discuss how AdoreMe and StoreAdvise work together to bring smart fitting room technology to the retailer's stores, and how data from RFID technology has improved…

In episode 191 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan speaks with Liz Thompson, chief people officer at Southeastern Grocers, one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the U.S. Listen in as they discuss Southeastern Grocers’ partnership with Axonify, a microlearning platform, and how Axonify’s technology has improved employee training and communications. This episode…

In episode 190 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Erik Lautier, chief marketing officer and chief digital officer at Francesca’s, a national fashion and accessories boutique. Listen in as they discuss how Francesca’s identifies a singe view of the customer across many channels, the brand’s partnership with customer data platform AgilOne, and the emerging…

In episode 189 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Lisa Gold, director of showroom design at California Closets, a global custom storage manufacturer and retailer. Listen in as they discuss California Closets work with partner Elo to bring digital signage to its showrooms, how these touchscreens have helped customers access California Closet’s endless…

In episode 188 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Karl Varsanyi, group vice president of digital product management and user experience at Albertsons Companies. Listen in as Varsanyi discusses the launch of Albertsons online marketplace with partner Mirakl, and how the grocer is using customer data obtained from its online marketplace to influence…

In episode 187 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail Executive Editor Joe Keenan is joined by Steve Pinder, managing director of Kurt Salmon, part of Accenture Strategy. Listen in as they discuss the increasing influence of digital in the grocery space; what Amazon.com buying Whole Foods has meant for traditional grocers; and what grocers should be…

In episode 186 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Carolyn Littlefield, senior director of e-commerce at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Listen in as they discuss the steps AB InBev is taking to grow its digital business, including the role content plays in that initiative. This episode was recorded live at Groceryshop in…

In episode 185 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Zak Normandin, founder and CEO of Iris Nova, parent company of innovative beverage brand Dirty Lemon, which sells it products via a direct-to-consumer conversational commerce model. Normandin addresses retail and grocery/CPG industry disruption, the future of text messaging as a commerce channel, and…

In episode 184 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Dave Steck, vice president of IT — infrastructure and application development at Schnucks Markets, a Missouri-based supermarket chain. Listen in as Steck discusses the grocer's partnership with Simbe Robotics and its use of autonomous shelf-scanning robot, Tally, to improve in-store operations and inventory management.

In episode 183 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan talks with Ron Bonacci, vice president of marketing and advertising at Weis Markets. Listen in as they discuss the growth of the grocer's digital business with help from partners Mercatus, an integrated e-commerce platform, and Shipt, an app-based grocery delivery service. This episode was recorded…

In episode 182 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at Groceryshop in Las Vegas, Heather Kang, global vice president of digital commerce at Mars Wrigley Confectionery (MWC), parent company of leading brands such as M&M's, Snickers, Twix and others, details how the company is building a culture of innovation, provides insight into two recent digital commerce…

In episode 181 of Total Retail Talks, Cory Barnes, digital marketing manager at Exxel Outdoors, parent company of leading outdoor brands such as Kelty and Sierra Designs, discusses how an e-commerce platform has helped the business better manage the websites for its 10 brands. In addition, Barnes offers five tips for other retailers and brands…

In episode 180 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews David Dancer, chief marketing officer at MedMen. In the wide-ranging conversation, Dancer discusses his varied background in the retail industry and what led him to join a cannabis company, how MedMen is disrupting the product category with what people are calling the "Apple Store…

In episode 179 of Total Retail Talks, Shelagh Stoneham, senior vice president of marketing, Chico's, reviews the women's apparel and accessories brand's #HowBoldAreYou social campaign, aimed at celebrating women's uniqueness and authenticity, and not just their ages. Stoneham offers insights into the customer feedback that Chico's has gotten from the campaign, as well as the…

In episode 178 of Total Retail Talks, Chris Brigham, director of omnichannel, and Michael Wheeler, omnichannel sales analyst, both of City Gear, discuss the urban footwear and apparel retailer's use of its mobile app to generate customer loyalty. In addition, Brigham and Wheeler share how City Gear's use of mobile push notifications has helped to drive…

In episode 177 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the 2018 Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Bai Gan, chief product officer at Zenni Optical, an online eyewear retailer, discusses the brand's growth from humble beginnings (i.e., selling products out of the founder's garage) into a leading seller of prescription glasses and sunglasses. Zenni Optical currently owns…

In episode 176 of Total Retail Talks, Kelly Murphy, director of marketing and causes at Olivela, a luxury philanthropic retail site that donates a portion of each purchase to charitable causes, offers insights into the brand's socially conscious business model and growth strategy. Murphy addresses Olivela's mission to make shopping for women's fashion a charitable…

Note to Total Retail Talks’ listeners: We apologize, yesterday we posted the wrong audio file for this episode. This has been corrected, and the correct audio is now included. Sorry for any confusion, and thanks for listening! In episode 175 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Suzanne Miglucci, president and CEO of Charles & Colvard,…

In episode 174 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Patrick Stewart, CEO, Apricot Lane Boutique, a women's fashion retailer. In this wide-ranging conversation, Stewart discusses what Apricot Lane is doing to acquire and retain millennial customers, how the brand's social consciousness factors into those efforts, why the in-store shopping experience is integral…

In episode 173 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at this year's Shop.org conference in Las Vegas, Rich Sargente, general manager and vice president of sales at BARK, maker of the BarkBox, a subscription commerce model that sells dog toys and treats to pet owners, discusses the brand's push into physical retail. Specifically, Sargente addresses BARK's wholesale…