Total Retail Talks

In episode 205 of Total Retail Talks, Mary Beth Laughton, executive vice president, omni retail, Sephora, discusses the beauty retailer's approach to omnichannel retail. Laughton details how Sephora listens to its customers, then seeks to deliver innovative solutions across all channels — stores, web, mobile — that best serve their wants and needs. Specifically, Laughton…

In episode 204 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Mike Relich, chief operating officer at Lucky Brand, a denim and fashion brand for men, women, and kids. Listen in as they discuss Lucky Brand's use of predictive analytics to improve inventory allocation across channels (store, web, wholesale), touching specifically on Lucky Brand's partnership with…

In episode 203 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Doug Zarkin, vice president and chief marketing officer at Pearle Vision, a leader in the optical retail category that provides exam and eyewear retail products. Listen in as they discuss Pearle Vision's pivot from being a promotional-driven business to one focused on touting…

In episode 202 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Julia Babina, vice president of operations and customer service at Brooklinen, a direct-to-consumer brand selling luxury bed sheets, pillows, comforters and blankets. Listen in as Babina discusses the story of Brooklinen's growth, and why the launch of a pop-up shop was a test…

In episode 201 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan speaks with Mike Tamte, co-CEO and co-founder of EVEREVE, a national women's fashion brand that works to inspire joy in its customers. Listen in as Tamte discusses the growth of EVEREVE, including investments in brick-and-mortar stores; hiring the right talent, particularly for its technology…

In episode 200 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Amanda Amar, senior manager of global social media and influencer relations at ALDO Group, a fashion footwear and accessories retailer. Listen in as they discuss how ALDO is leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and social influencers to help market its brand and products, driving customer acquisition…

In episode 199 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Miki Racine Berardelli, CEO of KIDBOX, a children's apparel and accessories style box. Berardelli discusses KIDBOX's recent partnership with Walmart, why she believes in purpose-driven retail, future growth opportunities for the brand, and much more.

In episode 198 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan speaks with Ken Wincko, vice president of marketing at Barnes & Noble College, a national college and university bookstore operator with over 1,400 physical and virtual stores. They discuss how Barnes & Noble College's mobile app is helping to improve its Gen Z customers’…

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…