Total Retail Talks

In episode 107 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in New York City, Rachel Jarrett, president of Zola, a bridal registry company, talks about how the brand was started, its growth over the years, and what traditional retailers can learn from it.

In episode 106 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in New York City, Neda Navab, head of customer experience and innovation for Enjoy, an online technology shopping service that offers free home delivery and expert setup, talks about using customer service to enhance physical retail locations.

In episode 105 of Total Retail Talks, Dave Munson, founder and CEO of Saddleback Leather, a manufacturer and retailer of leather goods, including bags, briefcases, luggage and more, recounts the brand's humble beginnings in Mexico, details what has enabled it to grow into a thriving online retailer that does more than eight figures in sales…

In episode 104 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in Seattle, Peter Francis, vice president of digital growth and acquisition for T-Mobile, discusses the role brick-and-mortar stores will play in the company's future. Francis addresses how T-Mobile views omnichannel retail, and what the company is doing to execute on…

In episode 103 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in Seattle, Natalie Brown, director, experiential marketing, Sur La Table, talks about the kitchenware retailer's goal of being more than just a place where consumers can get products for their kitchens. Sur La Table seeks to be a source of…

In episode 102 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in Seattle, Molly Hartney, vice president of marketing and merchandising at The Mine, an online retailer of home furnishings (and a Lowe's company), discusses the company's recent rebranding from its previous name, ATGStores.com. Hartney addresses why a rebranding was necessary,…

In episode 101 of Total Retail Talks, Anna Cole, director of e-commerce operations, user experience and merchandising at Carhartt, a workwear manufacturer and retailer, details how the company is leveraging customers’ ratings and reviews to make more informed business decisions, particularly around merchandising its website.

Today marks the 100th episode of Total Retail's podcast, Total Retail Talks. Over the past two years, Total Retail Talks has brought its listeners exclusive one-to-one interviews with leading retail industry executives on a broad range of topics. To celebrate this milestone episode, we decided to highlight some of our favorite guests from the previous…

In episode 99 of Total Retail Talks, Peter Leff, executive vice president of wholesale, and Mark Sondheim, sales manager, team sports licensed apparel division, wholesale, both of Tommy Bahama, discuss the casual lifestyle brand's partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) for a line of licensed apparel. Leff and Sondheim talk about why MLB is a…

In episode 98 of Total Retail Talks, Laura Phillips, senior vice president of sustainability, Wal-Mart, discusses the big-box retail chain's new supplier sustainability platform, Project Gigaton. Phillips addresses why sustainability is a critical component of Wal-Mart's corporate values, the business benefits the company has realized from its many sustainability initiatives, and offers advice for...

In episode 96 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at our live podcast event in Chicago earlier this spring, Daniel Alarik, founder and CEO of Grunt Style, an online retailer of patriotic apparel, discusses his unique career path, from a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army to the head of an online retail company. In addition,…

In episode 95 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at our live podcast event in Chicago earlier this spring, Tom Zegar, co-founder of PulseTV, an online retailer of general merchandise, shares how the company is successfully using email marketing and video to engage, acquire and develop relationships with its customers.

In episode 97 of Total Retail Talks, Ethelbert Williams, chief marketing officer of InstaNatural, a natural and organic beauty products brand, talks about leveraging third-party marketplaces, including Amazon.com, Jet.com, iHerb and others, for growing the business. Williams also offered his insights into how InstaNatural is using content to engage and sell to a very discerning…

In episode 94 of Total Retail Talks, John DeWaal, vice president of marketing at LIDS Sports Group, discusses the omnichannel sports licensed retailer's recently launched mobile app, its newly designed loyalty program, and how the two work together to create loyal customers.

In episode 93 of Total Retail Talks, Brian Seewald, vice president, digital, DSW, discusses the footwear retailer's top ranking in Total Retail's inaugural Top 100 Omnichannel Retailers report. Seewald discusses how DSW is bringing digital into its brick-and-mortar stores, as well as the technologies underpinning the retailer's omnichannel efforts, from inventory management to product returns and...

In episode 92 of Total Retail Talks, Bridget Russo, chief marketing officer of Shinola, a luxury retailer that specializes in watches, bicycles and leather goods, discusses the brand's commitment to American manufacturing and jobs. Russo details Shinola's recent marketing campaign, Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves, which celebrated the idea that hard work creates jobs and…

In episode 91 of Total Retail Talks, Aaron Bata, head of customer experience at Tuft & Needle, a manufacturer and online retailer of mattresses, is interviewed by Total Retail's Joe Keenan on how the brand is using feedback from its customers to inform business decisions. Bata also offers his advice for other retailers that are…

In episode 90 of Total Retail Talks, MC Halfpenny, director of operations at Uncommon Goods, an online retailer of unique gifts and creative home decor, talks about how proactive customer support is helping the company to improve the order delivery process. Halfpenny shares details about the support process at Uncommon Goods, the business benefits it…

In episode 89 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the recent Total Retail Talks Live event in San Francisco, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Joanne Hsieh, chief operating officer at Walker & Company Brands, a company known for its health and beauty products for people of color. Hsieh discusses how Walker & Company has…

In episode 88 of Total Retail Talks, Jennie Pastor, CEO of Kavador, an online marketplace for curated fine jewelry, tells us about how the company is personalizing the customer experience, and what impact that is having on sales. Pastor also offers her advice for other retailers looking to bring personalization to the online shopping experience.

In episode 87 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Helen Vaid, chief customer officer of Pizza Hut, during the recent Total Retail Talks Live event in San Francisco. Listen in as Helen shares why an omnichannel approach has been key to Pizza Hut's customer service success. (Helen was also named to…

In episode 86 of Total Retail Talks, Total Retail's Editor-in-Chief Melissa Campanelli interviews Heidi Zak, co-founder of ThirdLove, a personalization app for bras, at a recent Total Retail Talks Live event in San Francisco. Listen in as Heidi discusses why personalization has been critical to the success of ThirdLove.

In episode 85 of Total Retail Talks, Chris Marantette, president and chief financial officer at NetRush, a retailer and agency that partners with brands to grow and manage their products on the Amazon Marketplace, discusses the opportunities and challenges, including sales tax obligations, that come with selling on online marketplaces. In particular, Chris details how…

In episode 84 of Total Retail Talks, I interview Erick Roesch, director of business intelligence at Rue La La. Roesch discusses how the members-only online fashion site is using a data warehousing solution as part of its efforts to personalize the shopping experiences of its customers.

In episode 83 of Total Retail Talks, Peter Weedfald, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Sharp Home Appliances, discusses how traditional brick-and-mortar retailers — and their product suppliers — can compete in today's digital retail environment. Weedfald also offers his thoughts on the technology trends that will have the biggest impact on the…