Think Retail

At SLD, part of what we do is trends analysis. And since clients are always asking for our perspective on various emerging innovations and ideas, we thought we would make this part of what we share with you on the podcast. Today I’m joined by podcast producer and Digital Marketing Strategist, Sebastian Maynard - you may recognize his voice. And we’re focusing today on emerging trends in the realm of social engagement online.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

People are what make your company culture. Who are your people? This is the question I’m exploring today with retail HR specialist, Suzanne Sears. From emerging job descriptions and COVID shortages, to service excellence at the frontlines, in this episode we talk about how retail brands can become more future-focused by finding the right people for the right position. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It has been quite telling over the years working with retail brands, whenever you bring up the subject of employee engagement, it’s usually not a top priority. Everybody is so focused on e-commerce and social media that employees are often treated as an afterthought. And while digital is, of course, critical for any brand in bricks and mortar retail, people are the power behind real success. So why aren’t retail leaders more focused on leadership? April Sabral has had a long career in retail leadership with companies such as Banana Republic, Starbucks, and Apple. She’s the brains behind retailu, an online learning platform designed especially for retail leaders. In this episode, we talk about retail leadership and her new book, The Positive Effect.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A big buzzword for 2021 is optimism. Politicians, marketers, and even celebrities are cheering the world on as vaccination efforts roll out. And while the end of the pandemic may still be further away than we’d like, at least an end is in view. How does this relate to the retail experience? As we all know, shopping hasn’t exactly been a fun experience lately. It’s felt more like a military operation at times. That being said, wherever brands can bring a little bit of joy into their messaging and store experience, it will be most welcome.  In this episode, we speak to Paul Goldsmith, who has years of experience managing retail brands, not just in Canada, but internationally. Most recently, he was leading design services for Walmart Canada, and that encompassed a broad portfolio, from private label, to in-store, to next-generation store design. In Canada, he also worked for Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws in product and marketing leadership roles. He describes himself as an optimistic person.

How to get more people into your store is a question that retailers both big and small have been asking since the dawn of e-commerce. Add Amazon, a pandemic, direct to consumer online brands and a smartphone in the hand of nearly every consumer in North America, and the answer seems less clear still.Mark Kinsley and Mark Quinn (also known as Dos Marcos) are both veterans in the retail industry and have written a book on this very subject. Come Back to Bed is a joint effort, bringing their expertise and experience in the mattress industry together to discuss core principles that can apply to any retail category. Today, we’re going to talk about these core principles as well as strategic tactics brands can implement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the end of every year, it’s tradition to reflect on the things we’ve loved, hated, and what we’re looking forward to for the coming year. 2020 was obviously pretty unusual, and although 2021 promises to be an improvement, it will also certainly be a year to remember. Today, I’m talking to some designers and thinkers from the SLD team about trends in design, technology, marketing, and culture – the good, the bad, and what’s next.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

TikTok and Snapchat, Google’s antitrust lawsuit, AOC versus Zuckerberg, it seems like every day there’s a new factor that could change digital marketing, making it a moving target for brand marketers. With so much to stay up to date on, it can be hard to know where to focus your efforts. Luckily, our guest today lives and breathes the world of digital marketing.Martin Waxman is a digital and social media strategist who also teaches at the Schulich School of Business, Seneca College and McMaster University. And we’re going to talk about the shifting landscape of digital marketing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The word transformation gets bounced around a lot, and like any other word that starts to become part of our marketing vernacular, it can start to lose its true meaning. That being said, when it comes to what’s happening in the world of retail banking, there really isn’t a better word to describe what’s going on. For banks leading this revolution, we’re seeing fundamental shifts in their model that are truly transformative. But for many banks, catching up with digital innovations has been enough of a challenge, and if you add COVID on top of that, it might seem like this lofty word is unachievable. Today, we’re talking to strategist and President of SLD, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who has worked on numerous bank transformation initiatives, about why the time to embrace transformation is now, and why it’s more achievable than you might think. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of the buzziest and most debated tech terms of the last 5 to 10 years is artificial intelligence. To start off with, what does the term artificial intelligence actually mean? If you just Google “define artificial intelligence,” you’ll discover that even computer scientists and engineers don’t entirely agree on what to call everything that fits under the AI umbrella. And when it comes to putting it to use, there’s even less clarity. For retail brands, many of whom may be sitting on a lot of consumer data, understanding what options are available now, and what could be relevant tomorrow is key to staying ahead.George Wang is a designer whose work bridges areas of innovation and technology, product development, and software. And he’s going to talk to us about what artificial intelligence means for retail design. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What was your first job? Mine was as a teller at a big box store and there’s a very good chance your first job was also in retail. Maybe you were a busboy at a restaurant, or you bagged groceries or sold shoes at the mall. The retail industry is massive. In the U.S. one in four jobs are retail jobs. And yet working in retail is often seen as a default, not a choice to be lauded.  Today’s guest, Ron Thurston, has had a long career in retail, starting off as a part time sales associate and now VP of Stores for Intermix, and his new book Retail Pride celebrates retail careers, including the accidental route many take to their positions. Today, we’re going to dig into some of the things he explores in the book to find out why and how leaders should make retail pride central to their culture. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Digital transformation was something retail organizations and financial institutions were already talking about before COVID hit. The pandemic has accelerated the trend and brought with it more challenges that were not anticipated. While brands have adopted many makeshift processes and systems to address these needs, companies are now wondering what’s going to stick after the pandemic. Today, our guests are going to provide some context to help answer that question.  Stuart Armstrong is Chief Revenue Officer at JohnRyan and is a leading figure in customer engagement and digital signage technologies with a focus on how these technologies underpin business building applications within retail and retail banking industries. Jean-Pierre Lacroix is President and Lead Strategist at SLD, and together Stuart and Jean conducted a joint study with over 500 respondents in the retail and finance categories to find out what companies are dealing with now to gain insights and pro

Any branded environment tells a story and a big part of that story is visual. Today, we’re talking to Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD, a not-for-profit professional organization for designers from all over the world who focus on shaping content-rich experiential spaces. Trained as an architect, she’s worked on many projects that involve historical and cultural environments such as galleries and museums, as well as working with brands to create memorable, interactive experiences. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As disruption from the pandemic rises and falls in waves around the globe, retail brands are pivoting their business to try and make up for related sales losses. Many brands were in good shape to manage this with robust digital and omnichannel ecosystems already in place. Many luxury brands, however, were not as well prepared. Heavily reliant on an in-store, really personal customer experience model, luxury brands in North America are now scrambling. A drastically changed in-store experience, the loss of tourists from Asia, and inexperience in the digital realm are some of the key challenges they’re facing. Fortunately, Casey Golden, founder and CEO of retail experience platform Luxlock believes that luxury brands have everything they need to get through this crisis and come out on the other side by leading digital transformation and setting a higher standard for shopping online.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, we’re talking about cash. Is it going to go away completely? Is it unhygienic? Should retailers still allow cash payments, or is it okay to push consumers towards cards and digital-only? Today, our President Jean-Pierre Lacroix is talking to David Fagleman, Director at Enryo, a consultancy firm in the UK that helps support financial services in times of change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brainstorming is a practice that most businesses need to employ from time to time, but it’s not as simple as just getting a bunch of people together with a whiteboard and some sticky notes. It’s a real skill. It requires a lot of preparation, guidance, structure and a plan. You need to be able to help the team focus but also be creative. Brainstorming sessions can be invigorating and exciting, if not challenging. And with work from home being an ongoing reality, brainstorm sessions might seem impossible to manage. In this episode we speak with SLD’s brand strategist Ada Zhang about some foundational brainstorming tips and how to make the magic happen, even remotely.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For sports teams, the brand is everything, it’s massive. Fan behavior in which individuals feel their own self-identity is intertwined with a team, even to the extent that the team’s performance is felt on a deeply personal level, has been widely studied by psychologists and academics and has driven sales of billions of dollars of merchandise around the world. But relying on diehard fans for sales is limiting.  Today, we’re talking to professional sports team brand expert, Anthony Partipilo, the Chief Brand Officer for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, about why sports teams need to reach beyond their inner circle of fandom to new kind of fan and how the Roughriders are doing just that.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We all know COVID has changed the game for many retail categories. Some have been obvious winners and others are feeling extremely strained. For the fashion industry, some are saying the pandemic may be a day of reckoning. Today, we’re talking to iconic Canadian fashion designer, David Dixon, and his brother, interior designer, Glenn Dixon about the silver lining and how smart brands can use this as an opportunity to leap into the future.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The perks of operating your own independent business are often outweighed by the enormous burdens that come along with it. You become a de facto marketer, administrator, HR specialist. You work incredibly long hours and no matter what category you’re in, you’re facing increasing competition, both for clients and talent from larger organizations. For the Canadian Orthodontic Partners, the burden on independent orthodontic practices presented an opportunity. Founded by orthodontists, the organization has brought an initial 51 independent orthodontic practices under one banner in a new national brand.  Today, we’re talking to Paul Abrams, Vice President of Marketing and Growth for the Canadian Orthodontic Partners and their new consumer-facing brand docbraces. Paul, thank you for being with us today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Design Thinking is a term that many of us have heard, but what exactly does it mean, and how can financial brands benefit from this approach?Today we’re speaking with Janet Jones, a design thinker with an incredible range of experience in design, strategy, and innovation about design thinking for financial brands. Janet’s experience includes 25 years of interior design, as well as working as a strategic foresight consultant and an instructor in foresight and design, at OCAD. This experience led to working directly with financial brands as an innovator and the first design strategist with Scotiabank’s Digital Factory, to help implement a design-driven culture in the bank’s digital transformation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the financial industry, security is paramount. As the world moves online and technology becomes more sophisticated, so do hackers and scams. The advantages of leveraging technology have just skyrocketed with the impact of COVID-19, but preventing systems breaches can make the difference between customer loyalty and customer attrition. In China, biometric security is rapidly being adopted as a safe and easy way to handle financial transactions securely. Will COVID-19 be the thing that pushes North American banks to begin implementing these security measures on a wide scale?In this episode, we speak with Nick Hallas, Vice President of Sales at Daon – an innovator in developing and deploying biometric authentication and identity assurance solutions worldwide – about the why and the how of biometric security. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.