Think Retail

As cannabis legalization sweeps through North America there’s been a corresponding race for brands entering the market in what has amounted to a gold rush turn green. And Organigram is one such brand, they’ve been in the market from the time that medical cannabis became legal in Canada in 2013 and they now offer a range of brands including that medical line Organigram, and recreational lines Edison, Edison Reserve, ANKR and Trailblazer.Ray Gracewood is the SVP of Marketing and Communications for Organigram and he’s going to tell us about the roller coaster ride at the front lines of the cannabis industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A field of study that previously was seen as something of an academic niche is now emerging as a key tool that can help brands not only stay relevant, but if leveraged to its full extent, can even help them leapfrog ahead and become leaders. That field is strategic foresight and future studies.Today, we’re talking to Foresight Strategist Robert Bolton to understand exactly what strategic foresight is and how it can help brands. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of SLD speaks with Manpreet Juneja, a Design Strategist at SLD about a study we recently conducted on the subject of future readiness and strategic foresight. The study asked brands to consider the subject of the future and how well prepared they think their organization is to cope with change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With economies in a fragile state due to COVID-19, many are wondering what Q2 and Q3 will look like, or if they’re even going to have a job. Retail brands that have incorporated AI are faring better. Today we speak with Max Peiro, CEO of Re-Hub about how Chinese companies have used innovation to get through this difficult time, and what the rest of the world can learn from their experiences. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As retail brands are forced to close their doors in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, many are understandably concerned about the impact this is going to have on their business. In times like this, it’s still important, or maybe more important than ever, to keep the lines of communication open with customers. Despite retail locations shutting down left, right, and center, retailers need to be creative in maintaining relationships with their customer base, positioning themselves as part of their communities and offering help in any way they can. Today, we’re speaking to Scott McArthur of Statflo – a brand dedicated to helping brands communicate directly with their customers – about how to weather this storm. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Almost every retail category has been transformed by technology, social media, and the mainstreaming of progressive social attitudes. But for the luxury beauty industry, the change has been more long coming than for others and it’s been revolutionary. Up until the past few years, luxury beauty focused on the narrow idea that affluent white women were their one and only target market. Models were almost always thin, white, and young. However, the shift over the last decade has been remarkable. The very idea of beauty and luxury are being redefined by younger generations who’ve never even flipped through an edition of Vogue or bought a lipstick at Saks. Today we’re talking to BXP’s Linda Casey about branding luxury beauty in this brave new world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the majority of indie start-up brands, design seems like something of a luxury. Indie operators end up doing a lot of the work on their own, relying on an ad hoc internet education to patch together something that feels like an image. Once they grow and have a bit of money, then investing in design might be on the table. Local Toronto brand Pilot Coffee Roasters took a different approach. They were fortunate enough to have today’s guest, Creative Director Michelle Wilkin, as part of the family, and as such, Pilot has been in a unique position to be able to leverage a design approach from early on. We’re going to talk to Michelle about the challenge and the value of design thinking as an integral part of your business, and how this approach has helped Pilot make a mark in a very competitive category. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every new year brings the promise of new, magical, game-changing digital innovation. But what we expect from technology doesn’t always deliver quite the way we want it to. As retailers consider the expansion of 5G, AR, VR, and artificial intelligence, there are a lot of promises. But what will they actually deliver? In this episode we speak with Christopher Hall, Managing Director of the ICX Association, about five big tech promises for 2020, and whether he thinks they’re going to live up to the hype. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, SLD's Jean-Pierre Lacroix has a conversation with Simon Stenning, a consultant who works exclusively in the foodservice and hospitality sector, providing brands with actionable market intelligence. Simon’s background includes working with huge names like Hilton and Compass. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For years now, Millennials have been the most researched and targeted demographic group in the history of brand marketing. Today, Millennials are approaching middle age, and as their needs shift, Generation Z is stepping into the spotlight. Born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they’re now coming of age and represent 25 percent of the U.S. population, making them bigger than Boomers or Millennials. Today, we’re talking to VP and Managing Director of our New York City office, Janice Jaworski, about designing for Gen Z. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Men’s apparel has undergone major shifts as workwear becomes more casual and at the same time more men are interested, or at least curious about being fashionable. So how then do you take a classic menswear brand into the future? Today we’re talking to Lance Itkoff, CEO of the iconic men’s wear brand Tip Top. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Retail banks have spent years catching up with the wave of technological advances that shook the industry with the impact of startup fintech companies. Now that the dust is settling and most large banks are well on their way to providing seamless digital banking solutions, what will differentiate one bank from another? How will retail banks deal with branches once we can all do our banking from our cell phones? Today we’re talking with Chris Stamper–who’s spent over 30 years in the retail banking industry–about the future of retail banks.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There was a time when everybody made their own clothes or had them made by a tailor or seamstress. You had only a few things in your wardrobe, but they fit you perfectly and were made to last. Fast forward to today, we’ve got ubiquitous, cheap, fast clothing in abundance but there’s a wave rising up in the world of fashion and its name is personalization and it signifies a change. It’s not always pertaining to tailoring per se, but the idea that clothes are made especially for the individual is one that’s resonating again.Today, we speak to part of Canada’s first family of fashion, Tamara and Jordin Mimran, who are joint managing directors at Impeccable Clothing Company, parent company to Alfred Sung Bespoke, about why made-for-you is experiencing a renaissance and what that means for fashion brands and retailers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trends come and some go while others mark permanent industry shifts. It can be hard to figure out when to invest in a new idea and when to walk away. In this episode, we speak with Janet Groeber, Director of the Retail Design Institute and Susan Reda, VP of Education Strategies from the National Retail Federation about what’s hot now and what has legs.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Physical stores have the potential to become the most powerful media channel available to brands, but it requires that everything about the physical store, how it’s planned, located, designed, staffed, and measured must be re-engineered. Today we speak with futurist, author, businesses advisor, and the founder and president of Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re back with Kunal Chopra for Part 2 of our discussion about artificial intelligence. In Part 1, Kunal defined artificial intelligence and gave us a high level understanding of what it. Now we’re going to talk about the application of artificial intelligence to the world of retail. In this episode, Kunal is going to tell us what’s possible now, who’s doing a great job using artificial intelligence, and what to look out for in the future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When you hear the words “artificial intelligence,” what pops into your mind? Maybe you think about Westworld or self-driving cars or robot soldiers, maybe chatbots or video game characters. But what exactly constitutes AI? Today we’re talking to Kunal Chopra, a business transformation and management consultant who specializes in optimizing delivery models. This is going to be a two-part series about AI, and this episode we will discuss what AI is, and what it isn't. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cable, internet, and mobile phones have been the bread and butter of telcos for many years, however, growth in these categories is dwindling and brands are beginning to feel the heat. Today, we speak to Will Gibson, a telco retail and marketing expert who’s seen the industry shift from his days at Blockbuster to becoming an award-winning speaker, thought leader, and retail futurist. He’s going to tell us what he sees as a threat to the future of telcos, and how brands can pivot and stay relevant.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Restaurateurs know that although the food is critical, it’s only one of the factors that determines success. In this extraordinarily competitive market, the guest experience has always mattered and today it’s more important than ever. Whether your restaurant brand is fun and raucous or elegant and luxurious, paying attention to every point along the guest’s journey is not optional anymore. Today we’re speaking to Anna Neri, a branding specialist who’s worked with food service brands for over 10 years, about how restaurateurs can up their game with the guest experience. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every retail brand on the planet is talking about consumer data and it’s being pitched as the magical key to personalization, which in turn promises greater loyalty and repeat purchases. Having Amazon prompt you to repurchase an item like toilet paper might seem innocuous and maybe even helpful. However, the line between personalized and downright creepy is one that brands need to pay closer attention to, especially as laws in Europe and Canada are beginning to protect consumer data. In this episode, we speak to Jeff Hirsch, founder and president of The Right Brain Studio, and professor at the University of Southern California. Instead of waiting for legislation, Jeff believes there are some really big reasons that brands should be thinking more critically about this issue right now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.