Shows
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportA Look Back at 2022We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The Robin Report celebrates its 100 podcasts! Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, review the best (and a few misfires) of their predictions, opinions, and conversations about the state of retail. Hot topics include leadership, retail strategies, and the darker side of the business. Audience favorites? Icon and iconoclast Mike Gould; the future of malls with Bill Taubman; Amazon’s wild ride; Kohl’s under attack; and a dive into shareholders versus stakeholders. Listen and le...2022-12-2927 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report2023 Retail Trends: Surprises and Disruptions?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s that time of year again: predictions and prognostications about what’s on the horizon. What are the key trends that will shape up retailers’ new year? From consumer behaviors and physical retail innovations to tech-enhanced data and analytics and emerging digital transformations, 2023 is bound to be a year of surprises. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they open a Pandora’s Box of what retailers can expect over the next 12 months.For more...2022-12-2220 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportForecasting Can Be a Fool’s GameWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!When you consider holiday spending and economic forecasts (in general), we would argue they are both a fool’s game. At the heart of the problem is partly the survey process; consumers don’t always tell the truth. And then there’s computer modeling. But just look at all the holiday forecasts; they are widely divergent. Sales flat to an 8% lift this year; what’s going on? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they sort throug...2022-12-1522 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Shift to Small Neighborhood StoresWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It may be the single most important strategic and structural shift in retail’s recent history: the return of the small neighborhood store. Whether a traditional department store, big box behemoth or digital native going physical, the small store format delivers on consumer demand for better experience, personalization, and convenience. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as they discuss this emerging trend, aided and abetted by technology and data analytics that make the small store relevant to local customers on...2022-12-0840 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMad Men 2.0?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!There is a major transformation underway in retail advertising. Maybe it’s not an echo of Mad Men, but instead, really Smart People changing up the ad models. Advertisers are on track to spend more than $41 billion on retail media networks this year. That’s a hefty increase of 31 percent and the outlook is rosy: $52 billion by 2023. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as they investigate the demise of third-party data collection, the ineffectiveness of network TV advertising, and why...2022-12-0124 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportInfluencers: Working for You or Against You?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Kanye West’s plummet as an influential force has become legend. And he is not alone. Celebrities can flameout as quickly as they amass hundreds of thousands of fans and followers. So, how do brands safeguard their reputations, and what do they do when influencers go off the rails? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they tackle the difficult and controversial trend of influencers guilty of hate speech and inappropriate behavior…and what brands should...2022-11-2421 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportRevealing the Future of Malls - with Bill TaubmanWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Where are malls headed? And how are they surviving today in a disruptive marketplace? Legendary mall developer Bill Taubman joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan to go behind the curtain to reveal how malls can be more relevant, discuss the trend of creative lifestyle centers and mixed-use spaces...and the fate of the enclosed mall. This candid conversation may surprise you! Listen and learn how the evolution of the mall reflects the changes in consumer attitudes and values.2022-11-1743 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report2022 Holiday Predictions - with Andy Mantis, Commerce SignalsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Consumers vote with their wallets and this holiday is no exception. Commerce Signals just released its Holiday Spending Predictions report and its president, Andy Mantis, joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, to deconstruct the predicted winners and losers this holiday spending season. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to foll...2022-11-1028 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Truth About Fashion’s Digital TransformationWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The journey to digital transformation is an adventure on a steep learning curve. What does it take to prepare your team and implement the strategies and tools to move forward? Janice Wang, CEO of Alvanon joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they discuss the challenges, risks and rewards of digitizing the fashion industry and what that means for retailers.To find out more about Alvanon please visit them on Alvanon.com2022-11-0336 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportIs There ROI in Resale?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!True that pre-loved can be re-loved in the circularity market. And true that resale addresses environmental concerns. And amazing that the resale market will nearly double in size by 2030. Yes, but: Resale pioneers thredUP and the RealReal have never made a profit. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they discuss how resale can do good and do well at the same time. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheR...2022-10-2726 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMade in America: A New PerspectiveWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Call it crafted with pride in the U.S. or right sourcing production back to America, brands are looking for faster, more responsive, agile, and sustainable supply chains. Moving manufacturing back from foreign shores could control over-production and reduce the environmental impact of the current global supply chain, but the economics need to work. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they weigh the risks and rewards of domestic manufactured products. With inflation up to 8.2%, th...2022-10-2023 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportInventory Surplus + Inflation = DisasterWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!A surplus of inventory plus rising inflation make for a grim outlook as we head into the holidays. Metrics tools of the past are not relevant to forecast and benchmark in today’s disruptive marketplace. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they deconstruct the challenges facing retailers through the end of the year. AI and predictive analytics help deliver insights in real-time, just in time for the holidays. But the gamble of getting it righ...2022-10-1322 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportData Overload: Why Your Top Talent Is Burned OutWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!McKinsey recently released research that reveals 63% of U.S. retail store managers plan to leave in the next 3-6 months. Why? They don’t feel in control of their day. Information overload, micromanagement, demotivation – they are overwhelmed. Join guest Julian Mills, CEO of Quorso, with Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they dig into why retail is facing a crisis in delivering a seamless, high-quality customer experience when the link between omnichannel frontend and a...2022-10-0620 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThere’s No Playbook for Holiday 2022We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Holiday sales are starting in October with Black Friday culminating the frenzy as the top shopping day. This year is different now that the post-pandemic haze has lifted. The Fed raised interest rates and that is sure to impact holiday shopping starting with early price cuts. Add to that inflationary price tags on food and packaged goods along with higher home energy costs, and you have perfect storm fronts in all directions. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as th...2022-09-2922 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportUnlocking the Power of Personalization - With Dressipi's Sarah McVittieWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Personalization is table stakes. Data and predictive analytics and are the tools for customization and staying ahead of the competition. And if customers have less disposable income, knowing what they want and delivering an inspirational, personalized journey that is completely relevant to them is key to avoiding expensive and unnecessary inventories. Join special guest Sarah McVittie, co-founder of Dressipi with Robin Lewis, and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they discuss how to manage customers’ expectations with breakthrough digi...2022-09-2231 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMalls and Nine LivesWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!What has 400,000-800,000 square feet of space and nine lives? The American mall. The future of worn-out, irrelevant enclosed malls is to transform into vibrant community hubs that offer services and products housed in villages, town centers and entertainment meccas. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they predict how the confluence of economic challenges and consumer behavior changes will influence how malls can reclaim their influence in the retail pantheon.For more st...2022-09-1524 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Fastest Growing eComm Company in the World...We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!that no one over the age of 33 has ever heard of. Shein has grown 100 percent over the last eight years, making it the fastest growing ecommerce brand in the world and putting it in a position to be the number-one online global fashion retailer. How did they do it? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they deconstruct Shein’s agile supply ecosystem. But there may be trouble in paradise: If Shein wants to play in t...2022-09-0826 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportYour Customers and the Final FrontierWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The final frontier encompasses the science of retailing combined with the art of human connection. How retailers are delivering on this is heavily dependent on their frontline brand ambassadors. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they redefine retailing’s final frontier at the point of sale and the possible barriers that could prevent success. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and l...2022-09-0123 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportHow to Navigate Down Markets with Spatial IntelligenceWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Understanding the movement inside a physical store in real-time can give any retailer an edge. Consider that, in a down market, or even a looming recession, Spatial Intelligence can help retailers cut costs by optimizing operations expenses through a data-driven approach. Join Robin Lewis, Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, and George Shaw, CEO of Pathr.ai as they explore the finer points of Spatial Intelligence and how it delivers privacy-preserving insights that drive positive, unbiased business ou...2022-08-2520 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe New, New Rules of RetailWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Retail has a new face. Traditionally envisioned as a central brick-and-mortar store that sells products, retail has morphed into commerce everywhere, anytime. Now the consumer is the center and commerce comes directly to them. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they predict the future of retail deconstructing how new formats, different models, diversified commerce, and reengineering supply chains will reshape the industry.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, wh...2022-08-1123 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMacy’s and Toys R Us: A Big Win?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Here’s an interesting question: Will Macy’s and its Toys R Us partnership give discount stores a run for their money this holiday? With the iconic toy brand in every Macy’s store, the strategy combining nostalgia and convenience could be a home run. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they debate how Macy’s can deliver a better customer experience for families shopping for toys with the halo effect of its well-loved holiday tr...2022-08-0417 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportGet On the Build-to-Order BandwagonWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Environmental impacts, demographic shifts in the U.S. market, and a consumer that wants to be more involved with a brand’s product development process are leading major brands to rethink inventory positions. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig into how mass customization (made to order) is refreshing the stale forecasting demand model for the fashion industry. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can read, watc...2022-07-2931 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportIs Big Tech Out of Control?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Big tech firms are getting greedy and make more profit every second than the median wage of a U.S. worker makes in a week. Are the big five – Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Google -- becoming monopolies too big to handle? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they debate how these tech titans use their muscle beyond Silicon Valley and play the talent game by outsourcing talent to save costs. Remote work has been...2022-07-2222 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWorkers Unite as Unions Make a ResurgenceWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Unions are making a comeback strengthened by a tight labor market, empowered workers, and the prospect of a recession. A more educated entry-level workforce is raising its voice for better working conditions and respect. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they look into why union-represented petitions are up 57% and Americans’ approval of labor unions is at an all-time since 1965.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com...2022-07-1422 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportBNPL: A Race to the BottomWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Is BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) a better way to pay as a credit card replacement or just another payment option? The number of U.S. BNPL users will have soared from 1.6 million in 2018 to 59.3 million in 2022 with dozens of copycat startup companies opening weekly. But watch out! When the big guns with deep pockets --Mastercard, American Express, Visa, PayPal, and Apple Pay – make a bigger move into the space in a major way, it will blow those startups out of...2022-07-0621 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportAmazon 2.0: Turbulent TimesWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Amazon’s internal forecasting system is its secret weapon, but it has come back to bite with excess warehouse capacity and slowing demand. Leadership changes starting at the top, a wildly different management approach to the business, and many top executive exits leave Amazon in a state of transformation. The company is saying goodbye to physical stores except in the grocery sector as it manages through its slowest online growth period in years. Not to mention many callouts on its em...2022-06-3028 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportInflation and Inventory: Doubling Down on RetailWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Retailers over-forecasted inventory and supply doesn’t match consumer demand. It’s another perfect storm brewing. As rising food prices and historic high costs for fuel suck money out of the discretionary spending bucket, retailers will be left with even more unwanted inventory. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they debate how retailers can work their way through this crisis.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can re...2022-06-2420 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhere Will Subscription Services Land?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!What’s the fate of ecomm subscription services? Sales are expected to grow by 15% in 2022, totaling $33.5 billion … but that’s only 3% of total retail ecom sales. And subscriptions may be facing consumer pushback; 40% say they just have too many. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they single out how the winners of the subscription business will have exclusive products and be convenient, making them relevant to loyal customers. For more strategic insights and comp...2022-06-0919 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportIs Lack of Leadership Dragging Down the Gap?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Gap Inc. is on its fifth CEO, and success still seems elusive. Ever since Mickey Drexler left, it’s been the same story: not so hot. The well-intentioned BODEQUALITY strategic initiative for inclusive sizing failed in execution with Old Navy taking a sales nosedive. Gap’s peer, American Eagle Outfitter had a $32 million profit in Q1 2022. What’s going on here? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR chief strategist, as they pull back the curtain on Gap’s failed q...2022-06-0928 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhy Is Brand Reputation More Important Than Ever?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!How do consumers trust? There’s been a major shift in customer behavior as a result of the pandemic. Transparency, authenticity, and relevance are table stakes. Sustainability resonates highly with consumers who are concerned about microplastics and water and want brand commitment to circularity. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, with guest expert Kim Kitchings, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Cotton Incorporated as they discuss the latest findings on what consumers expect from bran...2022-06-0234 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportTech Titans TumbleWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Tech giants – Alphabet, Apple, Amazon,Meta and Microsoft -- have been dominating the field for decades. Although these stocks are highly volatile and investor expectations can become overheated, now with raging inflation, fears of recession, new privacy laws and talk of monopoly busting, the tide may be turning. Recent earnings are declining, streaming and subscription services are at risk, and the uncertainty of the metaverse is looming on the horizon. Ev...2022-05-2624 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportAmazon Slip Slides into MaturityWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Amazon's business is slowing down... online sales, subscription services, and third-party sales growth trended down in 2021 and into Q1 2022 suggesting the company is slipping into a maturity phase. Is Andy Jassy the right guy to steer Amazon into maturity and still keep the creative curve accelerating? Or is that an oxymoron? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig into what’s going on with Amazon’s plateau and who might steal their thunder.2022-05-1926 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWelcome to the New WorkplaceWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!We are entering a new era of reimagining the workplace and how work gets done. A hybrid workforce is the new model. The good news is that employees are getting want they want. The not so good news is that retail systems and processes need an overhaul. Join Robin Lewis, Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, Barrie Scardina from Cushman Wakefield, and Rich Pedott from Columbus Consulting as they discuss how retailers must reinvent their workplace culture to attract an...2022-05-1341 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportRecommerce: Is the Hype Real or Faux?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Apparel resale is predicted to be a $64 billion market by 2024 representing 14 percent of apparel, footwear, and accessories sales. It checks off all the right boxes: it’s eco-friendly keeping goods out of the landfills; conserves energy from production and shipping logistics; and it gives younger consumers access to higher-quality products they might not otherwise be able to afford. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as they debate the question of whether retailers taking back merchandise and reselling used products is...2022-05-0518 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportHead’s Up: Customers Are Taking Control of Their DataWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!For decades, customers have given away their personal data for free, but that’s changing. Customers now can limit how their personal data can be used. Retail companies need to reset how customer data is treated and by giving data control back to the customer. Join Robin Lewis, Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist and Ismail Amla, EVP of Professional Services for NCR as they explore the complex data world and how retail businesses will change when customers are in c...2022-04-2833 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Store Lives OnWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The success of online retail has been greatly exaggerated. And the death rate of physical retail has been overestimated. Store openings will outweigh closures three to one in 2022 … and online can’t deliver a premium, empathetic experience. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they discuss the resilience of physical retail in a digital marketplace and how the hybrid model with physical stores at the center will be the victor.For more strategic insigh...2022-04-2124 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWorkers Aren’t Just Resigning, They’re Trading UpWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Take a deeper look at what’s going on with the wave of resignations and you’ll see that there is a trending shift of workers transitioning from blue collar to white collar. Opportunity knocks. Better pay, better work/life balance and reskilling is lifting workers from the warehouse to software, high-tech careers. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they look into the new wave of entrepreneurs who are leapfrogging over being held back withou...2022-04-1425 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMr. Smalls is Now Mr. Big: Is He Resurrecting Unions?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Here’s a wake-up call for all retailers: Workers are resetting the traditional employee/employer relationship and unions are on the rise. The numbers are clear -- with 11.3 million jobs open, workers are calling the shots and demanding a fair salary, better benefits package and safe working conditions. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, and labor relations expert Bert Kamin as they dig into what’s behind Christian Smalls’ unionization at Amazon, and the back story fo...2022-04-0732 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportKohl's Under AttackWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The activists and HBC are circling around their prey with little interest in improving Kohl’s retail business. This is a short-term, financial pureplay, and the losers will be the customers. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they discuss how CEO Michelle Gass can navigate Kohl’s out of harm’s way.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Le...2022-03-3124 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe World Is WatchingWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!We are connected. The cumulative effect of cutting off Russia from the global financial system coupled with taking Ukrainian exports offline will have far-reaching impacts across the globe. Young 20- and 30-something consumers have deputized themselves as economic ambassadors, influencing foreign policy one TikTok video at a time. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist with guest reporter Arick Wierson as they discuss the far-reaching collateral damage of the war in Ukraine. Retailers who think they mi...2022-03-2433 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportDeclining Birth Rates Will Drive Inflation into PerpetuityWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!A quick history lesson explains that inflation is caused by too much demand chasing too little supply. Now it’s one crisis after another: a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, the potential for a world war – all funneled into the highest level of inflation in 40 years. The typical anti-inflation weapon of raising the Fed rate likely won’t work this time. Why? Because in the developed world, more people are retiring, quitting or dying than there are enough workers entering the workfo...2022-03-1728 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportGlobal Brands Protest the War on UkraineWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Global retailers are facing an unprecedented challenge: How to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The soft power of economics is not trivial: Over 300 brands have ceased doing business in Russia in protest, but what about the ones that are still there? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they discuss the collateral damage from the Russian war on Ukraine – to global brands, consumers worldwide, and the Russian people. For more strategic insi...2022-03-1026 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportReturns Have Silver Linings with Appriss RetailWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The return rate of online sales has escalated to 17% of sales, but surprise, you can transform a return into a valuable customer experience. This may sound counterintuitive, but when you manage the process as a positive customer touchpoint, you can create a better customer experience. Steve Prebble, President and CEO of Appriss Retail, joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they discuss how technologies can help alleviate the challenges of returns in omnichannel retailing.2022-03-0341 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Incoming MetaverseWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The metaverse is not science fiction. People can play virtual games, attend virtual concerts, go shopping for virtual goods, collect virtual art, hang out with virtual avatars and attend virtual work meetings. Are you ready for this? There’s money to be made. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they look at how retail plays into the metaverse, which is closer than you think.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheR...2022-02-2431 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportGoodbye Cookies, Hello First-Party DataWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Have you been marketing to your customers the same way with diminishing results? Savvy retailers are building their own digital networks to up their marketing and advertising strategies. Permission-based data unlocks valuable customer insights and the power of predictive analytics that reshape how retailers go to market. Andy Mantis, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Commerce and Media Solutions at Verisk Financial, joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they explore the finer points of how ob...2022-02-1737 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportTech Innovations Reengineer Inventory and FulfillmentWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s another weekend: Do you know where your inventory is? Customers want everything now, wherever they are, and new digital ID tech delivers transparency and trust. Inventory accuracy is key to agile fulfillment -- mobile, BOPIS, curbside delivery, marketplaces, social commerce, in store. Join Robin Lewis, Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist with special guest Bill Toney, VP, Global RFID Market Development, Retail at Avery Dennison, as they explore the exciting innovations transforming inventory accuracy and fulfillment....2022-02-1034 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Dark Side of Online MarketplacesWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Organized retail crime has become a $70 billion business and continues to plague retailers. What’s the backstory? There is a proliferation of thieves who use online marketplaces to fence stolen goods. Tune into Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they pull back the curtain on organized crime and discuss the only viable solution.For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robi...2022-02-0319 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportBuy Now, Pay Later in the CrosshairsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Special guest Charlie Youakim, CEO of Sezzle, joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, to dig into the crackdown on the BNPL industry. There’s plenty to talk about with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looking into the BNPL space to determine if the industry may be using abusive consumer practices and if it needs to be more highly regulated. That could put a dent into a fintech business that is predicted to grow to $114 billion in 2...2022-01-2729 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe China SyndromeWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Predictions about the end of worldwide pandemic conditions – and their impact on global supply chain logistics – have been ridiculously wrong. There is a total supply chain meltdown and with China the home to about a third of global manufacturing, lockdowns on top of a 126% increase in delivery times, we are in for a long haul. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they examine the supply chain mess and discuss how to contain costs before consume...2022-01-2020 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportDemand and Supply...Out of ControlWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!There is too much money chasing too few goods. There’s no real problem with the supply chain or production, the issue is demand has surged out of control and the supply chain can’t handle it. Join special guest, the outspoken industry expert Jan Kniffen, CEO of J Rogers Kniffen Worldwide, Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they debate how the U.S. economy will handle rising inflation (it certainly won't be a flashback to the...2022-01-1326 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportAn Insider’s Preview of 2022: Retail on the Crest of the WaveWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Retail is cresting the wave but could fall into the depths if the industry doesn’t heed the warning signs. A global pandemic and climate change are ongoing existential issues; supply chain, stagflation and labor shortages are real and present operational challenges. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they predict the risks and rewards for retail leadership in 2022 as it faces a disruptive, dynamic marketplace led by demanding, opinionated customers.For more stra...2022-01-0618 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Nordstrom Challenge: Spin Off the Rack?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!How can the “Closer to You” mantra of Nordstrom deliver an integrated premium customer experience if the Rack is riffed out? There are so many more questions than answers in this debate. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as they discuss the pros and cons of this hot topic. And here’s a bright idea as an alternative to the off-price model for luxury goods: Nordstrom should pioneer a vendor consortium for liquidating premium merchandise. They are perfect for this j...2021-12-3022 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportInflation WarsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Who will blink first? Will consumers resign themselves to higher prices, or will retailers face up to inflation, lower their prices and take a hit on margin to gain more market share? Retailers can take a page out of CEO Doug McMillon’s playbook at Walmart who is taking a pragmatic approach and managing category pricing to win market share by focusing on the bottom-line profits. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they thrash out...2021-12-1614 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportIs Buy Now/Pay Later a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The shift away from credit cards purchases to debit and cash by next gens has prompted a slew of companies to offer a buy-now-pay-later solution. In fact, BNPL growth will reach $680 billion by 2025, and many retailers are already offering these services for ecommerce business. Gen Z and millennials are more afraid of debt than death, plus they don’t trust big banks, Wall Street or credit card companies. Listen in as Robin Lewis is Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief stra...2021-12-0922 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportPhysical and Online Retail: Co-DependenciesWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Don’t write off physical stores just yet. Both digital natives and retail giants realize that brick-and-mortar stores are the key to customer acquisition and excellent depots for same-day pick up and returns. Plus, shipping from physical stores is less costly than shipping from warehouses. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they reveal how everything old is new again as stores will become the heartbeat of digital brands.For more strategic insights and...2021-12-0220 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Secret Behind Dark StoresWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Two-day delivery, one-day delivery, same-day delivery has now morphed into a 15-minute delivery craze with consumers demanding near real-time product deliveries from local stores. There is a surge of well-funded small startups, especially in grocery, that are chomping at the bit to deliver products within a small window of time, but can this model compete against the incumbent juggernauts? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they delve into dark stores and the temptation of in...2021-11-1820 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhere Are All the Holiday Workers?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The Great Resignation hit retail hard. And it’s causing a labor shortage just in time for the Holidays. It’s a buyers’ market for employees, and they are being very selective in rejoining the retail workforce, if they rejoin at all. What does this mean for the busiest time of the year? Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig into the war for talent with prospective employees now calling the shots. Will they sit...2021-11-1122 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe eComm Breakup DebateWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s the promise of a great divorce: Separate your ecomm business from your brick and mortar and thrive apart. Saks, Macy’s and even Kohl’s are in the crosshairs going against the cardinal rule of retail: Customer first and foremost. There’s a lot of chatter about short-term profits outweighing longer-term omnichannel initiatives and customer lifetime value programs. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they debate the sanity (or not) of running ec...2021-10-2925 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Supply Chain Still Making Big, Bad NewsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The linear supply chain needs a makeover. Actually, more like an overhaul. Think instead: Supply Chain Network. And then think of an orchestrated movement of complex, interconnected parts. Jim Hull, Retail/CPG Industry Strategy Executive at Blue Yonder joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they explore how to get out of the current supply chain mess. One hint, AI Retail is detail at scale, which will help unlock an antiquated, irrelevant system.To...2021-10-2132 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportCracks in the Retail Ecosystem with Special Guest, Steve SadoveWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Combine ambiguity with anxiety and you have a preview of retail 2022 and beyond. The supply chain collapse is just the tip of the iceberg. Steve Sadove, former CEO of Saks and sought-after retail advisor, joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig into the collateral damage from the current supply chain meltdown. Learn about how holiday 2021 may not predict the long-term optimism retailers are hoping for.For more strategic insights and compelling co...2021-10-1438 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Truth Behind Subscription ModelsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Subscription startups like Stitch Fix promise high touch through customized styling powered by high tech algorithmic formulas. But is this model actually an oxymoron? Can these brands really deliver a highly personalized service systematically? And if they can, why are they transitioning to freestyle DTC and becoming online marketplaces, just like everyone else? Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they take a deep dive into Stitch Fix and deconstruct how the subscription mo...2021-10-0724 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportBuilding a Winning eCommerce Strategy with Market IntelligenceWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Consider the many roadblocks preventing smarter online pricing and merchandising decisions. An innovative tech team developed a platform to help brands and retailers consume massive amounts of online market intelligence data into actionable insights to enable building measurable and effective ecommerce strategies. Join innovator Krish Thyagarajan, President and COO of DataWeave, as he deconstructs the path to accelerating ecommerce growth with Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist. Listen in to learn how a visionary da...2021-09-3035 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhy Design MattersWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Why is good design usually taken for granted – even when it delivers results? Design and architecture have always taken a back seat in the board room. Listen in as Kevin Roche, internationally renowned architect joins Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, have a provocative discussion on why designers should be embedded into any executive team and recognized by the board as an equal to the chief marketing, experience officer and human capital officers.For more...2021-09-2339 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportSix Major Challenges Facing Retailers to Survive HolidayWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Six Major Challenges Facing Retailers to Survive HolidayYou think Covid was bad? Welcome to Delta. The pandemic continues to plague retailers and brands as the Delta variant plays havoc with the most profitable time of the year for most retailers… holiday. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they look back and face forward discussing how Covid and now Delta have redefined the industry. Learn about the six challenges facing Holi...2021-09-1633 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportPrivacy vs PersonalizationWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Privacy and personalization are two sides of a double-edged sword. Retailers are going to be hard-pressed to personalize their marketing offerings with new privacy protocols. Google says no more cookies and Apple has opt-out options on its new operating system. Solution? Retailers are sitting on a gold mine with first-party data. The challenge is how to use it and create broader strategies for awareness and acquisition. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR's chief strategist, as they deconstruct how...2021-09-0925 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhat Happened to the Store?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s no longer women’s lingerie on four and shoes on two. Stores are diversifying into platforms, partnerships and services that meet customers’ evolving demands. And shared analytics and AI tools across retailers and brands are helping to create a synergistic and holistic view of the customer... at last! Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they explore how tech has enabled retailers to offer a comprehensive ecosystem that pays off as a...2021-09-0217 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThree Perfect Stormfronts: Inflation, Out-of-Stocks and Stay at Home (Still)We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s anybody’s guess how this will play out through the holiday season, the disruptions just keep coming in waves. Producer and import price indices are rising—but consumer price inflation (CPI) is tending to outpace them. Strong demand and constrained supply mean more out-of-stocks, and U.S. shoppers are becoming fatigued with stockouts on store shelves. And we are still staying at home, retreating from public places, such as shops, malls, restaurants and travel destinations. Listen in as Robin...2021-08-2733 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportNike’s Innovation Flywheel Fuels TransformationWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!You’ve got a world-class brand. Everyone loves you -- championed by iconic athletes. What’s your next act? If you’re Nike, innovation never rests. Nike serves its customers holistically, and it just keeps getting stronger. Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist reveal how Nike continuously reinvents itself as a leader in experience, design, customer service, personalization, localization, inclusion and lots of fresh new ideas including Nike Rise, Nike Live and the House of...2021-08-1919 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportPlatinum Customer Service Turns to Tin, Post-CovidWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Service in retail has been on a downward spiral well before the pandemic. Covid-19 capped off a shortage in workers with retail leading all industries in the Great Resignation. Fewer workers put more stress on those left behind and demanding consumers are stressing out sales associates that are already struggling with inventory shortages and unprecedented returns. Tune in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, discuss the future of retail frontline workers and the decline and fa...2021-08-1219 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportCovid Throws Yet Another Curve at RetailWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It takes being a professional virus hunter to know what to do at this juncture in our global pandemic. Who makes the right call? The CDC? FDA? WHO? Your boss? Retail is approaching near chaos in decoding how to manage the policies and protocols that change daily with no clear direction from federal, state or local authorities. And what’s worse, the health and security of innocent people has been politicized. Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TR...2021-08-0524 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportDo You Know Where Your Customers Are?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Tech innovations reveal insights about your customers that you may not see in plain sight. In-person analytics should be as common for each retailer as online analytics are for their websites. How do retailers measure and leverage the shifts in consumer behavior as cities and businesses reopen? Join special guest George Shaw, CEO of Pathr, Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they explore how algorithm-based spatial intelligence provides meaningful insights to help understand live customer in...2021-07-2920 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportRental, Reuse...and Free?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Is it financial constraint or by choice that consumers are running toward rental and reuse? And what’s up with borrowing new stuff that’s almost free? This could be good news for consumers who want to repurpose their clothes and trade them in for something new. It’s also a relief from prices that are edging up post-pandemic as quality edges down. But there’s more to the story. Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief st...2021-07-2225 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMike Gould: Icon, Iconoclast and Retail LegendWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Want some straight talk on leadership and retail culture? Mike Gould, former CEO of Bloomingdale’s, speaks out on the issues derailing retail. The promise of customer satisfaction has been displaced by a bottom-line mentality. Mike joins Robin Lewis, and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, to talk about the industry and how it can improve. Listen in for a lively, wide-ranging conversation. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can read, watc...2021-07-1540 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMade in America...or Bought in AmericaWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!You know the drill: Designed in America, made and/or assembled somewhere else. U.S. consumers are so price sensitive even patriotic Made in America movements have historically failed. The renaissance of Made in America could become a reality if technology can help keep the prices down. Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist as they debate the future of offshore, nearshore and onshore American manufacturing.For more strategic insights and compelling co...2021-07-0819 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportAgile Stores: Hype or Hope?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Everyone is talking about Agile Stores, but is it all hype? What’s the benefit of agility and how can you implement agile strategies to ensure high-performance? Data can be a powerful tool or irrelevant if it’s not translated into action and connected to results. Join Phil Thorne, Managing Director of Quorso, with Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig into how to implement the right tech systems to turn rich data into focuse...2021-07-0123 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportA Surge in Digital MarketplacesWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Digital marketplaces, even with competing sellers on the same platform, are the future of retail. Word of caution: An overabundance of brands offered through one platform is devaluing the customer experience, plus the near-infinite level of choice stacked up in endless online aisles with too much of the same thing competing for attention is ultimately not going to win customer loyalty. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they dig deeply into the current state of...2021-06-2422 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportRamping Up Your Retail GameWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The future of retail requires an ecosystem overhaul. Today, CEOs are faced by the rigorous challenge of retaining customers who are elastic – meaning fluid in their ever-changing expectations and behaviors. Join Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, with guest Dan Binder, Partner at Columbus Consulting as they debate four foundational issues reshaping retail: investment in new inventory systems, automation of smart supply chains, enhanced data, analytics and marketing skills, and streamlined technological efficiencies. Listen in to find...2021-06-1733 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe D2C Model Is No Silver BulletWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!D2C is the new darling of retail consultants. But it’s tricky and risky for traditional retailers with multiple vendors to play in this popular sandbox. It takes time, resources, and money to build out a sustainable D2C model. Key point: D2C is no panacea for struggling retailers. Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, as they delve into the opportunities and complexities of going direct.TIMESTAMPS:...2021-06-1028 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWe’re Dressing Up: Post-Covid Optimism Research from Cotton Inc.We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!All dressed up and nowhere to go? That sentiment will become a dim memory of the past pandemic. When it’s safe people want to #1 see family and friends, #2 go on vacation #3 go out to dinners/bars. These are great indicators for the apparel segment. Join Robin Lewis, Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist and special guest Kim Kitchings, Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing for Cotton Inc. as they delve into recent consumer research that reveals good news for the...2021-06-0334 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportSocial Media or Marketplace Platform?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Your social network is expanding to personal shopping: social commerce will exceed $62B by 2024. The biggest players are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat, but don’t count out brands developing their own platforms – just look at what Nike and Sephora are doing. And retailers, you’re on notice: social commerce is a more engaging, personalized, and immediate online shopping experience. Listen to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan as they look into social commerce and its challenge to the online...2021-05-2716 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMaking It Personal with Sarah McVittie, co-founder of DressipiWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Customers don’t want a flat journey that shows the same products in the same order to everyone. They want an inspirational, personalized experience that is completely relevant to them. How do retailers deliver a valuable, emotional online experience? Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR chief strategist, have a wide-ranging conversation with entrepreneur Sarah McVittie, co-founder of Dressipi, as they discuss how innovative tech solutions fused with empathy are changing the customer experience and retailers’ bottom lines...2021-05-2024 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWalmart vs Amazon: Battle of the Titans to Be #1We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Is Walmart Amazon’s headache? Or the opposite? Time is our currency in a digital marketplace, and the race is on for Amazon to become dominant in the physical space or Walmart to dominate the online space. If you play by the numbers, Amazon's total revenue is projected to hit $660 billion by 2024 and Walmart will clock in at $630 billion. Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, debate the battle of the titans as both Amaz...2021-05-1323 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportHappy Days Are Here Again...MaybeWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It’s almost opening night for America, a tangible signal that happy days are here again with economic growth for nonessential retail finally in sight. But if New York City is the standard-bearer for post-pandemic optimism, we might be jumping the gun. Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR’s chief strategist, go in-depth on how in-store retail is going to move forward. A few of the issues: languishing customer Covid anxiety; pent-up demand for self-reward; the retu...2021-05-0620 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportRetail is Dismantled in Ten YearsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!It only took 10 years to rewrite retail history. In the past decade, retailing has been in full-scale deconstruction propelled by technology, consumer behaviors and the new rules of a digital marketplace. What will the next decade reveal? Retail engineers will run the business in tandem with chief experience experts who fuse the art and science of commerce transforming the transaction into a personal relationship. Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR's chief strategist, as they discuss how...2021-04-2925 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe End of the "Retail Store" as We Know ItWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Doug McMillon says that Walmart is pivoting to becoming a shared services platform for customers. Is this the end of the store as we know it? It's a new mindset for a new decade. We are living in a time of radical transformation: Services at Costco represent 20 percent of sales, clocking in at $30 billion last year. And the real key to services is membership, which has its embedded benefits and creates super loyalty to the brand. What's more, services are...2021-04-2220 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportPost-Pandemic Pricing Power? No Way!We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Welcome to the Roaring Twenties. Pent-up demand for self-reward, stimulus checks, pumped-up savings and rock-bottom interest rates will feed a spending frenzy. Are pricing power and inflation lurking? Not a chance! What we really need to pay attention to is the evolving devaluation of retail as we race to the bottom with endless promotions to get rid of senseless oversupply, perpetuated for over half a century, and now dumped into an incredible proliferation of off-price and dollar stores. Listen and...2021-04-1517 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportAmazon: Strategic or Scattershot?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Is Amazon following a rational, actionable physical store strategy? Or is it practicing a hit or miss scattershot approach to expanding its physical presence to a predicted 3600 store count? Listen to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategist for TRR, as they debate Amazon's future. Is Amazon actually in stealth mode to engineer another significant market disruption? Listen and learn!For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com where you can read, watch, and listen...2021-04-0920 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportNext Wave Retail as Openly Shared Distribution PlatformsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Collaborative partnerships, including concession models, dropshipping and other types of vendor-owned inventory models are replacing antiquated wholesale-to-retail, creating shared digital and physical distribution platforms. Through collaborative partnerships, manufacturers from Nike to Prada move towards a more direct-to-consumer model while retail stores from Foot Locker to Nordstrom create endless aisles for consumers and reduce inventory investments. To that end, the big winner is the consumer with access to greater product assortments and higher levels of product availability. Retailers win...2021-04-0120 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Saks Breakup…or Breakdown?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!What is Richard Baker thinking? It goes against all omnichannel reasoning to break Saks into separate divisions - except to claw profits out of each, which will ultimately make Saks another real estate play. Just look at what happened to Lord & Taylor. Listen to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategy officer of TRR, as they deconstruct what's happening to Saks and how it may play out as it moves backward, away from its core customer.For...2021-03-2518 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportActivists Wreak HavocWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Take a look at what's happening at Kohl's. Many activists make their move out of short-term greed and take down brands for short-term profit. Their goal? Replace current board members with activists' picks (Note: many bored, retired executives who want to get back in the game). The new activist-controlled board drives short-term financial engineering to yield a quick bump up in stock price. Then? They cash out. What's a CEO with a solid long-term strategic plan to do? Robin Lewis...2021-03-1822 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportCEO Tenure: Does it Matter?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!When is enough, enough? Boards have turned the CEO office into a revolving door out of impatience, supported by short-term, shortsighted strategic thinking. Truth be told, the longer a CEO stays in place to manage a crisis or turn around a company, the higher the percentage for long-term success. Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan reveal why tenure makes a difference and why time is a CEO’s most precious currency. For more strategic insights an...2021-03-1125 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWholesale/Retail Model Is a Dead Man WalkingWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Note to self: Inventory is a liability. The traditional retail/wholesale model is antiquated and irrelevant. The retailer is now the curator. Moving beyond the concession model is leasing real estate at the going rate and let brands do what they do best: deeply understand their customers and sell to them. Listen in to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategy officer of TRR, as they reveal how collaboration through strategic partnerships between the retailer and brands is a...2021-03-0421 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWalmart Goes Beyond RetailWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!How Not to Think Like a RetailerDoug McMillon is shaking up conventional thinking and transforming Walmart beyond retail into a trusted advisor for its millions of customers. What did he do to make this behemoth brand into a touchpoint at the personal level for its loyal customers? Listen in as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR chief strategy officer, reveal how Walmart is redefining the new rules of retail, fusing tech with personalization to...2021-02-2521 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportMany Unhappy ReturnsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!With the explosion of ecommerce comes the explosion of returns. Walmart, Amazon and Target ask customers to keep some of their returns for free rather than clogging their logistics systems with the hassle of low-value, no-resale merchandise costing the industry $550 billion a year. What if this policy becomes as standard as free shipping? Listen to Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategy officer for TRR, as they caution the industry not to go down this rabbit hole. ...2021-02-1915 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportShareholders or Stakeholders...Who Owns Your Business?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!"Hey Milton Friedman, listen up! I'm just a small town economist wannabe, but what I describe is a more powerful, free-market capitalistic economy -- driven and sustained by the consumer who has the power to force commerce to give them what they want." So says Robin Lewis as he describes the mandate to balance people, profit and the planet. Robin and Shelley E. Kohan, TRR chief strategy officer, deconstruct the move from shareholder focus to stakeholder inclusion.For...2021-02-1218 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportWhat Drives Tractor Supply Company?We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Three New Rules of RetailComplex market forces require intelligent, innovative solutions, powered by technology. Customer-centric strategies that are interconnected and change with the changing landscape deliver a competitive edge. Who's the poster child for this model? Tractor Supply Company.1. Neurologically connecting experiences attract new customers and develop loyalists.2. Preemptive distribution is essential to guarantee localization and relevance. 3. A superior supply chain delivers exactly what your customers want.Listen in...2021-02-0418 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportThe Big Bang Theory of LocalizationWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!The last mile delivery race is the key to a positive customer journey, and the last point of distribution must be as close to the consumer as possible. Amazon owns the science of distribution with its proliferations in delivery jets, trucks and drones supported by high tech. Now the last mile is coming to you with the explosion of thousands upon thousands of neighborhood stores across the country and a reduction of big-box urban flagship stores and malls.With...2021-01-2917 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportGrowing PainsWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Listen in this week as Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategy officer for TRR, tackle the “Infinite Growth” pipe dream. Long story short, it’s a failed strategy of growth for growth’s sake that will not survive in the new world. Retailers are overstored and have been over producing, leading to supply chain disequilibrium. The newest and largest consumer group, Gen Z, demands the need for retailers to evolve from their old ways and embrace a flexible, customer...2021-01-2116 min
Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin ReportLeadership Formula for DisasterWe'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!If you’re not careful, dysfunctional business strategies can highjack your future. Robin Lewis and Shelley E. Kohan, chief strategy officer for TRR reveal four key barriers that can sideline retail leaders. From lack of enlightenment and a siloed and sclerotic culture to insufficient capital and the need for speed to leapfrog over outdated systems and strategies, leaders face a crippling obstacle course to sustaining a successful business model. Robin says, “The unenlightened will cry against change saying, ‘This is the wa...2021-01-1520 min