Shows
Talk Retail to MeThe New Rules of Retail Pricing: Navigating Market Volatility, Real-Time Data, and AIEpisode Overview
In this dynamic roundtable, host Sam Iosevich monitors a panel of pricing experts as they discuss how to tackle the complexities of modern retail pricing. From inflation and AI to organizational alignment and price wars, this episode delivers sharp insights and practical guidance.
Guests
Robert McGuire, Retail Pricing Leader
Jeffrey Kittell, VP, Pricing & Strategy, SpartanNash
Eddy Salas, SVP Retail Strategy, DataWeave
Key Takeaways
How agility in pricing starts with organizational clarity and cross-functional alignment
You cannot be agile if your teams are not aligned. A well-defined pricing strategy, clear decision rights, and tight collaboration between mer...2025-04-1634 min
Talk Retail to MeThe AI-Driven Demand Signal: Unifying Retailers for Seamless SuccessIn this episode, Tricia Gustin is joined by Sam Iosevich from Parker Avery and Dilip Popat from Novulis Consulting to discuss how AI-driven demand signals transform retail and CPG industries.
The conversation explores the power of the Enterprise Intelligence Hypercube, an advanced platform that integrates data across all organizational functions to provide real-time, actionable insights. Sam and Dilip share how AI enables retailers to address inventory productivity, revenue variability, and margin pressure while emphasizing the importance of clean data for successful AI implementations.
Key Takeaways:
What is an AI-driven Demand Signal? An AI-driven demand...2025-02-2529 min
Talk Retail to MeThe RACI Revolution: How Process Became a Retailer’s Bridge to TrustIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, we dive into a transformation at one of America's largest family-owned luxury retailers. What started as a straightforward client project to clarify roles became a journey of rebuilding trust, transforming leadership behaviors, and healing a deeply fractured organization. Join Parker Avery CEO Robert Kaufman, Principal Kathi Toll, and host Tricia Gustin as the team unpacks how authentic leadership, structured processes, and a willingness to admit mistakes turn an organizational crisis into a story of redemption.
Key Takeaways
What started as a simple process improvement project revealed deep organizational trust issues...2024-11-1938 min
Talk Retail to MeHarmonizing and Modernizing Retail Merchandising: Insights from a Major Jewelry Retailer ProjectIn this episode of Parker Avery's "Talk Retail to Me" podcast, Clay Parnell (president and managing partner) and Marty Anderson (principal) discuss a recently completed project for a $7 billion jewelry retailer. The two retail experts share valuable insights from the project which entailed developing a comprehensive, actionable roadmap to address business and technology challenges resulting from significant growth and acquisitions.
Read the case study: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/global-jewelers-new-retail-process-and-technology-roadmap-energize-growth/
Learn about Parker Avery's consulting services: https://parkeravery.com/retail-consulting/
Start solving your most important merchandising challenges: https://parkeravery.com/contact-us/
Y...2024-09-0326 min
Talk Retail to MeBehind the Scenes of a Remarkable Store Operations Improvement ProjectIn this episode of the 'Talk Retail to Me' podcast by The Parker Avery Group, Tricia Gustin, senior director Carrie Habel, and senior manager Dustin Wright discuss a recent store operations improvement project. They detail their innovative approach, including a capsized train-the-trainer strategy and deep store collaboration, to identify inefficiencies such as laborious administrative tasks and ineffective training practices. The project resulted in significant labor savings, improved processes, and enhanced backroom organization, illustrating the value of cross-functional collaboration and retailer engagement.
Start solving your most important store operations challenges: https://parkeravery.com/contact-us/
Learn about ou...2024-06-2531 min
Talk Retail to MeExpert Q&A | The New Role of Retail’s Chief Supply Chain OfficerIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Parker Avery’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kaufman shares his insights about the changing role of the retail chief supply chain officer.
Answering questions from a recent interview with media outlet, Modern Retail, Robert discusses how changes in consumer shopping behaviors, combined with global macroeconomic events and disturbances have added great complexity, challenges, and risks to the retail supply chain. These issues continue to prevent a reliable and consistent flow of goods for even the largest and most sophisticated retailers and have dramatically altered the chief supply chain officer’s role...2023-11-2912 min
Talk Retail to MeExpert Q&A | In-Store Omnichannel FulfillmentIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Senior Director and omnichannel expert Rob Oglesby shares his insights into how big box retailers are handling the in-store fulfillment of omnichannel orders. Answering questions from a recent interview with media outlet Modern Retail, Rob outlines the implications, challenges, and risks, even as this capability becomes critical to many retailers’ success.
Rob answers the following questions about in-store omnichannel fulfillment:
What is the basic idea behind using stores as fulfillment centers?
What is pushing this strategy to become popular among big box stores?
What are some of the ma...2023-10-0314 min
Talk Retail to MeTransformation Happy Hour | Integrated Business Planning
Hosted by retail demand planning experts, Sam Iosevich, Marty Anderson, and Steve Gordon, Parker Avery's recent Talk Retail to Me Transformation Happy Hour covered integrated business planning as a key strategic focus area for leading retailers and consumer brands. The trio outlined key enablers around technology, business process, and organization that help companies unleash collaboration and efficiencies with integrated business planning to help realize meaningful business improvements.
During this interactive happy hour, Sam, Marty, and Steve introduced Parker Avery's retail and CPG planning maturity model and answered participants' most pressing questions regarding integrated business planning.
Show reso...2023-08-1538 min
Talk Retail to MeBusiness Process Transformation Deep DiveThis episode of Parker Avery's Talk Retail to Me podcast focuses on business process transformation. Featuring two of our retail leaders, Clay Parnell and Deanna Emsley, we take a deep dive into what it means to transform business processes. We cover what areas are focus points for our clients, how Parker Avery helps retailers and consumer brands prioritize and navigate these process transformations, and what success looks like.
Moderated by Senior Director, Tricia Gustin, Clay and Deanna discussed the following questions
What does business process transformation mean? What might it include?
Is every change in the wa...2023-07-3125 min
Talk Retail to MeTransformation Happy Hour | Data Governance and Retail Master Data ManagementWith technology moving at lightning speed, proper management of master data is critical to fully take advantage of new tech innovations. Yet, many retailers struggle with master data management and data governance. Hosted by Parker Avery retail consultants and master data experts, our June 29 Talk Retail to Me Transformation Happy Hour explored the most pressing master data challenges Parker Avery's clients and other retailers are facing. Our happy hour hosts provided a brief overview of master data challenges and the implications of not having a planful approach and data governance in place. Most of the happy hour was spent answering...2023-07-0645 min
Talk Retail to MeTransformation Happy Hour | More On Transformational LeadershipBack by popular demand! Due to so much interest in our earlier podcast discussion on Transformational Leadership, we hosted an online happy hour focused on the same topic so we could answer your questions in a live format.
This fun, interactive event was hosted by Parker Avery OCM experts and retail veterans, Kathi Toll, Marty Anderson, and Carrie Habel who refocused the traditional paradigm of change management to a mindset that instills stronger elements of transformational leadership. Joining from three different states, three timezones, two airports, and one home office, Kathi, Carrie, and Marty discussed how retail leaders can assess and...2023-06-0153 min
Talk Retail to MeRetail Hierarchies Deep DiveIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Parker Avery consultants and retail veterans Marty Anderson, Deanna Emsley, and Mike Johnson take a deep dive into the world of retail hierarchies. Senior Director of Marketing, Tricia Gustin, hosts the discussion, during which the experts discuss:
What are retail hierarchies and what roles are involved?
Why they are so often mismanaged or poorly executed?
What are best practices when it comes to developing and maintaining retail hierarchies?
Where does data governance factor in with hierarchies?
What systems support hierarchies and which integrations are important?
To learn more about Parker Av...2023-04-2637 min
Talk Retail to MeAllocation and Replenishment Deep DiveIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Parker Avery consultants take a deep dive into allocation and replenishment. Coming off the heels of Shoptalk 2023, where so many people are still reaching for the shiny tech, we are focused on ensuring the basics of retail are securely and optimally in place so those customer-facing innovations work well and deliver a great customer experience.
Allocation and replenishment is one area with its share of innovations like integration to AI-driven demand forecasting, but also brings lots of opportunities to increase internal and external efficiencies and result in better inventory...2023-04-1331 min
Talk Retail to MeTransformational LeadershipOrganizational change management and retail experts Kathi Toll and Carrie Habel discuss transformational leadership and why this competency is critically important. They outline how it differs from change management and specific tactics retailers and brands must take to evolve their organizations and people into transformational leaders.
Meet Kathi Toll: https://parkeravery.com/kathi-toll/
Meet Carrie Habel: https://parkeravery.com/carrie-habel/
To learn more about The Parker Avery Group and our range of consulting services for retailers and CPG companies, please visit https://parkeravery.com.
For the video version of this episode, visit: https://youtu.be...2023-02-2236 min
Talk Retail to MeNext-Generation Integrated Business PlanningIn this episode of our Talk Retail to Me podcast, we discuss integrated business planning (IBP) and how Parker Avery approaches this strategic capability that many retailers and consumer brands struggle to effectively grasp because of the traditionally highly siloed nature of planning.
This episode features Sam Iosevich, Parker Avery’s Chief Analytics Officer, and Steve Gordon, our Chief Customer Officer. Both Sam and Steve have deep experience with aligning organizations’ planning processes around a unified demand signal.
Also joining the conversation is retail veteran and Principal Marty Anderson, who lends an industry-backed perspective from his ex...2022-11-1638 min
Talk Retail to MeProduct Development Deep DiveTricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing for The Parker Avery Group is joined by Parker Avery’s CEO, Robert Kaufman, along with Senior Manager John Lawing. The trio takes a deep dive into the product development process and supporting PLM systems. Based on their decades of experience helping Parker Avery clients enhance this key functional area, they also highlight best practices and innovations that retailers and brands should be considering, as well as common pitfalls to avoid. Questions covered include:
What is product development and what roles are involved?
What key capabilities are the most important?
What are th...2022-11-0141 min
Talk Retail to MeMathematics Students Gain Retail Analytics Experience Through Parker Avery PartnershipIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, Tricia Gustin is joined by Parker Avery's Chief Analytics Officer Sam Iosevich, along with Senior Analytics Consultant Scott Kirila and Professor Alex Iosevich from the University of Rochester mathematics department. This episode provides an insider’s view of the university’s STEM Tripods 2022 summer research program. The group discusses the "real world" retail industry experience the participating students received, Parker Avery's hands-on involvement, as well as how the program continues to expand.
STEM for All is a month-long summer program during which participants from the university and other local colle...2022-09-2728 min
Talk Retail to MeCritical Retail Pricing Capabilities for Inflationary TimesThis episode of Talk Retail to Me features Principal Marty Anderson and Senior Manager Dmitry Magas, who are both retail pricing and advanced analytics experts. A few weeks ago, Maria Monteros from Modern Retail interviewed Marty and Dmitry for an article she wrote titled, “Not raising prices is the hot new inflation marketing tactic.” We invite you to sit in on their conversation, where the two experts discuss how different pricing strategies, along with deeply understanding price elasticities of your products, and the use of advanced analytics tools like Parker Avery's are capabilities that set retail leaders far ahead of the...2022-08-2423 min
Talk Retail to MeAchieving Sustainability Maturity in the Retail Supply ChainThis week, we welcome Mark Burstein who is the EVP, Industry & Market Development for Logility. Logility is a supply-chain-focused solution vendor that is accelerating the digital sustainable supply chain by helping retailers seize new opportunities, sense and respond to changing market dynamics, and more profitably manage their complex global businesses. Mark is also a Contributing Member of the Forbes Technology Council.
Joining Mark is Parker Avery Partner Randi Nolan. The two industry experts recently attended the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s Traceability and Sustainability Conference held in beautiful downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In this episode, we dis...2022-08-1034 min
Talk Retail to MeRetail Pricing and Promotions Deep DiveThis week, Parker Avery Principal Marty Anderson along with Senior Managers Heidi Csencsits and Dmitry Magas discuss retail pricing and promotions. The three industry experts expand on their recent core merchandising conversation and take a deep dive into another key retail capability area. Along with host Tricia Gustin, the team covers:
What is involved in the effective management of pricing and promotions?
What key capabilities are the most important?
What common mistakes or challenges do you see?
What innovations can improve a company’s capabilities in this area?
To learn more about Parker Avery's retail experience, clients, and s...2022-07-1155 min
Talk Retail to MeMerchandise Financial Planning Deep DiveIn this episode, The Parker Avery Group continues our focus on core retail functions, and we cover merchandise financial planning (MFP). Senior Director of Marketing Tricia Gustin is joined by Senior Managers LouAnn Villasor and Russ Smith, both of whom have deep experience in merchandise financial planning business processes and system implementation across a wide variety of retailers. In this discussion, we focus on MFP challenges, innovations, and key capabilities.
To learn more about Parker Avery's retail experience, clients, and services, please visit https://parkeravery.com
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Talk Retail to MeWelcome to The Parker Avery Group Steve GordonThis week, Parker Avery’s Chief Analytics Officer and Managing Partner, Sam Iosevich, and Senior Director of Marketing, Tricia Gustin, welcome Steve Gordon into the firm. Steve is an apparel, grocery, and CPG industry veteran with over three decades of experience as a retail industry insider, business development professional, and consultant. He joins The Parker Avery Group as the firm's Chief Customer Officer. Learn about Steve and Sam's long career history together and the key tenets they share about company culture, clients, and teams.
Read Steve's press release: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/the-parker-avery-group-expands-firms-executive-team/
Learn more about The Parker Avery G...2022-05-1132 min
Talk Retail to MeOrganizational Change Management and DEI ConvergeIn this episode, guest Michelle Bogan joins our discussion. Michelle's firm, Equity at Work, provides consulting to companies focused on developing DEI strategies to align business objectives, employee experiences, and company values. Equity at Work also supports company leaders in driving the appropriate changes. This episode also features Kathi Toll and Carrie Habel, who both lead Parker Avery’s Organizational Change Management Academy and OCM projects for the firm's clients, as well as Tricia Gustin, the firm's marketing leader. The discussion focuses on:
Michelle's extensive retail background
How and why she started her firm Equity at Work
The para...2022-05-0539 min
Talk Retail to MeCore Merchandising Deep DiveIn this episode of Talk Retail to Me, we kick off a series that will focus on specific business areas across retail and CPG. Over the next few months, we’re going to take a deep dive into all areas of merchandising, planning, supply chain, forecasting, omnichannel, and more.
For each of these business areas, Parker Avery's team of experts gets into basics and details, covering questions like:
What does this area encompass?
What key capabilities are the most important?
What retailers or consumer brand companies excel at it?
What common mistakes or challenges do you see...2022-04-201h 05
Talk Retail to MeWelcome to The Parker Avery Group Randi NolanThis week, Clay Parnell, Parker Avery’s President and Managing Partner, and Tricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing, welcome retail industry leader Randi Nolan into the firm. Randi has an extensive list of executive titles across global retail and apparel brands—and her accomplishments are widely recognized throughout the industry. The trio discusses Randi's extensive career in retail, as well as their perspectives on key focus areas for retailers as they navigate 2022 and beyond.
To learn more about Parker Avery's team, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/pag-team/.
Featured on the Best 60 Retail Podcas...2022-03-2923 min
Talk Retail to MeChanging the Paradigm of Retail Inventory ManagementThis episode of Talk Retail to Me features Les McNeill, the Chief Technology Officer and founder of Impulselogic, Inc., along with Parker Avery store operations experts, Senior Director Rob Oglesby, and Tricia Gustin, Senior Director of Marketing. The trio of experts talks about the causes of in-store inventory management issues as well how changes to the overall store inventory paradigm and business processes, along with strategic use of new technologies, can help drive better results not just in stores, but throughout the supply chain and even upstream into merchandising and assortment planning decisions.
To support this paradigm ch...2022-03-1645 min
Talk Retail to MeIntroducing Dave Seeley and the Principle of Simple Retail ExecutionThis week, Tricia Gustin is joined by Parker Avery's President and Managing Partner, Clay Parnell, along with Dave Seeley, who recently joined The Parker Avery Group as a Senior Manager. Dave brings a tremendous amount of retail industry experience, across operations, merchandising, and IT. In this episode, we discuss Dave's extensive retail industry background, his continued interest in integrating AI and advanced analytics with the business of retail, and why his principle of keeping retail execution simple is paramount for success in any initiative. The trio of experts also provides an insider's view of The Parker Avery Group's culture, ho...2022-02-2323 min
Talk Retail to MeGiving Back and Moving Forward: The JEDI ChallengeThis week, we took a departure from our usual industry focus and talked about an initiative that’s near and dear to The Parker Avery Group's culture—our partnership with RetailROI and the JEDI Challenge. We began this relationship early in 2021 with a sponsorship of RetailROI’s SuperFriday event, which led to another sponsorship of their March Gladness event. Those two events began a series of conversations among Parker Avery’s team about what more could we could do to help, beyond sponsorships, ultimately leading us to create an entrepreneur program for young Jamaicans.
In this episode, we discus...2022-02-1630 min
Talk Retail to MeA Demand Analytics Time MachineThis week, Tricia Gustin sat down with The Parker Avery Group's Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, along with Senior Manager Dmitry Magas, who joined the firm almost exactly a year ago. The trio talked about Dmitry's analytics background and history with Sam, as well as some highlights of past client projects focused on forecasting and demand analytics. They also discussed some recent Parker Avery pricing and analytics projects including a recently completed price optimization project for a global grocery retailer. Learn about Dmitry's development of what Parker Avery's analytics team calls their "time machine," as well as why analytics is...2022-01-2025 min
Talk Retail to MeImplications and Perspectives of Homegoods‘ E-Commerce LaunchJust in time for the holiday shopping frenzy, retail experts Kathi Toll, Heidi Csencsits, Carrie Habel, and Tricia Gustin discuss the recent launch of Homegoods' e-commerce platform, and the implications of this strategy on store operations, roles and responsibilities, merchandising, customer perception, inventory management, and more. Enjoy this entertaining and casual conversation that not only veers off into other retail segments, but also highlights the deep industry expertise and the consumer perspectives of these professionals.
To learn more about Parker Avery's retail and consumer goods consulting services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/c...2021-12-1048 min
Talk Retail to MeLeading Analytics in India: Meet Dinesh HelwadeThis week, Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, and Director of Analytics, Dinesh Helwade, discuss their decades-long working relationship as well as Dinesh's plans for the firm's analytics team in India. Learn how their deep analytics expertise, combined with a strong organizational culture, create compelling analytics solutions for Parker Avery clients.
To learn more about Parker Avery's analytics services and expertise, we invite you to visit: https://parkeravery.com/enterprise-intelligence/
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Enterprise-wide Planning Solution Drives Global Retailer’s Agility: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/enterprise-wide-planning-solution-drives-global-retailers-agility/
One Demand Signal, Endless G...2021-12-0131 minTalk Retail to MeA Refreshing Change: Why Traditional Change Management Methods FailIn this episode, Parker Avery’s change management leader Kathi Toll, along with experts Carrie Habel and Heidi Csencsits talk about the firm’s best-of-breed approach to change management and why it raises the bar above more traditional methods.
In this lively discussion, the team touches on:
Why a more tailored approach to change is needed in every client environment and project
Situations where we’ve seen clients “wing it” or use outdated tools/philosophies—and expect success (but are usually disappointed)
At what point in a project change management activities should start
Key tenets fo...2021-11-1938 minTalk Retail to MeThriving Through Constant ChangeAfter recently completing an in-depth change management initiative with popular retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Parker Avery's change management leader, Kathi Toll, sat down with Dru Dominici, Director of Wholesale, and Tony Bradley, VP of Corporate Development, to discuss the need for more agile and adaptable organizations. During this lively chat, the three experts also discuss John Kotter's “Thrive versus Survive” response, as outlined in a recent HBR article, as well as the criticality of understanding that the most effective change activities specifically address these innate human responses. With the world's increasing volatility and complexity, and rapid change increasingly accepted as the “...2021-11-1136 minTalk Retail to MeThe Demand Intelligence DifferenceThis week we're talking about Demand Intelligence, Parker Avery’s software-as-a-service demand planning platform. Demand Intelligence is not only powered by the latest in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, but it’s also driven by deep retail and CPG industry expertise. One of the unique things about Demand Intelligence is that its development was informed with input from several global retail and CPG executives. The guiding light was to solve real retail and consumer goods business challenges and incorporate industry best practices bolstered with advanced analytics.
Outside of the deep science and math, Demand Intelligence is a workflow-guided soluti...2021-09-2922 minTalk Retail to MeAssortment Planning: Expert Perspectives and InsightsIn this episode, assortment planning experts, Senior Manager Heidi Csencsits, hosts Principal Marty Anderson and Senior Manager Louann Villasor to discuss assortment planning. The Parker Avery Group has seen tremendous interest in our clients for improving their assortment planning capabilities, not only bringing in new technology but also revamping business processes and organization to ensure these retailers are providing compelling assortments that drive both customer traffic and bottom-line profit. Louann and Marty recently completed a major assortment planning system selection and implementation for a large home décor retailer, and the three experts provide their perspectives on the subject. The...2021-09-1541 minTalk Retail to MeSuccess as a Retail Consultant: Introducing Nia McDonaldIn this episode, Partner Amanda Astrologo introduces one of the newest members of The Parker Avery Group, Senior Consultant Nia McDonald. With over a decade of experience across a wide variety of retailers, retail segments, and CPG companies, Nia focuses on merchandise and sales planning, forecasting, and replenishment, as well as pricing and promotional strategies.
Amanda and Nia discuss her journey into retail consulting, the key skills and characteristics that successful consultants share, what it's like to be on the "consulting side," as well as being part of The Parker Avery Group's unique culture.
Meet the...2021-08-3122 minTalk Retail to MeNew Muscles for Effective RetailersOrganizational change management experts Kathi Toll, Deanna Emsley, and Marty Anderson talk about the new muscles retail and consumer brand companies must develop to be effective and competitive. In this episode of Parker Avery's "Talk Retail to Me" podcast, the team discusses:
Tenets that must be true for an organization to be effective
Their experiences of going "back" into the office and traveling
How communication within an organization needs to change with such a different work environment
What associates in the corporate buildings can learn from the retail staff "on the front lines"
Why higher priority must be p...2021-08-1036 minTalk Retail to MeRetail Inventory Management: Post-Pandemic Focus AreasThis week President and Managing Partner Clay Parnell, along with Partner Amanda Astrologo and Senior Director Rob Oglesby discuss key areas retailers are focusing on now and where they must focus in the near future for effective retail inventory management. This may come as a surprise, but it's less about technology and much more about core capabilities driven by business processes and a sizable shift in traditional organizational roles and responsibilities across the retail enterprise. Further, it's about a focus on foundational elements to ensure resiliency and agility throughout the supply chain to ensure retailers meet customer demand and e...2021-07-2729 minTalk Retail to MeMaster Data Management: The Backbone of Omnichannel RetailThis week, Senior Managers Heidi Csencsits and Mike Johnson talk about a recent client project, where The Parker Avery Group helped a home décor retailer define and standardize product attributes across 50,000 items to improve the omnichannel customer experience and merchandising effectiveness. The two retail experts also outline the importance of strong master data management and governance as the backbone of all retail omnichannel initiatives, as well as best practices and tips on getting started.
We invite you to learn more about The Parker Avery Group's consulting services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/services/
You may a...2021-06-2224 minTalk Retail to MeWhat You Need to Know About Retail Software Selection ProjectsOn this episode of the Talk Retail to Me podcast, Parker Avery Senior Partner Amanda Astrologo and Tricia Gustin interview retail expert Julie Cheney. Julie has over 25 years of experience as an executive and consultant in the retail and wholesale industries. She has held leadership positions in buying, merchandise planning & allocation, and program management within specialty apparel, footwear, outdoor equipment, and general merchandise retailers.
In addition to Julie's perspectives on consulting from within and outside the corporate halls, the trio of retail experts discusses how retail system selection projects have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as wha...2021-06-0822 minTalk Retail to MeBridging the Gap Between Humans & Artificial IntelligenceThe Parker Avery Group's analytics team gives their perspectives on finding the balance between artificial and emotional (human) intelligence. Led by Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, this team of mathematics PhDs has been continuously enhancing the firm's advanced analytics offerings for Parker Avery's clients. In this episode, Scott Kirila, Evan Witz, and Luke Vaicunas discuss how intimately understanding each client's situation is key to providing the best solution--as well as the importance of helping the business understand and embrace artificial intelligence. They also provide insights into the differences and learnings of bringing deep science from academia into the retail and...2021-05-2132 minTalk Retail to MeKey Considerations of Remote System ImplementationsRetail experts Marty Anderson and Russ Smith discuss how system implementation projects have fundamentally changed during the pandemic. Based on their experience of halting solution implementation projects mid-stream when the pandemic first hit and then ramping back up months later, Marty and Russ highlight key considerations for implementation success, including:
How the overall structure of implementation teams changed.
What activities are better conducted in person vs. remotely.
How communication, change management, and engagement tactics need to adapt to accommodate a remote environment.
We invite you to learn more about The Parker Avery Group's implementation consulting services by v...2021-05-0431 minTalk Retail to MeChasing Challenges: Parker Avery's Analytics SWAT Team LeadersIn this episode, Parker Avery's Chief Analytics Officer and Managing Partner Sam Iosevich sits down with Senior Director of Analytics, George Arutyunyants to talk about George's lifelong journey into and through analytics, his development philosophies, and his passion for chasing challenges in his eternal pursuit of gaining more knowledge. Discover how the saying, "We are born with two ears and one mouth" and partnerships with academia, coupled with deep analytical, retail, and consumer goods expertise translate to better solutions for Parker Avery's clients.
We invite you to learn more about The Parker Avery Group's analytics services by vi...2021-03-2315 minTalk Retail to MeHow to Approach Merchandise Financial Planning for 2021Parker Avery retail planning experts, LouAnn Villasor and Lee Whitaker, discuss how merchandise financial planning (MFP) has changed over the course of 2020. Based on their deep experience implementing MFP solutions, you will get their perspectives on how retailers need to think differently in approaching MFP going forward into 2021 and beyond.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group's services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/services/
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New Merchandise Financial Planning Solution Drives Retail Results: https...2021-02-1718 minTalk Retail to MeTraining Strategies and Tactics for a Virtual WorldThis week, retail expert Heidi Csencsits and Parker Avery's change management and training experts, Kathi Toll, LouAnn Villasor, and Carrie Habel discuss training training strategies and tactics for a virtual world. As with many corporate initiatives, training needs have fundamentally changed. These four retail experts provide insights about how companies must adopt new remote training strategies and tactics to ensure sustainable learning and better adoption of new business processes, roles, and supporting technologies.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group's change management and training services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/consulting-services/organizational-change-services-retail/
You may...2021-02-0335 minTalk Retail to MeMeet Parker Avery Change Management Expert Carrie HabelThis week, Parker Avery's Change Management leaders, Kathi Toll and Carrie Habel talk about Carrie's incredible career-long experience helping retailers navigate and manage change. Discover how and why Carrie made the decision to join The Parker Avery Group. Also, Kathi and Carrie provide their insights into how leaders should recognize their own feelings as well as their teams' to make sure they're working together to bring about positive, effective change, despite the entire world facing continual "FFT's."
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group's change management services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/change-management-leadership/
You m...2021-01-2027 minTalk Retail to MeDiving Deep into Demand Analytics: Meet Leo GreyzParker Avery's Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, sits down with demand planning expert Leo Greyz to discuss the firm's latest developments in demand analytics for retail and consumer goods companies. Hear about the key drivers pushing advanced demand analytics capabilities far deeper and faster than the industry had ever imagined. Also, get realistic advice from Parker Avery's retail experts that will help your company achieve strong analytics capabilities to quickly realize meaningful results.
Check out the highlights of Sam and Leo's conversation, including Leo’s recommendations for retailers and CPGs who are moving forward with their advanced ana...2021-01-1319 minTalk Retail to MeAdvanced Pricing Success StoryYou don't want to miss the story behind the unbelievable ROI achieved in a mere 8 weeks--to the tune of $8 million. Parker Avery's pricing leader Josh Pollack and retail expert Heidi Csencsits discuss what made this particular advanced pricing implementation so successful, why pricing solutions can achieve such meaningful results, and several approaches retailers can take to move far beyond their beloved spreadsheets into real solutions driven by advanced analytics.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group by visiting: https://www.parkeravery.com/
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Markdown Optimization Solution Vastly Improves Retaile...2020-11-1738 minTalk Retail to MeKey Takeaways from CSCMP's 31st Annual State of Logistics ReportIn this episode, retail supply chain and logistics experts Lee Whitaker and Rob Oglesby discuss their key takeaways and some surprising findings from the 31st Annual State of Logistics Report®, produced by The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Click here for the full report. Lee and Rob give their perspectives on:
The growing importance of 5-G networks on logistics.
Key actions that will contribute to a faster recovery for retail and consumer goods companies.
Carrier and shipper behaviors and initiatives that warrant focus in the coming months.
The importance of looking beyond the technology and inc...2020-11-1029 minTalk Retail to MeWhy I Chose The Parker Avery Group (During a Pandemic): Introducing Rob GentryMaking a career move and joining a new firm in the middle of a pandemic is truly a bold move. In this episode Senior Manager Deanna Emsley interviews the newest member of The Parker Avery Group's team: Rob Gentry. Learn about Rob's interesting path into retail, why he chose to work for Parker Avery (after many years in much larger companies), and what his "super power" is.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group by visiting: https://www.parkeravery.com/
Introduction music: On My Way by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...2020-10-1321 minTalk Retail to MeStrategic Sourcing in a Disrupted Supply ChainIn this episode, I interviewed Parker Avery's CEO, Robert Kaufman, along with inventory and supply chain expert Rob Oglesby to discuss sourcing strategies and actions retailers and consumer brands need to consider as we continue to face highly disruptive supply chains. We explore considerations such as:
How do retailers and consumer brands need to change how they think about and manage their sourcing strategies during such tensions and unknowns?
There is also a fair amount of consumer unease about products made overseas, in countries who aren't America-friendly, and increasing desire for “Made in the USA” and even local product...2020-09-2429 minTalk Retail to MeDeep Analytics: Why Retailers Need it Now More Than EverIn this episode, we focus on deep analytics. Parker Avery experts Clay Parnell and Sam Iosevich discuss how retailers and consumer brands can embrace analytics into their business models to enable cross-functional collaboration and deliver meaningful financial results. We explore questions like:
While the recent disruptions have put an even stronger focus on integrating digital and physical channels and deeply understanding customer behavior, it certainly makes sense to involve analytics to some extent, but are these the most important areas right now?
What are other top key areas or business challenges on which retail & consumer goods companies should focus...2020-07-2822 minTalk Retail to MeSolving Both Sides of the Inventory ProblemParker Avery experts Clay Parnell, Amanda Astrologo, and Rob Oglesby, talk about lessons learned and best practices that have emerged over the past few months in how retailers are handling the huge swings in consumer demand and inventory movements that we have witnessed across all segments of retail due to recent disruptions.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group's retail consulting services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/
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The Expert Guide to Omnichannel Order Management: https://parkeravery.com/omnichannel-order-management-and-fulfillment/
Five Expert Steps to Finally Solv...2020-07-0730 minTalk Retail to MeWhat to Do When You're Expecting…Customers: Part 2In this episode, The Parker Avery Group's Change Management Lead Kathi Toll, along with retail experts Tricia Gustin and Heidi Csencsits discuss ways retailers can handle customers and associates coming back into their stores after a major disruption like the COVID-19 pandemic--this week focusing on handling tense or challenging situations.
Learn more about The Parker Avery Group's retail consulting services by visiting: https://parkeravery.com/
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What to Do When You're Expecting ... Customers: Part 1: https://parkeravery.com/podcast-what-to-do-when-youre-expecting-customers-part-1/
The Expert Guide to Organizational Change in Retail...2020-06-1521 minTalk Retail to MeBeginning the Journey: Emerge from COVID-19For those retailers that are most impacted by COVID-19 and are either completely shut down or only operating with limited direct to consumer fulfillment, we can’t predict exactly when current conditions will allow re-opening of stores and operations. But it is coming, and it’s imperative to prepare now. How do you effectively re-start your business in a controlled manner, with stores re-opening based on regional conditions, and consumers finally venturing out from behind their computers and mobile devices? Many retailers were working hard or struggling to be competitive before the pandemic. The focus now is to quickly rese...2020-06-1039 minTalk Retail to MeTriaging Your Inventory: Decisions for StabilityDuring the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Parker Avery Group conducted a four-part webinar series, Reconstructing Retail. This series covered some important topics and focused on helping our clients and friends in the industry. Throughout this series, we shared our firm's pragmatic thoughts and perspectives, with the understanding that for most of us, the pandemic and its aftermath represented the transformation of a generation or even our lifetime. With so much on hold for many retailers and brands, our webinar series allowed us to look forward and at least help retailers catch back up to where they wer...2020-06-0943 minTalk Retail to MePredicting the Future: Retail’s New WorldEven as we work to ramp back up, re-open stores, and improve our view of current inventory positions, we need to start developing perspectives of future sales and inventory demand. The ability to predict and react quickly to customer demand is critical, along with having a common demand signal that can help support various functions across retail planning, pricing, and fulfillment. Retailers can view this near-term period as an opportunity to significantly enhance their ability to quickly and dynamically drive business insights for improved decision-making. In this audio session of our Reconstructing Retail webinar series, Parker Avery experts Sam...2020-06-0530 minTalk Retail to MeMobilizing & Sustaining a Resilient OrganizationHave you considered what type of leadership and support your team will need following a major disruption? Do the traditional leadership and change management models feel outdated to you? Parker Avery's industry experts share tools and frameworks that surpass typical approaches and are more relevant in today's environment so you can confidently guide teams through transformational periods. We provide real-world examples you and your teams can use as you tease out the business practices and behaviors that will carry you into the future.
In this podcast version of our Reconstructing Retail webinar series, Parker Avery experts Kathi T...2020-06-0440 minTalk Retail to MeWhat to Do When You're Expecting: Customers: Part 1In this episode, The Parker Avery Group's Change Management Lead Kathi Toll, along with retail experts Tricia Gustin and Heidi Csencsits discuss ways retailers can handle customers and associates coming back into their stores after a major disruption like the COVID-19 pandemic.
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What to Do When You're Expecting ... Customers: Part 2: https://parkeravery.com/podcast-what-to-do-when-youre-expecting-customers-part-2/
Store Operations Assessment Unlocks Hidden Potential for Discount Retailer: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/store-operations-assessment-unlocks-hidden-potential-for-discount-retailer/
Store-Level Omnichannel Capabilities for Retail's New World: https://parkeravery.com/industry-experience/essential-disruption-store-level-omnichannel-capabilities-for-retails-new-world/
Learn...2020-06-0414 min