A shout-out to the 100+ new subscribers that have joined The Merchant Life since the release of Volume 40.
We recently visited LA to talk about process innovation at PI Apparel. Retail leaders from Patagonia, Lululemon, Untuckit, Vuori, and others tell us that process innovation is one of their top priorities.
Then we headed to NYC for a discussion on inclusive retail leadership, hosted by WOC Retail Alliance, Victoria Secret, and the A-List. The evening included a panel discussion and a space for candid dialogue.
Thank you, Kimberly Lee Minor, for bringing the group together, and shout out to fellow panelists, Lydia Smith, MBA, Kate Nadolny, Felita Harris, and moderator, Sandra Campos.
Aside from these updates, we have a few announcements that we would be remiss in not sharing with you.
Shoptalk 2023 is fast approaching and we have events taking place in Las Vegas, parallel to the main show.
First, Liza will be co-hosting a dinner with retailers in partnership with Contentsquare. This will take place on the evening of March 27th.
Second, in partnership with Rick Horwitch, (Bureau Veritas and AAFA board member) a dinner with retail leaders to discuss pertinent topics from connecting to the customer to standardizing sustainability. This will take place on the evening of March 28th.
Finally, Liza will be in conversation with Shannon Flanagan (VP at Talkdesk) to discuss the future of retail customer service. This will be at the Women in Retail Pavilion on March 28th starting at 5:40 PM.
If you are attending ShopTalk and are interested in these events, let us know. We’ll share the specifics with you.
Bonus - download the RETHINK Retail Influencer Must-See Guide for Shoptalk here.
RetailWire Live talks merchandising in a virtual event taking place on April 5th, 2023 at 11:00 am.
This is a discussion about the rise of the data-driven Chief Merchant. Liza is hosting the event and is joined by Kristin Howell (GVP at SAP) and Jeff Sward (Merchandising Metrics).
Register by clicking here.
Earlier this month, Nordstrom announced that it will shut down operations in Canada. Liza shared her thoughts on the news along with insight as to why the retailer didn’t have success up north.
Her comments can be found in Retail Insider and the CBC.
Next, Running Insight magazine released its March 2023 issue and we wrote an article titled “Going Private (Label)”
We discuss how niche retailers can get started with launching a private label program. A pdf copy of the article is found here. Thank you to the team at Charm City Run for being our featured store!
SVB collapsed faster than a Walmart door at the start of Black Friday.
The ripple effects? Plenty.
Some of you might be impacted too.
It also underscores the importance of our retail tech survey.
What do you need to know about it?
After ShopTalk, we are sending a survey to retail tech leaders, asking them about what business is like today.
We break down the responses and write up a report.
We will host an event to discuss the results, share useful insights, and generate valuable ideas.
Whether it’s about shortening the sales cycle, decreasing churn, or deepening relationships with the best accounts - we’ll have that covered (and more) in our survey, report, and event.
Please contact Raj Dhiman (raj@retailstrategygroup.com) directly if you have questions about this.
You’d be a fool (get it?) to miss the next issue of The Merchant Life entitled “Break and Enter.”
We will discuss how brands and retailers should approach entering new geographical markets.
TL;DR - Don’t be like Nordstrom in Canada.
We have a better way.
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