Emily (Hanson) Serrano

🏢 Let's not forget about in-store retail which is still a huge part of a brands overall retail media strategy. Peter Crosby & I sat down with Jeffrey Bustos from the IAB and Michael Wessel Esq. from Kroger to talk about the latest in-store media playbook! Be sure to listen 🎧 #digitalshelf #content #retailmedia #instore #omnichannel

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Ulta Beauty has some big plans for Holiday 2024... 🎄 What is the #1 retail beauty destination prioritizing through Q4? 🤔 🧴 Categories on the Rise - Ulta has invested in in-demand categories such as body care and wellness to ensure it remains the go-to destination for trending products. It's also positioned itself as a leader in the Gen Alpha skincare craze. 🤩 Bringing Joy to Stores - With cultural sentiment seeming to always be negative, Ulta has an initiative to bring more joy to stores, and the gifting season presents the perfect opportunity to communicate this to customers. 👂 Listening to Customers - With 44 million loyalty members, Ulta has an incredible opportunity to learn about trends and get feedback on initiatives. This enhances a sense of community and ensures that retailer continues to deliver what customers truly want. My bet is that Ulta Beauty will continue its beauty dominance through the holiday season and grow as a major retail beauty destination through 2025. #ultabeauty #beautyretail #giftingretail #beautygifts New Ground

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Dollar General is enhancing its retail media program by teaming up with solutions provider Criteo. The commerce media platform will work with the retailer's Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) arm to support onsite sponsored ad offerings. Through this arrangement, brand partners can access inventory and campaign execution and utilize Criteo’s self-service demand-side platform. Among other capabilities, brands can leverage DGMN’s inventory within their private market through Criteo’s retailer monetization platform. In addition, the technology enables brands to reach Dollar General’s digital customers who often build lists online before making their weekly in-store purchases. Omnichannel insights will be available for marketers to see if sales are taking place online or in-store. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gATgumgr #retail #retailmedia #grocery #shoppers #media #digital

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Having spent a great deal of my career on the business side of retail, I have an alternate opinion on this. Giving a new name to cross-channel/multi-channel/omni-channel retail doesn't really change anything. But I am thankful we're not calling it 'phygital' anymore. Omni-channel, or whatever you may have called it over the last twenty years, did not fail. The focus has always been aimed squarely at the customer experience, and rightly so. If you don't satisfy the rapidly-changing expectations of the customer, it matters not how "unified" your systems are. As a consumer, I'm frequently amazed at how seamlessly some of my favorite retailers recognize and understand me across channels. Are a lot of them doing it with bailing wire and duct tape on the back-end? You bet they are, but I rarely feel it and the experience keeps me coming back. The reality is that every mature retailer was built upon the backs of legacy systems and applications. They are often clunky, can be somewhat inefficient, and were often built long before the first online or mobile transaction was processed. While I'm sure that certain retail software providers long for the days of enterprise-wide rip-and-replace projects, it's fraught with risk and means absolutely nothing if it doesn't improve the customer experience in a meaningful way.

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Department stores will need to break away from old habits if they want to become a staple for younger generations – and stay relevant for decades more. I had the chance to share my perspective with CNBC recently on how department stores are leaning into new tactics like third-party marketplaces to stay relevant. Read the full article here: https://on.bcg.com/4chNiW4

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Great Bloomberg op-ed on why investing in retail store leaders is good for business. I love Andrea’s callout that big investments can raise eyebrows with analysts – like increasing our average Walmart store manager salary to $128,000/year with a new bonus program that gives store managers the potential to earn up to 200% of their base salary. But in the long run, she shows how these types of investments support retention, career growth, better run stores, strong stock value, and our ability to attract a broader range of customers.   Here are a couple of studies that stood out to me in Andrea’s piece: 💠 A 2012 study by Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at the London Business School (then at Wharton School), found that firms on Fortune’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work for in America,” which have superior employee satisfaction scores on factors including pay and benefits, outperformed peers by 2.3-3.8% per year from 1984 through 2011. 💠 A follow-up study by Hamid Boustanifar, associate professor at the EDHEC Business School, and Young Dae Kang of the Bank of Korea found that the relationship still held: companies on the publication’s list earned an excess return of 2-2.7% per year through 2020, with particular outperformance during tough times.   At the end of the day, these investments also support the ability to build a pipeline of strong talent that stays and grows with a company. We want Walmart to be seen as an employer of choice and pay plays a big part in how we attract and retain talented people. #Compensation #TeamWalmart https://lnkd.in/gPVdAYG4

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Question for my network regarding "Fort Knox" customers (but probably more likely, just a quick Monday morning rant). There is a large retailer (let's say "WXYZ") for whom Pasticallo would be perfect. In fact, people tell me all the time "this is 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 the type of thing I'd expect to see at a place like WXYZ." Last week, I finally found an email address hidden deep in the bottom corner of a back page of the contact us section of their website, in a light colored (nearly invisible) font - it's almost like they don't want to be contacted. So I sent a quick note, simply asking if my email, contact details and website could be forwarded to whomever is responsible for the outdoor shade category. Got a reply this morning, asking me to contact their "𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭" (that's promising - right?) and a phone number. It's an automated response, called it twice - recorded & transcribed it the 2nd time. And here's what it said... “𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑿𝒀𝒁 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑾𝑿𝒀𝒁 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝑾𝑿𝒀𝒁 𝒃𝒖𝒚𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇. 𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝑾𝑿𝒀𝒁 𝒃𝒖𝒚𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 (𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕) 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕, 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒐 [𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔]. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” Not going to call them out by name here, but I am 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 how a large retailer known for bringing the 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 to their customers does so without accepting product submissions from any new vendors? Do they just wait until they see it at their competitors, and then wonder why I didn't bring it to them first? Rhetorical question maybe, ...or maybe not. Rant over, scroll on

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Let’s talk the power of RedMedia at Grocery Tech!

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Executive Leaders across Retail have two types of customer that they must consider when it comes to building their brand’s revenue generating and cost-saving strategies and roadmaps. Their external customers - their brand’s consumers. And, their internal customers - their internal people. It’s easy to be swayed toward investing far more heavily in customer-facing technologies. Because these generate revenue through enticing and encouraging consumers to purchase your product(s) - and customer experience and the customer journey is key in making this happen. But investing in non customer-facing technologies, and fostering a strong learning and development environment, is essential in enabling your internal customers to carry out their jobs in the most efficient, effective and enjoyable ways - and also in ensuring that the service offered to the external customer is seamless and positive. Top-line and bottom-line growth, and improved customer and employee experience, will come from focussing and strategically investing in both sets of customers. #retail #transformation

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📉 Kohl's ($KSS) is down +17.0% upon disappointing earnings results and lowered outlook. With returns posting in the red for more than a year, CEO Tom Kingsbury will be stepping down and replaced by Ashley Buchanan. 🤔 Will the new CEO be able to turn the company around? What do we know about Buchanan's experience? Ask iPick.ai's stock agent and have any of your questions about Kohls answered in seconds. 🥇 Buchanan's track record and leadership may be just what the company needs. Stay tuned! https://lnkd.in/g4rixUFD #stockinvesting #kohls #investingtips #stockResearch #GenerativeAI

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Another consolidation event in the CPG brokerage industry... 🙄 As brands today are seeking high-value strategic broker partners who can provide significant customer expertise and more importantly the ability and the capacity to deliver on expectations, we continue to see the large national brokerage firms march down the path of consolidation - a direction that over the last decade has proven to push brands *away* from this model and towards more customer-focused, best-in-market brokers. I, for one, welcome our consolidated broker overlords.... One thing I know for certain is that brands want (and need) a broker they can trust; a partner that can help solve pain-points and remove the obstacles impeding their growth - a broker that will fight for their business everyday as if it were their own. but what do I know 🤷‍♂️

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Let me tell you why brick & mortar retail is here to stay. When I woke up this morning, I had no intent to go shopping. I picked up my phone, checked email and social. There weren’t any ads that captured my attention as I was scrolling through the feeds. Yet, a couple of hours later, I decided to head to the city. As I was walking through SoHo, I found myself outside the Ray Ban store. They had a huge window ad for the most recent Ray Ban x Meta glasses. I got intrigued and I walked in. Now I have to tell you, I bought the Meta glasses when they first came out. I wasn’t impressed and barely ever used them. But that is not the point. Their display captivated me. I quickly lost interest when I got in, but now that I was in the store, I thought it would be fun to try on some shades. Almost immediately a store assistant made it clear he was here to help, but would first let me discover my own path through the store. After a few minutes, and several pairs of shades, I got my eye on a pair that I loved. The assistant came by and started by telling me that those looked great on me. I told him I hesitated between a black and a brown frame, he told me the black ones looked better on me and also invited me to try a larger size, which he said would look even better. He was right. He also recommended I purchased the polarized ones, I agreed. And that’s when the magic happened. Something that AI, or e-com, could not predict, plan or create: we connected. Not as two people entering a business transaction, but as two humans. We got to talking about work, his aspiration as a creative and a photographer. I got to help him with some career advice, and even a few creative ideas to make the most of his IG and get noticed. The conversation went on, he told me about the content he also has been creating for the store, showed me a few Reels he’d made. And then suddenly, shook my hand, thanked me for listening to him and for sharing ideas. He was excited. And then proceeded to give me a 25% discount I would have never asked for but for which I am so thankful. That’s the power of human interaction. An AI or bot would have never extended me a discount when I was clearly intending on making a full-price purchase. An AI would not have cared for my advice, nor would I have found rewarding to share ideas with them. And that’s why brick & mortar will not die. Because none of this would have ever happened if I had stayed connected on my phone, iPad or computer. Human interaction creates unique, memorable experiences that cannot be replicated by AI or online shopping. This personal touch fosters connections, offers tailored advice, and can even lead to unexpected benefits, such as discounts. Thoughts? #AI #Retail #Marketing

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Here’s some great recruiting advice from Caitlin Leibert. It’s straightforward, but requires deep thinking, practice, and self-reflection. In the fast-paced world of retail—especially grocery retail—I couldn’t agree more with Caitlin. How you get things done defines you as a candidate and as a leader. You have to seek knowledge, go deep into what you're most passionate about, and constantly refine your approach. As Caitlin puts it, “You have to deeply understand the science, and you have to be equally successful in the art. How we get those things done is really where you will set yourself apart as a practitioner.” One piece of advice from Caitlin that stands out is the importance of curiosity in leadership. In her words, "Driving change is really hard in systems, but if you approach each 'No' with curiosity instead of discouragement, that’s when real growth happens." At Whole Foods Market, one of the things I love most is the deep connection with subject matter experts across various teams. We get to closely observe how our effort are contributing to the betterment of the world 🌎 . Caitlin’s mission of driving positive change in the food system by leveraging the power of retail is inspiring. For those of you out there looking to grow in your career, remember this: Leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about being curious, asking the right questions, and staying committed to making a difference. #recruiting #sustainability #leadership https://lnkd.in/g8d5HYkr

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Retail sales reported by the National Retail Federation Retail Monitor indicated consumer spending slowed in June compared to May. Excluding automobile and gasoline, sales were up 0.47% from May, slower than the 1.35% growth reported in May. However, retail sales grew 3.42% from June 2023, which was the highest gain for total sales since last November. Retail sales were only slightly higher than the 3% inflation rate for the same period. #retailsales #nrf

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Contrarian Opinion loading... I've spoken to friends in the design community that are vehemently opposed to companies using GenAI for creative content. They feel it will eliminate their jobs. The truth is, GenAI at scale and in focused verticals will reduce the need for a lot of menial tasks that are often a part of all of our jobs at every level in the corporate ladder. So yes, companies may not need as many designers, engineers, financial analysts, etc as they did before. But it won't eliminate the need for any of those fields and so many employees are overworked as it is right now that this should help ease the burden. What it means is you will be able to focus more on the things that require a creative and strategic mindset and do less of the things you don't like to do. In the most positive light, work will hopefully become more fulfilling and less mundane. I would imagine that not having to have long queues for simple design work and being freed up to work on the bigger, most important brand work would be refreshing. Has your experience been different? #innovation #management #genai https://lnkd.in/e2RjyR4c

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The pet industry is always the last to innovate and adapt with the future. Essentially the opposite of Walt Disney. For the first time ever, APPA reported, the number of Gen Z and Millennial pet owners is greater than the number of Gen X and Baby Boomer pet parents. Direct your messaging and marketing to the younger generations. Don’t have social media? Start using it. Don’t know how to? Learn. Don’t want to learn? Hire a young kid out of college. This is just one example. Take a step back and look at everything with a 20-35 year old POV. Packaging. Does your product look like it was sold in 1975? Website. Is it mobile friendly? Inviting? Colorful? Easy to navigate? There are so many things to look at here. Anyways, I have to go. My four year old decided today was the day to balance a container of blueberries on her nose. Those blueberries are now all over our kitchen floor. Attack your Tuesday!

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🛒The definition of a category in-store is not the same as the definition of a category online 💻 Having an eCatman strategy can make you a better partner to your retailer and make your products more visible to consumer. Learn how in our webinar… It’s not too late to register for the Stratably webinar today at 12pm EST! #omnichannel #ecommerce #commerce #digitalshelf

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Great article by Siro! If you are in retail and have interest in private brands, this is a fabulous summary of recommendations for how to innovate and drive engagement with shoppers. #dunnhumby

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