Eric Hamlin

During tumultuous periods, consumers are more inclined to gravitate toward brands they trust. Trust, Transparency, and Authenticity are 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 with capturing increased market share and customer loyalty. Retail is coming around full circle. Customers are yearning for a fully experiential multisensory experience that harkens back to a bygone era of what I call the four 𝐄'𝐬: 🌟𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🌟𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🌟𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🌟𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 It is time to revisit the fundamental building blocks of retail to ensure that your organization is creating a strong foundation. Core fundamentals like customer service, merchandising, selling, safety, talent acquisition, talent retention, organizational culture, and engagement must be on point [BEFORE] focusing on the next silver bullet technology. Every successful retailer is excelling by successfully implementing and executing my Proprietary C.A.P.E.D. Strategy: ✔️𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐄 ✔️𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐏𝐓 ✔️𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄 ✔️𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐄 ✔️𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 🏆A dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people. WOW! Unfortunately, bad news travels at light speed, while good news travels at a snail's pace. 🏆Throughout my 30-year tenure in the retail sector, I was fanatical about speaking with every upset customer. Each of these customers would provide a "𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞" of valuable feedback and information that I could utilize to improve. 🏆World Class brands proactively seek out customer, employee, leader, and vendor feedback and react expeditiously. All 4 segments are equally included and represented. They are fortunate and grateful for the raw responses. 🏆I dedicated 3x chapters to Engagement in my book "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 & 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝" because of the paramount importance of this topic. ❓️Is your business genuinely listening to customers? 🏆Don't Drink the Kool-Aid... Resist the urge to believe that your engagement is superior. Engagement is a living and breathing energy that must always be a priority. How do you know if your customers, employees, leaders, and vendors feel the same way you do about your brand, service, and culture? 1️⃣Ask questions. 2️⃣Seek out constructive feedback. 3️⃣The "𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫" is to listen to their feedback and respond expeditiously. What are your experiences shopping at retailers today? #retailing #innovation #business #humanresources #leadership #management #creativity #future #entreprenership #careers #economy #branding #investing

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During tumultuous periods, consumers are more inclined to gravitate toward brands they trust. Trust, Transparency, and Authenticity are 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 with capturing increased market share and customer loyalty. Retail is coming around full circle. Customers are yearning for a fully experiential multisensory experience that harkens back to a bygone era of what I call the four 𝐄'𝐬: 🌟𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🌟𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🌟𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🌟𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 It is time to revisit the fundamental building blocks of retail to ensure that your organization is creating a strong foundation. Core fundamentals like customer service, merchandising, selling, safety, talent acquisition, talent retention, organizational culture, and engagement must be on point [BEFORE] focusing on the next silver bullet technology. Every successful retailer is excelling by successfully implementing and executing my Proprietary C.A.P.E.D. Strategy: ✔️𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐙𝐄 ✔️𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐏𝐓 ✔️𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄 ✔️𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐄 ✔️𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 🏆A dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people. WOW! Unfortunately, bad news travels at light speed, while good news travels at a snail's pace. 🏆Throughout my 30-year tenure in the retail sector, I was fanatical about speaking with every upset customer. Each of these customers would provide a "𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞" of valuable feedback and information that I could utilize to improve. 🏆World Class brands proactively seek out customer, employee, leader, and vendor feedback and react expeditiously. All 4 segments are equally included and represented. They are fortunate and grateful for the raw responses. 🏆I dedicated 3x chapters to Engagement in my Best-Selling book, "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 & 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝" because of the paramount importance of this topic. ❓️Is your business genuinely listening to customers, employees, leaders, and vendors? 🏆Don't Drink the Kool-Aid... Resist the urge to believe that your engagement is superior. Engagement is a living and breathing energy that must always be a priority. How do you know if your customers, employees, leaders, and vendors feel the same way you do about your brand, service, and culture? 1️⃣Ask questions. 2️⃣Seek out constructive feedback. 3️⃣The "𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫" is to listen to their feedback and respond expeditiously. What are your experiences shopping at retailers today? #retailing #innovation #business #humanresources #leadership #management #creativity #future #entreprenership #careers #economy #branding #investing

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I've been speaking to a lot of retail technology providers the last few weeks and one thing is clear: the typical tradeshow approach isn't cutting it anymore. Why? For a ton of reasons. But what it all keeps boiling down to for me is the lack of true community at the center of it all. You go through the motions, talk to a few people, get a few business cards, and go on your way. But that model doesn't resonate anymore. That's where eTail comes in. eTail isn't just a conference, it's a community. A community where real connections are made, ideas are shared in a comfortable environment, and most importantly, you get to really know each other beyond the first handshake. eTail is fun! We're changing the way eCommerce leaders and technology leaders come together. And we're changing the way people connect. If you're looking to be a part of the eTail™ movement, let me know: https://bit.ly/3VC2TKY

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💀 Is This the End of Amazon Reselling & Bundling? ☠ I doubt it. Dynamic and adaptive as it is.....it won't end. Nor should it. I'm going to share a few reasons why...first some back story. Amazon’s recent policy change could mark a significant shift for small businesses that rely on bundling and reselling. The new rule requires bundles to be created by the original manufacturer, and no mixing of brands is allowed in certain categories. While this might clean up some of the clutter in the marketplace, it creates tradeoffs and makes me wonder..... Who does this change actually benefit? For years, Amazon has been a revolutionary platform for small, independent businesses. It gave entrepreneurs the chance to reach millions of customers while leveraging Amazon's powerful logistics network. Small 3P sellers were able to study customer preferences, identify trends, and quickly build bundle offerings that catered to demand—faster than large brands could. This flexibility was a lifeline for so many businesses, but now, it’s at risk of disappearing. Why allow kits/bundles? Who actually wins? If customers are buying bundles....isn't it because they see their value? When money is exchanged for a good it's because the buyer see it's value. Amazon wins by collecting AMS revenue and FBA fees. 3P merchants win by filling niche needs for customers that want to buy their offers, and customers win by increased selection and choices. Whose winning by cutting these bundles out? I genuinely can't tell.... Dharmesh Mehta and his teams have been working hard to improve communication with sellers and I can see that in this rollout. They're stating they won't enforce until the end of Q4 and they are even going to give ASIN's a 30 day notice before suppressing. This is a big step forward that I love to see. Major improvement. I've been selling on AMZ ~12 years now and change is inevitable. As with all entrepreneurship you have to be willing to adapt and change quickly. Questions I have remaining...... 1. Will this roll over into other categories eventually? 2. Why this change now? What is really behind it? What aim are they seeking? What is the goal behind this policy change? 3. Who is this change meant to benefit? I really can't see how on balance this is a net good for buyers or merchants or Amazon.

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PRODUCT LAUNCHES: THE HIGHS, THE LOWS, AND THE “WHO SIGNED US UP FOR THIS?” 🚀 This week on ASOM, we’re spilling the tea on product and service launches - the triumphs, the disasters, and those "please delete this from my memory" moments. 🤦‍♂️ If you’re about to launch something big, or still recovering from a launch that felt more like a crash landing, this episode is your survival guide with a side of laughter. 🎯 BattlGames: John Roman created the ultimate loyalty experience for BattlBox customers. A real-life event that costs $0 to run. You can’t even buy Arizona Ice Teas for $0.99 anymore to put it into perspective. 🍕 New Haven’s Best Pizza: We trekked to Connecticut to see if the "world’s best pizza" is truly a slice of heaven or just another overpriced cheesy triangle. Spoiler: one of us is still craving it, the other… not so much. 💼 Brick and Mortar to E-commerce: My epic saga of going digital with a 1% ad spend because nothing says “I love a challenge” like trying to sell online with the budget of a college student. 🚀 Service Launch Delays: Amer G. story of a launch that moved slower than molasses in winter, but hey, it eventually happened, and we’ve got the scars (and stories) to prove it. 🚫 Friends in 'Prohibited' Categories: Jimmy Kim and company dive into why chatting with friends in these fields might just give you the most brilliant (or bizarre) business ideas. P.S. Huge thank you to our sponsors, Recharge and Gorgias for keeping the lights on and the mics hot! 🙌 We’re still hunting for one more sponsor to join this ASOM movement. If that’s you, hit me up! Links to watch in the comments!👇

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The best and most durable companies: 1. Grow top-line 2. Grow bottom-line 3. Make investments for the future Shopify is doing all three of these and we are focusing on our growth drivers like B2B, offline retail, and enterprise - and it’s working. This morning on CNBC with Jim Cramer 👇 📺

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Retail & eCom, the one-two punch for evolving an entrenched category On the latest episode of the Omnichannel Marketer, I spoke with Lisa Bubbers, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer at Studs Studs is a new entrant in the ear piercing category – positioning itself as a piercing company instead of an earring brand Unlike Claire's or mall kiosks where children typically get their first piercing with a gun (including myself), Studs specializes in needle piercings for return piercers The idea came from getting a 2nd ear piercing at a tattoo parlor, which was a sub-optimal experience Part of this less ideal experience was a a gap between piercing and selecting a preferred earring People often get their ears pierced with a basic earring they don't like, and wait for the piercing to heal before switching to a more fashionable one they bought elsewhere Studs combines the in-store piercing experience with stylish earring lines that can be worn immediately and bought online Lisa created the term “earscaping” to create conversation around the art and science of getting piercings that work with your anatomy and personal style They started with a single studio in NoLita in 2019 and now has 25 locations across the country A brand with fused retail and e-commerce presence, Lisa defines omnichannel as: 🔀 Offline to Online 🔀 Online to Offline 🔀 Moving customers between channels to drive the best LTV The first years were all about opening new stores and getting scale in retail Recently, the team reoriented to understanding omnichannel data and customer behavior For Studs, their in-store piercing service creates the highest LTV customers, 2-3x ecom first customers Buyers with a very high repeat rate to online purchases, instore purchases, and another instore piercing They use 2 things to get people to return to the store or online 1️⃣ Education - nurturing on ear piercing health with ability to come back for questions, help etc. 2️⃣ Earing size changes - as the piercing heals, Studs will help downsize to smaller jewelry Consequently, retail expansion is still a primary focus because it is the best vehicle for profitable customer acquisition and creating word of mouth A store in the right location returns its investment quickly and is profitable Studs does not spend a lot of money on digital marketing Half the battle is won by strong store co-location; near a Lululemon, Warby Parker, and Van Llewyn, where their Gen Z and millennial customers spend time Stores are designed to be “Instagrammable,” so customers share their new piercing UGC, creating network effects on social media Studs gains many customers through local Google searches for 'needle piercings near me,' thanks to their effective local SEO efforts This results in great foot traffic, word of mouth, and impulse purchases Studs does spend some on influencers and SEM, but most customers come through the organic channels described above #omnichannel #retailexperience 

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“𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐓𝐂 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐐3 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭” CEO John Donahoe said the sportswear brand “is not performing at our potential” and needs to lean back into wholesale and product innovation. - RETAILDIVE “𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤-𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝” It was a roller coaster ride — a short one. Brandless, a San Francisco-based [DTC] eCommerce company that made and sold an assortment of “cruelty-free” products in beauty and personal care, household, baby and pet categories, has shut its doors less than three years after officially opening them in July 2017. - TechCrunch “𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 1,650 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬, 13% 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞” Wayfair is laying off 13% of its global workforce, including 19% of its corporate team, as it looks to streamline its business and cut out layers of management. The restructuring – the third Wayfair has implemented since summer 2022 – is expected to save the company about $280 million - CNBC “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐓𝐂 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭?” The grow-at-all-costs playbook led to a reckoning. Now, some DTC brands are trying things differently. - Built In “𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲” The shocking news comes days after Haney was forced to step aside as CEO due to the company's reported financial struggles. - Buzzfeed “𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩, 𝐆𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐏𝐎” Casper Sleep, a startup that sells mattresses online, became on Thursday the latest money-losing outfit to get a cold shoulder from Wall Street investors. The lackluster first day of trading did not come close to fulfilling what Casper’s venture-capital investors thought it was worth a few months ago. - Reading Eagle “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝” A once-bustling group of companies [Casper, Allbirds and Peloton], backed by billions in venture capital funding, saw a record year for IPOs in 2021. Now, three years later, most of those direct-to-consumer, or DTC, companies still struggle with profitability. “It’s that profitability angle now that demarcates the winners in DTC from the losers,” said GlobalData Retail’s managing director, Neil Saunders. - CNBC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DTC is tough - and getting tougher. If even Nike needs strategic wholesale, how much more important is it for smaller DTC brands? B2B/wholesale eCommerce is a CRITICAL channel for DTC brands and the smart ones have already made the move. 🐉𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝐃𝐓𝐂 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗲𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻, 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 - 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

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Got the following text from a CDP vendor: “Just wanted to give you guys a shout-out again. Officially received the [$3B retailer] RFP today and got a note from [$10B retailer] a minute ago letting us know we’re officially in on that one as well.” Here’s how he got there… // STAGE ONE: Discovery 1. He joined Alium 2. Got access to our database of interviews 3. Learned the marketing director’s [for $10B retailer] strategic priorities were: - Creating deeply personalized customer journeys - Securing a new CDP to meet that goal // STAGE TWO: Outreach 4. He reached out to the marketing director via email 5. And used intel from the Alium interview to get their attention… Words like: - “Time-saving” - “Personalization” - “Cross-channel orchestration” 6. They emailed back and forth for over a year 7. And he built a real relationship with the prospect // STAGE THREE: Scale 8. He found more prospects (from Alium) looking for a CDP 9. Repeated the outreach stage with the same success 10. Got invited to [$3B retailer] & [$10B retailer] RFPs — Bottom Line: The key to getting invited to RFPs is building relationships with prospects. But to do that… You need to: - Leverage insider intel - Catch the buyer’s attention …and get a response. What’s your approach?

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Hate to say it but this seems like a big “nothing burger.” For a number of reasons: 1) Walmart announced something quite similar back in 2020 (https://lnkd.in/gRarmX-C) and we haven’t heard word one about it since. 2) Target already has a full functioning marketplace, so what added value does the Shopify connection really provide? Good merchants should already be finding and sourcing these products. 3) The idea that Shopify vendors can go into stores long-term is also a bridge too far. Again, if the digital marketplace and merchandising teams are functioning and coordinating properly, the infrastructure should already exist to take in new brands based on their marketplace performance and/or these brands should already be on the radar screens of the merchants deciding the stores' assortments. 4) Any new Shopify vendors that aren’t already on the Target marketplace are probably not there for a reason and also likely not ready for the prime time effort it takes to place your products wholesale in actual mass market stores throughout the country, which in Target’s case is approximately 2,000 stores, if this strategy is to have any material impact on revenue. #retail #retailing #grocery #cpg #branding #advertisingandmarketing #onlineshopping #shoppingandtheretailindustry #supplychainmanagement #fashionretail #luxuryretail #beauty https://lnkd.in/gxNf8iGY

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Ripped from the headlines - exciting times in my corner of the retail world! From Retail Dive - lululemon CEO says it missed opportunities in the women’s business in Q1 "McDonald blamed the miss mostly on a color palette in its core leggings category that was too narrow, as well as out-of-stocks in smaller sizes". That's right - if their sizing had been better they would have driven more sales! I have read some analysis that is surprised by this misstep in execution on size curves, but you would be amazed at what little attention sizing by location receives at some brands and retailers. At Sizeo we are focused on this issue of Size Optimization and deliver the industry's best size execution based on advanced AI-driven models. In the current retail environment, no one, not even the great lululemon can ignore the importance of size precision. Having the correct sized merchandise in the right location matters. Calvin McDonald send me a note, love to talk about how we can help. Link in the comments.

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Attentive AI™ (now available for all customers) allows brands to anticipate customers’ needs and behaviors, find new audiences, and deliver unique messages to every customer—without any additional workflows or resources. As Weston, our Head of Customer Retention, mentioned, it has been incredibly impactful here at Cozy Earth. Since implementing Attentive AI™, we’ve seen a significant lift in customer engagement.

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Matt Powell, I’ve always appreciated the honesty and integrity in your writing, especially when addressing difficult and politically sensitive topics. As you know, Nike has been in my blood since the beginning of my career, and I’ve had the privilege of returning over the years to help with high-profile projects. I completely agree—good for Nike for having the courage to take a step back. It’s time to "Do the Right Thing" (Maxim 8) amidst all the internal changes. While money and shareholders are critical to their success, it’s equally important to "Master the Fundamentals" (Maxim 9) and remember that "Nike is a Brand" (Maxim 3). Though the brand image may have taken a hit, it’s never too late to pivot and focus on the core truth that "The Consumer Decides" (Maxim 5)—and ultimately, that’s what matters most. Cheers to Nike for taking a stand, not just for the company and the brand, but for recognizing that while investors are essential, their talented employees and loyal customers are even more important. #Nike #Leadership #BrandStrategy #Innovation #Integrity #Sustainability #CorporateCulture #CustomerExperience #EmployeeEngagement #Marketing #BusinessLeadership #CorporateResponsibility

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ROI is making it RAIN!!! (aka incremental revenue) No Seattle jokes please;) We are working with large scale publishers in News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Travel, and Autos verticals. High volume, high frequency. STOP READIG NOW if you are not interested or incentivized by incremental revenue. Now that we have dropped nonrevenue incented/operation types, let's talk about increasing revenue. If you are selling 100% of your supply you are in a rare, probably non-optimized group. Most publisher do not and should not fill more than 75% of supply directly. Using the bottom 25% to leverage floors higher, increasing bids/ecpm. ROI allows publishers the opportunity to efficiently monetize 100% of their supply. Accomplishing this by selling unfilled outside of the direct adstack in a secondary auction or post-bid strategy. We will deliver real time market data on supply value, allowing publishers to understand supply value and flooring. Selling and optimizing your unsold is a simple and import part of a balanced programmatic strategy. ROI is the only company that is doing this and has been doing this from the beginning of programmatic. Let's talk, let's drive incremental rev!

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GOOD AMERICAN is seeing an 8x+ ROI on #directmail winbacks. And $1.40 in >incremental< revenue per postcard. "After running a direct mail initiative through another direct mail vendor, we searched for other options to help us retarget, prospect, and hit our VIPs." (-Caitlin McKenna, Performance Mktg Mgr) That's exactly what they've done with {{linkedin_mention(urn:li:organization:10776370|PostPilot)}}. After A/B testing and a winning winback postcard emerged, we created a programmatic winback program, and it's delivered. We launched a cold prospecting campaign for GOOD AMERICAN recently, too. Because if you're not expanding your wins into a full-funnel program, why bother? Stay tuned on that front. Check out the complete case study here → https://lnkd.in/eUp7RiF6

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Thanks to CNBC and Tanvir Gill and Sam Vadas for great questions and an opportunity to compare and contrast Nike to lululemon which reported recently. Sharing my thought on the “interesting" Nike quarter. I think the numbers say it all! It felt #chaotic to me with concern for the holidays, but they could be one of the few companies that benefits from the #portstrike since they have so much inventory! The company has had countless management changes and changes in strategic direction (Amazon, Foot Locker) Nike Inc Revenue down 10% (guidance for next quarter down 8 to down 10%) Direct down 12% Stores up 1% Digital down 20% (digital down 34% in China!) Wholesale down 7% Gross margins expanded 120bps (guidance for 150 bps contraction) SG&A declined 2% (guidance for flat) EBIT declined 15% in North America and EMEA 1. Surprised that SG&A only declined 2% with double digit revenue declines and especially with the company’s focus on #innovation 2. With the company cutting almost 1/3 of the #sustainability staff (as part of $2billion cost savings plan) and that being such a core part of their culture for employees and customers, this could have a long-term impact 3. The comments on the Greater China market with “revenue down only 3%” and how it is the result of the weakness in the region doesn’t make sense with the >30% increase recently reported from lululemon. I think their #marketshare and relevance is at risk. 4. How can we quantify the potential impact of Kevin Plank returning to Under Armour and the change in direction that could have as he revs up the innovation engine? Or, is there a bigger issue with US #sportswear companies? 5. How could they have 120 bps of gross margin improvement this quarter and guiding for 150 basis points decline next quarter? Huh? 6. Nike #Digital down 20% is just shocking. It may say more about who is shopping them than anything else. Losing relevance with a younger consumer? 7. There is a TON of competition especially in performance with brands like HOKA , On, New Balance, Li-Ning (China) Sports Goods Co. Ltd , and Anta Southeast Asia. Li Ning according to Coresight Research is now the largest sports brand in China although Nike seemed to think they were (“Nike continues to be the number one..”). Maybe they don’t understand the companies that the Li Ningplatform includes?!? 8. They withdrew guidance and ALSO postponed their analyst meeting (although it was still on their website several hours after the call along with the 2017 analyst meeting ?!?)

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Retail or DTC: Why you should stop investing in optimizing site conversion. My favorite part of my job is talking (daily) to people who are building consumer product brands. Yesterday, someone building a new brand rhetorically asked, “do we even need checkout on our website?” For now, my answer is yes, but in a few years, I’m not sure. If your 2024 growth strategy includes retail, like Target, SEPHORA, Amazon, or Whole Foods Market, what’s the advantage of having your own checkout? The answer is it depends…mostly on your margins. Let’s take beauty; many brands have seen their ratio of retail to owned-ecomm invert from 10:90 to now 90:10 as Sephora has grown the last ten years. I don’t think I need to do the math for you here, but these channel margins are drastically different, which makes maintaining profits purely a volume game. Beauty brands should be asking “how do I differentiate my brand and avoid commoditization?” Looking to fashion; Amazon made a big change in January of this year, reducing referral fees to 5%, down from 17%, for apparel under $15. This is obviously a direct bow strike to the Sheins of the world. To make this real, if you retailed a T-shirt at $14, with GM of 65% on Amazon, your unit profit just went from $6.72 to $8.40…this makes the 2% shipping fee (to be eligible for prime) much more teneble. Even if you’re selling $40 T-shirts (where it still makes sense to sell direct), how do you differentiate in a sea of online T-shirts? And what happens when Amazon lowers referral rates for you too? Other CPG categories like food and beverage should be looking hard at having check-out on their sites. It’s a volume game, and with both Amazon and Walmart referral fees at 8-15%, it makes more sense to invest in community: digital and IRL connection and fun. There’s no better example than poppi here. Given the shifts in referral fees, and benefit from the volume retail distribution provides, almost every category should be seriously asking themselves: how do I differentiate my digital and IRL brand experience? How do I own first-party data across the Internet so I can consistently deliver this differentiated experience to my customers where they are? This I know for sure: the answer is not “optimize my website for conversion.” Get ahead of the game and learn more about how to build and make community your growth channel with Try Your Best at tyb.xyz.

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I've helped 3 fashion brands strategize and build resale programs over the last 2 years, reducing their carbon emissions up to 14%. California's new law just made it mandatory. The Responsible Textile Recovery Act - passed yesterday - is a game-changer for apparel brands. Here's what you need to know: Who's affected? 🎯 Brands with $1M+ annual sales in California What's required? 🔄 Join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) 📦 Manage product lifecycle from production to recycling ♻️ Implement take-back, resale, and recycling programs The stakes are high 💰 Fines: $10k-$50k per day for non-compliance Why it matters 🌍 Reduces textile waste 💼 Creates new business opportunities in circular fashion 🏆 First-movers gain competitive advantage How to get ahead 📊 Audit your current waste management practices 🤝 Partner with circular economy experts 🚀 Develop a custom EPR strategy The bigger picture 🌐 Expect similar legislation in other states soon 💡 Use this as an opportunity to innovate, not just comply Ready to turn regulation into revenue? Here's your action plan: 1. Assess your California sales volume 2. Research PROs and circular solutions 3. Budget for program development Want my complete EPR readiness checklist? Comment "CIRCULAR" below and I'll send it your way.

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I love everything about this Laura Mena! In-store is making its round again, awesome to see it explained through pop-culture 🙌 Would love to see you explain all the acronyms! #retailmedia #Commerce #traditionalinstore KINESSO KINESSO Commerce IPG Commerce

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