Show Notes – S1 Ep4 – Sustainability in Retail

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Special Guest: Neliana Fuenmayor

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Retail Done Right. These Show Notes accompany our Season 1, Episode 4 podcast, “Talking Sustainability with Neliana Fuenmayor.”

We’re in a new era of retail – the era of the Customer Channel – where Shoppers’ rule.  This requires retailers to be empathetic and supportive of their customers, in every way.

Sustainability. There isn’t a more relevant topic today. Corporations of all shapes and sizes are speaking about it. Investment firms are starting to require companies they invest in to include a Sustainability Platform in their guiding principles. And retailers and brands are touting their efforts on this front. The Circular Economy is alive and well.

But is it?

Much of this is driven by consumers, or should I say, shoppers.  It’s clear that when we act as consumers, we vote in some way, acting as citizens. As a result, Brands need to be leaders. And we need to “vote” responsibly.

Citizen Shoppers.

OUR GUEST

Neliana Fuenmayor gave up a passion for design to redesign supply chains. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of A Transparent Company, she now helps fashion businesses shift from linear thinking to an open, transparent mindset in support of making the transition to sustainable innovation – the circular economy.

We have evolved from a linear to, now, a circular economy. Neliana’s vision, and this is what she is working toward, is an infinite economy – one with the Customer in the center of everything we do.

  • The left loop is the story of how the product is made. The supply chain. Everything and everyone that brings the product to the store.
  • The right loop is the moment of purchase, repurchase, rent, resell, repair, recycle – essentially the circular economy.
  • The center is where the loops close and meet… at the customer – the citizen – the sweet spot of the infinite.

RESEARCH AND LINKS

·        Coresight Research: “Weinswig’s Weekly: Sustainability: What European Retailers Are Doing

·        Nike launches refurbishment program in 15 stores

·        Lululemon to launch resale program for ‘like new’ products

CONCLUSION

It’s about the Customer Channel. Shoppers are requiring sustainability from brands and retailers. This requires brands and retailers to be transparent in their business practices, their sourcing strategies and their supply chains for their sustainability initiatives to be understood and valued by consumers.

Neliana, via her company, A Transparent Company, has been involved in multiple MSIs (Multi-stakeholder Initiatives) including ZDHC Foundation (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) and SAC (Sustainable Apparel Coalition) as well as working with the UN, specifically the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop a structure – a platform – that utilizes blockchain technology to help to make transparency possible for any retailer or brand to use.

We, as shoppers, are an integral part of this. Shoppers as Citizens.  We hold the power, our purchasing power.

There’s plenty more to come on this topic and we will revisit this soon.

Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz

https://retaildoneright.net/

#RetailDoneRight

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

Connect with Cristene on LinkedIn

Show Notes – S1 Ep3 – The Role of People in Physical Retail

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Special Guests: Jackie Culp & Lou Chestman

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to Retail Done Right. These Show Notes accompany our Season 1, Episode 3 podcast, “The Role of People in Physical Retail.”

We’re in a new era of retail – the era of the Customer Channel – where Shoppers’ rule.  This requires retailers to be empathetic and supportive of their customers, in every way.

Have there been changes in the role of the physical store? No doubt…

  • Mission-driven shopping
  • Fewer store visits
  • Less traffic (which was already a trend pre-pandemic)
  • An educated consumer who has researched extensively online prior to coming to the store
  • New shifts like fulfillment in store and from the store as well as curbside pickup

We’re still shopping in stores. And, as a % of in-store versus online, the vast majority happens in-store. – 84%, according to the most recent US Census Bureau statistics.

Technology and the transformation in consumer shopping habits gets most of the press right now…  But I think we are missing something here. It’s not about the technology. It’s about the people that make this happen. All the people – from behind the scenes to the front-line team.

OUR GUESTS:

Our guests are former colleagues from Sunglass Hut, and who are now principals with Next Performance Horizon, Jackie Culp and Lou Chestman.

PEOPLE WORK FOR PEOPLE:

The conversation began with the guiding principle that People Work for People.

As Jackie shared, “I believe in SERVANT LEADERSHIP; the practice of putting the needs of the employee first, of empowering others; allowing them to be their very best. It is important to meet people where THEY need to be met both professionally and personally. You need to be present and pay attention; when you ask someone “How Are You?” you need to take the time to LISTEN with Empathy and connect with their response. This helps to build trust in the relationship. “

Lou built on this, “If you are a leader, you are in the relationship business. Relationships are fostered when people feel listened to and valued, but listening takes a lot of practice. You have to be present in the moment; ignore internal noise and preconceived thoughts. You have to listen with an attitude of genuine curiosity and interest in the other person. Finally, listen with empathy in hopes to sense the other persons perspective, feelings, actions and desires. “

The physical retail experience is people + people + stuff.  Great retail managers work not just to create a great customer experience, but a good staff experience too. You know when you walk into a well-run store – especially at closing time when people are cleaning but not too busy for customers as there’s a sense of purpose around the action.

RESEARCH AND LINKS:

CONCLUSION:

We ended with a conversation about energy. As Lou stated, “At the epicenter of the customer experience and the associate experience is energy.” It’s that simple.

It’s about the Customer Channel. And in physical retail, the staff is a key differentiator.

Jeff Fisher & Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz

https://retaildoneright.net/

#RetailDoneRight

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

Connect with Cristene on LinkedIn

Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz

Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz is a dreamer – well, maybe more of a pragmatic futurist. She’s a technology thought leader, researcher and an analyst who is currently Global Research Leader – Electronics, Environment, Energy & Utilities at IBM’s Institute for Business Value Global Research Leader.

Cristene is a former CMO and executive strategist who believes the world can do well by doing good. She also has an insatiable global curiosity.

Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher is the founder of Retail Done Right consulting. He creates retail shopping experiences, which are at the intersection of store design, visual merchandising, interactive technologies (“phygital experiences”) and in-store communications. The customer is at the center of his retail philosophy.

Previously, he was the global store experience director for Natuzzi SpA, based in Santeramo in Colle, Italy. His store experience work for Bata Brands SA, Entertainment Retail Enterprises, LLC, Luxottica SpA (Sunglass Hut), WONGDOODY (an experiential marketing agency), Sprint, LEGO and the National Basketball Association also deserves attention.