Retail

Speakers at our recent Impact conference share advice on getting new tech across the gap from demo to deployment.

We talk to the music retailer’s CEO and CIO about innovation and AI — and maintaining a strong connection to customers.

We talk with Jason Gowans, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, about digital strategy and AI case studies at $6 billion Levi Strauss & Co.

“AI may be the most powerful technology that our company has ever seen,” and other quotes from CEOs about the impact of AI.

Can “awesomeness” be part of a business case? Ziad Sultan of Spotify makes the case in this session from Impact 2024.

CarMax’s CIO on moving from a project mindset to a product mindset, engaging the C-suite, and empowering teams with clear goals. Video from our 2024 Impact conference.

You may have heard of omnichannel retail, or experiential retail. But one of the world’s biggest retailers, Arkansas-based Walmart, is now working to popularize the concept of “adaptive retail.” Tech Strategy VP Anupriya Sharma explains….

As Albertsons’ GVP of Technology and Engineering, Maria Latushkin is reshaping how one of America’s largest retailers merges in-store and online shopping. We talk with Latushkin about cultivating startup partnerships that thrive at enterprise scale, the pragmatic realities of deploying GenAI across vast workforces, and her vision for smarter, frictionless retail experiences powered by IoT and computer vision.

On November 18th, startup Perplexity released a shopping tool for its Pro-level subscribers called “Buy With Pro.” And a week later, they released their mobile app to make the shopping experience integrated with the camera, a feature they call “Snap to Shop.” Similar to Google’s Lens, you take a picture of a subject and then see a list of products. We try it out…

Janet Sherlock recently wrapped up seven years as Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ralph Lauren. We spoke with her as part of our research report, Creating New Value in Large Organizations, discussing her approach to digital transformation, the role of AI in retail, and strategies for strengthening customer experience in a competitive market.

We talk to Bob Czechowicz, Senior Director of Innovation at GS1 US, about the future of AI and how his team uses cutting-edge technologies to enhance global supply chain processes, all while maintaining the high standards and reliability that their stakeholders depend on.

We talk to the Senior Vice President of Product & Technology at retail giant Lowe’s about AI and their 2024 innovation agenda. Generative AI can create new types of experiences for customers looking for home improvement inspiration, he says.

Walmart’s CFO argues that innovation is now “fully embedded” in the organization. Do you buy that argument? Food and retail innovation veteran Matt Mueller doesn’t…

On January 23rd, we brought together a group of four retail industry veterans — and one retail-focused venture capitalist — to unpack the news that the world’s biggest retailer, Walmart, had decided to shut down its primary innovation group, Store No. 8. What are the important take-aways for innovators and tech leaders in retail and other industries? Includes video…

Wayfair, the online furniture retailer, has long used artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize its online marketing and the way it presents products to site visitors. CTO Fiona Tan explains how they’re researching how generative AI technologies like GPT can assist with customer service, crafting code, and more.

Senior leaders from REI Co-op, Square, Clif Bar & Co., and Save the Children share the initiatives, products, and practices that have come from using purpose as a guiding principle inside their organizations.

Jay Topper, Chief Digital Officer of women’s clothing brand Chico’s, gives his insights on developing a digital-first mindset inside a large organization. He discusses failure, communicating with leadership, and trends for consumers and retailers to look for in 2023.

Seven big trends emerged at the 2023 National Retail Federation conference in New York, from AI to expanded worker benefits to same-day delivery. Here’s our run-down…

Anish Melwani, CEO of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) North America, discusses the company’s experiments with blockchain, NFTs, diamonds, luxury trains, and cultivating the artisan talent that the company relies on. 

Highlights from a session on culture and guest experience — even in stressful situations — featuring Target CEO Brian Cornell and four of the company’s top female executives.

Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette was at the National Retail Federation’s conference to deliver an update to his peers in the retail industry. In a mainstage session, Gennette touched on the consumer mood at the start of 2023; how Macy’s has begun converting some traditional stores to a smaller Market by Macy’s model; and attracting and retaining workers.

At the National Retail Federation’s annual conference in Manhattan, Saks Off 5th CEO Paige Thomas discussed pricing strategy; its approach to trends in fashion; and new partnerships with companies like Rent the Runway.

REI Co-Op ran its first two cohorts in its new Path Ahead Ventures program in 2022. The cohorts, which include early-stage and late-stage startups, focus on helping founders of color advance in the outdoor industry. Kihanya shares the structure of the program, lessons learned, and what’s next in 2023.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has set the goal of 75 percent of their products aligning with one or more social or environmental initiatives by the year 2030. In mid-2022, they’re halfway to that goal. We talk to Jennifer Gootman, Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, about how innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand – and where sustainability leaders can find support.

How do you move from thinking to doing? IKEA Co-Creation and Matrix Manager Cindy Soo shares best practices.

“There will always be new, cool, shiny things that we could bring to life in our stores,” says Heather Paquette of Retail Business Services, a subsidiary of the grocery giant Ahold Delhaize. “But we’re really here to help our brands achieve their goals by implementing new solutions that create measurable value.” Here’s how Paquette scores emerging technologies…

We spoke to Brian Tilzer, Best Buy’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, a few weeks ahead of Black Friday 2021. The starting point for our discussion was how Tilzer and his team evaluate emerging technologies that could impact Best Buy’s business. “Ninety percent of what we do is about what’s the business outcome, the customer outcome, or the employee outcome we’re trying to accomplish,” he says. More about the retailer’s strategy, and what’s changing in 2022, inside…

Melody Jia, General Manager of Chinese retailer Suning International, shares shifts she’s seen with pandemic-era shoppers and how her team meets their needs. 

With 17,000 stores across Russia, X5 is the largest retailer of food and groceries in the country. Find out how the company is addressing sustainability. 

 

Diapers, baby wipes, and toilet paper are essential household products that millions of families can’t live without. But how can these products be reimagined after spending decades on store shelves? Justin Sparks, Global Design Director, Kimberly-Clark Design — both of packaging and the products themselves — plays a key role in keeping these decades-old staples fresh, […]

REI’s Chief Experience Officer discusses the balance between pleasing customers and internal stakeholders, and the impacts of COVID-19 on the company. 

Fiona Tan, Wayfair’s Global Head of Customer and Supplier Technology, shared insights on balancing organic innovation with M&A, using data to stay agile, and more.

David’s Bridal CEO Jim Marcum discusses how he’s navigating the future of the wedding business. That includes building an omnichannel experience to help brides shop from anywhere. 

How does Herman Miller’s Chief Strategy Officer look for opportunities outside of the core? Megan Lyon shares best practices and tips for other innovators in charge of strategy. 

Lululemon’s Chief Science Officer, Tom Waller shares why 2020 created lines out of their store doors and how the retailer keeps customers close when building new products.

Bill Carr, who spent 15 years at Amazon, shares how the company has maintained an innovative culture as it grew to a trillion-dollar operation. 

Christian Gianni, the former CTO of Whirlpool Corp., shares insights into how the Michigan-based appliance giant overcame those barriers during the COVID crisis…

Within six months of starting her new position, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry had to lead her team through the disruptions of COVID-19. Find out how… 

Richard Dickson, President and COO of toy company Mattel, offers insights on speeding new products to market, sourcing ideas from employees, presenting ideas to leadership, and more.

What makes Amazon’s culture unique? Here’s a list of 10 articles and books if you want to better understand what makes Amazon tick.

Lots of leaders talk like Jeff Bezos. But few organizations know how to create a culture with the right enablers to behave like Amazon.  Here’s some background to get you started…

Chad Manuell, Director of Engineering at Trek Bicycle, discusses the surge in demand for bikes and how his team approaches early innovation.

Leaders with experience at Fitbit, Lyft, and the Alliance for Smiles discuss hiring diversely and support talent in an equitable environment. 

Three startups pitch their products including home robotics kits for students, a lightweight AR headset, and digital twins for brick-and-mortar stores…

As part of our recent Impact conference, Scott Uzzell, CEO of Converse, discussed the brand’s relationship with popular culture, its collaborations, and more.

There is no silver bullet or a quick solution for measuring the impact of innovation, but this model brings structure to the process of measuring the health of innovation programs and their impact.

Paul Gaffney, the Chief Technology Officer of Kohl’s discussed the future of retail, curbside pickup, and working with Amazon.

One innovator from Stanley Black & Decker shares insights on how COVID-19 has impacted his innovation strategy in 2020 and how his team has managed to secure key wins during the pandemic.

How have teams pivoted to face the challenges of 2020? Rhett Alden of Elsevier discusses launching a COVID-19 Resource Center in four weeks. Innovators from Carhartt and CVS share insights.

The migration away from in-person selling actually predates COVID-19 for Pampered Chef, but they’re taking advantage of the moment to experiment with social media.

Artificial intelligence is a central topic for discussion and experimentation at many companies. But some are making more decisive moves, building capabilities around AI in a way that may create an important new kind of competitive advantage. This interview series features Wayfair, CSAA Insurance, Duolingo, and more.

Firdaus Bhathena, Chief Digital Officer of CVS Health, shares how his team has pivoted to meet consumer needs — like exploding demand for deliveries — during the coronavirus pandemic.

The era after COVID-19 will have an economy shaped by new habits and regulations. Find out how behaviors will shift and what new opportunities are emerging.

Few companies have experienced more of a surge of customer interest than Peloton Interactive, the maker of Internet-linked exercise bikes. We spoke to Rick Paster, Peloton’s VP of M&A Integration…

Carhartt specializes in work clothes for industries including construction. Their Director of Global Product Innovation, Collen Hau, explains how the team is creating prototypes and staying in tune with customers.

How can digitally-native companies maintain their innovative culture as they grow? To find out, we visited Wayfair’s co-founder Steve Conine at the company’s Boston office.

Wayfair, an online furniture and home goods retailer, maintained an innovative culture as it grew from a two person operation to a company with thousands of employees.

Experts share best practices for teams as they navigate uncertainty. Topics include shifting teams’ priorities, switching to remote work, and cultivating a “service oriented” mindset.

How can supply chain innovation deliver serious value? Guests from Retail Business Services, J&J, and MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics discuss.

The legendary jewelry-maker Tiffany & Co. dates back to 1837. A new Jewelry Design & Innovation Workshop is changing how the company creates products…

No one there is going to tell you to stay in your lane, explains former Amazon program manager Jerry Gupta. He shares other insights about the corporate culture inside…

Looking for the advice to kick start your month? Check out five takeaways from our July coverage of corporate innovation…

Thought leaders with experience at Amazon, Ahold Delhaize, Roche Brothers, and L.L. Bean share industry trends discussed at Revolution Retail, a food retail pop-up.

Sam’s Club Now is an incubator store made to test out ideas like AR experiences with products, cashierless checkout, a Sam’s Club app, and more.

Can the retail industry stay relevant with today’s consumers? We went to New York City for NRF’s Big Show to find out. Guests work at Footlocker and Retail Minded. 

As 2019 unfolds, physical retail is undergoing a major transformation — one characterized by freshness, nimbleness, and curation. Lindsay Angelo explains…

Most think of American Greetings as a purveyor of greeting cards. But VP of Innovation Carol Miller says the company is in the “meaningful connections” business.

Lowe’s CEO has a mantra for the company: “Retail fundamentals.” Read highlights from his talk at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference in New York.

At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show 2019, attendees discussed how to vie for attention from customers in the age of Amazon and thousands of options at their fingertips.

Read edited highlights from Target CEO Brian Cornell’s speech and onstage Q&A session with NRF CEO Matthew Shay.

Contributing columnist Lindsay Angelo says we’ll see more sectors colliding in 2019 to create something bigger and more impactful than each could do on its own.

 Pano Anthos, managing partner of New York-based retail accelerator XRC Labs, shares best practices for working with accelerators.

Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman and Spanx Founder Sara Blakely discuss brand building, using humor, and empowering women at Forbes 30 Under 30.

In a recent interview, Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta talks about going beyond the buzzword “digital transformation” to design a digital strategy that works.

 Can changing your business model make your company an innovation powerhouse? We sit down with Rick Paster of Walmart Global eCommerce and Mark Johnson of Innosight to find out. 

Despite the dire forecasts in the retial industry, Joseph Miller and his partner, David Fishbein, set out in 2013 to create something that was anything but mall-like.

What is it really like to head innovation at a large company? We talked to former innovation executives from Nike and Manulife John Hancock to find out — warts and all.

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner shares how Hasbro navigates the changing retail landscape and why changing things as fast as the market demands can often run counter to human nature. Part three of three…

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner shares how the company navigates the changing retail landscape; how they managing Wall Street’s expectations; and more. Part two of three…

In the decade since Hasbro Chairman and CEO Brian Goldner took charge, the company has begun to take a “digital-first” approach to everything it does. Read our three part interview…

Jackson Wang shares his advice on the most effective ways to use design thinking, highlighting lessons from his work as VP of Retail Design at L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble.

A list of acquisitions made by Walmart from 2011 to the present, including Jet.com, ModCloth, and Bonobos.

Don’t buy into the narrative that these two companies are gladiators battling to the death. Here’s what’s really happening.

Chuck Martin was convinced pet care offered growth opportunities for Bissell. Here’s how he launched the company’s first dog grooming product, with help from Indiegogo.

Prat Vemana, VP of Online at Home Depot, explains how the $95 billion retailer is testing technology to make in-store and online shopping seamless for customers. 

Former Darden Restaurants and Starbucks exec Rachel Antalek says getting started was the hardest part of responding to the instruction to “set up a disruptive innovation team.”

Pano Anthos of the retail accelerator XRC Labs discusses five roles that the store can play in the future — and the importance of new trends in the industry. 

Chief Digital Officer Scott Hudler discusses kiosks, intelligent virtual assistants, delivery, and driving app downloads…

Former Crate & Barrel CEO Sascha Bopp talks about the CEO’s mindset when it comes to experiments and how to “bring down the hurdle” for trying new things.

“There are a lot of great ideas out there,” says Shira Goodman. “But as a company, we need to focus on a few to get scale, and then utilize the advantages of that scale.”

“[A]s a more established brand, there are a lot of headwinds out there,” Lindsay Angelo says. “[T]hink about how you can take advantage of that turbulence internally.”

Bill McInnis of Reebok says the company wanted “a lot more speed, a lot more local, and a lot more custom.” This inspired initiatives like the “Liquid Factory” and “Cotton + Corn.”

Faisal Masud, Staples’ Chief Technology Officer, shares how the company approaches digital innovation. Topics of discussion include  chatbots, recruiting tech talent, and shifts in retail.

Creating an iconic brand requires more than great design. Find out what makes a brand iconic from Soon Yu the former Global VP of Innovation at VF Corporation. 

In kicking off XRC’s 2017 demo day, Managing Director Pano Anthos discussed some of the trends he is seeing in the retail space, and what retailers must do to stay relevant. 

Sushil Borde, VP of Innovation at Reliance, discusses how the company is working to institutionalize innovation and the five tenets that guide innovation at Reliance.

Galeries Lafayette’s Plug & Play startup accelerator, launched in 2016. The program seeks to attract the best fashion and retail-oriented startups from around the world. Find out more… 

The idea behind the creation of the coLAB is that “we know less about our food than we ever have at any other time in history. We want to do something about it.”

American Greetings’ Carol Miller describes how the company creates meaningful connections with family and friends, bridging creativity and the business side of greeting cards.

Authors of Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice share an excerpt on how Intuit and Amazon determine whether they’re on the right track.

Macy’s should “go small or go home.” Mark Nitkey, formerly of Apple, Victoria’s Secret, and Ahold, explains how Macy’s should approach innovation in the Age of Amazon.

Johnson discusses blending digital convenience with the offline experience, launching the Apple Store concept while working for Steve Jobs, and his time as CEO of JC Penney.

At a new “lab” store in Manhattan’s Noho neighborhood, customers are just a few steps away from the designers who work in the back half of the space.

We spoke with Joe Pine about how social media and virtual reality are changing the nature of experiences; Uber, Hilton, and Capital One; and more.

Victoria Scarborough of Sherwin-Williams’ Global External Innovation Team, defines her mission as identifying outside “technology that would move the innovation needle.”

The startups that pitched at last week’s Demo Day at retail accelerator XRC Labs ranged from instant interior design services to a smart mirror that could change your routine.

On the cover: Society of Grownups CEO Nondini Naqui, photographed by Troy Caldeira. Inside: Elon Musk, Walmart, Hallmark, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Visa, and more.

Corporate venture capital initiatives are often a by-product of a booming economy — here today and gone tomorrow. Kyle Fugere shares strategies to help your initative thrive.

To test ideas, IKEA built a model apartment in southern Sweden. It invites local families to move in and document their experiences with the experimental furnishings.

CVS Chief Digital Officer Brian Tilzer discusses why the company set up its new Digital Innovation Lab in Boston; how it connects with teams at headquarters; and more.

Gap Inc.’s Dean of Global Innovation talks about creativity, co-creation, the Mindspark training initiative, and the importance of solving small problems first.

A new small-format grocery store from $36 billion Ahold that is integrated into a neighborhood streetscape may be the key to attracting a young, urban shopper…

Walmart, the world’s biggest company by revenue, restructured its tech development team in Silicon Valley in 2011. We talk to @WalmartLabs chief Jeremy King.

Rob Chumley’s mission: Help 7-Eleven Inc. become more than just a quick stop for a sandwich and a Slurpee. Find out what he’s been working on since taking the role…

In the 1920s, the average time companies spent in the S&P 500 was 67 years. Today, it’s 15. Find out how Lowe’s is working to stay ahead of the curve….

 

Since he joined Staples, Faisal Masud has embarked on a campaign to build up the company’s digital muscles. Find out more…

Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks wanted to create a shrine to coffee in Seattle where visitors could learn about the bean and immerse themselves in the brand…

Home Depot opened a site to connect with Georgia Tech students and explore technologies that could impact how people shop and associates work.

Brian Tilzer says the company is navigating two revolutions: omni-channel retail and “the digital enablement of healthcare…”

The authors of the new book “Frugal Innovation” share six principles of frugal innovation, and an example from the book about Kingfisher…

Patti Streeper’s job at Hallmark Cards is to help cultivate businesses that may not fit with the company’s brand image — but ones that speak to new groups of customers…

Blaine Hurst of Panera Bread explains how he worked with CEO and founder Ron Shaich to design and test the “Panera 2.0” concept, working out of a single cafe near Boston’s Fenway Park.

In March, the $9 billion videogame retailer created the GameStop Technology Institute to help it develop new experiences and offerings for the “empowered consumer.”

Kyle Nel of Lowe’s Innovation Labs explains why the home improvement retailer created a comic book to help executives evaluate possible future scenarios.

Steve Yankovich talks about how his team “graduates” its projects to business units, and why it’s so important to be able to kill low-potential projects. Get more insights…

Karen Kricorian explains how Disney’s parks and resorts group approaches research: “When you think you know something that’s when you need to shake up your thinking.”

Director of Adjacency Innovation Deborah Arcoleo lays out the four steps she uses to de-risk innovation initiatives.

Dean of Global Innovation Michael Perman explains how Gap Inc. has trained about 250 employees to be innovators, through a program called Mindspark…

Is there a duller environment than the typical airport gate? See how San Francisco-based Benefit Cosmetics is trying to shake things up with its new vending machines.