Stores Rise Again: Retail Engagement in the Post-COVID World

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain

Not only isn't physical retail dead, but brands big and small are innovating in many ways to improve conversion, drive up average transaction value and create memorable moments that keep customers coming back for more. More and more, it's not about physical or digital, it's how they work together to create a harmonized and memorable experience.

In this episode we talk with three industry thought-leaders that are helping their clients create new ways to maximize shopper engagement and deliver wow-worthy moments. Indeed, while the role of the store is changing rapidly, retailers' brick & mortar assets, working in concert with all things digital, may become even more important to brands journey to remarkable.

After our panel we jump into our fun new segment “Remarkable or Forgettable?” where we give our hot takes on a selection of retail headlines, and deem them wow-worthy, best ignored or somewhere in between. This week's we talk about Under Armour's earnings surprise, BooHoo's acquisition spree, Nordstrom's "Closer to the customer" initiative, Target's blockbuster new activewear brand and Amazon's big push into grocery.

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Omni-channel is Dead: The Future is Harmonized Retail

The stores strike back.

Melissa Gonzalez the award-winning CEO of The Lion’esque Group, an MG2 company, pioneers the boundaries of experiential retail to help brands such as Purple, Nordstrom, and Burrow foster consumer engagement and evolve their offering. An innovator at heart, Melissa is consistently recognized as one of the leading ‘Women In Design’ and ‘Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year’. In her downtime, she can be spotted seeking inspiration in unexpected places (like skydiving 10,000 feet above ground).

Matthew Cyr is a tech entrepreneur and ex-retail ops leader with over 15+ years of experience. After opening over 150+ retail locations in the APAC region, building a multi-national retail training team for Skechers, and operating over a dozen retail stores across North America, Matthew has launched an omnichannel retail platform that empowers retailers to better connect with their customers. Be sure to check out their Connected Fitting Room and Assisted Selling solution now deployed in North America, South Africa, and China. www.craveretail.com

Note: Steve serves on Crave Retail's Advisory Board and has a small passive investment in the company through a seed-capital venture fund where he previously served as an advisor.

Trevor Sumner is a NYC-based entrepreneur, product and marketing executive and recognized startup advisor and angel. Trevor is the CEO of Perch, a recognized leader in in-store Product Engagement Marketing, interactive retail displays and augmented reality. Perch was named a Top Tech Company to Watch by Forbes, a Top 10 Retail Technology company by CIO Review and has won numerous Clio, Fast Company, Edison, Bloomberg and Digi awards.

Trevor was the President, CMO and co-founder of LocalVox, a local social and mobile marketing platform for local businesses that was named one of the top startups in NYC by Business Insider, Forbes and Huffington Post, and was acquired by The Blackstone Group. He has spent ~15 years in startups as a product and marketing executive for cutting edge technologies and services. He serves on the board or as an advisor to several startups.

Forbes Names Perch a Top 15 Technology Company to Watch

Perch Named a Top 40 Transformative Marketing Technology by R3

CIO Review Names Perch a Top 20 Retail Solutions Provider

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption will be released April 13th and is now available for preorder at Amazon , Indigo in Canada or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

This episode is sponsored by The Poirier Group.

Do you want to move faster, streamline your processes and have larger margins? If you’re a retailer in 2021, chances are you do. The Poirier Group’s award-winning team of industrial engineers and performance improvement experts specialize in driving results for retailers and grocers across North America. From reducing call-center wait times, to improving stocking and replenishment processes in warehouses, to seamlessly integrating IT systems and more-- they are the trusted partner you need.

TPG doesn't just design solutions - they leverage years of actual industry experience to implement them and set you up for long-term sustainable success. Just ask their clients: over 15 years in business, 100% have been a positive reference.

Visit www.thepoiriergroup.com/remarkable to learn more - and tell them you heard all about them on the Remarkable Retail podcast!

Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets: Your code is "REMARKABLE" . See you in the Big Apple!

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.