Making the Most of Traffic: An Expert Panel on In-Store Innovation

Physical retail is far from dead, but for many retailers traffic is increasingly harder to come by. In a fascinating panel recorded live on the floor at last month's NRF "Big Show," we welcome three founding CEO's to discuss how to create a more remarkable customer experience by leveraging innovative technology.

Our guests are Daniel Black from Glass Media, Morgan Davis from MarketDial and Chris Todd from Theatro

But we kick-off the episode with a run-down of the headlines making waves in the world of retail including whether Bed, Bath & Beyond got a real life line or just a temporary reprieve, what to make of earnings reports from Capri, Under Armour, and Simon Property, and the possibility that expanding layoffs might have a cascading effect. We also discuss whether declining imports are a cause for concern, before wrapping up with Canada Goose's strategy to ramp up its growth plans.

We're headed to Las Vegas in March for another edition of Shoptalk. Retailers and brands can get a Shoptalk ticket for a reduced rate of just $1950 rate here using our special discount code RBREMARK1950.

About Morgan

Morgan is the co-founder add CEO of MarketDial. Prior to MarketDial, Morgan was an associate at Kickstart Seed Fund. He also previously worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and focused in its Consumer Practice Area. While at BCG his projects included several due diligences for top-tier PE funds, a data-driven brand redesign for a national

QSR chain, international marketing and sales benchmarking and training for a large consumer goods company, and a strategic overhaul and implementation of a consumer-facing education program for a specialty consumer goods manufacturer.

About Daniel

Daniel, a Silicon Valley native, is often referred to as an entrepreneurial rebel for choosing to launch his retail technology company “Glass-Media” in Dallas, Texas. Since moving to Dallas in 2013, Daniel has quickly become an integral part of the startup community/ecosystem. In February 2015, Daniel was co-featured on the cover of “D CEO Magazine" in an article entitled “The New Faces of Dallas Tech.” Later that year, he was named a finalist for the Tech Titans - Emerging Company CEO Award and was honored in the Tech Titans Gala. Daniel is a firm believer in giving back. He is a mentor at a local, leading venture accelerator and remains actively involved with the Dallas Entrepreneurial Center and various other entrepreneurial organizations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Daniel attributes much of his success to the education he received at Claremont McKenna College. He graduated with a dual major in Economics/Government and completed the Leadership Studies Sequence. During his senior year, he was awarded “Claremont McKenna College Entrepreneur of the Year”. To date, Daniel remains involved with the College’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and was honored to have been selected as a Kravis Leadership Fellow.

About Chis

Chris is responsible for leading Theatro’s overall direction, strategy, and growth. Chris is a “roll up your sleeves” type leader who is passionate about the strategy of a business. Chris believes that most every idea can be a winner…it’s all about figuring out the strategy angles to drive success! As a co-founder, Chris has been instrumental in guiding Theatro from an early innovative concept into a fast-paced growth company.

Chris has 25+ years of experience in senior executive positions with small start-ups and large multinationals in a diverse array of industries, including software, networking and apps for leading hardware and software companies including Cisco Systems, AppTrigger, Metaswitch, Extreme Networks and Newbridge Networks.

About Us

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 is now available at Amazon 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 eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

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 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.