Conversations with CommerceNext

"Expressive" Luxury Meets Analytics: Tapestry's Pooja Chandiramani and Avinash Kaushik on Marketing Transformation

michael@meleblanc.co (Pooja Chandiramani, Avinash Kaushik) — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:05:00 +0000

For Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc's final episode recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth show, they welcome two visionary leaders from Tapestry, the global house of brands that includes Coach and Kate Spade: Pooja Chandiramani, VP Global Media Strategy & Planning, Marketing Analytics, Operations and Transformation, and Avinash Kaushik, Brand Strategy & Marketing Transformation.

Pooja and Avinash unpack Tapestry’s ongoing transformation, which embeds analytics as a core pillar of brand growth. For Coach in particular, analytics isn’t just incremental—it’s a complete transformation journey. By using data to generate insights that directly drive business impact, Tapestry ensures marketing investments are accountable, measurable, and tied to outcomes.

Avinash, a globally recognized thought leader and author, explains how Tapestry embraces intent-centric marketing to connect authentically with consumers. Moving beyond the outdated “accessible luxury” positioning, the company has shifted toward "expressive luxury"—a modern framework that reflects values-driven, authentic consumer engagement, particularly resonant with younger audiences.

The conversation dives into the cultural foundations necessary for analytics to thrive. Avinash emphasizes that “culture is more important than data,” crediting Tapestry’s CEO Joanne Crevoiserat and senior leadership for creating an environment where data can challenge assumptions and guide decisions. This culture enables bold experiments, including measuring the incrementality of brand marketing—one of the toughest questions in retail.

Pooja highlights how creative pre-testing has become a critical unlock. By partnering with Human Made Machine, Tapestry tests campaigns with real audiences before investing media spend. This approach ensures that creative—responsible for up to 70% of marketing impact—delivers measurable results in driving brand awareness and incremental sales. It’s a cultural shift, moving from subjective opinions about creative to decisions grounded in data.

The episode also explores the role of AI and machine learning in accelerating agility, simplifying decision-making frameworks, and enabling global scalability. Both leaders stress that outcomes-based planning—rather than activity-based planning—keeps Tapestry aligned with its ambitious growth goals.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Jennifer Marlo drives industry-leading programming at CommerceNext, drawing on experience from Ascendant Network and iMedia Connection, where she spearheaded content strategies to inspire retail, brand and agency marketing leaders. Guided by the belief that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” Jennifer uses in-person and digital platforms to educate and foster industry collaboration.

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 authro 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 the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, top retail influencer, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Lauren Price, COS' SVP E-Commerce & Digital Marketing on Winning Over the Next Generation of Customers

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:21:47 +0000

In this episode The Remarkable Retail Podcast's co-host Michael LeBlanc's guest is with Lauren Price, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce & Digital Marketing for COS North America discussing her impressive career trajectory and work positioning the H&M-owned brand for growth in a competitive, fast-moving fashion retail landscape.

Lauren’s career began in the early days of luxury e-commerce at Createthe Group, building first-generation online stores for high-end brands . Her path included consulting with Demandware and L2 (Scott Galloway’s firm), leading to her first in-house brand role at J.Crew before joining COS—a globally recognized fashion brand known for exceptional quality, timeless style, and meticulous craftsmanship.

At COS, Lauren oversees North American marketing and digital commerce, a key growth market. She explains how COS benefits from the resources of a global parent company while operating with the agility of a smaller regional business. This unique position allows for strategic experimentation while maintaining the brand’s commitment to premium quality.

A highlight from the conversation is COS’s viral marketing moment: a $45 T-shirt compared on TikTok to a $15 Uniqlo tee, with the influencer praising COS’s superior quality and construction. This sparked organic buzz and significant new customer acquisition, prompting Lauren’s team to launch a targeted influencer gifting campaign. The lesson: seize authentic, organic momentum quickly and amplify it with campaigns that focus on authenticity, craftsmanship, and product education—especially to win over savvy Gen Z shoppers.

Lauren also tackles the emerging challenge of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), advising brands to prepare product catalogs for AI-driven search while maintaining current SEO performance. She predicts AI search adoption will accelerate faster than previous digital shifts, urging retailers to run both short-term and long-term optimization in parallel.

As the discussion turns to holiday planning, Lauren offers several pieces of practical, results-focused advice.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

From Seed to Scale: XRC Ventures' Pano Anthos on Revolutionizing Retail & Consumer Tech

michael@meleblanc.co (Pano Anthos) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:55:47 +0000

In this episode hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis from The Remarkable Retail Podcast welcome XRC Ventures' Managing Director Pano Anthos, for a deep dive into the future of retail innovation, investment strategies, and overcoming the systemic challenges that keep great technology from scaling.

Pano shares his journey from serial entrepreneur to leading a venture fund focused on pre-seed and seed-stage investments at the intersection of retail, consumer behavior, and technology. With over 150 investments since 2015, XRC Ventures targets transformative sectors including retail media networks, the consumerization of healthcare, commerce enablement, and new distribution channels. Pano highlights examples of groundbreaking innovations—from AI-driven financial automation to diagnostics that detect autism in under two hours—that are redefining operational efficiency and customer impact.

A major focus of the conversation is retail’s organizational dysfunction, where siloed leadership and competing P&Ls create “warring tribes” that hinder adoption of transformative solutions. Pano argues that true progress requires structural change—appointing an operational leader with end-to-end responsibility for traffic and sales across all channels.

The discussion also explores the promise of retail media, particularly in-store applications with untapped margin potential, and spatial intelligence, which can bring the precision of e-commerce analytics into physical stores. Pano shares candid insights on startup strategy, stressing that early-stage companies must demonstrate material ROI—significant EBITDA or revenue growth—to make it into a retailer’s short list of investment priorities.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Reimagining Heritage Through Innovation: A Conversation with Stuart Hogue, (formerly) Lands' End Senior Vice President, US Consumer

michael@meleblanc.co (Stuart Hogue) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 07:07:42 +0000

In this insightful summer bonus episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc welcome Stuart Hogue, formerly Lands' End, Senior Vice President, US Consumer, for a fast-paced conversation recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York City. Stuart brings a wealth of brand experience—spanning time at Nike and a passion for brand strategy shaped by none other than fellow podcast guest Scott Galloway—and shares how Lands; End is evolving while staying grounded in its heritage.

Founded in 1963 as a sailing outfitter, Lands' End has evolved over the decades from a catalogue stalwart to a digitally savvy harmonized retailer. Stuart walks us through how the company continues to build on its legacy of quality, durability, and classic American style, while embracing modern retail strategies—from digital marketplaces and fashion drops to AI-driven customer discovery.

Stuart details Land's Ends; successful expansion into platforms like Nordstrom.com and Amazon, where clever use of data helped make their Bedford quarter-zip sweater a top seller. He emphasizes the importance of aligning product selection with platform-specific customer mindsets, demonstrating a sharp and disciplined approach to marketplace strategy.

We also delve into how Lands' End achieved surprising viral success through personalized tote bag pop-ups in Soho, which not only drove younger customer engagement but also created powerful emotional brand moments that were amplified organically through TikTok. The brand's strategic move toward monthly product drops has helped introduce newness while preserving customer loyalty around legacy franchises, such as Tugless swimsuits, no-iron chinos, and its legendary Squall jackets.

Stuart shares thoughtful insight into omnichannel retail, calling it less about technology and more about being present at key customer moments across touchpoints. He highlights the growing influence of AI agents. He emphasizes the need for brands to prepare for a new era of product discovery, where brand authority and relevance across marketplaces become increasingly crucial for staying top of mind.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Draper James CEO Jeannie Yoo on What's Next for the Celebrity Inspired Brand

michael@meleblanc.co (Jeannie Yoo) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:05:00 +0000

In this special summer episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc from The Remarkable Retail Podcast welcome Jeannie Yoo, CEO of Draper James, for a wide-ranging conversation on the brand's growth trajectory, the power of celebrity in retail, and the rise of human-centric retail experiences.

Jeannie brings two decades of fashion retail experience to the table, from her early days at Michael Kors and Coach to leading the luxury house Adam Lippes. Now nine months into her role at Draper James, Yoo is steering the Southern-rooted lifestyle brand—founded by Reese Witherspoon—through its next stage of growth, marked by its 10th anniversary "decade tour" and a sharpened focus on customer connection.

Yoo discusses how Draper James defies the "digitally native" label, thriving through retail stores, with licensing and pop-ups that foster personal, local, and sensory experiences. While the brand's celebrity origin story is foundational, Yoo emphasizes how its growth is now powered by inclusive pricing, joyful storytelling, and a culture of Southern hospitality. Reese Witherspoon remains involved, but the brand is scaling under Yoo's operational leadership and with the backing of Consortium Brand Partners.

Central to the conversation is Yoo's take on "human-centric retailing"—a strategy rooted in community engagement, elevated in-store experiences, and product innovation informed by customer passions for gardening, books, and food. She describes how Draper James curates joy through both product and experience, emphasizing quality over quantity in an era of fashion abundance. Technology, particularly AI, plays a role, but not the leading one. The focus, she notes, is on enabling smarter, more efficient work—not replacing human intuition or creativity.

Looking ahead, Yoo sees North American expansion—especially retail and licensing—as the brand's most significant opportunity before tackling global markets. She also reflects on her leadership style, which has been forged in both large organizations and niche luxury brands, allowing her to scale thoughtfully without losing the emotional resonance that makes Draper James special.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Leading Social Commerce into the Future with Walmart VP Sarah Henry

michael@meleblanc.co (Sarah Henry) — Wed, 1 Oct 2025 07:36:30 +0000

In this insightful episode of The Remarkable Retail podcast recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York, Sarah Henry, Vice President, Head of Content, Influencer & Commerce at Walmart, discusses with Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc how one of the world's largest retailers is at the forefront of digital innovation. Sarah shares her journey from classical pianist to marketing executive, charting her unique path into eCommerce and social media leadership.

The discussion dives deep into how Walmart is meeting the evolving expectations of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers. Sarah explains how the boundaries between brand discovery, engagement, and purchase are transforming, particularly for younger demographics who now discover products on social platforms more than in physical aisles or via traditional search engines. She shares insights into Walmart's strategic shift, including the rollout of the "Who Knew?" campaign, which highlights surprising products and services available through Walmart, ranging from exclusive Pokémon cards to stylish fashion from brands like Free Assembly.

A central focus of the conversation is "Walmart Creator", the brand's in-house platform launched to streamline influencer engagement and power social commerce. Sarah explains how this platform connects tens of thousands of creators directly with Walmart's ecosystem, enabling shoppable content that seamlessly bridges inspiration and transaction.

The conversation also touches on the increasing role of artificial intelligence in commerce. Sarah emphasizes the balance between technology and human creativity, asserting that Walmart's approach is "tech-led and people-powered." She discusses how AI is being used to support creators, personalize experiences, and enhance the customer journey, while remaining cautious about authenticity and scale.

Sarah offers a look at attribution and measurement, acknowledging progress while recognizing room for improvement. She also shares her excitement for the future of social commerce and the continued growth of the creator economy as a legitimate career path. Throughout the episode, she underscores the importance of adaptability and real-time testing in a retail landscape that is changing by the day.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Risk, Reinvention, and Retail Tech Evolution with Jenna Flateman Posner, Founder & CEO, Chief Digital Agency

michael@meleblanc.co (Jena Flateman Posner) — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:18:19 +0000

In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Jenna Flateman Posner, Founder & CEO of Chief Digital Agency, for a candid and insightful conversation on the changing dynamics of retail technology and digital transformation.

Jenna shares her remarkable career journey, starting on the technology side, building go-to-market partnerships in loyalty, payments, and localization before making the leap into retail operations as VP of Digital and then Chief Digital Officer at Snipes. She reflects on scaling Snipes’ digital business from $7 million to $100 million, navigating the pandemic, civil unrest, and the accelerated shift to digital commerce.

From there, Jenna moved to Solo Brands, where she drove digital strategy across a portfolio of outdoor lifestyle companies and activated memorable campaigns, including the award-winning “smokeless” collaboration with Snoop Dogg. These experiences ultimately inspired her to found Chief Digital Agency, a consultancy designed to bridge the persistent gap between technology vendors and retail operators.

Jenna describes her role as a translator and conduit between retailers and technology providers—helping vendors refine products, craft go-to-market strategies, and close deals, while assisting retailers with tech selection, vendor management, and implementation oversight. By bringing transparency and empathy to both sides, she helps organizations avoid costly missteps and unlock true partnership value.

The conversation dives deep into some of retail’s most pressing challenges: why cultural and organizational silos slow down tech adoption, the need for retailers to embrace faster decision-making, and the importance of vendors building trust instead of chasing cold-call volume. Jenna also shares her vision for the future of digital commerce, where AI acts as a unifying operating system and data pipelines—not websites—become the core infrastructure for brand success.

With practical advice for vendors, retailers, and technologists alike, this episode offers a roadmap for building stronger relationships, embracing risk, and preparing for a future shaped by AI-driven agents and new consumer expectations.

Tune in to hear why Jenna believes digital leaders must become “data people” first—and how Chief Digital Agency is shaping the future of retail partnerships.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Retail Legend Ken Pilot Breaks Down Tariff Math, Retail Tech & Brand Survival

michael@meleblanc.co (Ken Pilot) — Wed, 3 Sep 2025 07:07:53 +0000

In the debut episode of Season Four of the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc from The Remarkable Retail Podcast guest is Ken Pilot—retail executive, tech investor, and host of The Retail Pilot: Leaders & Legends podcast.

Ken's legendary career spans decades and includes pivotal roles such as President of Gap Global, Factory Stores at Ralph Lauren, and leadership positions at J.Crew, American Eagle, and ABC Carpet & Home. He takes us behind the scenes of launching Gap Outlet, transforming a single underperforming store into over 100 high-margin locations in just 36 months, ultimately making it the most profitable division at Gap.

The conversation then shifts to current macro challenges, particularly tariffs and global sourcing. Ken unpacks the "tariff math" few are talking about, warning that even modest increases could wipe out 10 points of margin, especially for smaller brands without pricing power or manufacturing flexibility. He anticipates a hit to Southeast Asia, outlines strategic moves by companies like Gap to diversify sourcing, and speculates on the economic implications for North American retail.

Next, Ken delves into the retail tech landscape, providing a forward-looking perspective on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the emergence of natural language search, and how retailers must adapt both on-site and externally to remain visible and competitive. He highlights the companies he's advising and investing in, including "Curated For You" (an AI-driven occasion-based merchandising platform) and "Raspberry AI" (tools that help designers iterate visuals from sketches to campaign-ready assets). He also discusses the creative tension AI can introduce and how forward-thinking teams are adapting.

Finally, we examine the potential of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) as an underutilized profit stream, particularly in a high-cost, low-margin environment. Ken balances caution with optimism, emphasizing the need for retailers to experiment, remain agile, and stay laser-focused on the customer and core product offering.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Accelerating A Beloved Heritage Brand With A Startup Mentality

michael@meleblanc.co (Sabrina Cherubini) — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:48:35 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

In this episode, meet Sabrina Cherubini, Senior Vice President of Brand & Digital at Hanky Panky. With a storied history of work on both the agency and brand sides of marketing with Leo Burnett, Havas, Sears and Ann Inc and now, with a unique role with both the brand and performance elements of this heritage retailer, Sabrina takes us through how she is injecting a startup mentality into Hanky Panky to reignite growth and having fun doing it.

About Sabrina

Building Powerful Brands and Turning Data and Consumers’ Insights into Innovative Integrated Marketing Strategies

Experienced inspirational and collaborative leader motivating and mentoring teams, demonstrating the power of strong customer-centric strategic thinking in fast-paced environment to marketing effectiveness. Adept at growing global brands’ revenue through leading advertising agencies, fast-growing startups and US Fortune 500 corporations.

• Customer-centric strategy
• Segmentation / Personalization / CRM
• Branding Strategy / Advertising
• Integrated / Digital Marketing
• Content Strategy / Storytelling
• Marketing analytics / Customer research
• Loyalty / Credit Card strategies
• Leadership / Management

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

An ecommerce veteran, Scott Silverman has been active in the industry since 1999 and is passionate about digital retail and the innovation driving the industry. Scott Silverman is the Co-Founder of CommerceNext. Previously, he spent 10 years as Executive Director of Shop.org where he launched the Shop.org Annual Summit. Scott co-invented “Cyber Monday” in 2005 and was the founder of Cybermonday.com in 2006, a shopping site that has generated more than $2.5 million for Shop.org’s scholarship fund.

Veronika Sonsev

Veronika Sonsev is the Co-Founder of CommerceNext. She also leads the retail practice for Chameleon Collective and is a contributor for Forbes on how to grow retail and ecommerce in the age of Amazon. Having spent the last 10+ years working with some of the largest retailers and direct-to-consumer brands, Veronika has intimate knowledge of the challenges facing retail and ecommerce today. She is also an advocate for women in business and founded the global non-profit mBolden, which is now part of SheRunsit.

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.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Gopuff's SVP of Business on Fast Delivery and Fast Career Pivots

michael@meleblanc.co (Daniel Folkman) — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:27:38 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

In this episode, we're diving into the fast-paced world of instant commerce with our guide Daniel Folkman, SVP of Gopuff. With a career built on startups and startup culture, Daniel takes us through the brand's origin story and the roadmap to innovation ahead. Next, he shares with us what it takes to be successful in a high-profile and fast-scaling startup and what he looks for in the people he brings into the team to drive continued success and new product development

Links: https://gopuff.com/, https://gopuff.com/go/ads

About Daniel

Daniel Folkman is currently the Senior Vice President of Business at Gopuff, the go-to instant commerce platform that fulfills consumer's evolving everyday needs. In his current role, Daniel Folkman oversees the company's Global Business functions. Since joining Gopuff as one of the company's first employees, Folkman has been a key member of the executive team, helping the company scale to 500+ micro-fulfillment centers across more than 1,000 cities across the US and Europe.

During his more than six years with the company, he has spearheaded the company's fundraising and M&.A efforts, helping to raise more than $4B in funding and leading major transactions such as BevMo!, Liquor Barn, RideOS, Fancy, and Dija. Folkman originated the concept for Gopuff Ads - identifying the power of merging a culturally relevant brand and hyperlocal logistics with the needs of CPG companies. Today, Gopuff Ads commands sizable budgets from brands like PepsiCo,

Coca-Cola, Unilever and many other major CPGs. Folkman is also the driving force behind Gopuff's major consumer partnerships with companies such as Chase, Mastercard, Hyatt, Uber, Grubhub, PayPal, Venmo, and celebrities such as Chris Paul, Selena Gomez, and more.

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Snipes CDO On Managing The Modern Retail Tech Stack & The Power of Partnership

michael@meleblanc.co (Jenna Flateman Posner) — Wed, 2 Nov 2022 07:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Meet Jenna Flateman Posner, Chief Digital Officer for Snipes, a global sneaker and streetwear retailer with over 680 stores across Europe and America. Jenna shares with us her unique perspectives on competition and partnerships with the technology vendors lucky enough to sit across the table from her, and talks about winning strategies she brings from being an elite professional athlete to the retail world and beyond.

About Jenna

A strategic thinker and Retail Tech expert with proven sales and strategy background. Entrepreneurial in practice, able to identify inefficiencies quickly and implement processes enabling scalability and cross-departmental collaboration. Best leveraged when associated with revenue and positioned to lead.

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Tailored Brands' CMO On Staying True to Your Brand and Modern Marketing

michael@meleblanc.co (Carolyn Pollock) — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 07:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Our guest on this episode is Carolyn Pollock, CMO Tailored Brands, a veteran big brand and retail marketer leading her team across North America to help consumers "love the way they look and feel for their most important moments". Carollyn takes us through her eclectic background of international business, packaged goods and now mastering the art and science of modern marketing and modern marketers

About Carolyn

Proven marketing and management professional with a 20 year track record of driving growth and building successful brands. Demonstrated ability to deliver results in fast-growth entrepreneurial and established companies by creating a clear vision, articulating focused strategic priorities and managing successful teams.
Capable of managing the entire consumer lifecycle from acquisition to activation to retention through creative and relevant marketing strategies.

Specialties: Brand strategy, marketing strategy, and business planning, eCommerce management, integrated brand marketing, direct marketing (catalog, email, online), merchandising, sales management

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

FTD CEO Charlie Cole Talks Transformation, Prioritization, And The Power Of Mentors

michael@meleblanc.co (Charlie Cole) — Wed, 5 Oct 2022 06:04:16 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode Charlie Cole, FTD CEO joins the podcast to share notes on transforming a legacy company from the ground up, creating your own story for accelerating career growth, creating context for workplace excellence and tells us the smartest thing he did at FTD. Charlie also talks about the remarkable value of working with technology suppliers to understand table stakes versus differentiators in your marketing tech stack.

About Charlie

Charlie Cole is Chief Executive Officer of FTD, the modern florist collective, where he oversees people and operations. Charlie brings extensive digital and retail leadership experience to the 110-year-old brand, which he joined in March 2020. Before joining FTD, Charlie served as the first Global Chief eCommerce Officer for Samsonite while simultaneously serving as Chief Digital Officer for Tumi. Earlier in his career, he held executive positions and led digital transformations at Assembled Brands, Schiff Nutrition and Lucky Brand Jeans. Charlie holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Liz Horowitz, Founder, Sonic Strategy Consulting

michael@meleblanc.co (Liz Horowitz) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:49:31 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Recorded live in person at the 2022 CommerceNext Ecommerce Growth Show, we sat down with some of the top trailblazers and change-makers that joined our community in New York City to discuss the future of digital commerce and share the latest strategies for E-commerce acceleration.

On this episode, meet Liz Horowitz, Founder, Sonic Strategy Consulting on the evolution of the podcasting industry and opportunities for brands and retailers with this media.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

John Hazen, Boot Barn Chief Digital Officer, Finds The Right Fit With Stores & E-Commerce

michael@meleblanc.co (John Hazen) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:34:22 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode meet John Hazen, the Chief Digital Officer at Boot Barn, a west-coast-based specialty store retail powerhouse. John describes his journey to working within a retail first brand and appreciating the cultural differences in any organization to be truly successful. Next, John talks about his deep attachment to ensuring a seamless shopping experience for his customers and the journey at Boot Barn to keep the focus and understand the power of their stores and the force multiplier that a well-architected digital strategy must become.

About John

Omnichannel and e-Commerce executive/thought leader rooted in apparel&footwear. Extensive experience architecting, launching and running global enterprise initiatives focusing on Omnichannel, e-commerce, retail digital enablement & CRM . Expert in commerce platforms, merchandising, technology with a strong digital background , inventor of patented technology for Nike Digital. MBA from Loyola Marymount University and extensive (15+ years) digital experience working within the apparel/retail industry.

Skateboarder, surfer , triathlete and Pixar nut. 🤙🏻

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Sarah Henry, VP, Head of Content, Influencer, & Commerce, Walmart and Ian Yung VP of Growth, Parachute Home

michael@meleblanc.co (Sarah Henry, Ian Yung) — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 08:07:58 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, meet Sarah Henry, Vice President, Head of Content, Influencer, & Commerce, Walmart and Ian Yung, Vice President of Growth, Parachute Home talking about the intersection of content, commerce and emerging customer trends.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

A Masterclass in Data, Insights and Media Measurement with Estee Lauder's Doug Jensen

michael@meleblanc.co (Doug Jensen) — Wed, 7 Sep 2022 14:12:52 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Meet Doug Jensen, SVP Go-to-Market (GTM) Analytics & Activation and Learning Center of Excellence (COE) at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Having spent his career in media and measurement, Doug takes us through his rigorous approach from full-funnel marketing measurement to social media sentiment analysis to building an analytics team. All this is in the service of the multiple beauty brands within The Estee Lauder Companies, a tremendous shared resource that powers tremendous results.

Corporate web site to explore opportunities at https://www.elcompanies.com/en

About Doug

Global marketing analytics professional with 30 years' experience in the Beauty & CPG / FMCG industries, leading analytics teams, consulting with marketing and sales leaders and scaling insights through enterprise-wide marketing and analytics training.

Superior understanding of technical elements in statistical models and skilled interpreter of client needs, flexibly designing appropriate research designs and delivering solutions to exceed client expectations.

Specific expertise in regression-based marketing mix modeling analytic to measure marketing ROI, market share measurement, CRM strategies and analytics (including trial to loyalty analytics), enterprise-wide marketing training (content creation and deployment).

ABOUT US:

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Narvar Founder & CEO Amit Sharma & The Post-Purchase Point Of Arrival For Customer Experience

michael@meleblanc.co (Amit Sharma) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 04:06:20 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Narvar Founder & CEO Amit Sharma joins me talking about The Post-Purchase Point Of Arrival For Customer Experience and his pixel to parcel solution

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Fashion E-commerce Pioneer Sarah Gallagher On The Art & Science of Digital Retail

michael@meleblanc.co (Sarah Gallagher) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 05:43:44 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

It could be argued that Sarah Gallagher has the most distinguished career in fashion ecommerce. She currently sits on the boards of Abercrombie & Fitch and La-Z-Boy. As an operator, she began her career as a merchant, moved to the Victoria's Secret catalog business and then launched and led the digital businesses of iconic fashion brands Banana Republic and Ralph Lauren. In this episode, Sarah shares her career story, leadership lessons, the art and science of fashion ecommerce and thoughts on the future of digital in retail.

About Sarah

Sarah currently sits on the board of Abercrombie and Fitch Co. and La-zy Boy, and serves as an Executive Advisor of FitforCommerce (retail consultants focused on helping retailers for ecommerce). Ms. Gallagher previously served as Executive Chairperson of the Rebecca Taylor woman’s fashion brand, where she was interim chief executive officer with responsibility for the wholesale, stores and e-commerce businesses. Ms. Gallagher served as President of Ralph Lauren North America e-Commerce and as President of Ralph Lauren Media LLC, Polo.com, where she led all aspects of Ralph Lauren’s e-Commerce business for 12 years to a position of industry leadership and collaborated on its expansion into European markets. Prior to her tenure with the Ralph Lauren organization, Ms. Gallagher served as Senior Vice President, Banana Republic Direct, and Senior Vice President, Gap Direct, divisions of Gap, Inc., where she was directly responsible for the launch of the Banana Republic catalog, website, and all aspects of its e-Commerce business. Prior to joining Gap, Inc., Ms. Gallagher served as Vice President, Apparel, Jewelry and Accessories for Avon Products, Inc.; Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, Intimate Apparel and then Executive Vice President, Merchandising of Victoria’s Secret Catalogue; and in various roles with Lord & Taylor.

About Veronika

About Scott

About Michael

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Marvin Attiq, Co-Founder of The BottleHaus On Scaling A Startup

michael@meleblanc.co (Marvin Attiq) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Marvin Attiq, Co-Founder of The BottleHaus On Scaling A Startup

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Scott Geftman, President of Rowing Blazers & Omair Tariq, CEO & Co-founder, Cart.com Talk Retail Innovation

michael@meleblanc.co (Scott Geftman, omair tariq) — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Scott Geftman, President Rowing Blazers & Omair Tariq, CEO & Co-Founder Cart.com, Talk Retail Innovation

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Ryan Monahan, CMO, Redcon1, On Scaling A Passionate Fan Base And Working With Celebrities

michael@meleblanc.co (Ryan Monahan) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 03:58:21 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Ryan Monahan, CMO, Redcon1, On Scaling A Passionate Fan Base And Working With Celebrities

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

David Han, VP, Product, Neiman Marcus and Brian Seewald, SVP, eCommerce, Express: The Next Frontier of Personalized Experiences

michael@meleblanc.co (David Han, Brian Seewald) — Tue, 9 Aug 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, David Han, Vice President, Product, Neiman Marcus and Brian Seewald, Senior Vice President , eCommerce, Express: The Next Frontier of Personalized Experiences

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

William Niles, CEO, and Lauren Gengler, Retention Marketing Manager at Brinks Home and George Khachatryan, CEO OfferFit Talk Leveraging AI For Next Generation Retention & Growth Campaigns

michael@meleblanc.co (William Niles, Lauren Gengler, George Khachatryan) — Thu, 4 Aug 2022 06:50:57 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, William Niles, CEO, and Lauren Gengler, Retention Marketing Manager at Brinks Home and George Khachatryan, CEO OfferFit Talk Leveraging AI For Next Generation Retention & Growth Campaigns

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Lisa Perlmutter SVP, Marketing & E-Commerce at Brilliant Earth and Lauren Thomas, Retail Reporter, CNBC talk about sustainability and sustainable competitive advantage

michael@meleblanc.co (Lisa Perlmutter, Lauren Thomas) — Tue, 2 Aug 2022 15:04:19 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Lisa Perlmutter, Senior Vice President, Marketing & E-Commerce at Brilliant Earth and Lauren Thomas, Retail Reporter, CNBC talk about sustainability and sustainable competitive advantage

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Christine Pagano, Coach; Madison Hajeb, Kathleen Jiang, Manager, Tapestry; Carol-Lyn Jardine, Persado On The Art & Science of E-Commerce Innovation

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:21:06 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Christine Pagano, Manager, Site Operations & Innovation for Outlet eCommerce, Coach; Madison Hajeb, Senior Director, Testing and Innovation and Kathleen Jiang, Manager, Content Optimization Programs, Digital Experience, Tapestry; Carol-Lyn Jardine, VP Strategic Marketing, Persado talk about the art and science of E-commerce innovation.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Alexa Ritacco, CMO, Jenni Kayne & Emily Hickey, CEO Chief Detective, On Super-Scaling A Brand With Content & Social

michael@meleblanc.co (Alexa Ritacco, Emily Hickey) — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Alexa Ritacco, CMO, Jenni Kayne & Emily Hickey, CEO Chief Detective Growth Consulting, On Super-Scaling A Brand With Content & Social

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Daren Hull, President, Vera Bradley + Andrea Moore, SVP Digital, E-commerce and Consumer Insights at NEST New York Talk About Staying Customer Obsessed

michael@meleblanc.co (Darren Hull, Andrea Moore) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode, Daren Hull, President, Vera Bradley + Andrea Moore, SVP Digital, E-commerce and Consumer Insights at Nest New York, talk about Staying Customer Obsessed

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Amanda Bopp, VP North American Marketing, Kate Spade + Sarah Rasmusen, EVP, Chief Customer Officer, Lands' End, Turning Data Into Insights

michael@meleblanc.co (Amanda Bopp, Sarah Rasmusen) — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 07:29:15 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode meet Amanda Bopp, VP North American Marketing, Kate Spade + Sarah Rasmusen, EVP, Chief Customer Officer, Lands' End, Who Are Turning Data, Into Insights

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer, Elf Beauty on Digital Leadership For The Next Wave of Growth

michael@meleblanc.co (Ekta Chopra) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 06:54:51 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode meet Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer, Elf Beauty on Digital Leadership For The Next Wave of Growth

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Brian Beitler, SVP, vCommerce Ventures, Qurate Retail Group, Shares Insights From Decades of Livestreaming Retail

michael@meleblanc.co (Brian Beitler) — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode Brian Beitler, SVP, vCommerce Ventures, Qurate Retail Group, Shares Insights From Decades of Livestreaming Retail

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

FTD CEO Charlie Cole Talks Disruption At The CommerceNext Ecommerce Growth Show 2022

michael@meleblanc.co (Charlie Cole) — Thu, 7 Jul 2022 13:56:16 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

On this episode FTD CEO Charlie Cole sits down with us to talk disruption and tells us not to sleep on next generation media opportunities.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Craig Brommers, CMO American Eagle Takes On The Metaverse At The CommerceNext Ecommerce Growth Show 2022

michael@meleblanc.co (Craig Brommers) — Tue, 5 Jul 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

In this episode, meet Craig Brommers, Chief Marketing Officer, American Eagle Outfitters talking about the role of the modern marketer and the metaverse.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Sucharita Kodali, Vice President And Principal Analyst, Forrester Research, Talking Macro Economic Trends At The CommerceNext Ecommerce Growth Show 2022

michael@meleblanc.co (Sucharita Kodali) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 05:05:28 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

In this episode, meet Sucharita Kodali, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Forrester Research as she talks macro economic trends and the role of sustainability.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

A Marketplace Masterclass For Retail Marketers

michael@meleblanc.co (Adrien Nussenbaum) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 05:09:15 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Get ready for a masterclass in retail marketplace strategy from the global leader in online marketplace platforms: Mirakl. My guest for this exclusive interview is Adrien Nussenbaum, Co-Founder & CEO.

Since 2012 Adrien and his team of talented and innovative technologists have worked with retailers worldwide to help them define, refine and operate state-of-the-art online marketplaces that enhance brand and their retail offerings.

From his office just outside Paris, Adrien takes us behind closed doors and shares the profoundly strategic elements behind a thriving marketplace that elevates the value proposition from a me-too offering to a clear differentiator in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.

About Adriens

An entrepreneur in all things technology and digital transformation, Adrien Nussenbaum began his career at Paribas in Hong Kong after graduating from HEC Paris. Soon after, he co-founded his first company—All Instant—an instant messaging solution that was later sold in 2003. Adrien then joined the Deloitte restructuring team where he advised many retailers who were in the throes of company turnarounds and transformations.

In 2005, Adrien left Deloitte to join forces with Philippe Corrot for the first time and found their own omnichannel marketplace—SplitGames. When SplitGames was acquired by FNAC in 2008, they worked together to support its integration into FNAC’s Marketplace and achieve 100% annual growth.

Four years later, both Adrien and Philippe left FNAC to found Mirakl in 2012 and become the first marketplace platform leading the platform revolution. Since then, Mirakl has grown to help over 300 customers launch and scale an online marketplace in more than 40 countries around the world. The company's latest $555M Series E fundraising values the company over $3.5B and places it among the most dynamic players in eCommerce, globally.

About Veronika

About Scott

About Michael

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Brooklinen Founder & CEO Rich Fulop Pulls Back the Covers on Building a Profitable DTC Brand

michael@meleblanc.co (Rich Fulop) — Wed, 8 Jun 2022 08:41:07 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

In a revealing interview that will be a must-listen-to for any retailer working at or building a direct-to-consumer brand, Brooklinen founder & CEO Rich Fulop joins us on the podcast to share the inspiring story of building a successful brand literally from the bedroom out.

Rich shares with my co-host Veronika Sonsev how the laser-like focus on building success to last had Rich originally bootstrapping the business from his savings, forcing the company to be profitable from day one.

He then takes us through the decisions and journey behind multiple rounds of private equity funding that changed the trajectory of the business. Lastly, Rich shares his personal experience as an entrepreneur and lessons learned.

About Rich

Rich Fulop is a first-generation American, an avid skier, a huge Arsenal fan, and he just so happens to make the Internet’s Favorite Sheets. While at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Rich and his wife and Brooklinen co-founder, Vicki, went on vacation and had a life-altering encounter with a set of delectable bedding that inspired the creation of Brooklinen. Today, Rich remains fully immersed in every aspect of the business and continues to prioritize best practices from responsive manufacturing to authentic customer service, supporting small-scale entrepreneurs across the globe, and giving back to communities across the U.S. to bring the brand’s mission statement - We Want You To Be Comfortable - to all.

About Veronika

About Scott

About Michael

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

CNBC Retail Reporter Lauren Thomas Dishes Up Ecommerce Trends

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 25 May 2022 06:26:03 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

No matter which way you look at it, whatever element you represent in the value chain, the modern retail environment is going through a tremendous transformation. Again.

So we asked ourselves - who can we talk to on the podcast that has their hand on the pulse of retail - the latest tea, as the kids would say. Who delivers the story behind the stories. One name kept coming up. Lauren Thomas, Retail Reporter, CNBC

In this episode, we turn the mic around on Lauren, one of the most prolific and respected reporters on the retail beat, and tap into her experience, insights, and mainline cable she has tapped into retail news happening today, tomorrow and next month.

About Lauren

Lauren Thomas is a reporter for CNBC in New York covering retail and retail real estate. She joined in January 2017 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Business Journalism and Spanish. Thomas previously held internships at CNBC in San Francisco, Bloomberg and TheStreet. She was born in South Carolina and is the oldest of five kids.

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Fostering Innovation and a Winning Company Culture: Andrew Laudato, COO, The Vitamin Shoppe.

michael@meleblanc.co (Andrew Laudato) — Wed, 11 May 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.

Now more than ever, retailers and brands face a relentless and unprecedented pace of change. Leaders are adapting to new workplace dynamics and processes that were initiated by the COVID era.

Retailers see both the benefits and the downside to the distributed workplace; broader hiring choices, productivity gains, and in some cases, a happier workforce. But with those gains comes real challenges—how to foster innovation and build a cohesive culture that can take your organization to the next level.

In our Seasons 3 debut episode, we sit down with Andrew Laudato, author of "Fostering Innovation: How To Build An Amazing IT Team" and COO of The Vitamin Shoppe, for a masterclass in building the modern competitive workplace.

https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/lp/careers

About Andrew

Andrew Laudato currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. In this role, he leads operations across e-commerce, information technology, enterprise project management, supply chain, strategic sourcing, quality, and commercialization. He is a member of the executive leadership team.

Mr. Laudato joined The Vitamin Shoppe in January 2019 as EVP, Chief Technology and Supply Chain Officer, and since that time has helped launched a new technology-driven retail format, introduced personalization initiatives, and oversaw process, speed, and efficiency gains across the supply chain.

Mr. Laudato was previously Chief Information Officer at Brookdale Senior Living. Before Brookdale, he spent 16 years as CIO at Pier 1 Imports, where he directed technology transformation across all business areas. Like many retail veterans, he started his career at L Brands.

Laudato is a member of the CNBC technology executive council, the New York City CIO executive council, and an executive board member of the George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation. In addition, he serves on the Board of Lideranca, a small business focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

https://andrewlaudato.com/

ABOUT US:

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Season 3 of Conversations with CommerceNext Presented by Commx

michael@meleblanc.co (veronika sonseve, scott silverman) — Thu, 5 May 2022 02:21:52 +0000

From the team that has taken thought leadership and community for retail marketers and direct to consumer brands to the next level with their CommerceNext conference and event series, we’re back with Season Three of Conversations with CommerceNext.

Hosted by veteran retail marketer and advisor Michael LeBlanc with co-hosts Veronika Sonsev and Scott Silverman, and presented by CommX, our third season of Conversations with CommerceNext continues to give voice to the eCommerce and digital marketing community like never before.

You'll hear thought leadership with one-to-one interviews of key retail and ecommerce executives that will dive deep into their career profiles and mentoring advice, as well as winning marketing and digital strategies. And, you'll learn more about the people behind one of the most dynamic industries in the world.

Together we'll work to make sure that you're ready to seize the next wave of growth, and help your career thrive with insights and advice from industry leaders who have the hands-on experience that you need to hear.

So please join us on Season Three of the Conversations with Commerce Next podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, Google podcasts, all the major platforms where you enjoy your podcasts today, with new episodes debuting every two weeks! And don't forget to subscribe.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Guiding the Rocket Ship: Sustaining Olaplex's Dynamic Growth Trajectory With JuE Wong, CEO

michael@meleblanc.co (JuE Wong) — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 04:44:31 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

Having held leadership roles at some of the biggest prestige beauty brands such as Elizabeth Arden, Perricone MD, Stivectin and Moroccan Oil, JuE Wong is the perfect leader to take this cult brand to the next level, the phenomenon that is Olaplex.

Olaplex is a rocket ship having grown 112% just in the last year after expanding from salons into retail and DTC. Fueled by the passion for the product, people and technology that is taking this brand to new heights, JuE shares with the CommerceNext community part of the elusive formula for triple-digit, sustainable growth and the potential new opportunities for the business.

About JuE

Core competence in driving material growth in all channels and medium of growth. An early adopter of omni channel of sales, including social commerce and alternative media in digital and social.

Below is a link to my online Resume:
www.juewong888.wix.com/juewong

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Retail Transformation From The Office of the CMO: Sara Tervo, Express

michael@meleblanc.co (Sara Tervo) — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:21:23 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

With career origins in PR, Sara Tervo is now CMO of EXPRESS, where she is busy executing their EXPRESSway Forward Strategy that includes a digital transformation goal of growing the digital channel to $1 billion in 2024.

Sara shares how her career took her from PR to marketing leadership. She describes the four pillars of EXPRESS’ digital strategy and how its digital team is organized. Finally, we also hear Sara’s take on the evolution of PR from depending on running ads and articles in a few key publications to creating authentic connections with thousands of influencers and brand ambassadors.

If you’re enjoying this interview, you may want to join us for the CommerceNext Summit on June 21st & 22nd at the New York Hilton Midtown. Hear execs from companies like GoPuff, American Eagle Outfitters, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, Alo Yoga, Neiman Marcus, Olaplex and more. We’ll be gathering our community of trailblazers and change-makers to talk about the future of digital commerce and share the latest strategies for ecommerce acceleration. The theme of the summit is Seizing the Next Wave of Growth and we’ll be covering everything from how to set up shop in the Metaverse to scaling performance marketing strategies with 1st party data. We hope you will join us in June. Learn more and register at commercenext.com.

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext. Please follow us on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform where we’ll be sharing career advice and marketing strategies from eCommerce and digital marketing leaders at retailers and direct-to-consumer brands each and every episode. CommerceNext is a community, event series and conference for marketers at retail and direct-to-consumer brands. Through our online forums, interviews, webinars, summits and other in-person events, we harness the collective wisdom of our community to help marketers grow their businesses and advance their careers. Join CommerceNext events to meet other industry leaders and learn the latest ecommerce and marketing strategies. You can find upcoming events at CommerceNext.com

About Sara

Sara Tervo has served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer since September 2019. Tervo joined Express from Justice, where she was executive vice president and chief marketing officer from 2016 to 2019. From 1998 to 2016, she held multiple leadership positions at L Brands across marketing, creative services and public relations, including executive vice president, marketing for Victoria’s Secret and senior vice president, marketing for PINK.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Intellectual Curiosity As A Superpower: Sarah Rasmusen, Chief Customer Officer, Lands' End

michael@meleblanc.co (Sarah Rasmusen) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

With decades in the eCommerce and retail technology space, Sarah Rasmusen has been part of the industry’s journey from when digital was a fringe element of the retail equation to when it took the main stage.

With deep roots and experience in project management, digital and direct retail, and a vast remit that spans crucial elements of the Lands’ End business, Sarah shared her practical, results-oriented perspectives and advice honed from within one of the world’s top DTC retailers. Next, she takes us through her thought process on what success looks like for our industry’s people and technology vendors and what the future might hold.

Here is the link to Sarah's presentation mentioned in our interview:

About Sarah

Retail has always been a part of the life of Sarah Rasmusen, chief customer officer of apparel retailer Lands’ End.

“My first job in high school was at a Mervyn’s department store and all through college I worked at a boutique,” she said. “I was probably the only person in engineering school with a Vogue subscription!”

Although Rasmusen has been a catalyst in many successful projects in a career that has also featured executive roles at retailers including Kohl’s and Saks, her proudest accomplishment is her most recent — getting promoted in June 2019 to chief customer officer for Lands’ End.

“Lands’ End has provided amazing customer service for the last 50 years — service that has become legendary,” she said. “It is not lost on me that no matter what cool tech development comes along, I must not lose sight that I’m now in charge of protecting Lands’ End’s most precious asset — its customer.”

Rasmusen’s responsibilities include leading all customer experiences including core, retail, business-to-business and international, as well as driving strategies to enhance customer-facing capabilities across all Lands’ End selling channels.

Rasmusen urges fellow women working in the retail IT industry to not let their focus on technology obscure the importance of a skill like communication in dealing with colleagues across different departments.

“I loathe making a deck more than anyone, but I know that it’s forced me to hone my message and focus on what’s important,” she said. “I would happily spend my time in the weeds with tech teams. But building and practicing elevator talks have proven crucial to my career, especially with cross-functional leaders and teams.”

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Claire's CMO On Elevating the Brand Careers and Creating Community

michael@meleblanc.co (Kristin Patrick) — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 06:43:45 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

From Disney to Playboy, the Gap, Pepsico and now back into retail with Claire's Stores Inc., Kristin Patrick is one of the most experienced and passionate youth-oriented retail CMOs working today.

In a wide-ranging interview, Kristin takes us through her fascinating and varied career in retail marketing and the valuable mentorship and learnings she has picked up on the way.

Next, we talk about how she is leveraging her experience to explore, then expand the possibilities and scope of a beloved youth fashion brand into corners of the market and corners of the world that take retail in all channels to a whole new level.

If you’re enjoying this interview, you may want to join us for the CommerceNext Summit on June 21st & 22nd at the New York Hilton Midtown. We’ll be gathering our community of trailblazers and change-makers to talk about the future of digital commerce and share the latest strategies for ecommerce acceleration. The theme of the summit is Seizing the Next Wave of Growth and we’ll be covering everything from how to set up shop in the Metaverse to scaling performance marketing strategies with 1st party data. We hope you will join us in June. Learn more and register at commercenext.com.

About Kristin

Accomplished, industry awarded executive and Board Member with digital transformation expertise leading people, processes and systems to positively impact top and bottom-line performance across diverse organizations. Expertise in creating business and marketing plans that drive acquisition, brand awareness, customer loyalty and accelerated ROI.

Passion for building 21st century brands and businesses that envelop the consumer across content, product and experiences. Distinctive perspective building companies and brands that capture the imagination of the zeitgeist. Experience leading teams of innovative thinkers and doers ranges across lifestyle and image-oriented businesses in omni-channel retail, fashion, entertainment, beauty and consumer packaged goods from start-ups to multi-billion dollar global businesses. Skilled leader in digital strategy, global marketing, product development and developing business and growth plans.

ABOUT US:
Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Global Perspectives on Building Digital From The Ground Up

michael@meleblanc.co (Rizwan Rajpoot, Brian Walker) — Wed, 2 Mar 2022 08:14:47 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

On this special episode of the podcast I'm joined by my very special guest co-host Brian Walker, Chief Strategy Officer from Bloomreach and together we're in Cairo to meet Rizwan Rajpoot, Group Chief Digital Officer with jewelry powerhouse retailer L'azurde.

Brian and I tap into Rizwan's depth of global experience as he finds himself in the unique position of building from the ground up the entire digital and eCommerce strategy, capabilities and technology stack in a retail environment presenting unique challenges and opportunities. A fascinating look into the leadership perspectives and approaches required to take a great leap forward!

About

Rizwan has 20+ Year’s Digital experience across Europe, Australia, South-East Asia & the Middle East working for multiple multi-channel retailers across fashion, sporting goods, electronics & telecommunications, home & DIY.

ABOUT US:

Brian leads strategy at Bloomreach. Bloomreach powers over $200B in B2C and B2B digital commerce for clients across retail, CPG, B2B manufacturing, and B2B wholesale distribution. Brian is a veteran strategy and marketing leader that focuses on the transformation of digital customer engagement and commerce. He has held a wide range of roles across the marketplace - from practitioner to analyst to consultant to vendor - giving him a unique view on the evolving capabilities and approaches necessary for businesses to thrive as digital channels have evolved to become the primary driver for business growth. Prior to joining Bloomreach, Brian was Chief Strategy Officer at Amplience, Managing Director, Global Commerce Strategy at Accenture, Chief Strategy Officer at SAP Hybris, and led commerce technology research at Forrester Research. Brian has also held leadership positions at Amazon, Expedia, and Otto Group prior to that.

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Hanna Andersson’s CEO on Guiding a Brand Through Change

michael@meleblanc.co (Sally Pofcher) — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:24:28 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

Sally Pofcher is a retail strategy expert and proven creator of growth and brand leadership.

From McKinsey to Gap Inc. and beyond, Sally stands on a full and bright career at the forefront of innovative retail brands.

In this podcast episode, she calls on her experience as a seasoned strategist, operator and mother as she walks us through her role as CEO, turning around the beloved children’s fashion brand Hanna Andersson.

Sally talks with Veronika Sonsev and me about reaffirming brand values, strengthening company culture in changing and challenging times and - perhaps most importantly - the importance of being human.

About

Sally is CEO of Hanna Andersson, and a proven builder of growth brands. She was an Operating Partner at L Catterton, a leading consumer growth private equity firm, where she advised on deal evaluation and portfolio company performance in the Growth Fund, and was Board Director for multiple businesses, including Sweaty Betty.

Previously, Sally served on the Boards of Claire's and Pet Retail Brands. She was Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at PaperSource, where she led 8 years of double-digit sales and profit growth, as well as a successful investor transition. She held prior leadership roles as SVP of Strategy and Business Development at The Gap and a Partner at McKinsey and Company.

Sally holds a Masters in Business Administration from Kellogg (Northwestern University) and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

Sally is involved in numerous community initiatives, including being on the Board and Executive Committee of Marwen, Co-Chair of New Trier Parent Association, and past position on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco. She is a member of Young Presidents' Organization.

Sally has 20+ years of experience building digital/omni-channel consumer experiences and delivering great results thru a combination of brand building, clear strategy, and disciplined execution. Most importantly, Sally is an authentic leader able to build and empower great teams that collaborate. In addition, Sally is a creative thinker who shapes the voice and aesthetic of brands and products.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

The Long View on Retail Transformation with CSC CEO Justin Yoshimura

michael@meleblanc.co (Justin Yoshimura) — Wed, 2 Feb 2022 05:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

CSC Generation has mastered the craft of transforming challenged retail brands at the brink of liquidation into high performance, ‘digital-first’ operations.

By using their fine-tuned omni-channel technology platform, CSC Generation has a data-driven recipe for retail operations which is undoubtedly the driving force behind the company’s rapid expansion.

Today on Conversations with CommerceNext, my co-host Scott Silverman and I sit down with the founder and CEO behind it all - Justin Yoshimura. Justin opens the hood and shares with us how his youth shaped his approach to business as well as the inner workings of CSC’s success. Together, we talk about the business of retail acquisition, entrepreneurial grit and how to prioritize company culture when scaling up your business.

About

I am currently the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of CSC Generation Holdings, one of the dime a dozen "unicorn" start-ups.

*After being told that nobody would ever hire me, I quit the bureaucracy and negativity of Palos Verdes High School to start a marketplace for unlocked cell phones, which was acquired by a family office when I was 19 years old. More recently, I founded 500friends, the leading loyalty and retention marketing platform for retailers, which merged with Merkle in 2014, and was eventually acquired by Dentsu Aegis in 2016.

I also invest between $50k and $1M in interesting companies run by interesting people, eg:
*Consumer Internet Companies (excluding social networking): Hipmunk (seed, acquired by Concur), Dropoff (seed), Next Force Technology (seed), Dave (seed), Macro Ventures (seed), Imperfect Produce (seed), Flowclub (seed), Network Eyecare (seed)
*SaaS/b2b Companies: Firebase (seed - acquired by GOOG), Zencoder (seed - acquired by BCOV), BounceX (seed, co-lead Series A), Mux (seed), BigFinite (seed).
*Funds: Bling Capital, Ovo Fund, Luma Capital Partners, Dundee Venture Capital, Crown Capital Management.

Besides business and things I shouldn't be discussing on LinkedIn, I love animals, especially dogs, (many) cats (but especially Persian and Himalayan breeds), dolphins, whales, capybaras, platypus, manatees and turtles. Despite this, I am not a vegetarian, primarily because I lack self discipline. However, I do want to clarify that I do not eat any of the animals listed above, and would judge you for doing so, especially considering the prevalent belief that eating wild animals purchased at "Wet Markets" is what caused COVID (https://wildaid.org/protectwildlife/)

I've also been included in vanity lists such as the Forbes 30 under 30, Inc 500, AlwaysOn top 100, DM News 40 under 40, etc, but thankfully, I stopped advertising this in my LinkedIn headline when I was 19 after realizing I was being a DB. For a formal bio, please go here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Yoshimura

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Bloomreach’s CSO on eCommerce, Career Growth and Amazon Culture Lessons

michael@meleblanc.co (Brian Walker) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

Brian Walker is a Jack of all trades and clearly a master of one: retail & eCommerce strategy. Today on Conversations with CommerceNext, my co-host Scott Silverman and I sit down with Brian to reflect on the ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’ of eCommerce.

Through the lenses of Brian’s depth of experience and the latest industry insights, we examine evolving and emerging trends in eCommerce. Further, Brian touches on his time at Amazon and offers his thoughts on company culture and leadership strategy.

Stay tuned until the end to hear Brian’s retail predictions for 2022 and beyond.

About

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Wayfair’s CMO Reveals Their Approach to Data-Driven Marketing

michael@meleblanc.co (Bob Sherwin, Veronika Sonseve) — Wed, 5 Jan 2022 05:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

Bob Sherwin has devoted his career to optimizing the marketing operations of retailers all over the world. Now, with years of consulting under his belt, he’s changing the game as Wayfair’s CMO.

Today, my co-host Veronika Sonsev and I talk with Bob about how he applies his data-driven marketing toolbox to an expansive and category-creating Fortune 500 retailer such as Wayfair.

Bob also calls on his experience to offer key career advice to marketers at all levels of experience and to share his insights on the future of marketing leadership.

About

Bob Sherwin

Chief Marketing Officer of Wayfair. In this role I oversee Wayfair’s Global Marketing strategy, organization, and ~$1.5B in advertising spend; since joining in 2013, I helped grow our direct revenue from $500M in 2013 to $15B in 2020. I am responsible for driving awareness, activations, revenue, and loyalty for all of our commercial offerings, as well as driving the tech, data science, and analytics platforms that support these efforts. I also am responsible for the team of General Managers for Physical Retail, Consumer Sales, Home Services, Registry, and Consumer Financing businesses, with full P&L responsibility. Prior to Wayfair, I was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co, advising Fortune 100 companies across all functional domains. I began my career at IBM's Business Consultant Services, serving federal agencies to improve data infrastructure and operational efficiency by leveraging big data analytics.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

WW’s Digital Transformation: Strategy, Leadership + Loyalty

michael@meleblanc.co (Jon Mandell) — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 05:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

WW started their digital transformation long before the pandemic demanded brands to keep up with the great acceleration of eCommerce. Today on the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, get an inside look at the process and people behind WW’s great leap forward and how the groundwork laid in the past is preparing them for future success.

Scott Silverman and I talk to one of the great minds behind this major moment in WW history - Jon Mandell, Senior Vice President of Global Membership Marketing and Commerce.

Jon walks us through the overall process and strategy behind the transition, and how the pandemic changed the game. We ask Jon about his career, what he looks for when building a resilient team, and advice that he would give his past self.

To discover career opportunities with WW click here.

Jon Mandell

SVP, CXO, C-suite Leader → Brand Transformation Catalyst → Customer Engagement Strategist

Building, leading, and optimizing customer-centric organizations to drive growth and revenue has been the hallmark of my career. I leverage strategy, technology, operational excellence, and innovation to shape unique customer experiences that deliver value and engender customer engagement, loyalty, and retention. I excel in identifying business growth opportunities in organizations and developing them into impactful business drivers to increase revenue, income and previously untapped value.

My experience spans executive leadership roles (transformations, growth initiatives, M&A, turnarounds, and integrations) with leading public companies (WW & 1-800-Flowers.com), co-founder/COO/MD of 2 technology startups, operations and general management roles, and an early career with AT&T Wireless. As a leader, I am best known for expanding the vision for what is possible and forming cohesive, motivated teams to drive organizational growth boldly and systematically from the ground up.

CAREER MILESTONES

🔹 Transformed business model from transactional, subscription-based to community-based membership economy at WW. Catalyzed unprecedented incremental revenue gains. Created global retention practice.

🔹 Refocused brand USP to unlock exponential growth, revenue, market share, and CLV at 1-800-Flowers.com.

🔹 Created a business incubator and innovation lab: developed first ecommerce bot for Facebook Messenger, launched first Alexa skill to enable consumer sales via Amazon Echo, and introduced Gwyn, a gift concierge using IBM’s Watson AI platform.

🔹 Co-founded a startup with Salim Ismail (Yahoo!, Singularity U, XPRIZE, ExO); created organizational structure and led product and business development.

TRUSTED C-SUITE AND BOARD ADVISOR

CEOs, boards, VC firms, and executive teams have repeatedly sought my guidance, mentorship, and advisory services in lifting performance of customer experience ecosystems. I serve as advisor / advisory board member for leading companies such as Movable Ink, Braze, SmartGift, CommerceNext, and Zelcova Ventures.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Tapestry’s CDO on Transforming Culture, Team Building and Customer Empathy

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 1 Dec 2021 08:57:05 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach.

Tapestry, the global house of brands that unites renowned labels such as Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, attributes its digital transformation success to its culture and its craft.

Today on Conversations with CommerceNext, we are thrilled to sit down with the company’s Chief Digital Officer, Noam Paransky to talk about how he's leading Tapestry's digital transformation and innovation, which has yielded 90%+ growth in digital compared to the prior year.

After being the Senior Vice President at Gap Inc., Noam Paransky now leads Tapestry’s digital innovation agenda and ensures the company delivers an inspiring omnichannel experience through all of its digital touchpoints.

Stay tuned for his insights on company culture in a matrix, career trajectories in the digital era and fostering consumer empathy.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Exclusive CommerceNext Holiday Research: Forrester VP & Principal Analyst Sucharita Kodali

michael@meleblanc.co (Sucharita Kodal) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 07:32:45 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Bloomreach

First, welcome to Season two of Conversations with CommerceNext. Thank you to Bloomreach for being our sponsor this season. This is different than our typical podcast where we learn about an industry leader and get career and marketing advice from them - although, those topics would be great for another time with our special guest today.

Today we’re going to dig into research that CommerceNext conducted in the past two weeks where we surveyed 84 merchants of various sizes about the 2021 holiday season including promotional levels, expectations for margins, biggest concerns and more. We thought this would be timely because, for the 2nd year in a row, we have a very unique holiday season.

We want to give a big thank you to the retail executives that took a few minutes to take the survey. We can’t do this without your support. And, we want to thank our partner, Forrester’s Sucharita Kodali, who is here with us today to talk about the findings. CommerceNext reached out to Sucharita a couple weeks ago about doing a survey like this and she quickly jumped in and offered to help. She provided great input on the questions and she did an analysis based on the results.

Sucharita Kodali

VP, Principal Analyst

Sucharita serves digital business strategy professionals. She is an expert on eCommerce, omnichannel retail, consumer behavior, and trends in the online shopping space. She is also an authority on technology developments that affect the online commerce industry and vendors that facilitate online marketing and merchandising.

In her research, Sucharita covers such consumer-oriented topics as eCommerce forecasting and trends, merchandising best practices, conversion optimization, and social computing in the retail world. She has also authored "The State Of Retailing Online," a joint study conducted annually with NRF.

Previous Work Experience

Prior to Forrester, Sucharita was the director of marketing at Saks Fifth Avenue, where she managed the customer acquisition, retention, and market research efforts for the $2 billion luxury retailer's online channel. Prior to Saks, she held management positions at Toys R Us, where she was a merchant in the Babies R Us division and a store manager in one of the company's largest toy stores. She also worked for the Walt Disney Company, where she developed and managed marketing plans for new business initiatives, including the Disney Stores, the Disney Cruise Line, and Club Disney.

Additionally, she was involved in the expansion of Cap Cities/ABC properties, specifically ESPN Zone, ESPN Magazine, and the Go.com network. She has written two nonfiction books and has contributed to BusinessWeek Online.

Education

Sucharita holds a B.A. in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Season 2 of Conversations With CommerceNext Presented by Bloomreach

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Hosted by veteran retail marketer and advisor Michael LeBlanc with co-hosts Veronika Sonsev and Scott Silverman, and presented by Bloomreach, this second season of Conversations with CommerceNext continues to give voice to the eCommerce and digital marketing community like never before.

You'll hear thought leadership with one-to-one interviews of key retail and ecommerce executives that will dive deep into marketing challenges, winning digital strategies, career profiles and advice and hiring trends. And, you'll learn more about the people behind one of the most dynamic industries in the world.

Together we'll work to make sure that you're ready to take on new challenges and opportunities in 2022, and help your career thrive with insights and advice from industry leaders who have the hands-on experience that you need to hear.

So please join us on Season Two of the Conversations with Commerce Next podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, Google podcasts, all the major platforms where you enjoy your podcasts today, with new episodes debuting every two weeks! And don't forget to subscribe.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Poshmark’s CMO on Changing Times, Leadership and the Post-COVID Consumer

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 17:26:17 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

With 80 million registered users globally and growing, Poshmark is a next generation dynamic retailer and a true force to be reckoned with.

For our season one finale of Conversations with CommerceNext, we sit down with Poshmark’s CMO, Steven Tristan Young to talk about the company’s growth, his leadership style and how to keep up with the post-COVID consumer.

Hear how Steven is managing his team in Poshmark’s new work-from-home structure and his perspective on higher education and work ethic when assessing new candidates for his team.

With the unique audience that Poshmark has captured, we’re keen to unpack Steven’s strategy towards changing consumer behavior.

Steven Tristan Young

Experienced entrepreneurial senior executive who has a passion for building high performing marketing teams and scaling high growth businesses. Well versed in developing market rollout strategies, P&L budget management, and ROI focused media/capital investment. Leverages consumer insights to identify consumer trends while building internal systems built on strong analytics, cross functional collaboration, and constant innovation mindset.

Creative thinker and business operator who leverages 15+ years of experience from various industries (financial, tech, consumer product, entertainment) to use marketing strategies effectively as a revenue/profit driver.

Out for Undergrad in Tech: Keynote Speaker October 2020: https://bit.ly/3iaQNT2
Out in Tech NYC : Keynote Speaker November 2016: https://bit.ly/3nF6Zx5

Find out more about me at: https://linktr.ee/StevenTrisYoung

Areas of Expertise: Strategic Marketing - P&L Management- Demand Generation - Financial Forecasting and Modeling - LTV and Cohort Analysis - Online and Offline Direct marketing - Mobile Marketing - Display Advertising - Programmatic Buying - TV/ OOH/ Radio Media buying - Email marketing - Customer Segmentation - Multivariate Testing - Online Attribution Partnership Marketing, - Multi-Channel marketing - Online Analytics - Referral marketing - Growth Hacking - Agency Recruitment and Management - SEO/SEM marketing - Creative Team Management - Web UX/UI

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Fabletics' Meera Bhatia on Agility, Membership Models and Mentorship

michael@meleblanc.co (Meera Bhatia) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 06:13:01 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

With evolving work-from-home fashion trends and the great eCommerce acceleration, athleisure retailers have been busier than usual over the past eighteen months. As a membership-based, digitally-native company, Fabletics and their skilled team have a lot to show as leaders in the athleisure, subscription market.

On this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, my co-host, Veronika Sonsev, and I sit down with Fabletics COO, Meera Bhatia, to talk about the past, present and future of Fabletics and her career.

Together, we dive into Fabletics’ origin story, post-pandemic strategy and their evolving membership model. Meera reflects on her product-solution-focused background, gender representation in the boardroom and the core values that Fabletics looks for when hiring at any level.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

CommerceNext is a community, event series and conference for marketers at retail and direct-to-consumer brands. Through our online forums, interviews, webinars, summits and other in-person events, we harness the collective wisdom of our community to help marketers grow their businesses and advance their careers. Join CommerceNext events to meet other industry leaders and learn the latest ecommerce and marketing strategies. You can find upcoming events at https://commercenext.com/commercenext-webinars/.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

How Marketing and Ecommerce Collaborate at Crocs to Fuel Growth and a Seamless Customer Experience

michael@meleblanc.co (Heidi Cooley, Adam Michaels, Miki Racine Beradelli) — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 04:41:33 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

In this episode we pick up a fantastic fireside chat from CommerceNext IRL at the end of September in New York. After an introduction by CommerceNext co-founder Scott Silverman, Miki Racine Berardelli, Principal at miki b talks with Adam Michaels , CDO and Heidi Cooley, CMO from Crocs.

Together they explore how marketing and ecommerce often operate with different playbooks — marketing focusing on brand and storytelling and ecommerce immersed in performance marketing. In this session, we'll hear how the marketing and digital chiefs at Crocs are operating from the same playbook and generating amazing results. Crocs reported that digital represented more than a third of global Q2 2021 revenue after growing 25% during the quarter.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

THE YES' Julie Bornstein on Career Growth and AI Powered Retail Innovation

michael@meleblanc.co (Julie Bornstein) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

Julie Bornstein is a visionary leader living at the intersection of retail and technology. With years of eCommerce, AI and marketing experience at brands like Nordstrom, Sephora and Stitch Fix, Julie stands at the forefront of innovative online fashion retail.

In this episode, my co-host and co-founder of CommerceNext Scott Silverman and I talk with Julie, the Founder & CEO of The Yes, about her work, vision within the eCommerce fashion retail industry and her career past and present.

Julie tells us why & how the fashion industry is broken and how she’s going to fix it, how her new project The Yes is using AI to transform digital retail, and what she wants young professionals in the field to know as they start their careers.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Leadership Lessons From the Front Lines: FullBeauty's CMO Bill Bass

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 05:03:48 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

Veteran ecommerce & DTC executive Bill Bass has been part of the ecommerce industry since its inception - from an analyst at Forrester to leading teams at Lands’ End, Sears, Orchard Brands and now at FULLBEAUTY Brands, where he’s bringing this turnaround group of companies into a new era.

In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, join me and my co-host Veronica Sonsev as we catch up with our long-time friend and colleague and delve into his backstory - starting with leadership lessons learned in the U.S. military though FULLBEAUTY Brands’ journey in the pandemic and beyond.

As FULLBEAUTY’s CMO, Bill talks about sustaining the momentum that the pandemic has brought this direct-to-consumer company and he shares his insights on the company’s resilience, the evolving role of the CMO, the value of strong leaders - and about lessons learned about building a strong team.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Qurate’s Naomi Jacobs on TikTok, Livestreaming and Career Trajectories

michael@meleblanc.co (Naomi Jacobs) — Wed, 1 Sep 2021 04:35:16 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

In many ways, Qurate is at the leading edge of innovative retail marketing. By pushing the bounds of where and how customers interact with products and the people that represent them, Naomi Jacobs, Qurate’s Director of Social Strategy for QVC & HSN, along with her team, are carrying the torch for what consumer engagement looks like in modern retail.

Together with Scott Silverman I leverage my own retail and marketing experience in the interactive retail space in this in-depth interview with Naomi. We shine a light on the depth and breadth of Qurate and Naomi talks about the different models and formats that Qurate leans towards, sharing her insights on everything from paid vs. earned content, livestreaming and TikTok.

Plus, stay tuned for Naomi’s top tips for building a career in digital retail marketing.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Retail As Child's Play: CAMP CEO Ben Kaufman

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

Ben Kaufman, CEO of experiential toy retailer CAMP, tells Veronika Sonsev and I he's not in the business to sell, he's in the business to create wonderful family experiences that happen to result in a product sale. That being said, Kaufman and his team have created innovative marketing and merchandising programs that are getting attention in the crowded toy industry world-wide.

With a entrepreneurial career and a relentlessly customer focussed orientation, he takes us through the genesis of CAMP, how he flexed the concept and the organization through the COVID era, and his latest thinking on both the purpose of retail, and the people and strategy to build an organization as agile and nimble as many of his guests.

[End]

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

JustFab Talks Inclusive Growth: Daria Burke, CMO JustFab

michael@meleblanc.co (Michael LeBlanc) — Wed, 4 Aug 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

As the CMO of JustFab, one of AdAge’s ‘Women to Watch 2020’ and an angel investor in the fashion tech space, Daria Burke has her finger on the pulse of the marketing world.

In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, we get an exclusive look into Daria’s work and career. Daria talks about the big ideas that drew her into the marketing space and the values that are at the core of her work. Gain insights on her vision for

JustFab, the future of digital marketing and the value of inclusive growth as a process and an outcome.

Daria Burke

Ad Age 2020 Woman to Watch. Rare CMO at the intersection of fashion x technology, brand x performance marketing, leveraging storytelling to drive revenue and customer growth in beauty, fashion and retail. Expertise in developing and reinventing winning brands; designing successful awareness, acquisition and retention campaigns across mobile, digital and traditional media; building teams and scaling process; developing strategic alliances; and enabling others to embrace and initiate change.

Strategic | Relator | Significance | Futuristic | Activator

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Moving At E.L.F. Speed: Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer Of E.L.F. Beauty

michael@meleblanc.co (Ekta Chopra) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 04:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer, at E.L.F. Beauty, made the transition from IT leader to business leader by staying curious and continuously learning.

In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, Scott Silverman and Michael LeBlanc talk with Ekta about the culture of E.L.F. Beauty that empowers its team to try new things and leverages communications and a shared vision to move quickly and pivot the business so that it stays in sync with changing market conditions.

Ekta also shares her advice for skills training within a career strategy and what she is looking for in the many different roles and teams she is hiring for at E.L.F."

Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Reconnecting with the Contemporary Consumer

michael@meleblanc.co (Ryan Urban, Seth Goldman) — Wed, 7 Jul 2021 04:40:52 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Season 1, Episode Three , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

In these times, insights on modern, post-COVID ear consumer attitudes, behaviours and norms has become the new life’s work for brands and agencies alike. How can retailers find opportunities for growth in a consumer environment that is recovering from widespread disruption? What strategies and tactics can their agency partners bring to bear to get them there?

In this episode I meet Ryan Urban, the founder of Wunderkind, and Seth Goldman, the CEO of UrbanStems. These two founders share their analysis and experience regarding the latest trends in retail marketing, customer engagement and employee empowerment.

Together, they discuss they discuss their respective career paths, how finding and retaining great talent has changed and evolved, and ultimately how connecting all of these dots leads to better customer experience.

[End]

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Seth Goldman

Experienced e-commerce manager with strong finance and analytical skills and a passion for consumer products and services. Industry expertise in consumer consumables, food and floral.

Seth is currently the CEO at UrbanStems, an ecommerce company disrupting the floral and gifting space. UrbanStems' mission is to send 'Send Happy' to all of its customers, and to make it easier to send a beautiful gift to friends and loved ones. As CEO, Seth has successfully installed processes and reporting to allow the business to scale significantly. He has focused on increasing margins while maintaining strong top-line growth.

Prior to UrbanStems, Seth ran the US division of HelloFresh, and helped scale that business into the leading meal kit company. HelloFresh raised nearly $300 million from its investors to disrupt the food delivery and grocery space, culminating with a successful IPO in 2017. While running the US business, Seth added facilities in NJ, TX and CA, expanding HelloFresh to a national footprint. Seth built many parts of the business from scratch, including the operations, finance and HR departments. Under his leadership, HelloFresh was able to secure a $37 million incentive package from the state of NJ to support their exponential growth.

Before joining HelloFresh, Seth was at Quidsi (acquired by Amazon), where he was on the launch team of Wag.com, a pet-focused commerce site. At Quidsi, Seth led supply chain for Wag and three other sites. Seth began his career working in management consulting and private equity. Seth holds an AB from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU.

Areas of expertise:
* E-commerce
* Consumer Products, with specific expertise in food
* Scaling high-growth businesses
* Operations, supply chain and logistics
* Hiring and managing high-performance teams
* Cash flow modeling and valuation analysis
* Statistical and quantitative analysis

Ryan Urban

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Joy as a Career Strategy: Alex Waldman, Co-Founder of Universal Standard

michael@meleblanc.co (Alex Waldman, Scott Silverman) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 04:15:39 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Season 1, Episode Two , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

Alex Waldman, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Universal Standard, has guided the company’s marketing process with two truths. The first: authenticity is everything. The second: generosity is never lost on the consumer.

In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, Scott Silverman and Michael talk with Alex about joy as a career strategy, the marketing process for ethically motivated brands and building genuine consumer-company relationships.

“This is where I find myself right now; I am the ‘changer’ of the thing that has brought me a lot of anguish...”

Alex sheds light on what it’s like to champion change for women in an industry that has otherwise been hostile and exclusive.

Universal Standard is a New York based e-commerce fashion brand that represents a paradigm shift in the inclusive-size segment, delivering fashion fundamentals and a style footprint not available until now.

Alex Waldman is a trailblazer who is determined to deliver impactful change, from the product and the bottom line, to the consumer and the greater community.

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Have a fantastic week everyone!

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Purple CEO Shares Lessons from Turnaround

michael@meleblanc.co (Joe Megibow, Veronkia Sonsev) — Wed, 9 Jun 2021 04:09:51 +0000

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Season 1, Episode One, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.

How do you stay ahead in a highly-saturated eCommerce space? How do you prepare yourself for leadership?

Speaking to the company’s unique and differentiated product, Joe Megibow, CEO of Purple, talks about their success when he says “this is not a convenience play of a digitally-native company.” He underlines, however, that the other essential part of D2C success is conveying the uniqueness of your product to the marketplace - and almost more importantly - setting and aligning the right culture.

In our debut episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, Joe offers key pointers to retail marketers about educating the market on different and disruptive products, the importance of word-of-mouth awareness, and what he’s learned in his transition to Purple, as well as leadership lessons learned from the Purple turnaround.

Let’s listen in now with my co-host, Veronika Sonsev

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Have a fantastic week everyone!

Joe Megibow

Joe Megibow has been at the forefront of e-commerce since the early 1990's and brings nearly 30 years of experience in technology and business. Since October 2018, Joe has served as CEO of Purple, a digitally-native vertical brand with a mission to help people feel and live better through innovative comfort solutions. Joe has also served as a board member of Red Lion Hotels Corporation since April 2017. Most recently, Joe was an advisor for Advent International, the global Private Equity firm, focused on digital best practices for their consumer businesses. Prior to that in 2016 he served as President of Joyus, Inc. and between 2012 and 2015 he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. where he oversaw the transformation and growth of American Eagle’s $550+ million direct-to-consumer business. In this role, he built out a global omni-channel strategy and infrastructure, and led all digital marketing, customer operations, engineering and product management efforts. Prior to that, Joe held several senior roles with Expedia, Inc., including VP and GM of Expedia.com, where he had P&L responsibility for the US business with direct ownership of marketing, merchandising, and operations. During this time, he launched Expedia’s mobile business and was named Chairman of Mobiata, an Expedia, Inc. company. In 2000, Joe was an original employee of TeaLeaf Technology, now an IBM company. He has also held roles at Ernst & Young Management Consulting, and EDS in their Advanced Technology Group. 

Joe was honored in 2021 as a Utah Business CEO of the Year, and was recognized in 2011 as Practitioner of the Year by the Digital Analytics Association where he served 4 years on the DAA Board. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

ABOUT US:

Scott Silverman

Veronika Sonsev

About CommerceNext

CommerceNext is a community, event series and conference for marketers at retail and direct-to-consumer brands. Through our online forums, interviews, webinars, summits and other in-person events, we harness the collective wisdom of our community to help marketers grow their businesses and advance their careers. Join CommerceNext events to meet other industry leaders and learn the latest eCommerce and marketing strategies. You can find upcoming events here.

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext

Get ready for Season One of the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast!

michael@meleblanc.co (Veronika Sonsev, Scott Silverman) — Tue, 18 May 2021 18:28:21 +0000

From the team that has taken thought leadership and community for retail marketers and direct to consumer brands to the next level with their CommerceNext conference series, get ready for Season One of the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast!

Hosted by veteran retail eCommerce marketer and podcaster Michael LeBlanc with co-hosts Veronika Sonsev and Scott Silverman, and presented by Wunderkind, Conversations with CommerceNext gives voice to the eCommerce and digital marketing community like never before.

You'll hear thought leadership with one-to-one interviews that will dive deep into marketing challenges, winning digital strategies, the latest research, technologies and people behind one of the most dynamic industries in the world.

Together we'll work to make sure as we emerge from the COVID era that you're ready to take on the new challenges and opportunities and help you thrive with insights and advice from industry leaders who have hands-on experience that you need to hear.

So get ready to join us on the Conversations with Commerce Next podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, all the major platforms where you enjoy your podcasts today, with new episodes debuting every two weeks!

About Us

Jennifer Marlo
Head of Content, CommerceNext