It's a Customer's World with Andy Murray

Show Notes In this episode of 'It's a Customer's World' podcast, host Andy Murray talks with Steve Dennis, a seasoned leader and author, about the challenges and necessities of transforming organizations to become truly customer-centric. With insights from Dennis' new book 'Leaders Leap,' they discuss the critical leadership mindset needed for such transformations. The conversation delves into Dennis' personal reflections on past experiences, notably his time at Sears, and how moments of crisis can lead to significant professional growth and the imperative for courage in leadership. Dennis emphasizes the importance of being customer-focused, not just in marketing but across all aspects of an organization, and how fear and ego can impede innovation. They touch on various aspects of leadership and the necessity of adopting new mindsets to succeed in today's rapidly changing retail landscape. The episode is rich with advice on personal and organizational transformation, highlighting the journey towards more dynamic, customer-centered leadership. Questions and Topics: 00:00 Welcome to It's a Customer's World Podcast 01:05 Deep Dive with Steve Dennis: Leadership and Transformation 02:27 The Sears Strategy Story: A Leadership Reflection 07:20 Pivoting Perspectives: The Power of Leadership Mindset 11:10 The Courage to Innovate: Overcoming Fear and Embracing Change 26:31 Leadership Leaps: The Seven Mindset Shifts for Transformation 31:19 Personal Journey: Embracing Vulnerability and Courage in Leadership 40:35 Closing Thoughts and the Path Forward Additional Links Leaders Leap by Steve Dennis

Show Notes This episode of It's a Customer's World podcast focuses on the shift towards customer centricity in retail and the broader implications for brands and advertisers. Andy Murray talks with Sharon Gai, an expert in e-commerce, digital transformation, and AI with significant experience at Alibaba, to explore how China-based companies prioritize customer experience in developing their platforms. They discuss the importance of first-party data and closed-loop reporting in creating more relevant consumer experiences and the challenges brands face in accurately defining and achieving these experiences. Sharon shares insights into the 'golden triangle' framework of product, merchandise, and context used by Chinese e-commerce companies, emphasizing the role of hyper-personalization and the use of extensive consumer data in crafting targeted marketing strategies. The conversation also delves into the potential impact of generative AI on e-commerce and the need for brands to experiment and adapt to remain competitive. Questions and Topics: 0:00 Episode Introduction 2:38 Introducing Sharon Gai 3:26 Discussion on China’s E-commerce Approach 13:01 Exploring the Future of Consumer Experience 17:46 The Role of Reviews in E-commerce 22:39 The Impact of Data Privacy on Consumer Experience 26:03 The Future of E-commerce and AI Additional Links Sharon Gai's website Sharon Gai's book

Show Notes In this episode of It's a Customer's World Podcast, Andy Murray takes on the role as guest alongside Molly Rapert and Rod Thomas. Special host, Brent Williams, leads the trio through a lively conversation over their latest whitepaper on Retail Media Networks. The Retail Media Networks whitepaper discussed in this episode is the second release of academic research on the topic, conducted by the Sam M. Walton College of Business's Customer Centric Leadership Initiative and research team. Join Andy Murray and the Walton College research team as they discuss significant developments in Retail Media Networks over the last year and how crucial strategic clarity, alignment, and standardization will be vital for future success. Questions and Topics: 0:00 Episode Introduction 1:15 Guest Introductions 3:26 Macro view on the changes in Retail Media Networks from last year 6:21 How do you distill all the expert interviews and insights 7:59 What did you find: a bullish or bearish perspective on Retail Media Networks? 13:33 Where have gaps closed vs where they have not in terms of strategic clarity 15:48 How value is created and whether it has changed from the previous year 19:58 The way forward

In this episode of It’s a Customer’s World Podcast, Andy Murray is joined by Chris Riegel. Founder and CEO of STRATACACHE. Chris is an expert in emerging technologies with 20 years of experience in systems and networking technology ventures, including acquisitions of technologically advanced companies to build the STRATACACHE family. STRATACACHE offers retail transformation and exceptional customer experiences through advanced marketing technology solutions. In their conversation, Andy and Chris trade thoughts on the current state of in-store digital signage, the future of retail technology, the evolution of retail media networks, how retailers can become more customer-centric, and much more. Questions and Topics 00:00 Episode Introduction 01:00 Guest Introduction 03:00 Viewing digital signage from the perspective of the consumer 09:33 What is driving the pendulum swing back to in-store digital displays? 12:28 What shoppers using a phone in-store tells us about the customer experience 20:12 The importance of customer data 25:00 Where is the line between relevant ad personalization and “creepiness”? 27:52 What have you learned about executing Retail Media effectively? 32:37 Looking at European trends 34:10 Forecasting the evolution and growth of RMNs 36:06 The benefit of a customer-centric approach when entering an emerging space 43:58 Why retailers need to stay true to their core mission of serving customers

In this episode of It’s a Customer’s World Podcast, Andy Murray is joined by Katie Hotze. Katie is the CEO & Founder of Grocery Shopii, a Charlotte-based tech startup that uses machine learning to fuel online grocery shopping. With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, data analytics, and business strategy, Katie was able to turn a personal frustration with online grocery shopping into a nationally-recognized retail tech disrupter that’s rapidly expanding in North America. In their conversation Andy and Katie explore the problem she is solving for consumers and retailers, the power of shoppable recipes, the impact of generative A.I., what is next in the world of retail technology, and much more. Questions and Topics 02:25 What led to the creation of Grocery Shopii? 06:10 How did you know you had a customer problem worth solving? 11:00 How big is the space for shoppable recipes? 15:30 What makes Shopii standout? 21:38 Special use cases for Shopii 24:40 What impact has this had for retailers? 31:24 How do you see generative A.I. shaping the future of shopping? 37:22 What is next for Grocery Shopii?

In this episode, Andy is joined by J.K. Symancyk, CEO of PetSmart. J.K. has spent the last two decades as a senior leader for large retailers such as PetSmart, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Meijer, and Sam’s Club. In each of these leadership positions he has relied on a customer-centric mindset that stems from his unique background as a Theatre student at the University of Arkansas. In their conversation, Andy and J.K. discuss how to truly listen to customers through store walks, identifying customer problems that are worth solving, advice for students and young professionals, the power of human connection in a tech-focused world, and much more.

In this episode, Andy Murray is joined by Despina Kokkaraki, CMO at strategy Tonic. Despina has spent decades in the customer experience and customer data space. In their conversation Andy and Despina explore characteristics of a successful customer data strategy, the upskilling deficiency in retail today, ethics surrounding personalization and data privacy, the future of data privacy in the United States and how retailers can prepare for a cookieless world, and much more. Despina also fields a few questions from senior marketing students at the University of Arkansas. Topics & Questions 01:32 Guest Introduction 04:03 What experiences built competencies to be successful in this space? 06:51 Why is there such a movement towards first party data? 10:06 How can retailers obtain actionable and valuable first party data? 13:49 What role does upskilling play in this evolving space? 15:58 What makes up a successful customer data strategy? 18:09 Understanding personalization and boundaries that need to be addressed 21:17 What is a RFM model? 24:30 The power of segmenting customer data 25:47 What US retailers can learn from European retailer’s approach to customer data strategy 29:52 Questions from Walton College Marketing students 30:23 How can companies measure emotional reactions in a privacy appropriate manner? 32:28 How can marketers better understand ethical boundaries related to data privacy? 34:46 How students and young professionals can build competencies in the customer data space 36:17 The importance of having a specific strategy for the data you are collecting 38:10 What gives you hope for the future of customer data? Show Links Connect with Despina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakokkaraki/ Connect with Andy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ Follow CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/ Check Out Strategy Tonic: https://www.strategytonic.com/

Andy is joined by Simon Hathaway, Group Managing Director of EMEA at Outform. Simon has decades of experience in retail, with a deep understanding of the digitization of the industry and a proven track record in building businesses, transforming capability, and growing reputation. Their conversation explores the increasingly digitized retail space, differing views on mobile devices in-store, the relationship between retail technology and CX, and much more. Topics & Questions 00:00 Episode Introduction 01:02 Guest Introduction 02:02 The current landscape of the physical retail space 03:06 What current retail innovations are scalable? 05:34 The impact of mobile devices in-store 08:37 Retail innovation in Europe vs United States 13:09 How innovation can impact discovery in-store 15:25 How is investment in retail technology perceived? 20:08 Retail technology and Retail Media Networks 21:37 What technology innovation is most promising in physical retail? 24:29 How will the creative ecosystem shape the future of retail technology? 27:41 The relationship between retail digitization and CX 31:10 How does Outform help their clients? 32:30 Questions from Walton College of Business Students 39:24 A new era of shopper insights Show Links Simon Hathaway: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-hathaway-7229394/ Outform: https://www.outform.com/ Digital Mannequin Demo: https://vimeo.com/outform/digitalmannequin Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ bigQUEST LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thebigquest

In this episode of “It’s a Customer’s World” podcast, @Andy Murray is joined by @Chris Wallace, Co-Founder and President of @InnerView Group. Chris has a rich background as customer experience (CX) strategist and is frequently published in popular outlets including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Ad Age. In this show, Andy and Chris take a deep dive into customer experience strategy. Listen in to the full conversation as they define CX, why it is important for businesses today, the biggest challenges organizations face today in finding alignment around CX, and much more. Topics and Questions 00:00 Podcast Introduction 01:17 Introducing Chris Wallace 02:22 Getting started in Customer Experience (CX) 03:36 Defining CX 05:00 Identifying if a brand is truly customer centric 06:06 What are the greatest challenges in becoming customer centric today? 08:15 Where does CX live within an organization? 11:16 How to measure the impact of CX 14:38 How brands can listen and understand their customer 16:52 The importance of a human touch in CX 19:50 What is the most important aspect of CX? 23:23 Trying to understand consumer sentiment at scale 26:01 The strong correlation between company culture and CX 31:03 What is the role of technology in-store? 36:00 Companies that are currently excelling at CX 38:00 What does InnerView do for their clients? 40:52 What insights have been uncovered through the work of InnerView? 42:42 Advice for students and young professionals Show Links Chris Wallace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherewallace/ InnerView Group LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/innerviewgroup Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ bigQUEST LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thebigquest

Andy is joined by Simon Francis, Executive Chair of Flock Associates. Simon has extensive experience leading transformation through integrated and effective marketing and communications. Since founding Flock Associates, Simon has helped brands like Amazon, Ford, Shell, Toyota, McDonalds, and ASDA navigate marketing transformation at many levels. Their conversation covers a wide range of topics including the entrepreneurial journey, navigating the growing complexity of MarTech, practices that drive successful transformation, the potential impact marketing has on society, and much more. Topics and Questions 00:17 Guest Introduction 03:30 Simon’s entrepreneurial journey 04:58 What new challenges do marketers face today? 06:11 Dealing with variable challenges in marketing today 09:30 The fundamental underpinning of technology and DEI at Flock Associates 11:15 Flock Associates Pillar 1: People 14:04 The blurred lines between marketing and commerce 16:45 Handling the growing complexity of MarTech and AdTech 20:35 Flock Associates Pillar 2: Partners 24:53 Flock Associates Pillar 3: Procurement 27:30 Bringing in finance 31:16 The power of testing 32:04 Flock Associates Pillar 4: Process 39:02 Advice for students 42:36 The need for leadership today 44:12 Hope for the future

Andy Murray is joined by Ted Wright who currently serves as CEO of Fizz, a global leader in Word of Mouth Marketing. Ted is recognized as a top thought leader in the space and has won numerous public speaking awards for his talks on Word of Mouth Marketing. In their conversation, the two explore the power of WOMM, key differences between an advocate and an influencer, misconceptions around measurement, and much more. Topics and Questions: 01:14 Guest Introduction 03:32 When did you first see success with Word of Mouth Marketing? 07:00 Re-igniting the Pabst Blue Ribbon brand 14:40 The connection between advocacy and culture 17:22 Misconceptions around brand advocacy 25:12 How advocates differ from influencers 28:35 Taking on attribution in WOMM 35:46 Ratings and reviews 40:06 How you can learn more about WOMM

Andy Murray is joined by long-time CPG expert, Kelly Downey. Kelly currently serves as a strategic consultant at Oxford SM and has over 30 years of experience working within the CPG industry. Her career has driven change in field and headquarter sales, trade planning, shopper marketing, and digital/agile transformation. Their conversation explores the strategic challenges facing the CPG industry as Retail Media Networks continue to transform the way business is done both internally and externally. Topics and Questions 00:50 Guest Introduction 03:59 Consistent themes and challenges across Retail Media Networks 6:54 How the complexity of RMNs has changed the way leaders are viewing the industry 10:02 The recent shift in expectations and investment in Retail Media Networks 13:27 Where should leadership come from internally on Retail Media Networks? 15:41 How RMNs will impact investment in Shopper Marketing 21:12 What should senior leaders know about the current reality of RMNs 26:04 Reorganization in a rapidly changing Retail Media environment 29:04 Setting boundaries in how you approach spending 30:22 Discussing ownership of RMN dollars 32:45 What senior leaders can learn from those with hands on keyboard 38:26 The power of collaborating with the finance team 41:27 Being strategic vs reactive in an emerging RMN space 43:20 Managing varying brand expectations 44:21 Advice for senior leaders 47:18 The benefit of industry share groups and collaboration Show Links Kelly Downey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-dow... Andy Murray:

Andy Murray is joined by industry expert, John Sheehy. John has over 30 years of experience in media and technology and recently served as Global Brand President for Starcom Worldwide. Their conversation addresses how the emergence of retail media networks will shape the media industry of the future, and wraps up with John sharing sage advice to graduating seniors. Topics and Questions 00:00 Welcome to the show 00:50 Guest introduction 04:10 Characterizing the change we see in media today 06:13 How have clients adapted to a changing retail landscape? 08:09 What challenges do new brands face in terms of discovery? 12:20 Are marketing fundamentals still relevant today? 15:01 Any advice to mid-tier brand CMO’s? 18:23 What is New Road Capital? 23:29 Where do you see opportunity in an emerging RMN space? 27:36 The importance of collaboration 30:09 Questions from Walton College students 30:33 Leveraging varying expertise to take on new challenges 35:14 What moment in your career has refined you the most? 36:45 How early did you know what you would be passionate about? Show Links John Sheehy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sheehy-a97b1275/ Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/ bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com New Road Captial: https://newroadcp.com/ RMN White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/ymjaxuch

Andy Murray sits down with Jeff Bustos, VP of Commerce and Measurement at the Interactive Advertising Bureau to discuss their journey to develop standards and definitions in an evolving retail media space. Their conversation addresses numerous challenges the retail media industry is facing today, and how collaboration can lead to a brighter future. Topics and Questions: 00:51 Guest Introduction 3:44 How have you seen the retail media space evolve over the last few years? 5:03 What is IAB? 7:00 How standards across definitions and metrics can elevate the industry 9:38 What challenges are IAB facing in reaching uniformity in industry standards? 11:28 What is the timeline on defining and alignment on industry terms? 12:17 What challenges are ahead on the standardization of measurement? 14:05 How can non-endemic brands use RMN to meet their marketing objectives? 16:35 How will media agencies evolve with the growth of the RMN space? 18:26 What metrics are being sought out on the commercial side of RMNs? 20:55 The benefit of narrowing down on key metrics 22:28 What has surprised you on your journey with IAB? 25:45 What changes were key in forcing the introduction of RMNs? 29:46 The importance of classifying different RMNs 31:00 Global perspective on RMNs 32:26 Viewing Retail Media in an in-store environment 34:19 How you can work with Jeff or IAB Show Links Jeff Bustos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bustosjeffrey/ Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/ bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com IAB: https://www.iab.com/ RMN White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/ymjaxuch

In this episode, Andy is joined by longtime retail and sustainability expert, Laura Phillips. Laura spent over 2 decades at Walmart where she served as SVP for Corporate Sustainability as well as SVP of Global Sourcing. Andy and Laura explore the evolution of sustainability, in-store challenges in an omnichannel world, and answer questions from Walton College of Business students. Big thank you to Molly Rapert, Katie Fowler, Arthur Cummisky, Megan Maciulski, and Kendall Wentworth for their questions! Questions and Topics 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:50 Introducing Laura Phillips 03:28 How do consumers view sustainability? 6:01 The impact of personal sustainability 8:30 How can supplier collaboration generate innovation? 10:47 How can merchants be customer-centric? 13:54 The power of observation 15:24 How important is the in-store space in an omnichannel world? 18:00 How can packaging impact the in-store effectiveness of a product? 21:17 Questions from Walton College of Business students 22:10 The role of curiosity in career growth 24:30 How can corporations regain consumer trust regarding sustainability? 26:29 What is the most unexpected challenge faced in sustainability? 28:00 How can young adults lead a sustainable lifestyle? 29:07 What is one thing you wish you knew entering the workforce? 30:39 How a positive approach to difficult challenges can lead to success 32:43 What the future looks like for Laura Phillips Show Links Laura Phillips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-phillips-5412a52/ Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/ CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/ bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com Student Profiles: Katie Fowler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-fowler-144989248/ Arthur Cummisky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-cummisky/ Megan Maciulski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmaciulski/ Kendall Wentworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-wentworth/

It's a Customer's World podcast host Andy Murray sat down with Eric Howerton, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Whyte Spyder. Eric is an expert in optimizing a brand’s digital shelf and in this episode he covers his journey into this space and how important an optimized digital shelf is for a brand’s e-commerce growth. Questions and Topics: 00:51 Guest Introduction 06:27 How to manage conflicting goals to create effective PDPs 08:33 How do retailers vary in the e-commerce space? 10:25 Do people understand the challenges in this space? 11:17 The interconnection of RMNs and e-commerce 14:42 The underestimated investment it takes to be effective in an evolving retail space 16:11 Who does Whyte Spyder work with? 18:30 Is there a difference in marketplace PDPs vs 1st Party PDPs 19:28 How to achieve better returns on ad spend by improving PDPs 21:45 How to stay on top of such a fast moving space 24:00 The profile of a person that would be successful in this space 27:07 The importance of problem solving in an ambiguous space 29:07 How do you see the industry evolving in the next few years? 30:55 The journey of selling a company you started 33:30 Advice for prospective entrepreneurs 35:00 The future of PodcastVideos.com 37:55 Promo code for first recording session

In this episode of It's a Customer's World, Andy is joined by long-time industry leader, Bryan Gildenberg. Bryan has decades of experience in CPG and e-commerce and currently is the SVP of Commerce at OmniCom Commerce Group. Their conversation focuses on the ever-changing retail landscape and explores the promise and reality of retail media networks. Topics and Questions: 00:50 Guest Introduction 03:32 How retail media networks have blurred the lines in retail 04:48 How would you describe the promise of retail media networks? 07:08 How would you describe the current reality of retail media networks? 09:22 How the industry is underestimating the tech investment Amazon made to get to this point 11:33 Connecting paid search results to traditional retail strategy 13:00 The importance of inventory forecasting in an evolving retail space 14:20 Understanding how RMNs vary across different retailers 15:30 How can traditional retailers leverage their physical presence? 18:30 Can the industry support the rapid emergence of countless RMNs? 21:20 How will the evolution of retail impact aggregation amongst CPG companies and retailers? 23:10 How will the evolution of retail impact agencies participating in this space? 25:54 What challenges are media teams facing? 30:45 The fundamental difference between performance marketing and shopper marketing 33:47 What new challenges will young brands face in terms of discovery? 37:13 How social media platforms are serving as a source of discovery 39:12 How Amazon’s removal of friction has set them apart 42:37 The positive impact of relevance engineering teams 44:10 How will retailers adapt as consumers grow weary of heavy ad loads 46:50 What will the future of RMNs look like in 2-3 years? 49:07 Will there be more or less RMNs in 2-3 years? 52:41 Wrapping up

The democratization of data is changing the retail landscape. Michael Ellgass, EVP Retail Marketing Solutions at IRI, discusses how insights teams need to adapt to meet the demand for data. Questions and Conversations: 01:33 Guest Introduction 02:22 Where does IRI come into play for most companies? 03:59 How does the RMN trend play out from a data/insights perspective? 05:33 What challenges are retailers having to work through to get good customer data? 07:32 How do you get to insight as opposed to having an abundance of insights? 09:14 What are you learning about the ability to predict human behavior? 10:25 How should the customer be viewed from a measurement standpoint? 12:23 How do we simplify challenges related to attribution? 13:58 How has the technology evolved around attribution and market mixed marketing? 15:55 How do you view the value of the traditional sales funnel in today’s environment? 17:30 What has surprised you working in the data industry for the last 7 years regarding the consumer? 19:44 How important is storytelling alongside the ability to find insight? 21:47 What do you wish you knew in your career before being exposed to the importance of data and insights? 24:00 Has there been a trend towards treating customer-centricity as the true north? 25:51 What would you say to a graduating student that is looking to join a data and insights company? 28:29 How has the demand for insights and talent evolved? 30:43 What questions should senior executives have on their mind regarding data? 33:28 Any final thoughts for graduating seniors?

In this episode of “It’s a Customer’s World” podcast, host Andy Murray is joined by CPG and E-Commerce thought leader, Chris Perry. Their conversation provides education on essential terms to understand in the emerging space of Retail Media Networks. Listen in to learn about the following terms and concepts in the context of Retail Media Networks: 03:17 RMNs 05:40 On-Platform 07:30 Off-Platform 11:30 PDP 13:34 Digital Shelf 15:36 DSP 20:15 DMP 22:15 Trade Desk 24:45 LiveRamp 28:00 First-Party Data 29:25 Clean Rooms 33:55 Segmentation in Retail Media 42:45 CPM 45:10 CPC 50:15 ROAS 50:52 ACOS 53:33 IROAS 56:33 Last Touch Attribution 57:16 Multi Touch Attribution 58:20 MMM

01:00 Guest Introduction 04:25 The Shared Challenges around RMNS 09:40 The Role of Academic Research in an Evolving Space 14:50 The 7 C's to Reach the Future 18:45 Finding Consistency in an Evolving Space 24:00 The Leadership Mindset Needed to Lead Through Change 28:00 The Importance of Outcomes