Tech Transformation

AllSaints' James Reid on Endless Engagement Opportunities with Mobile Apps

In this episode, we’re joined by James Reid, chief innovation officer at AllSaints. James brings a wealth of experience from both software and sales roles across various consumer goods companies and retailers. We explore AllSaints' journey, from re-platforming and shepherding innovation across the enterprise to the success of their consumer app, boasting over 150,000 downloads in the UK and US. How did they manage that? James lets us in on how and looks ahead to other features and capabilities the company is hoping to add in the future. We also discuss the buzz around unified commerce versus omnichannel strategies. 
A lot of what James and I talk about chimes nicely with our Analytics Unite event in Chicago on May 1st-3rd which is themed around building the future of unified intelligence. This event is awesome every year, but we’re incredibly excited about this year in particular, as we’re going to have speakers from Tractor Supply, Amazon, Sephora, and Molson Coors. It is shaping up to be incredible. Registration is open now, so visit analyticsunite.com to sign up. 
Listen to learn: •The importance of customer focus and efficiency in innovation and implementing new technologies.•The development and success of the AllSaints app, which has over 150,000 downloads in the UK and US. •How AllSaints makes use of the app's ability to identify highly engaged customers and its higher conversion rates compared to other channels.•How AllSaints maintains the DNA of its brand while tailoring messaging and experience to the needs of specific markets and geographies. •The concept of unified commerce versus omnichannel, and why James considers one to be superior to the other. •Why and how AllSaints is emphasizing the seamless integration of online and in-store experiences. •The importance of experimentation and innovation in the retail industry. •Plans for the future, including partnerships with retailers and the evolution of wholesale, concession, and drop-ship models.

The Vitamin Shoppe’s Andy Laudato on Building a Culture of Innovation

Innovation can be an architect of transformation, helping to build bridges from aspiration to accomplishment. A single misstep, however, and the entire structure can come tumbling down. With that in mind, how can leaders ensure their teams feel safe to take a chance, share their out-of-the-box ideas, and weigh up the risk versus the reward when it comes to innovation? In this episode, we’re talking all about this tricky topic with Andy Laudato, chief operating officer at the Vitamin Shoppe. In addition to his leadership role, Andy is also a published author, who has brought his 20 years of experience as a CIO to create a collection of lessons learned – and mistakes made – in the tech industry in his book, Fostering Innovation, How to Build an Amazing IT Team. Later in the episode, we connect with the recent insights shared by Andy on personalization and omnichannel, delving into practical steps for creating a supportive environment and nurturing a culture built around the three pillars Vitamin Shoppe lives by: quality, expertise and innovation.
Listen to learn:
•Why creating a culture of psychological safety is so important in retail and CPG.
•How The Vitamin Shoppe approaches personalization initiatives catering to its diverse customer base.
•How innovation extends beyond technology to products, processes, and the supply chain.
•How The Vitamin Shoppe builds a culture of quality, expertise, and innovation.
•The Vitamin Shoppe’s plans for AI-driven one-to-one personalization.
•How The Vitamin Shoppe is balancing both front-end and back-end enhancements for a smooth customer experience.
•Why failure is a valuable learning experience – sometimes more so than success.
•Why Q1 is a more important time of year than Q4 for the Vitamin Shoppe.
•How the Vitamin Shoppe shows its ongoing commitment to evolving technology for an integrated shopping experience.

The Kraft Heinz Company’s Linda Roman on Embedding Sustainability Throughout The Business

On this episode, we’re joined by Linda Roman, Associate Director of Packaging ESG & Technology at The Kraft Heinz Company. Working at one of the biggest consumer goods companies in the world, Linda has a front-row seat to just how important packaging can be in the quest to be more sustainable. Discussing Kraft Heinz's approach, Linda delves into the crucial role of technology and collaboration across the value chain, and the challenges and opportunities in achieving sustainability goals. From aligning packaging strategies with business outcomes to measuring success through specific KPIs, Linda provides us with an optimistic overview of Kraft Heinz's journey toward a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for that and more, on this episode of tech transformation.
Listen to learn:
•How Kraft Heinz balances innovation with circularity goals
•Why Kraft Heinz emphasizes a culture of creativity and innovation to drive sustainability and embeds ESG in all facets of its business
•Why sustainability is such a key focus for Kraft Heinz
•How Kraft Heinz leverages technology, including AI, machine learning, data analytics, and supply chain technologies, to drive its sustainability efforts
•The importance of partnering with organizations and participating in committees to establish industry-wide protocols and standards for sustainability
•Examples of Kraft Heinz’s collaborations with retailers in recycling soft plastics and refillable packaging
•How Kraft Heinz measures success through KPIs, progress tracking, and reporting
•Upcoming projects, including prototype testing for sustainable packaging solutions

Ball Corporation’s Predrag Ozmo On Sustainable Packaging Innovation

When it comes to packaging and sustainability, small alternations can add up to huge differences over time. Ball Corporation recognizes this power of incremental change and has built its strategy around driving meaningful impacts through specific, targeted action. In this episode, we’re talking with Predrag Ozmo, Director of Sustainability at Ball Corporation about how the company collaborates with partners to mobilize value chains, drive decarbonization, and measure and improve the sustainability of aluminum packaging in a variety of forms.
Listen to learn:• How Ball Corporation made sustainability central• How innovations like lightweighting save costs for retailers• Ball's plans to create a total circular solution for aluminum packaging• Where they see the future of sustainability• How they’re measuring success• How they're advocating for decarbonization across the supply chain• How sustainability is integrated into strategic planning, involving stakeholders and addressing emerging risks• How they're exploring refill and reuse applications with partners• What’s next for Ball Corporation 

The Fresh Market’s Kevin Miller On What’s Next With Livestreaming

While livestreaming and video shopping hasn’t taken off in the U.S. quite as quickly as other regions, it is a growing commerce channel for many retailers. For The Fresh Market, it’s one that they stumbled upon as part of their goal to jumpstart e-commerce sales after the pandemic's digital growth spurt. We’re talking with Kevin Miller, CMO of The Fresh Market, about why it works for them, the benefits they’re receiving, and where they see the future in retail. 
Listen to learn: 
•How The Fresh Market is leveraging video shopping and livestreaming 
•When they first discovered this winning recipe
•The gains they’re experiencing
•Where they see the future of shoppable media 
•How they’re measuring success
•How they’re using AI to engage with consumers
•How they’re tying this back into their stores 
•The role of consumer and manufacturer education in livestreaming 
•What’s next for The Fresh Market

Mars’ Guillaume Doriry On Increasing Supply Chain Visibility With Decision Intelligence

As more consumer goods companies bring artificial intelligence into their operations, keeping their employees at the center is critical to success. For Mars, this has meant creating strategies that empower their associates in order to drive adoption and ensure they feel connected to all of the changes. In this episode of Tech Transformation, sponsored by Aera Technology, we’re talking with Guillaume Doriry, digital transformation senior director, global supply chain and ERP at Mars, and Fred Laluyaux, CEO, Aera Technology, about how Mars is using decision intelligence to gain more visibility into their supply chain. 
Listen to learn: 
•Why decision intelligence can be beneficial for CPGs•Why Mars partnered to operationalize AI for decision intelligence•How decision intelligence is changing Doriry’s work and the Mars business •How Doriry helps drive adoption of the technology and the feedback they’re receiving•What other CPGs can learn from Mars’ experience•The impact that decision intelligence and AI decision automation may have on the CPG industry in the future 

CVS Health’s Zach Dennett Talks Loyalty and Convenience

Loyalty programs give retailers and consumer goods companies invaluable access to shoppers, and – if done correctly – can create dedicated brand evangelists. In this episode, learn how CVS is harnessing the reach of its vast membership base to boost loyalty and constantly evolve its personalization and convenience efforts.

Kimberly-Clark’s Jeannette Chantalat On New KPIs for Sustainable Innovation

Like many consumer goods companies and retailers, Kimberly-Clark wants to put consumers at the center of everything it does. The company also wants to take things a step further by doing it in a way that advances their sustainability goals, and doing this successfully as a multi-national company means working cross-functionally in some very unique ways.
 
In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Jeannette Chantalat, Kimberly-Clark’s Global Head, Innovation & Sustainability Accelerator, about how they’re using their vast reach to understand consumers at very local levels — and then marrying it with technology to meet consumer needs in new and more sustainable ways.
 
Listen to learn:
•How Kimberly-Clark leverages consumer insights in product development to advance their sustainability goals
•How digital prototyping plays a role
•The new ways they’re measuring success with their retail partners across the value chain
•What these KPIs look like
•What they’ve learned about when and why consumers will pay more for greener products.

PepsiCo’s Mark Kirkham On New Data Partnerships

As consumer goods manufacturers and retailers rethink how they collect and leverage consumer data, it has them reinventing their external partnerships.  PepsiCo is not only entering first-of-its-kind relationships with companies like Spotify and EA Sports, but it’s also looking ahead to how it might use the data to drive further value at retail and for its retail partners. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Mark Kirkham, SVP and CMO of PepsiCo’s international beverages business, about some of the new ways they’re collecting data, how their partnerships are driving value well beyond brand awareness, and some of the technologies that are connecting the dots. 
Listen to learn: •Why PepsiCo is forming and expanding partnerships with organizations like Spotify, EA Sports, and UEFA •How these partnerships deliver value to PepsiCo’s retail partners •How they’re leveraging consumer insights in new ways•How they’re tracking progress, tying it back to marketing, and the metrics they use•How they’re using these insights elsewhere•Some of the ways they’re leveraging technology to ensure experiences are personalized and authentic•How they navigate the expectations of hyper-personalization as a large global company •What’s next for tech-driven experiences at PepsiCo

Albertsons’ Claire Wyatt On Retail Media Tech Team Lessons

Retail media is without question one of the biggest trends in sales and marketing right now, but for tech teams, the conversations get a little fuzzy when it comes to measuring success and the expectations a brand should have. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Claire Wyatt, VP, business strategy and marketing science at Albertsons Media Collective, about some of the challenges brands are facing, what they should consider when they’re building partnerships, and some of the common misconceptions. 
Listen to learn: •A lightning-round explanation of retail media •How far along the maturity curve most consumer goods companies find themselves at this point•How much cross-integration with legacy platforms is impeding progress •The role and value of data clean rooms•What a strong RMN partnership looks like — and what doesn’t •The role of AI and the future potential of generative AI within retail media

Kellogg’s Manish Sharma On Omnichannel’s Evolution

Today's consumer behavior shifts are only growing more complex, making it a challenge for both manufacturers and retailers to meet shoppers whenever they are. We talk with Manish Sharma, VP of Omni and E-Commerce for Kellogg Company, about the consumer goods company’s evolution into omnicommerce and the changes they're making across their business.
Listen to learn:
•The most recent behavior changes they’re monitoring and responding to
•How they define personalization
•How the transformation from e-commerce to omni-commerce drives holistic success of their businesses
•The industry’s willingness to cooperate for data sharing today and where is more work needed
•Where they see the potential of data clean rooms
•The role of generative AI in the consumer goods industry
•What retailers should know about becoming stronger trading partners

Unilever’s Juan Carlos Parada On Driving Value With Decision Intelligence

As Unilever digitizes its value chain and transforms its organization to put the customer first, it's finding that decision intelligence is playing a key role in helping it gain speed and agility. In this episode of Tech Transformation, sponsored by Aera Technology, we’re talking with Juan Carlos Parada, global head of customer operations at Unilever, and Fred Laluyaux, CEO of Aera, about their journey with this technology and where they’re taking it next.
Listen to learn:•The challenges decision intelligence can solve•Where it fits into Unilever’s complex and innovative supply chain•How Unilever drives and grows user adoption and measures value of its use•What’s particularly impressive about Unilever’s adoption and scaling of decision intelligence•What’s next for Unilever and Aera Technology

Eboost’s Thomas Ortis On Using Digital Twins and Generative AI In CPG

Attention around generative AI in the consumer goods and retail industries hasn’t slowed, and most of the companies we’re talking with tell us that they’re trying to figure out how it could make sense to use in their business. So in this episode of Tech Transformation, we're talking with Thomas Ortis, chief marketing officer of Eboost, an energy drink and supplement company that’s using it to chat with digital twins of its customers. We’re talking about where it’s seeing benefits, what it has planned, and what a digital twin of a customer looks like.
•Why Eboost invested in technology that leverages generative AI to create digital twins of its customers•The success that it’s having•How its employees are adapting•Where he sees further potential for the technology•What’s next for the company

Yesway’s Darrin Samaha On Redefining Loyalty With Automation

Convenience chain Yesway is in growth mode, and being able to generate strong consumer loyalty has been key to its success. Now, as the company looks to its future, it’s revamping its loyalty program and using technology and automation to better understand and deliver personalized experiences. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Darrin Samaha, VP marketing at Yesway, about the ways they’re thinking more strategically about loyalty, how they plan to leverage new partnerships and data, and the new ways that they’re measuring success.
 
Listen to learn:
•How Yesway IDs the priorities for both consumers and its business within the new program
•How automation and personalization are driving loyalty vs. previous programs
•What it was like getting IT teams on board and obtaining their buy-in
•The potential of hyer-rural markets and the value of generating emotional loyalty
•Where the program is headed as they scale up
•Thoughts on the potential of generative AI in the retail space

Aera Technology’s Fred Laluyaux On Decision Intelligence

Decision Intelligence is growing in adoption, and it’s poised to have a significant impact across the retail and consumer goods industries. In this episode of Tech Transformation, sponsored by Aera Technology, we’re talking with Fred Laluyaux, Aera CEO, about the technology and how it’s reinventing the way CPGs get work done — and ultimately, the business of CPGs.
According to Laluyaux, more global brands are turning to Decision Intelligence to improve efficiency, service, sustainability, and more.
Listen to learn:
•How do you define Decision Intelligence?
•Why is it needed, and how does it differ from business intelligence or automation technologies?
•How can Decision Intelligence improve efficiencies, service, and the bottom line?
•How are CPGs adopting it and what are the results?

Jackie Long On How Auto Allocation Fuels Bealls’ Ability to React and Respond to Store Performance

The retailer Bealls operates over 600 stores in 23 states, and the company is growing, adding 150 stores in the past two and a half years. In this episode of Tech transformation, we’re talking with Jackie Long, director of merchandise process at Bealls, about how the deployment of auto allocation technology is helping them react to the actual performance of these stores.
We're joined by Richard Widdowson, VP, global retail and consumer solutions at SAS and a CGT/RIS Executive Council member. Listen for conversation about the gains Bealls made, what's next in retail technology, and what's expected for the greater retail industry.
Listen to learn:
•Why Bealls first implemented the new technology and their pain points
•What the retail environment looks like for them right now and how the technology is improving their abilities to serve customers
•Whether their experiences align elsewhere in the retail industry
•The benefits they’ve experienced from automation in both their stores and the supply chain
•How their customers and employees are responding •What’s next for Bealls with retail technology
•Some of the other ways retailers are preparing for tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities

Dollar General’s Shweta Bhatia On How IT Keeps Pace With Their Explosive Growth

Dollar General is one of the most rapidly expanding retailers in the United States, which is a strategy that has a significant impact on a company’s IT and tech teams. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Shweta Bhatia, SVP of IT applications and base engineering, about what this looks like and how they’re keeping pace.
We’re talking about some of the new digital tools they’re using to manage supply chain disruption and keep up with consumer demand, and why working in IT at Dollar General is a bit different than other retailers.
Listen to learn:
•How Dollar General’s expansion has impacted the company’s IT teams
•The biggest obstacles the tech teams have faced and how they work to overcome them
•How they put out the everyday fires while simultaneously building an infrastructure for growth
•The technologically innovative ways they’ve managed a very disruptive supply chain
•Updates on their data-driven inventory management tools
•Other technologies they’re using to manage shifting consumer demand
•Why working in IT at Dollar General is different from other places Bhatia has worked
•How Dollar General remains competitive with prospective and current tech employees

PepsiCo’s Kate Garner On Consumer Insights’ Evolution

There may be no bigger priority for both retailers and consumer goods companies today than access to consumer insights, and PepsiCo has stood up its own data analytics practice known as Pepviz to seize this opportunity. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with Kate Garner, SVP of marketing, demand accelerator, at PepsiCo about some of their latest findings, how the company's use of technology has evolved, and how it's helping them develop more collaborative retail relationships. 
Listen to learn: 
How the use of technology at PepsiCo has evolved over the last 20 years
How Pepviz is helping retailers leverage consumer insights for market share and revenue growth
How they share these insights across the PepsiCo organization 
How PepsiCo overcomes some of the challenges associated with data democratization
What’s next for Pepviz and what Garner sees as the future of retail
The potential of generative AI within consumer goods and retail

EJ Weiss of AB InBev’s BEES On Driving E-commerce Transformation

Digitizing the route to market has been a priority for consumer goods companies for a very long time, and the pandemic amped the urgency to a 10. For AB InBev, this meant really stomping on the pedal when rolling out their BEES e-commerce technology, which lets retailers place their orders through a mobile app — and a lot more. 
Over the past few years, its use has exploded and has transformed how the company works with retailers. In this episode of Tech Transformation, we’re talking with EJ Weiss, global director of strategy at BEES at AB InBev, about the impact the tech has had within the company and how they use these learnings and data across the enterprise. 
Listen to learn: 
•Where BEES fits within AB InBev's larger e-commerce strategy
•How its success is driving additional transformation within AB InBev
•How they’re leveraging learnings to improve the technology
•What drove their decision to offer third-party products to retailers
•Other ways that BEES is transforming AB InBev and its partners

Athletic Brewing Company’s Jamie Lissette On Consumer Insights and Innovation

No- and low-alcohol beverages have been a standout category, with sales growing more than 7 percent last year, according to IWSR. Here we talk with Jamie Lissette, COO of Athletic Brewing Company, a growing brand that’s really seizing this opportunity.
We’re talking not only about their growth strategy and how they decide which markets to enter, but also how they leverage consumer insights from their dedicated DTC base and about some of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to the non-alcoholic category.
Listen to learn:
•The backstory on Athletic, including their target customer (it may not be who you think)
•The biggest misconception about the brand and the category
•How they determine the markets for expansion
•The role of their culture when it comes to remaining nimble while scaling for growth
•How they keep teams focused on long-term goals without getting bogged down by everyday tasks
•How they leverage analytics and use it to inform decision making
•How they use consumer insights to develop new products and how they share this info with their retail partners
•Where social commerce fits into their e-commerce strategy and how it’s evolving?
•Another quickly expanding CPG brand or retailer Lissette admires