The Robin Report Innovators Network introduces you to startups with novel solutions that improve the performance and profitability of retail and brand operations. Our first four Innovators have engineered actionable systems to streamline retail in everything from contract management and fit to employee accountabilities and shared data platforms. With the thousands of startups that have a hope and a dream, our Innovators are providing relevant solutions throughout the industry. Why Start Up? With so many startups in the retail-tech arena, it's …
Ten Leadership Lessons from 2020
In so many ways, the date of a new year is arbitrary. In Western societies, we’re still on the Gregorian calendar, but there are plenty of cultures that walk to a different time drummer: Hebrew, Maya, Chinese, Navaho, Islam. Yet it is the significance of a new year to mark time passing that becomes the ritual. One could argue that the whole world was asleep at the wheel in terms of dealing with the ultimate impact of the pandemic. It’s not as though we had no warnings, Bill Gates, the scientists, the UN – a pandemic was a very real …
Gift Yourself
It’s the little things in life. Would you rather get a $38 tube of lipstick in a utilitarian brown cardboard box … or in a beautiful white Chanel-branded mini shopping bag filled with samples wrapped in a silky pouch, all packed in a white Chanel-branded shipping box – delivered by FedEx for no additional fee? And Amazon thinks it has a prayer in delivering luxury? And while we’re at it, what other companies take the time and make the investment in the high touches that transform an online purchase into a brand relationship? Apple, for one. …
The Art and Science of Retail
If you were to distill what consumers want from any retail transaction down to two factors, it would be convenience and experience. And these two factors may even outweigh value and price if you deliver a meaningful experience that is imaginative, innovative and convenient. What is the glue that holds both together? Forward-thinking, cutting-edge tech solutions. So, here's a dreamworld scenario: You are in the unique position to blend your personal passion for art and creativity into a holistic program to enhance the retail experience …
Field Notes from the Midwest
There was a bright light shining during the post-holiday mall doldrums in St. Louis, Missouri. This midwestern city (full disclosure, my hometown) is constantly reinventing itself. It is a modern-day Phoenix lifting itself again and again out of the ashes of a forgotten, marginalized downtown, which was once the commerce epicenter of a rich history that opened the West to an emerging United States. The majority of St. Louisans live in the western suburbs, a sprawling county that houses the wealthy, country clubs, private schools, shopping …
Kohl’s Returns to Manhattan
One thing you can guarantee, put a pop-up in New York City, and they will come. In droves, actually. Kohl's came to town, albeit briefly, to showcase some of its holiday gift suggestions and festive clothes. An attractive street of shops with nostalgic holiday storefronts greets you as you enter the space. The weekend promotion offered lots of incentives for influencers and shoppers to visit the place, not the least of which was complimentary chestnuts pre-roasted over an open fire and decadent hot chocolate served in a cup rimmed with crushed …
When Will You Take Back Control?
What business are you in? This has become the existential crisis of retail. Talk to digital natives and they'll tell you in no uncertain terms that retail is a tech platform delivering digital experiences and products electronically. Steve Jobs said, "Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves." That requires a genius sense of intuition blended with significant machine learning that plays to the expectations of next-gen customers and their parents looking for …
Nordstrom’s Love Song to New York
Nordstrom's first day in business on Manhattan's West Side was a well-behaved, well-dressed mob scene of customers who were making the most of every shopping moment. The store is evocative of a European emporium; Au Bon Marche comes to mind sans the Belle Epoque architecture. That being said, the dramatic escalator atrium opening up five stories high might rival those iconic stores in modernity. The typical Nordstrom customer is a self-confident shopper, and the New York outpost caters to a savvy consumer with a curated collection of apparel …