For decades talent, past sales and gut instinct drove retail assortments. Gurus who could interpret the market and build a merchandising strategy ruled fashion alongside of visionary designers. Key business inputs came down to three basic questions: Who is the customer? What are they buying? Why do they purchase? Now, in the new era of retail, the industry is fueled by data not just by intuition. Data driven by artificial intelligence and findings driven by machine learning have become best friends to merchants and are integrated …
Rich Pedott and Anjali Burkins
About Rich Pedott and Anjali Burkins
Rich Pedott is a retail veteran who has held senior leadership positions with leading retailers, most recently serving as the head of retail for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He contributes thought leadership pieces to Total Retail and Sourcing Journal and is currently a Partner at Columbus Consulting.
Anjali Burkins is a retail strategy advisor at o9 Solutions. She helps prospective and current clients on their journey to digital transformation and delivering business results. She has held several Merchandising positions at notable brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, and Saks Fifth Avenue.