The Voice of Retail Michael LeBlanc

My guest on this Encore Episode from the summer of 2023 is Rob Smith, veteran retailer and now the CEO and Founder of The Phluid Project, GET Phluid, and The Phluid Phoundation; he has created a brand, combining his profession with his passion and a commitment to social justice.

In this episode, I tap into John Lee's decades of reverse retail logistics experience. He discusses the importance of a seamless customer returns process, reasons for cart abandonment due to unclear return methods, and strategies using data analytics and personalization to reduce returns. We also explore managing high return rates, innovative solutions for non-restockable items, challenges in store handling of returns, best practices in reverse logistics, and leveraging returns for environmental stewardship.

On this episode, I sit down with a colleague from back in my work on the brand side, Craig Baxter, Group President ofTechtronic Industries Canada Inc., part of a global 13 billion dollar powerhouse tool house of brands that includes Milwaukee, Ryobi, andHoover. In a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, Craig talks about radical innovation, retail go-to-market strategy, leadership for growth, and the epic come-from-behind marketplace win for his Milwaukee brand of power tools as the sixth horse in a five-horse race.

Recorded at the Cox School of Business at SMU in Dallas, Texas, in front of a live studio audience, my guest is my good friend and Remarkable Retail podcast partner Steve Dennis on the occasion of the book launch event for Leaders Leap, his latest book already climbing up the charts as one of the top business books of the year.

My guests on this episode are Tanya Bevington, Head of Communications for IKEA Canada, and Anthony Chelvanathan, Chief Creative Officer at Edelman Canada. They discuss the insights and unique creative partnership behind Ikea Canada's clever and brilliant "Second-Hand Tax (SHT) is Happening" campaign.

In this episode, we're talking about evolving fraud trends in retail with Kim Sutherland, Vice President of Fraud and Identity from LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Explore strategies for mitigating fraud risks while maintaining a seamless customer experience. Gain insights from the True Cost of Fraud study, which revealed the significant financial impact on businesses globally. Discover how enterprises balance investment in fraud prevention with profitability, leveraging technology and data analytics to effectively detect and combat fraudulent activity.