Retail Remix

Retail TouchPoints

The rules of retail are constantly changing. Today, we're in an exciting new era where brands can differentiate through experience and use technology to connect with customers in new and exciting ways. Retail Remix is a new podcast series brought to you by Retail TouchPoints, the industry's leading source for news, insights and research for all things customer experience. Every week, we sit down with someone who is helping put a new spin on the retail experience. Hear from the top practitioners, analysts and innovators in retail, and see what new engagement opportunities await.

  1. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    Deep Dive: How to Maximize Summer Sales with Lightspeed

    This episode is brought to you by Lightspeed. Summer can be one of the trickiest seasons for retailers. Inventory needs to move before fall arrives, demand can shift with changing weather patterns and teams are already looking ahead to the next major buying cycle. In this special bonus episode of Retail Remix, Kate Robertson sits down with Marie Baldauf-Lenschen, Director of Supplier Network Partnerships at Lightspeed, to discuss how retailers can make smarter inventory, merchandising and purchasing decisions during the critical mid-summer period.  From identifying the metrics that matter most to leveraging AI, storytelling and wholesale data more effectively, Marie shares practical strategies retailers can use to improve sell-through, protect margins and prepare for the busy seasons ahead. Key Takeaways Why retailers should focus on a handful of key metrics (including inventory levels, sales trends and supplier lead times) to make faster, smarter decisions  How AI can help reduce manual work and surface actionable insights without replacing human decision-making  Why merchandising, storytelling and knowledgeable store associates can improve sell-through without relying on markdowns  How tighter connections between wholesale purchasing, inventory management and POS systems can help retailers react faster to demand shifts  Why bundling, urgency-based messaging and personalized service often outperform aggressive discounting when inventory starts to slow   Related Links Learn more about Lightspeed’s commerce platform for retailersGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix ---- Ready to make smarter inventory, merchandising and buying decisions? Discover how Lightspeed helps retailers streamline operations, manage inventory and stay ahead of changing customer demand at lightspeedhq.com/pos/retail

    25 min

  2. 5d ago

    From Loyalty Data to Retail Media: Molly Hjelm’s Playbook for RedVest

    Retail media has quickly become one of retail’s most important growth engines, but Ace Hardware is taking a different approach. One that’s built around local ownership, community relevance and real-world customer needs. In this episode of Retail Remix, Kate Robertson speaks with Molly Hjelm, CVP of RedVest Media, Ace Hardware’s retail media network, about launching a full-funnel RMN in just six months and what makes the co-op retailer uniquely positioned in the space. Molly shares how Ace is leveraging its network of 5,200 independently owned stores, 70 million loyalty members and deep first-party data to create measurable advertising solutions. She also explains how weather-triggered media, retailer-focused advertising tools and localized customer insights are helping brands connect with shoppers at exactly the right moment. Key Takeaways How Ace Hardware launched RedVest Media in just six months by focusing on measurable, full-funnel advertising solutions  Why Ace’s co-op structure creates unique opportunities (and challenges) for retail media innovation  How weather-triggered advertising helps brands align messaging with real-time customer needs, from snowstorms to hurricane season  What makes Retailer Reach, Ace’s retailer-focused advertising platform, different from traditional retail media offerings  Why first-party data, in-store relationships and local relevance remain critical as retail media evolves alongside AI and changing consumer behavior   Related Links Learn how RedVest Media helps brands reach Ace Hardware customers through localized, data-driven retail media.Learn more about Ace Hardware and its community-focused retail modelGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    20 min

  3. Jun 15

    Winning on Reddit: How Walmart, Home Depot and MAC Tap into the High-Value Community

    As AI-generated content floods the internet, shoppers are increasingly looking for something harder to fake: real human opinions. In this episode of Retail Remix, Kate Robertson speaks with Anna Haffner, Senior Director of Large Customer Sales at Reddit, about how the platform is becoming a powerful force in retail discovery and commerce.  Anna explains why shoppers are turning to Reddit for trusted recommendations; how brands and retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot, Dove and MAC Cosmetics are showing up authentically in community conversations; and why Reddit’s advertising products are evolving to complement the user experience. Key Takeaways Why Reddit has become a trusted discovery channel for shoppers researching products and brands  How retailers can participate in Reddit communities without relying on overly polished or disruptive advertising  What campaigns from brands like Walmart, MAC, Home Depot and Dove reveal about Reddit’s retail marketing potential  How Reddit’s Shopify integration and dynamic product ads are reducing friction for retail advertisers  Why human conversation may become even more valuable as AI reshapes product discovery and search Related Links Explore Reddit’s advertising tools for retail brandsGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    20 min

  4. Jun 8

    Beyond the Dress: Inside David’s Bridal’s Transformative Platform Strategy

    David’s Bridal may be best known for wedding dresses, but the brand’s next chapter is about something much bigger: becoming a digital platform for the entire wedding journey. In this episode of Retail Remix, Kate Robertson speaks with Elina Vilk, President and Chief Business Officer of David’s Bridal, about how the 75-year-old brand is transforming from a dress retailer into an AI-powered wedding ecosystem. Elina shares how David’s Bridal is expanding from “aisle to algorithm,” using tools like the AI-powered Pearl Planner to help brides manage the hundreds of decisions behind every wedding and stay within budget, while also growing wholesale, marketplace and commerce partnerships to serve more of the bridal ecosystem. Key Takeaways Why David’s Bridal is expanding beyond dresses to support the full wedding planning journey  How expectations toward the modern wedding experience have shifted with added pressures such as social media How the Pearl Planner uses insights from in-store “dream makers” to guide brides through planning tasks  Why David’s Bridal now views boutiques, marketplaces and other retailers as partners rather than competitors  How wholesale, AI commerce and smaller-format store concepts are shaping the brand’s 2026 growth strategy   Related Links Explore David’s Bridal’s wedding dresses, planning tools and Pearl platformGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    22 min

  5. Jun 1

    How Frances Valentine Built a Viral Fashion Brand Around Women 50+

    For years, fashion brands chased younger consumers online, but Frances Valentine has found its edge by doing the opposite. Building a vibrant, social-first brand experience around women 50 and up. In this episode of Retail Remix (and the first hosted by new Retail TouchPoints Editor-in-Chief Kate Robertson), Kate sits down with Katherine Brodie, CMO of Frances Valentine, to discuss how the brand is scaling through video-first storytelling, creator-style content and a deeply engaged community built around color, joy and personal connection. Katherine shares how Elyce Arons — who co-founded the brand with her best friend, the late Kate Spade — has become both the face and personality of the brand across social media, why Frances Valentine treats content creation like its own production studio and how the company is balancing digital growth with expanding retail and wholesale partnerships. Key Takeaways Why Frances Valentine has found major success by focusing on the underserved and highly affluent 50+ female consumer  How Elyce Arons’ authentic social presence has become a powerful customer acquisition and engagement engine  Why the brand treats social content and video production as a separate, always-on marketing track  How Frances Valentine balances owned digital channels with retail stores and wholesale partnerships to deepen loyalty  Why Katherine believes today’s marketers need to understand the full business picture — not just impressions and traffic   Related Links Explore Frances Valentine’s colorful fashion and lifestyle collectionsGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    18 min

  6. May 18

    The New Rules of DTC: How AquaSonic Became a Multi-Channel Powerhouse

    DTC success used to hinge on cutting out the middleman. Today, the real growth opportunity is knowing how to show up everywhere customers shop. In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein speaks with Arsalan Rahbarpoor, Founder and CEO of AquaSonic, about how he built an Amazon-native oral care brand that now sells across Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Best Buy and TikTok Shop. Arsalan shares how AquaSonic disrupted a legacy-dominated category with premium design, accessible pricing and a sharper read on consumer demand — and why consistency, packaging and operational planning became critical as the brand expanded into national retail. Key Takeaways How AquaSonic identified white space in oral care by combining premium design with accessible pricing;  Why launching on Amazon was foundational to AquaSonic’s future multi-channel success;  What changed when the digital-native brand expanded into brick-and-mortar;How TikTok Shop creates a different kind of discovery-driven opportunity than Amazon or brick-and-mortar retail; What the success of AquaSonic says about consumers’ increased interest in wellness and their new expectations for the category; and  Why AquaSonic is expanding beyond oral care into broader health, wellness and everyday essentials.  Related Links Explore AquaSonic’s oral care products and wellness essentialsGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    19 min

  7. May 11

    AI-Powered Pricing: The Future of Retail — or a Friction Point?

    In an era of tariff swings, rising costs and AI-powered deal hunting, pricing has become one of the most complex (and consequential) levers in retail. In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein speaks with Revionics’ Matt Pavich about how retailers are using AI-driven pricing to stay competitive without eroding consumer trust. Matt breaks down the difference between dynamic pricing and surveillance pricing, explains why the best retailers use AI to listen more closely to customer behavior rather than exploit it, and shares what guardrails are essential if brands want to move faster on price while still keeping shoppers on their side. Key Takeaways Why ongoing disruption, from COVID to inflation to tariffs, has made AI pricing tools a competitive necessity for retailers;  Why the healthiest pricing strategies combine proactive planning with the ability to react quickly when the market shifts;  The critical distinction between dynamic pricing and surveillance pricing, and why consumers view them very differently;  How retailers can use aggregated customer behavior, not personal data, to set smarter prices and promotions; and  Why pricing agility, strong guardrails and a healthy dose of curiosity will define the most successful retail organizations in the years ahead.Related Links Learn more about Revionics and AI-powered retail pricing solutionsRelated reading: Exclusive Q&A: Why Retailers Should Leverage the Power of Dynamic PricingGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPointsSubscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    30 min

  8. May 4

    Calling BS in the Sauce Aisle: How One CPG Brand is Taking on Big Food

    If you’ve ever stood in the grocery aisle staring at a wall of “clean,” “natural” or “better-for-you” labels and wondered what any of it actually means, you’re not alone. In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein speaks with Anna Vocino — actor, comic, cookbook author and founder of Eat Happy Kitchen — about what it really takes to build a clean-label CPG brand in a market dominated by food giants. Anna shares how her celiac diagnosis set her on a hunt for better-for-you foods that has evolved into a thriving food business and why breaking into grocery requires far more than a great-tasting product (although that matters). From label confusion and ingredient trickery to slotting pressure, promo costs and the realities of wholesale expansion, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to build a mission-driven food brand from the ground up. Key Takeaways How Anna turned her personal health journey into cookbooks, a podcast and the growing CPG brand Eat Happy Kitchen;  Why building a clean-label food brand means constantly pushing back against misleading ingredient claims and grocery aisle “trickery”;  How to navigate the challenge of not just getting on shelves but staying there by driving trial and managing margin pressure;  Why Anna’s direct-to-consumer community remains essential for the brand even as it expands to more than 1,300 retail doors; andWhat Anna’s background in acting and comedy has taught her about pitching, negotiating and surviving the “Walmart wince.”PLUS…Stick around to the end to hear the voice Anna would give one of her best-selling products.  Related Links Explore Eat Happy Kitchen’s sauces, spices and snacksRelated reading- Small Business, Big Ideas: Eat Happy Kitchen’s Recipe for Breaking into a Crowded MarketGet more retail industry insights from Retail TouchPoints\Subscribe and catch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The rules of retail are constantly changing. Today, we're in an exciting new era where brands can differentiate through experience and use technology to connect with customers in new and exciting ways. Retail Remix is a new podcast series brought to you by Retail TouchPoints, the industry's leading source for news, insights and research for all things customer experience. Every week, we sit down with someone who is helping put a new spin on the retail experience. Hear from the top practitioners, analysts and innovators in retail, and see what new engagement opportunities await.

Information

  • Creator
    Retail TouchPoints
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    301
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023 Retail TouchPoints
  • Show Website
    Retail Remix

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