Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

Shelley E. Kohan
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  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Retail Unwrapped, a podcast from The Robin Report. Join Shelley E. Kohan as she shares insights and unpacks issues at the core of retail and consumer products. The conversations are lively and the opinions are honest. New episodes every Friday.

  1. EP 281: A Data Expert Uncovers the Power of Re-Commerce

    1D AGO

    EP 281: A Data Expert Uncovers the Power of Re-Commerce

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The consumer movement to invest in secondhand is led by values: meaning, provenance, and sustainability. Re-commerce is not a niche; it’s a $180-$200 billion global, parallel economy growing up to five times faster than traditional retail. The brands that get this right think beyond the first sale and plan for the lifetime value of a product, including multiple sales. Join Shelley and Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo, as they discuss why eBay's acquisition of Depop for $1.2 billion strengthens its core business and marks a structural inflection point.  A data expert, Romain makes the case for the power of transparency. Secondhand operations are logistically incompatible with firsthand retail models. Every resale item is its own unique SKU, its own story, condition, and context. Brands that attempt to glue re-commerce onto traditional operations without rethinking their infrastructure are setting themselves up for expensive failure. Listen and learn how the brands that will win in re-commerce will be the ones with the richest, most comprehensive product information, including materials, origin, manufacturing details, and use history.  Special Guest: Romain Fouache, CEO, Akeneo For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    25 min
  2. EP 280: A Leading Economist Weighs In on the SCOTUS Tariff Reversal

    FEB 27

    EP 280: A Leading Economist Weighs In on the SCOTUS Tariff Reversal

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The recent Supreme Court decision outlawing the “Liberation Day” tariffs has added another level of uncertainty to the financial outlook of American retailers. Join Shelley and Dan Altman, chief economist and bestselling author of the High Yield Economics newsletter, as they zero in on what the ruling will trigger for retailers and consumers. They discuss whether companies will claw back the tariffs they have paid. Dan says that although companies and the government have records of the money that was paid, it could be sorted out but would be extremely messy.  He adds it would be nearly impossible to refund consumers by tracing those purchases to specific people. Ultimately, with the change in tariffs retailers will have higher margins, so, will prices come down? Dan cautions, “We have seen the economy in a sort of paralysis, both in the job market and in investment plans, because people didn't know where these economic policies were going to land. But now we've opened up all this uncertainty again.” This candid conversation puts the challenges facing retailers squarely on the table predicting that small businesses will take the brunt of economic uncertainty over the next 12 months. Listen and learn how an economist clears the air on tariff chaos. Special Guest: Dan Altman, Chief Economist and Bestselling Author, High Yield Economics  For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    22 min
  3. EP 279: How Not to Run a Retail Business

    FEB 20

    EP 279: How Not to Run a Retail Business

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! How does the retail frontline succeed, despite leadership dysfunction? The disconnect between corporate decision-making and the frontline reality has reached a breaking point. Store managers are caught holding the bag for supply chain disasters, tariffs, empty shelves, and operational chaos they never created. Join Shelley and Rachel Williamson, founder and CEO of Running Great Stores, as they unpack how frontline operational excellence is compromised when managers are denied the tools, training and authority they need to succeed. Rachel says that great leadership requires continuous investment in self-improvement, honest conversations with supervisors, and a willingness to address both wins and failures. She has spent decades turning around underperforming stores and she's witnessed firsthand what happens when flawed corporate leadership disables store teams. She is candid about the uncomfortable truth that retail has become a revolving door job instead of a career destination. The weakest link? Frontline leaders who lack the mentorship and training they need to develop the capacity for emotional intelligence. Frontline leaders who succeed have learned to take ownership of their own career development instead of depending on corporate training programs. Listen and learn why the retail profession is at risk of a leadership vacuum. Special Guest: Rachel Williamson Founder and CEO, Running Great Stores For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    37 min
  4. EP 278: Gaming the K-Shaped Economy

    FEB 13

    EP 278: Gaming the K-Shaped Economy

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! There is widespread confusion about the popular and overused K-shaped economy meme. General understanding oversimplifies consumers into "haves, have-nots, and have-everythings," when the reality is far more nuanced and fluid. If retail executives make million-dollar decisions based on an incomplete understanding about the K-shaped economy, it's going to cost them. Join Shelley and Katie Thomas from the Kearney Consumer Institute as they challenge conventional wisdom about the economy that's leading retailers to misclassify customers and fail on pricing, assortment, and messaging. Katie reveals that the middle class isn't disappearing but rather is pragmatic and surprisingly mobile, selectively reallocating resources across all categories that makes traditional good-better-best models look obsolete. Listen and learn about the real crisis facing retailers; it isn't about hitting price points; it's about the growing price-value mismatch that risks losing loyal customers who have more options than ever in a marketplace where luxury brands have overpriced themselves and cheapened products at the bottom create an inevitable race to the bottom. Special Guest: Katie Thomas, Lead, Kearney Consumer Institute (KCI)  For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    25 min
  5. EP 277: Why Materials Should Lead Design

    FEB 6

    EP 277: Why Materials Should Lead Design

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! A complete reversal of the traditional concept-to-market approach will improve margins, speed to market, and sustainability goals. What does that look like? Materials lead the design process instead of design leading materials selection.  Join Shelley and Liza Amlani, principal and founder of Retail Strategy Group and co-author of The Material Life, as they discuss why design innovation is typically mismatched with process innovation in the fashion supply chain, and what the consequences are. Liza says, “Process innovation is the most underrated opportunity in the fashion supply chain.” Listen and learn how Lululemon, Viore, and Uniqlo know their fabrics are their competitive edge.  Many other retailers still operate with design-led processes that create costly overdevelopment. This conversation challenges everything retailers may believe about their role in proprietary product creation and margin optimization. Guest: Liza Amlani, principal and founder of Retail Strategy Group and co-author of The Material Life For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    26 min
  6. EP 276: How AI Propels FedEx Customer UX

    JAN 30

    EP 276: How AI Propels FedEx Customer UX

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Customers have high expectations in their transaction experiences that do not end with the purchase. Today’s empowered and convenience-focused consumers want easy returns, and FedEx is on a mission to make that a reality using AI as a tool to improve the experience.  Join Shelley and Jason Brenner, Senior Vice President Digital Portfolio at FedEx as they delve into the fascinating world of returns logistics and how the process has evolved. Jason says consumer familiarity with ‘no box, no label’ returns jumped from 37 percent to 48 percent in just one year. He attributes the increase to consumers’ perceived value around the experience. “Nearly half of U.S. customers say they're now familiar with ‘no box, no label’ returns and the usage continues to increase year over year; the reason is that once shoppers try it, they understand how convenient and how low stress it can be,” he adds. Their conversation deconstructs shipping logistics and reveals why confidence comes from predictability and visibility that is grounded in a simple UX supported by reliable communications with thoughtful updates throughout the post-purchase journey. As with any customer service, trust, reducing stress and anxiety and managing expectations are crucial. Listen and learn how this iconic logistics organization continues to push the envelope to deliver better customer experiences. Special Guest: Jason Brenner, Senior Vice President Digital Portfolio, FedEx For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    25 min
  7. EP 275: NRF Trade Talks: Five More Unique Perspectives

    JAN 23

    EP 275: NRF Trade Talks: Five More Unique Perspectives

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Last week, Shelley caught up with five more innovators at NRF 2026 to get their takes on the retail industry and an outlook for this year. Their conversations ranged from the connected store and talent development to geolocation analytics and the need for personalization.  Listen and learn from the experts.  Matthew Cry transformed his retail leadership experience by leveraging a better way to engage with customers and product with daily insights. “The physical store is the pulse on everything that's happening, connecting your inventory, shoppers, store teams, what's being bought, and what's not being bought. So, we're thinking when a customer is in that moment looking for something, we should be able to show her other products that are available in her size, and we should be saving the sales associate time from not having to do that manually.” Kimberly Minor’s explains there is no longer a direct linear career path: “How do we create pathways to new jobs, and how do we prepare people to be flexible so that they are ready when new opportunities open?” She adds “If you're curious about what your future could look like, then you should be curious about what other opportunities are available.” As a professor at FIT and Parsons School of Design, Marie Driscoll distills the underlying trend in retail to the range of AI tools that are aiding the retail practice. Her NRF observations range from Mango , Dick’s and LVMH to the K-shaped economy and the challenges of real estate and the luxury market. From a consumer perspective, going into 2026, she says, “I think the consumer is sitting in the best seat. She has so many choices, and the retailers that are creating valuable services for their customers will win.” Dominic Miserandino explores what makes the customer experience joy; he says experiential is a human connection.  As a connector, he adds, “I think we have evolved into a non-experiential, transactional retail culture, meaning DoorDash, press the button; Uber Eats, press the button. And the consumer is saying, yeah, that's awesome.” As an antidote, he adds, “You have to seek the emotional connections of humanity. So, retailers need to think about how they can humanize at scale.”  is the connection among them all.”   Gary Sankary’s work on mapping and geo-spatial analytics helps retailers understand why things happen where they do inside and outside stores—everything from the global all the way down to the neighborhood. As a contrarian, he says, “I'm going to be an outlier here and say Agentic AI is not going to innovate; what drives retail success is innovation and design. What AI is helping us do is expand the scope of the things that we can look at.” Matthew Cyr, CEO, Founder, Crave Retail Kimberly Minor, CEO Co-Founder, WOC Retail Alliance (WOCRA) Marie Driscoll, TRR Contributor, Professor, FIT, Parsons School of Design Dominic Miserandino, Founder and CEO, RTM Nexus Gary Sankary,Retail Industry Lead, Esri For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    1h 12m
  8. EP 274: NRF Trade Talks: Four Unique Perspectives

    JAN 16

    EP 274: NRF Trade Talks: Four Unique Perspectives

    We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Shelley caught up with four innovators at NRF 2026 to get their takes on the retail industry and an outlook for this year. Their conversations ranged from managing returns and geo-location insights to advanced tools for managing inventory.  Listen and learn from the experts. Tim Robinson has interesting insights on a significant challenge for retailers, especially, post-holiday: returns.  Ethan Chernofsky provides critical analytics to retailers on the implications of traffic patterns in physical stores.  He says, “Visit durations are down but the number of visits for every category per customer is going up. So, value, product, experience, and brand affinity have a lot more significance.” Jay Hakami has innovated a novel tech platform that is predictive and helps retailers manage inventories. He says, “Today, with Agentic AI, we're getting into the predictive side going into dynamic planning and allocation. So, we’re essentially setting up buyers and planners for absolute success.” George Shaw is also an expert on measuring consumer behavior stating, “Retailers don't want a bunch of dots moving around maps. They want the metrics that they actually care about. We give them a very simple, clean, clear dashboard that they can use operationally at scale.”  Special Guests: Tim Robinson, Senior Vice President of Commerce, Blue Yonder Ethan Chernofsky, Chief Marketing Officer, Placer.ai Jay Hakami, CEO and Founder, Skypad George Shaw, Senior Vice President, Standard AI   For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    1 hr
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Welcome to Retail Unwrapped, a podcast from The Robin Report. Join Shelley E. Kohan as she shares insights and unpacks issues at the core of retail and consumer products. The conversations are lively and the opinions are honest. New episodes every Friday.

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