Seamless Experiences That Drive Revenue with John Ludlow, VP of Omni Operations at Designer Brands

Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar. 

A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.

On today’s episode, we talk with John Ludlow, VP of Omni Operations at Designer Brands. Designer Brands is a leading footwear and accessories retailer that operates a portfolio of retail concepts with a shared goal of inspiring self-expression. Prior to joining Designer Brands, John led Under Armour’s North America Omni Channel team. He also worked at Nike, where he was responsible for helping shape the company’s Connect the Marketplace strategy focused on connecting its direct ecosystem with its strategic wholesale partners while also connecting Nike’s digital channels with its physical stores. 

In this episode John discusses investing in your physical footprint, the importance of aligning your physical and digital experiences, and how Designer Brands is driving customer loyalty.

Guest Bio:
 

John leads DSW’s Omni Operations team covering store operations & communications, field asset protection, customer service, and retail experience. Prior to joining DSW, John led Under Armour’s North America Omni Channel team focused on creating frictionless experiences across all consumer touchpoints. Before that, John was at Nike, where he was responsible for helping shape the company’s Connect the Marketplace strategy focused on connecting its direct ecosystem with its strategic wholesale partners while also connecting Nike’s digital channels with its physical stores. Early in his career, John worked at Hitachi Consulting, focusing on digital transformation initiatives. When not working, John enjoys spending time with his wife and newborn, as well as traveling the world to immerse himself in different cultures.

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Guest Quote

“The reason why the store has become such a critical part of these digital native companies is the ability to reach customers that they otherwise would not have been able to reach. When you do invest in those physical footprints, the entire ecosystem raises up so your e-commerce revenue goes up and so forth. So when it comes to Nirvana for us as well, when it comes to expansion or when it comes to our existing stores, I think we have to think about it almost in a similar manner as some of these digital native companies.” - John Ludlow 

Time Stamps

**(01:43) - What is really means to be VP of Omni Operations 

**(06:25) - The North Star of Designer Brands

**(12:42) - Finding Nirvana 

**(19:57) - Post-covid customer expectations 

**(27:49) - What are retailers getting right

**(32:56) - Tech John’s excited about 

**(37:48) - Sid’s final thoughts  

Sponsor:

ServiceChannel brings you peace of mind through peak facilities performance.

Rest easy knowing your locations are:

• Offering the best possible guest experience
• Living up to brand standards
• Operating with minimal downtime

ServiceChannel partners with more than 500 leading brands globally to provide visibility across operations, the flexibility to grow and adapt to consumer expectations, and accelerated performance from their asset fleet and service providers. 

Request a custom demo here. 

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Links 

• Connect with John Ludlow on LinkedIn
• Connect with Sid Shetty on Linkedin
• Check out the ServiceChannel Website