The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Retail with Warren Shoulberg, Business Journalist

This episode features an interview with Warren Shoulberg, award-winning journalist and consultant for the retailing and home furnishings industries. He is a regular contributor to The Robin Report, Forbes.com, The Business of Home, and his own blog, Stupidbusiness.com.

On this episode, Warren gives us his take on a wide range of contemporary retail issues, including technological innovation and supply-chain backlog, and shares why he dislikes the terms “brick-and-mortar,” “omnichannel,” and “upholstery.” 

3 Takeaways:

• Get out there. Talk to your customers, go into your stores to ensure they are executing on a local level, and keep your nose to the grindstone. 
• On the supply side, technology is not going to save the day in industries that are labor-intensive. Retailers must understand where their competitive levers lie and the distinctiveness of their businesses.
• While some retail buzzwords get low marks from Warren, here is one that doesn’t: “retail-as-campus.” The immersive, experiential concept is presenting a different way to engage shoppers. Multiple structures offer retail, dining, and even lodging in an experience that cannot be replicated online.

Key Quotes: 

• “That’s why I like the retail business: because you can just see with your own eyes what’s going on, and they can’t fool you.”
• “Any time I run into an independent retailer who says, ‘I can’t do E-commerce,’ I say, ‘You’re crazy, because you’re willing to write off 30% of the potential market.’”
• “You’ve got to go out and see the stores. If you don’t – if you’re just sitting on your computer or your phone all day – you’re going to miss a lot of stuff.”

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This podcast is presented by Dell Technologies and Intel. Together they help you realize digital transformation across retail by driving IT innovation to better engage with today’s connected consumer. Learn more at DellTechnologies.com/retail and Intel.com/retail.