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Think Retail

A podcast where top designers, strategists, thought leaders and business people discuss what’s coming next.

A podcast where top designers, strategists, thought leaders and business people discuss what’s coming next.

Latest Episode11/17/2021

The Rise of Slow Fashion

For many years, fast fashion was on top – cheap, ubiquitous, ripped from the runway designs that were so fast and easy they were literally designed to be disposable. However, the impact of this approach to clothing has come under intense criticism. From enormous quantities of product ending up in landfills to chemical dye pollution and unethical labor practices, the cost of fast fashion is adding up. For consumers and many in the industry, the cost of such an unsustainable model has inspired them to seek out other approaches now coming under the umbrella of slow fashion. Upcycling, thrift flips, resale, micromanufacturing, and made-to-order are becoming more common as the impact of fashion and climate change changes the way we decide what we want to wear.Today, I’m speaking toDiana Coatsworth, an independent fashion designer from Toronto who has recently shifted her approach to be slower and more sustainable. We’ll also be speaking withKayla Vickers, an Account Coordinator at SLD who studied fashion from the business perspective, about how social media platforms like Poshmark and The RealReal are influencing the slow fashion movement.

The Rise of Slow Fashion

For many years, fast fashion was on top – cheap, ubiquitous, ripped from the runway designs that were so fast and easy they were literally designed to be disposable. However, the impact of this approach to clothing has come under intense criticism. From enormous quantities of product ending up in landfills to chemical dye pollution and unethical labor practices, the cost of fast fashion is adding up. For consumers and many in the industry, the cost of such an unsustainable model has inspired them to seek out other approaches now coming under the umbrella of slow fashion. Upcycling, thrift flips, resale, micromanufacturing, and made-to-order are becoming more common as the impact of fashion and climate change changes the way we decide what we want to wear.Today, I’m speaking toDiana Coatsworth, an independent fashion designer from Toronto who has recently shifted her approach to be slower and more sustainable. We’ll also be speaking withKayla Vickers, an Account Coordinator at SLD who studied fashion from the business perspective, about how social media platforms like Poshmark and The RealReal are influencing the slow fashion movement.

The Future of E-Commerce for CPG Brands

Even though grocery stores remained open during lockdown, many people chose to do their grocery shopping online to avoid exposure to COVID. In fact, inSLD’s recent study on e-commerce for CPG brands, 69 percent of respondents said they shopped more online for groceries during the pandemic. For CPG brands, this news is not generally received with enthusiasm. The online shopping experience is extremely different from a shop in the store and options, such as saving your previous purchase list for reorder can make it harder for brands to be noticed. Some CPG brands are wading into the waters of direct-to-consumer platforms but with mixed success.

How to Empower Employees and Create a Culture of Change

The financial services industry has largely begun to undertake the work of transforming their customer experience model from physical branches to their digital experience, to at least some degree. However, to get the most out of these intensive projects, transforming the people who work in banks and how they work is just as critical as your app, your branch design, and marketing campaigns. When people are included in transformation, not only do financial brands get a better end result when it comes to the customer experience, but they’re better poised to fend off incoming disruptors.Today, we’re speaking toEJ Kritz, the EVP of Training & Customer Experience atath Power Consultingabout why financial brands need to take as much care with transforming their people practices as they do with every other part of their business. EJ, thank you for being with me today.

Social Justice and Brand Building

Over the past few years, brands have more often ventured into the realm of social justice and politics, whether it’s Starbucks giving their entire retail network a day off to learn about racial equity, Dick’s Sporting Goods taking automatic guns and ammunition off their shelves, or beauty brands making a pledge to stop Photoshopping models, every day there’s another story about a company taking some sort of stand.Why is this happening, and does it build or harm brand equity? Today I’m chatting with Digital Marketing and Communication Strategist, Sebastian Maynard, about some of the biggest issues driving consumer preference.

Why Authenticity and Inclusivity Must Go Hand-in-Hand

In North America, demographic changes are creating a more diverse customer base. This means that brand strategy and marketing needs to become more inclusive quickly. But some marketers are nervous about making mistakes trying to speak to audiences with different experiences.Today, my guest is Puja Prakash – a graduate student at OCAD, completing her master's in Strategic Foresight. We’re going to talk about why this is so important to take on, and how to put yourself in the best possible position to be authentic and inclusive.

Business Leaders, Bold Thinkers, and the Brand of the Future

The future is unfolding in real-time, all the time. But most retail brands are in a state of constant catch-up – just being at par before another innovation appears. This is partly the result of fast-moving times, but it’s also the result of an industry that has been somewhat lackadaisical about innovation.To really become a brand of the future, today’s guest sees audacious leadership as essential. Nancy Giordano is a strategic futurist, speaker, consultant, and author of Leadering, a book aimed at challenging leaders to be bolder in shaping the future – not only of their companies but of the world.

The Importance of Innovation and Design Thinking for Brands

Innovation and design thinking are new hot topics in board rooms these days, but anyone who has tried to make a company more innovative through strategic design knows that it’s really challenging. Newer companies that are starting off with innovation as a foundational principle have a big advantage over older organizations with legacy systems, ingrained cultural dynamics, and leadership who might understand the benefit but not really know where to begin.Today’s guest,Avi Raj, is a design strategist who understands how to connect the dots between design thinking, business, and digital experience.

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