The Consumer Code podcast explores the world of retail through the lens of ethnography, cartography, demography, and the economy. On each episode, Lyden Foust, CEO of Spatial.ai, interviews industry leaders about the economic and cultural trends shaping the consumer landscape today.
The 5 Unsolved Questions In Retail Site Selection 2026
Host Lyden Foust interviews Andrew Neelon, Ryan Redus, and Dale Goss about navigating retail site selection challenges and leveraging data for growth in a constrained 2026 market.
11 May 2026TRANSCRIPT
From Mainframes to AI: Why Geodemography Keeps Winning (ft. Jan Kestle, Environics Analytics)
In this episode of Consumer Code, Lyden Foust sits down with Jan Kestle, president of Environics Analytics and a pioneer in geodemographics. Jan unpacks how “location, location—birds of a feather flock together” evolved into sophisticated segmentation systems that integrate demographics, behavior, and social values. She explains the history and evolution of geodemographic tools, how Environics’ platforms support privacy-first data collaboration, and the role AI plays in making analytics more powerful and more accountable. Along the way, Jan shares why women in STEM is a critical cause for her and how she stays grounded in a purpose-driven approach to data.
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction to Geodemographics and Environics Analytics
(03:05) Jan Kestle’s Early Career and the Birth of Geodemographics
(05:57) The Evolution of Geodemographic Tools and Technologies
(08:42) The Intersection of Geodemographics and CRM
(11:26) The Role of AI in Modern Geodemographics
(13:56) Combining Geodemographics with Social Values
(16:35) Challenges and Opportunities in the Geodemographic Landscape
(19:20) The Future of Geodemographics and Data Integration
(34:08) The Roots of Social Purpose in Data
(35:42) Collaboration Across Silos: The Key to Success
(39:09) Building a Resilient Business Model
(43:54) Developing Talent for Data-Driven Success
(50:52) Innovations in Geodemographics and Data Collaboration
Learn more about Jan Kestle:➤ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankestle/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankestle/)
Resources mentioned:
➤ Environics Analytics: https://environicsanalytics.com/ (https://environicsanalytics.com/)
➤ Envision Platform: https://environicsanalytics.com/envision (https://environicsanalytics.com/envision)
➤ LiveRamp: https://liveramp.com/ (https://liveramp.com/)
Listen to Consumer Code on:
➤ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JC25NQkp67rVuYpyuf9xz (https://open.spotify.com/show/4JC25NQkp67rVuYpyuf9xz)
➤ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consumer-code/id1772758327 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consumer-code/id1772758327)
➤ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxwr-W_NFC9Du0e3BpCpErLdW9Db4XsFA (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxwr-W_NFC9Du0e3BpCpErLdW9Db4XsFA)
Follow Lyden Foust on:
➤ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydenfoust/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydenfoust/)
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydenfoust/ (https://www.instagram.com/lydenfoust/)
About Spatial.ai:Spatial.ai’s PersonaLive is an advanced consumer segmentation platform for developing data-driven marketing strategies. PersonaLive categorizes U.S. households into 17 groups and 80 segments using consumer behavior data from transactions, mobile visits, and social media activity, providing marketers with deep insights for effective audience targeting. From mid-sized retailers and agencies to Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of businesses use PersonaLive to drive strategic decisions and enhance marketing performance.
Learn more or schedule a free 30-minute demo at https://www.spatial.ai (https://www.spatial.ai)
27 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
How Red Robin Is Winning More Customers Per Dollar Of Ad Spend (ft. Richard Leslie, Surface Agency)
Host Lyden Foust interviews Richard Leslie, president of Surface Agency, about optimizing Red Robin's ad spend through data-driven customer segmentation and local insights.
Inside a recent episode
The 5 Unsolved Questions In Retail Site Selection 2026
Published 11 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Yeah. You know, we're sizing the box down a little bit. We're doing mobile order and walk up, pick up windows, which helps us control costs a little bit. And then for us, it's really more about risk mitigation. And we look at risk sort of from a, you know, from a site specific standpoint, from a center standpoint, you know, how likely is the project to succeed? And then from a trade area standpoint. So, you know, we quantify risk on a sliding bar chart for all three of those aforementioned groups and then give rationale for why we think it's, you know, high or low. And we use that to help, you know, qualify our forecast. […]
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