Disruption is the name of the game these days and it appears that no business or industry is safe. From consumers shifting demands, new competitors popping up on the daily and those tiny computers in our pocket giving us 24/7 access to all our hearts’ desires…times they are a-changing. Join Lee Peterson, retail veteran and consumer expert, as he discusses super relevant business topics with equally relevant and interesting guests. This biweekly podcast is brought to you by WD Partners, innovation at scale.
Zack Oates, Founder and CEO at Ovation: A Frictionless Feedback Survey
Let’s give a standing ovation for… Ovation! 😉 All puns aside, Zack Oates and his start-up company have made great strides in the realm of restaurants and the guest experience through their development of a simple and frictionless 2 question survey. Ovation allows restaurants to easily resolve guest concerns in real-time, get more 5-star reviews, and discover insights to improve & drive revenue, making it the #1 guest feedback company in the United States. Zack’s passion for restaurants and love for meeting people have helped craft his success story. Zack being a podcast host himself lends itself to an entertaining and banter-filled episode alongside Lee. Together, they cover the origin story of Ovation, consumer research on guest feedback, a book Zack wrote on dating, and much more. You can explore more on Ovation by visiting: https://ovationup.com/ (https://ovationup.com/)
1:24 – Meet Zack
3:42 – The 2 Question Survey
6:38 – Simple & Frictionless
10:54 – A Humble Brag
13:57 – The Importance of Feeling Important
17:38 – Dating Never Works Until It Does
20:11 – Restaurants & Delivery
24:50 – Restored Faith in Humanity
27:40 – Lee’s Lightning Round
24 Jan 2023
Seana Strawn, Head of Home Furnishing Identity & Retail Design at IKEA: Big Store, Bigger Ideas
DIY assembly furniture, Swedish meatballs, enviable showrooms, & ball pits in Småland… sound familiar? Yes, we are talking about the iconic Home Furnishing store, IKEA. And to make you adore them even more we spoke with Seana Strawn, Head of Home Furnishing Identity & Retail Design, on IKEA‘s quest towards a sustainable planet. Seana comes with 23 years of experience in the home furnishing industry, and she shares her passion for how the brand is embracing climate change as an opportunity and big responsibility. One of the ways IKEA is taking action is through their Circularity Hubs designed for refurbished items only. Listen to the episode to learn more about IKEA’s sustainability efforts, customer-centric practices, and their 5 principles of home furnishing identity.
1:20 – Meet Seana
2:47 – A Back Story on IKEA
5:04 – Test & Learn Approach
7:50 – It’s About the People
10:19 – IKEA’s Target Customer
11:14 – Let’s Talk Sustainability
16:19 – A New Circularity Hub
22:57 – What’s Next?
24:41 – Big vs. Small IKEA Stores
27:08 – Home Furnishing Identity
28:20 – The Personal Side of Seana
11 Jan 2023
Jamie Schisler, Chief Comfort Officer at UpWest: From Comfort Online to Comfort IRL
Specialty Retail is at a crossroads and a new brand is paving the way for innovation. Jamie Schisler, Chief Comfort Officer of comfort clothing brand – UpWest, is welcomed on to WDCast to discuss the brand’s business model, growth plan, and a new approach to resale retail. The brand’s business model was set up for success from the beginning, with what Jamie refers to as having “all legs of the table.” Unknowingly, this prepared the brand for the soon approaching pandemic and the DTC online store began opening physical stores as COVID restrictions loosened, meeting the consumers where they were according to online sales. Alternatively, the brand’s promise of comfort anticipated consumers’ needs in a time it was craved the most. Learn more about how UpWest is manifesting comfort for consumers and its other creative ventures.
1:34 – Meet the Specialty Retail Veteran
3:44 – Starting a New Brand
6:49 – From FOMO to JOMO
9:32 – A Brand Focused on Wellness
11:00 – From Online to In-store
13:36 – The Growth Plan
16:59 – SoHo + Scrap NYC
19:11 – Solving the Circularity Problem
23:15 – What About Malls?
28:03 – Lee’s Lightning Round
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