Hello Omni Talk Fans! Anne and I recorded this week’s podcast live from eTail Palm Springs. And, while we agreed on many things this week, we just couldn’t agree on Burger King.
I guess you could say Anne wanted it her way, and I wanted it my way.
Here’s a whopper-sized taste of what’s waiting for you in this week’s episode:
- Carrefour’s Historic Vusion Partnership: This one is why we started Omni Talk. To me, this is the signal that smart stores have finally gone from a dream to a reality, and I think US retailers need to be moving faster than they probably are. How much faster? Tune in for my full take.
- Kohl’s Deal Bar Roll Out: Is this a clever value play or just rearranging deck chairs? Anne and I agree it won’t turn the tide, but we disagree on almost everything else about it.
- Walmart’s Scintilla In-Store Platform: Walmart just gave supplier field reps real-time store-level data on their mobile devices, and I have a personal story from my Target days about a reversed Bertolli planogram set in 1,000+ stores that makes this headline hit completely different.
- Gap Inc. Launches Encore: One unified loyalty program across all four Gap brands with a new co-branded MasterCard to match. Anne loves the points consolidation. I’m cautiously optimistic. However, neither of us is buying into the “fashiontainment” angle just yet.
- Burger King President Tom Curtis Takes Your Calls: Literally. 305-874-0520. Four hours a day. I think it’s brilliant customer centricity baked into a smart cultural move. Anne thinks it’s brilliant marketing and will last exactly two weeks. We’ll let you be the judge.
There’s all that, plus mysterious ghost sightings, Thin Mints in the freezer, and a nerd laugh that Anne was not quite ready to deliver on camera.
Listen to This Week’s Fast Five Podcast
Be careful out there,
— Chris, Anne, and the entire Omni Talk team
P.S. Why did the ghost go to the bar?
For the boos.
Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.