If you want to know where the retail industry is headed, look no further than what the RIS 2021 retail influencers have to say.
Shopping habits have transformed rapidly in recent months, yet the industry has met and overcome what has seemed like daily challenges. That impressive adaption wouldn’t be possible without pioneering new technology and knowledgeable leaders working limitlessly to guide the industry into the future.
RIS’ fifth annual “Influentials: Top Movers and Shakers in Retail” highlights the retail executives, analysts and solution providers who are reshaping the retail landscape and developing and deploying cutting-edge technology.
Influential Tech
“Retail is a bit of a mess now because there is little IP protection and there is undisciplined distribution of most goods. However hard digital IP protection is, it’s just as bad in physical goods retail which doesn’t make any sense. That’s why item-level supply chain tracking will be such a big deal. It will empower brands to connect directly with consumers like never before and that will reshape the retail landscape.”
Influential Work
Kodali has authored “Digital Commerce Strategies of Brand Manufacturers in 2021” a joint study with Vorys eControl.
Biggest Influencer
“That’s a long list. There are so many people I’m thankful to have learned from and worked with over the years — colleagues at Forrester, the Shop.org board and the team there that let me give many keynote slots at their events over the years, classmates from college and graduate school, brilliant people I’ve met traveling around the country and world, journalists who gave me a voice in shaping the narrative of retail, and, of course, my family and friends.”
Ricardo Belmar leads marketing activities with solution and service providers in the Microsoft Partner Network, delivering solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud to retailers and CPG companies. “By connecting our partners with our field sellers, I help retailers and brands understand their customer data, build resiliency and intelligence through artificial intelligence into their supply chains, and empower their employees with the tools they need to serve customers,” he explains.
While he’s been with Microsoft around six months, Belmar has spent the past two decades working with retailers such as Foot Locker, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Carrefour, Unilever, Toys R Us, Total Wine, and more. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, is a supporter of the RetailROI non-profit, and can be found leading industry discussions and building communities on Clubhouse in the Retail Razor Club.
“My greatest accomplishment has been to build real communities between retailers and retail tech providers via social media platforms by bringing together vendors, retailers, analysts, and industry influencers into open discussions, where previously such conversations were always held privately and treated as closely guarded secrets,” he says. “By leveraging social media and social audio platforms I’ve been able to bring together both established tech providers and startups to address challenges retailers face and highlight ways retail tech providers can partner with retailers to solve complex problems — especially when it comes to ‘hidden technologies’ that might not be customer-facing, but which customer-facing technologies are dependent on to function (networking technology, Wi-Fi, etc.).”
Director, Partner Marketing Advisor for Retail & Consumer Goods
Microsoft
Joined company this year
Future Influence
Currently Belmar is working with Microsoft Partners to highlight their AI-powered solutions for supply chains, employee enablement, and customer data platforms built on the Microsoft Cloud for Retail. “I’m introducing retailers and brands to the success stories these partners are achieving with our customers given the extreme challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic.”
Additionally, he’s launching a new platform for retail tech discussion in October: The Retail Razor Show podcast.
Influential Tech
Computer vision. “This is a foundational technology that’s impacting robotics, facial recognition, and powering every cashierless checkout solution on the market today, to name a few.”
Fulfilling a Purpose
Belmar loves exploring how technology can make our everyday lives better. “The fact is we’re all consumers and we all shop at some point almost every day. It’s exciting for me to know that the work I’m doing can have an impact and influence how people engage in commerce in the future. Plus, I get to apply not only technical knowledge but also marketing and business skills to help solve customer challenges.”
Influencing a Team
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was making sure to convey on every project, ‘This is what success looks like.’”
Influential Tech
“Michael Zakkour was on my podcast recently and shared the Holy Grail is one shopping cart that follows you across apps, the web, in-store — wherever. It is already in use in China, and I think that would be a game changer for ease of shopping, order history, and of course, what everyone is looking for — data.” The second, he says, is buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), which will enable retailers much greater transparency into exactly what is selling, where, and how.
Biggest Influencer
Tony Robbins said at a seminar Phibbs went to: "You better come up with a brand no one else can do better." The next day, Phibbs filed the trademark for The Retail Doctor. But he also credits his husband of 34 years who has always encouraged him to seek new ways to share his passion for retail, connecting people, and helping them live a better life.
Read on to discover what makes each leader a retail technology influencer and one of RIS’ Top Movers and Shakers.
If you’re looking for an authority on technology developments that affect online commerce, Sucharita Kodali is it. She’s been with Forrester since 2005 and is an expert on e-commerce, omnichannel retail, consumer behavior, and trends in online shopping. Prior to Forrester, she was the director of marketing at Saks Fifth Avenue, held management positions at Toys R Us, and worked for the Walt Disney Company.
“I’ve been in the retail industry in some way since I graduated from college,” she says. “I always wanted to be in a consumer-facing industry where I understood the product and the customer. I find everything about retail interesting. It could be a loss prevention system or a store fixture — no matter what I will have questions about it. Even after decades in the industry, I’m still learning things every day.”
In her research, Kodali covers such consumer-oriented topics as e-commerce forecasting and trends, merchandising best practices, conversion optimization, and social computing in the retail world. When it comes to exerting her influence, Kodali notes she’s lucky to have a wealth of data at her fingertips. “It’s always easier to influence anyone when you have the data to make your point.”
So, what emerging tech does she see as important? Robotics in stores, warehouses, and in last-mile delivery. “Supply chain tracking at an item level will be a game changer in retail when it’s finally mainstream. Things like Nike’s Cryptokicks will be developments to watch. We’ll have to see if autonomous checkout takes off. Same for 3D printing. They have huge potential for sure, especially when you combine those with a concept like pop-up stores.”
Vice President, Principal Analyst
Forrester
16 years with company
Sucharita Kodali
Global Director, Retail & CPG
SAS
28 years with company
Dan Mitchell
With 28 years of experience developing business, analytics and technology cross-functionally in retail and consumer goods, Dan Mitchell’s biggest accomplishment has been helping retailers be more successful with that ubiquitous question: “Did you find everything you need?”
“My team helps retailers focus on consumer demand signals as a better way to predict and plan demand, and we’ve been doing it for years,” says Mitchell. “Planning cycles were turned on their ears with the pandemic, and using demand signal data plus analytics makes an enormous difference in how quickly you can satisfy consumers."
Mitchell and his team consistently help customers take advantage of the power of analytics in the cloud. SAS’s strategic partnership with Microsoft Azure helps retail customers step into the cloud to quickly become more agile. He explains, “When you push analytic workloads to the cloud, you also open more space for rapid analytical experimentation — a bigger sandbox, if you will.” He says his team also continues to experiment with applying computer vision to retail challenges.
“Computer vision, for example, is a type of analytics that can help retailers and consumer goods manufacturers remain vigilant about social distancing. Our work there, in fact, was captured in an NBC Today story in the early days of the pandemic. If the pandemic taught retailers nothing else, it’s that digital transformation and the cloud can help you survive major disruptions more easily. The retailers who took that concept seriously before COVID are the ones who succeeded in helping consumers faster when they needed it.”
Influential Tech
Tagging technology. “We dreamed about smart tagging 10 years ago, but the bulk and power consumption involved in older tags made it a pipe dream. Today low-power devices, Wi-Fi, and advances like IoT streaming analytics make smart tagging doable.”
Fulfilling a Purpose
“Retail is there for society when disaster strikes — when official agencies are slow to step up with immediate help. I’m still struck by the story about grocer HEB from earlier this year when the Texas power grid was shut down during Winter Storm Uri. An HEB store in Austin allowed customers to take essentials without paying for them because it was the right thing to do. Plus HEB and its supplier network donated support to communities and $1 million to help Texas food banks directly. Situations like that show the world that retail is there for them at the most important times in life.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
Having two children in college is a source of pride, but he’s also an avid mountain and snow biker, and a proud native North Shore Bostonian.
Today Bob Phibbs is an internationally recognized business strategist, sales coach, author of three books, motivational business speaker, and founder of SalesRX — a strategy and done-for-you virtual retail sales training firm. But when he started out, he would do retail sales training in person. “After a day's workshop, I could see the training needed to be bite-sized and actionable if it were to be able to lift sales,” he says. “I found a solution provider that was originally created for the government and the automotive industry that included interactivity and a remarkable set of tools to make sure learners actually learned in 3–5-minute lessons that could be certified and gamified.”
Phibbs has worked with thousands of retail executives and entrepreneurs to grow margins, improve customer service, and train employees. He hosts Tell Me Something Good About Retail, the popular podcast for retailers who want to grow their business, and The Retail Doctor Blog has been Feedspot’s No. 1 Retail Blog from 2017 to 2021.
SalesRX2022 has recently launched to prepare retailers for the new challenges of a waning pandemic and Phibbs says he just re-filmed all the Core Training in June to provide the most up-to-date training available.
Looking ahead to where the retail industry is headed, Phibbs says the ability to go from selling to the masses to a more individualized approach has come a long way. “For example, a salesperson I know in San Francisco who used to have to wait for customers to come to their luxury men's boutique now schedules calls at her customer's convenience.”
Chief Executive Officer
The Retail Doctor
27 years with company
Bob Phibbs
Neil Saunders was drawn to retail because it’s extremely fast moving and impacted by so many trends. In his role at GlobalData, he oversees the development of the company’s retail research proposition and its research output. He also works with major clients to help them understand the retail, shopper, and market landscape — advising them on how best to develop, evolve and implement business strategies.
“Everyone has to keep their eye on the ball to remain competitive and that leads to a lot of change and deep thinking about how to prepare for the future,” he says. “Retail is also a very meritocratic industry, small players emerge and can, and do, take share from larger, established players.”
Saunders notes the fast pace of the retail industry keeps him mentally alert and permits him to constantly learn new things. “I also think retail is a very sociable industry, so it allows me to meet lots of smart and fascinating people who do all kinds of interesting things.”
As for influencing his own team, he says, “within our business, trust and empowerment are vital ingredients for success. We have a very open culture where people are listened to and given permission to go off and develop their own ideas and take some risks. This has enabled us to attract and retain wonderfully talented people and has allowed me to learn lots from them along the way.”
Managing Director
GlobalData
10 years with company
Neil Saunders
Biggest Influencer
Outside of family, when he first started at John Lewis, a well-established store manager took him around some of their shops and explained that good retail was about two things: paying attention to the little details and caring for the customer in more than just a superficial way. “I have never forgotten that advice.”
Influential Tech
Automation, helping to solve some of the problems associated with labor shortages and rising costs, and NFTs. “It will be fascinating to see how retailers use these as tokens for access to additional services or benefits, to generate loyalty, as a marketing opportunity, and as an item to sell.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
At school he set up his own tuck shop (a shop that sells snacks and drinks), undercutting the prices of the official school tuck shop. “It ran for around two months before I got found out — mainly because it became too popular, and the takings of the school tuck shop fell. I was later told by my house master that all the staff thought it was very entrepreneurial!”
Scott Saeger leads the development of an innovative information technology environment throughout GNC. His team delivers enterprise-wide technology, strategic planning, and execution for business applications and operations. He’s had a hand in enabling private exclusive deals with key celebrities, the ability to split how orders are fulfilled, and implementation of new mPOS devices that integrated contactless payments technology footprint at GNC.
Prior to GNC, he spent more than 20 years in information technology roles, including VP of enterprise applications and operations for 1800Flowers.com, and senior leadership roles with Hewlett-Packard and ExxonMobil.
His biggest accomplishment in his influential career has been implementing a new, cloud native point-of-sale solution at GNC, which replaced one that was 16 years old and running on an antiquated operating system. “We now have a true omnichannel experience that incorporates our consumer's entire interaction with GNC, through multiple channels and experiences, which couldn’t have been done without GNC’s recent OMS implementation with our strategic partners at enVista. The rollout was done entirely remotely in 11 weeks, during the COVID pandemic and the company entered Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization,” he says.
Now Saeger is working on machine learning for demand forecasting and introducing additional outside data points. He notes to be influential, don't get caught in analysis paralysis. “Technology is not slowing down. With AI, ML, and robotics, the pace of business in general is only going to get quicker. So, we must make important decisions quickly. I got some great advice early in career: ‘Sometimes you won't know the right decision, so you have to make your decision right.’”
Chief Information Officer
GNC
3 years with company
Scott Saeger
Influencing a Team
“I influence by being personable, transparent, and building trust with my entire team, not just my direct reports. I speak freely with the entire team to create a more comfortable, welcoming, inclusive, and friendly atmosphere.”
Influential Tech
AR/VR powered shopping experiences, IoT devices, and social commerce.
Biggest Influencer
His mother: “She is a hard-working and caring woman and is ultimately my backbone. She supports me in everything I do or I’m going through and has never failed being there for me when I need a good ol’ fashioned pick-me-up.”
Fulfilling a Purpose
“We’ve been conditioned to prioritize external motivation such as money, benefits package, and other perks, but when you hear people you don't know — or even friends and family — talk about an experience they had in your store or speak about how your product is changing their life, that confirms why I work for the leader in the health and wellness space.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
Long time baseball player, decent golfer, and I love to snow ski.
PRESENTED BY
Top Movers and Shakers in Retail 2021
Influentials
By Jamie Grill-Goodman
Influentials
Top Movers and Shakers in Retail 2021
Dave Steck has racked up more than 30 years of IT experience, having previously worked for Express Scripts, Blue Cross Blue Shield and McDonnell Douglas, but one of his biggest accomplishments came from working as a team at Schnucks to figure out how to make shelf scanning robots work for both IT and store operations. Steck oversaw the introduction and expansion of robotics into the daily operations of the supermarket chain.
“It was a very collaborative effort that started with just IT and Simbe Robotics and then we brought in store operations to operationalize the technology,” he says. “We are particularly proud of the fact that a 111-store regional grocer was able to figure out how to make this work when we saw larger chains fail.”
For now, Steck says they’re not done with the robotics side of things. “We still have a number of innovations around the robot and different things we can do with it. Beyond that we have several things either in the lab or in pilots at the stores.”
This industry influencer worked in the B2B space and never B2C, until he joined Schnucks — a move which he’s enjoyed. “I love being able to see the work we do come together in the store and ‘watch’ the customer reaction. All my neighbors are customers, and I truly enjoy talking to them and learning what we can do better, and then taking that back to the office and working with others to make the changes that are relevant.”
Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Application Development
Schnuck Markets
7 years with company
Dave Steck
Influencing a Team
“In the innovation space, I will always quote retired U.S. Army General Eric Shinseki: ‘If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.’ I think in the retail space that’s an important quote for individuals resistant to change.”
Influential Tech
Frictionless shopping, “where you limit or eliminate the time checking out” will be a big trend. “Whether or not it’s the next few years or 10 years from now remains the question. There are many technologies that get you part of the way there, but right now to eliminate the checkout completely requires a huge investment. But as with any technology, the costs come down over time so it’s definitely a game changer in the future.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
Woodworking: “I’ve been able to put together a good size woodshop of industrial equipment in my basement, and I spend quite a bit of time on the weekends working down there. I’ve made many things but I’m most proud of the two Stratocaster guitars that I built for my twin daughters.”
With more than 30 years of experience in retail and FMCG, Cheryl Sullivan has a proven track record of blending science and technology to deliver innovation to solve business problems and modernize business processes. Currently, she leads product strategy/management and marketing for Symphony RetailAI. Prior to this role, she was president and general manager for DemandTec, chief strategy and marketing officer for Revionics, and led the product strategy for Oracle Retail’s grocery and hardline portfolios.
Sullivan names delivering leading lifecycle AI price and promotion optimization across three major pricing companies — Revionics, DemandTec, and Oracle — including the first dynamic price optimization to be launched in the retail industry, as her biggest accomplishment. She’s also proud of bringing to market the first assortment optimization solution for JDA, as well as the first top-down/bottom-up macro/micro space optimization. These days Sullivan is delivering new AI innovation leveraging Symphony’s AI CINDE platform, infusing new AI innovation into the assortment and space arena, and bringing new AI-based solutions to market for both retail and CPG companies.
In every position, she tries to lead by example. “I attribute my success as a leader to my strong belief that leaders need to empower, motivate and inspire teams, while also providing strong leadership and regular communication so the team knows what to do. In my experience, taking the time to understand each person, encouraging them to think outside the box and pushing them beyond their comfort zone without exceeding what you know they are capable of, both grows the person and drives success for the company.”
Chief Product Officer
Symphony RetailAI
Joined company this year
CHERYL SULLIVAN
Influential Tech
Artificial intelligence: “Technology will become more omnichannel, more predictive and more prescriptive, as well as automated, dynamic, and personalized. New technology such as digital supply chain twins, collaborative AI platforms enabling citizen data scientists, and AI-infused category planning will be instrumental in addressing retail challenges.”
Biggest Influencer
Growing up with four highly competitive brothers: “While other little girls were playing hopscotch and jump-rope, I was playing football and baseball and working twice as hard to keep up and prove myself. I believe this experience prepared me to compete and lead with confidence in the highly male-dominated technology field.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
Sullivan was in the military, where she was part of the Naval intelligence cryptology community, and in her spare time you’ll find her in her studio painting.
Fulfilling a Purpose
After entering the retail industry in 1990, she says, “it’s been exciting to watch the technology transform over several decades. Knowing that I have had the privilege of leading many product teams and bringing many of these solutions to market has been incredibly rewarding.”
Since joining Rite Aid as a store manager in 2012, Wehrle has enjoyed serving both in the field and at the corporate level. This journey has provided many memorable opportunities. To date, one of Wehrle’s standout accomplishments has been introducing an all-in-one communication solution for all store and field associates. The introduction of this tool has placed the information every associate needs to be informed and execute tasks in their role at their fingertips.
“Coming from the field has helped me quickly identify the needs of the business and bridge the gap between HQ and our field teams – this one was of them.” The consolidation of associate communication, store tasks, livelong resources, and even assessments into one location was crucial to us achieving operational excellence.” A successful full fleet technology rollout to more than 40,000 associates was completed in just three months. Store teams have recognized the tool’s intuitive user experience, the less is more approach and easy accessibility. Making the most of this tool meant developing a process to manage the output of the platform. To do this, Wehrle also established an optimization process to support the messages and task planning thoughtfully.
With Rite Aid’s RxEvolution charging full-speed ahead, Wehrle is now focused on supporting vital transformational initiatives by developing tools that will automate and integrate different workflows to help drive action at every level of the organization. Without a doubt, Wehrle is embracing Rite Aid’s recently adopted culture of LEAN methodology to Kaizen (continuous improvement) every process that he can!
Director, Store Experience
Rite Aid Corporation
9 years with company
Brian J. Wehrle
Influencing a Team
“In all that you do, be a servant leader. No matter your role, you are supporting someone, whether it is a customer or associate. Leave that person in a better position than before your interaction.”
Influential Tech
Predictive modeling and personalized shopping experiences.
Biggest Influencer
“My family and one of my favorite podcasts, ‘Coaching for Leaders.’”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
Wehrle loves hockey. He’s from Pittsburgh and a huge fan of both the Steelers and Penguins.
Fulfilling a Purpose
Wehrle says he enjoys that working in retail provides a variety of opportunities to positively impact a broad audience.
Melissa Wong is passionate about helping people excel in their jobs, particularly those that are often overlooked. “I know from experience that working in retail can be challenging and field teams often feel isolated, in the dark, and left guessing about how to prioritize their stressful days,” she says. So, with more than 10 years of experience in operations and communications at Gap Inc., Wong launched Zipline in 2014.
“I spent 10 years at one of the largest specialty retailers in North America, focused on getting stores to execute brand standards. I had a great team supporting me and access to tremendous resources, but it still wasn’t enough.” After hundreds of conversations with store managers, district leaders, HQ employees and peers across the industry, she realized that the breakdown of in-store execution is a result of ineffective communication. “Not finding any tools in the market that could help me, I left my comms job to build Zipline.”
Now Zipline is used by more than 65 retail brands around the world, spanning global apparel companies to family-friendly grocery stores. “Because of Zipline, these brands are driving better store execution and have more engaged employees. We’re making life simpler for everyone in an IT, operations, communications or field role within retail. We’re enabling people to have an easier way to operate and also understand the why behind their work.”
Her next big mission: launching the next generation of the platform, Zipline360. The all-in-one field operations platform now integrates seamlessly with the leading systems that frontline teams rely on.
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Zipline
7 years with company
Melissa Wong
Biggest Influencer
“I’m inspired by an early manager of mine, Kim. She was able to see individuals for their strengths, support them in their life goals and help them achieve a healthy work-life balance. She showed me that you can be compassionate and authentic while still being a compelling and courageous leader. I feel comfortable leading in a way that's authentic to me because of her."
Influencing a Team
“I try to pull from personal mantras of empathy, understanding and strong communication. These practices are embedded into the fabric of Zipline and we exercise them every day. Our teams understand the impact their roles have in the company’s success and how much agency they have to grow personally and professionally.”
One Thing People Don’t Know About You?
“I had my first child two years ago, so I’m learning to juggle in the figurative sense. What I love most about Zipline’s culture is that we can all bring our whole selves to work. I’m a mom when I’m working and I’m a mom when my computer is off.”
RICARDO
BELMAR
