The Retail Perch
The Retail Perch podcast is hosted by the powerful duo Shekar Raman, CEO of Birdzi and Gary Hawkins, CEO of Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART). We are happy to report that we have made the "Top 15 Grocery Industry Podcasts to Follow in 2021" by Feedspot. The list can be found here: https://blog.feedspot.com/grocery_industry_podcasts/ This podcast aims to provide a fresh perspective and framework for how you view your everyday grocery trips. Whether you're a retailer, entrepreneur, or a curious mind tuning in, there is something in store for everyone. Each Monday, your hosts will share supermarket analysis, personal stories about the industry, along with their views to provide you with further insight into everything retail grocery and AI. Don't forget to tune in! Lean more about Birdzi at Birdzi.com
Episodes
In this episode of Retail Perch, we welcome back Ron Bonacci, who shares his journey from grocery bagger to marketing expert in retail. Ron reflects on his longtime friendship with the hosts, talks about the evolving role of CPGs, and offers insights from his time at Kroger on how to make data truly actionable. He also explores the growing impact of Retail Media Networks, bringing together both personal stories and practical perspe...
This week on The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar sit down with Katie Riddle, Global Strategy Lead at Verizon, to discuss the often overlooked backbone of modern retail: connectivity. From in-store WiFi and device performance to enabling real time innovation, Katie shares how network infrastructure directly impacts both shopper experience and associate efficiency. As expectations rise and tech driven services become the norm, retailer...
In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Steven Dietch, Chief Revenue Officer at Bridg, for a timely conversation on how retail media is reshaping the industry. From his early days in computer science to IBM Sweden and now leading strategy at Bridg, Steve shares how platforms like Bridg and Rippl are helping retailers turn shopper data into powerful engagement. The three dive into the opportunities and challenge...
This week on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary sit down with Flora Delaney, a veteran retail and CPG executive, consultant, and author of Retail: The Second-Oldest Profession.
With over 25 years of experience, Flora shares how smart space planning, strategic category management, and AI-driven insights transform today’s in-store experience.
Join us as we explore her patented Intelligent Dashboard for Pricing and Promotion, the Earned ...
In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar chat with Barry Collier. He's the co-founder of DRINKS, a leading e-commerce platform for alcohol retailers and producers. Barry shares how he went from Neopets to launching a DTC wine business, and how DRINKS has since expanded its platform and partnered with Kroger. They dive into alcohol compliance, digital retail, data, and much more.
Don't miss this week’s episode, featuring Neil Twa, the CEO of Voltage Holdings, LLC. As co-author of Almost Automated Income with FBA, Neil specializes in launching, operating, and acquiring e-commerce brands, particularly within the Amazon FBA space. In this conversation with Shekar and Gary, he shares his journey from almost studying music theory to uncovering his passion for e-commerce—and much more.
This week on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary welcome Todd Maute, who is a parter at CBX. With many years of branding expertise, Todd shares his journey from advertising to transforming private labels into high-quality, innovative brands. They discuss the evolution of private label perception, the role of retailers like Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, and more.
This week on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary are thrilled to chat with David Milstein, the co-founder and CEO of SellCord, a service agency dedicated to simplifying the process of selling on Walmart’s marketplace. David shares his unique journey and insights into navigating Walmart’s ecosystem, from his beginnings in IT to helping clients with product placement. The trio discusses his entrepreneurial path, challenges that sellers...
In this week’s episode, Shekar and Gary are joined by special guest Mykhailo Maksymenko, Vice President and Salesforce Practice Head at CustomerTimes Corp, a leader in CRM and digital transformation. Mykhailo shares insights into his role as a product-to-market expert, exploring topics such as crafting emotional connections with buyers, the power of synthetic data, cocktails, and much more.
This week on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary are excited to welcome an intelligent and humorous guest, Kevin Coupe, the founder of Morning News Beat—a news platform that provides the latest updates and insights in the retail industry. As Kevin shares his journey from starting out as a news reporter, the trio dives into discussions on retailers' reactions to AI, the shifting dynamics of advertising, Amazon, and much more.
This week on the Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary are thrilled to host Kausambi Manjita, who divides her time between Bangalore and Toronto. She is the Co-founder of Mason, a provider of AI-powered customer service solutions. They discuss a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and customer experience, geographic consumer behavior, generative AI, and much more.
On this week's episode of the Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar are joined by Nirit Cohen, all the way from Israel. Nirit is an HR specialist and founder of WorkFutures. The three of them engage in a dynamic discussion with the about the future of the workforce, exploring topics such as evolving flexibility for employees and much more.
On this special episode of The Retail Perch, Shekar hosts our very own Gary Hawkins, to tell us about his latest book! Bionic Retail: How to Thrive in an Exponential World explores the connection between evolving technology and supermarkets. They chat about Gary's childhood, farm life, and his family's grocery business, uncovering fascinating stories along the way.
In this episode of "The Retail Perch," Gary hosts a solo discussion with Shiraz Ritwik, Head of CPG & Financial Services at LatentView Analytics. They dive into the five key stages of CPG, explore the various shifts occurring in retail-focused technology, and analyze consumer behavior. In addition, you’ll hear an interesting discussion on AI, Gary's upcoming book, and much more.
In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Jose "Jochi" Quijano, Chief Brand Officer at Rest of the World Agency. He discusses the multi-cultural focus of the agency and how his career has traveled from accounting to marketing and finally advertising. The three talk about the importance of culture within retail grocery aisles, history behind culturally focused supermarkets and much more.
This week on The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar sit down to chat with Phil Lempert. Phil is the Founder and CEO of Supermarket Guru, a leading online news source for consumers and retail professionals. The three discuss Phil’s lineage in the food & retail industry, his journalistic journey, the changes in consumer behavior that drive the grocery industry, and much more.
In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome a new guest and a topic closely related to Gary's upcoming book, “Bionic Retail.” Ross Finman is the CEO & Founder of Augmodo, a spatial computing company that works to improve the grocery industry. The three discuss Ross’s journey from living on Llama Farms to Silicon Valley, integrating mapping with augmented reality, and much more!
Do not miss this episode with Shekar, Gary and special guest, Suryaveer Singh! Suryaveer Singh is the head of loyalty at Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC). Suryaveer explains his background in banking and slowly making his way into the loyalty industry. The three discuss how fuel retail works, how loyalty cannot be bought and much more!
This week, on The Retail Perch, Shekar and Gary are thrilled to welcome Brian Cohen, the CEO of PureRed, a dynamic company at the forefront of marketing and technology innovation. In this engaging conversation, Shekar and Gary delve into Brian's diverse background, spanning from space science to cutting-edge machine learning technology. Together, they explore exciting developments in the realm of artificial intelligence, the fu...
This week on the Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar are in the festive spirit as they mark a momentous occasion - their 100th episode! To make it truly special, they're joined by a distinguished guest, Len Covello, the Chief Technology Officer of Engage People, a company dedicated to enhancing customer loyalty. Together, Gary, Shekar, and Len dive deep into the fascinating world of customer loyalty. They discuss the intricate dynami...
Popular Podcasts
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!