September 1, 2023 • 36 mins
Strap in for an enlightening dialogue with the dynamic Allison McCabe, a respected member of our BrainTrust. Allison's retail journey, which started from Allied Department Store's executive training program, has culminated in her becoming the Director of Retail Technology at Invista. Prepare to be inspired as we unpack her personal life, transition from executive training to consulting, and her global experiences in different retail cultures.
As we peel back the layers in the second segment, Allison's insights on the importance of understanding customer needs and embracing change in the retail industry will leave you enlightened. Learn from her mantra of avoiding the "that’s not the way it’s been done before" mindset and discover the importance of trying new things in this ever-evolving industry. Listen closely as she shares her consulting experiences and how she leverages her unique background to breathe fresh perspectives into her work.
We proceed to traverse through exciting retail trends with Allison, where she reveals her favorite brands and the importance of inventory investment. Tackle the challenge of returns head-on with Allison's practical solutions. To those just starting out in the industry, there's a nugget of wisdom she leaves for you: "Don't try to do it all alone, and never hesitate to ask for help". And don't rush off after the interview - stick around for some thrilling updates and sneak peeks into our upcoming episodes!
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Connect with Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonnevinmccabe/
RetailWire is the retail industry's premier source for news, analysis, and discussion. With a focus on the latest trends, technology, and consumer behavior, RetailWire provides a platform for industry experts and thought leaders to share their insights and perspectives. Whether you're a retailer, supplier, or service provider, RetailWire is your go-to destination for staying informed and ahead of the curve.
Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know what you think. You might even hear your comment read on the next episode!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Retail Wire Podcast hey everyone
what's going on.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's Brian back again with another episode of the
Retail Wire Podcast here.
I'm really excited for todaybecause we have another one of
our Brain Trust members in thestudio with me.
This person she is well, she'sgot a ton of experience.
I am excited to dig into herjourney because I haven't really
had too much of a chance tointeract with her ahead of this,
(00:28):
so this is really kind of acool opportunity for me to get
to know her and you to do thesame all in one conversation.
So before we get started here,she currently lives in Boston.
She's previously been with F&WMedia, isis Parenting not that
ISIS, it's the good one, talbotsand if you've heard of that
(00:50):
company, talbots, maybe one ortwo people know it, which is a
cool thing.
And she is currently theDirector of Retail Technology at
Invista.
And, of course, she is a BrainTrust member here at Retail Wire
.
She's been with us for a while.
Welcome to the show, ms AllisonMcCabe.
How are you today?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm fine.
Thank you, brian.
Thanks for having me Goodabsolutely.
I need to be here and talkabout myself.
Don't we all like to talk aboutourselves?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
You know it's a fun topic, because then you at least
know what you're talking about,right?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Some days yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I understand that one it's.
Some days are a little moredifficult to know than others.
So yeah, so you're in Boston.
What's it like up there rightnow?
I mean, it's kind of summerright here, so is it as hot and
humid there as it is here?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
We have a little bit of benefit from the ocean breeze
, so it never gets quite ashumid as it does in the Midwest
or down in Arkansas, which Ibelieve is where you are now
right.
That's where I am, so we get alittle bit more of a break.
But you know it's summer, it'shot.
We've got a little bit of thesmoke from the Canadian
wildfires.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, and it's crazy that it's still going on in some
areas and just wow, so well.
So what would you say?
What's one of your favoriteparts of living up in Boston?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Well, when I was little, my family moved all the
time, so I moved 10 times by thetime I was 18.
Okay, so I came to Boston forcollege and I never left.
So I was happy to put down someroots in a city that's got an
awful lot to offer, raised myfamily here with my husband and
(02:38):
still enjoying the benefits ofbeing in a city the size of
Boston with an airport that getsme everywhere I need to go.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Absolutely.
Well, hopefully that airportwill get you down to Northwest
Arkansas at some point, becausewe got some stuff coming up that
we I think you're going to wantto be a part of.
So that's great, see if we canget you on a plane, I know how
to do that.
So you said you got a husband,you got a family, you got kids.
So tell us a little bit aboutthem.
Did you meet your husband incollege or where did you connect
(03:08):
to?
Yeah bye.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Met him in college.
I went to a women's college, hewent to a technology college
and we met at a mixer classicstory and have been together
ever since.
So that that that's that story.
I dives while I Work in frontof a computer most times, but
he's also a software developer,so I do have an in-house expert.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
See, that's nice to have that you know it's like if
that's similar.
My wife is a home organizer andso you know, thankfully she
keeps me in line if I ever gettoo cluttered around here, so
yeah, I could use her.
Oh right, I tell you, but youactually look pretty organized
back there, I'm telling you.
So that's some good stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I, I am, I'm part of.
The reason I got into retail inthe first place is because I'm
a right and a left-brain Person,so I'm always.
I need a lot of color andcreativity in my life, but I
also need data.
So, yep, that's.
I think you'll find that's acommon thread with many of us,
that we need.
Reinforcement.
But we need the data to saywe're not crazy.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So you know, I, I Definitely understand that.
So let's go back when.
Where did you get your start?
I mean, I'm seeing, you know,if we just looked at your
LinkedIn profile, then Talbot'sis kind of where it starts at.
Is that where you started yourjourney in retail, or was it
before that?
What was, what was the entrypoint for you?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I started in an executive training program with
Allied Department Store is thata department store known as
Jordan Marsh back then and Spenta number of years there, ending
up as the bridge and bettersports, where buyer got to
travel around the world Doingall kinds of cool things and
(04:53):
that's where the visual and thedata really, you know, operated
in my brain.
Then I got to go to Talbot's asthe world was of retail is
constantly evolving and I wentto Talbot's and worked there for
a number of years and gotinvolved with the international
business as well as catalogstores etc.
(05:14):
So I got a really Completeworkout in terms of all the
different channels because, ofcourse, online business and came
into play.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah well, and, and thinking about that, I mean you
mentioned going from your yourprevious role into Talbot's and
then mentioning theinternational side.
When you kind of think back onthat, what was?
Was there anything about thatthat kind of surprised you about
the way, say, that NorthAmerica Operates versus the rest
of the world, or was it prettymuch consistent across the board
(05:45):
?
Or or were there any thingsthat really stood out to you at
that time?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Well, I think that people are people.
So you know, certainly thereare cultural things to adjust to
their laws and regulations thatyou need to be aware of and and
Respectful of.
But one of the other things iskind of a dollars and cents
thing, I think.
(06:09):
When you think about taking abrand and putting it in another
country, things like pricing youassume are just a conversion
process, but they're not.
Hmm, okay you have to look atwhat the market will bear and
like product and price in a waythat the consumer there can
Appreciate and trust, becauseotherwise it looks out of sync
(06:31):
with what's going on in the fourwalls around them, so that was
a big learning there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Can you give me a little example of like what's,
what's, something like so I'm.
This is Admittedly not a strongpoint of mind of understanding,
so what would be like anexample of something being
different about like thatpricing you're mentioning?
Speaker 3 (06:50):
So I mean, Talbot's is an apparel company, women's
apparel Predominantly, and soyou're, you selling blazers and
skirts and pants, and you lookat a blazer and you think that
that's going to be at that pointin time.
You know $220, but then youtake and you convert it into
either Canadian dollars or theBritish pound and you say, okay,
(07:14):
well, it should be this,because that's what the
conversion rate is.
Well, the conversion rateschanging every day, so that
doesn't work and you really needto be aware of your competition
in whatever country you're in,so that you can price at the
level where you see yourselffitting and you can't yank it
around because consumers don'ttrust that.
(07:37):
So, that that's.
That's what we did it was.
It was very successful.
It made a huge difference incustomer acceptance.
As silly as that seems.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
But it really did.
Absolutely so.
So then, so you went fromTalbot's.
And then where'd you go afterTalbot's?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
you said so after Talbot's, I I mean I was at
Talbot's and I done just abouteverything.
I Learned what I thought Icould learn there.
I was a managing director andit was time to like shake up my
brain a little bit.
And I got a call from an oldboss who said hey, I know this
(08:14):
startup.
They're at the intersection ofPreschool and prenatal education
and they sell a lot of stuffbut they don't know what they're
doing.
Okay, their heart was in theright place, but they just
didn't know how to organize and,you know, structure it.
So I went in there and it was ablast, but I was working with
(08:37):
doulas and you know prenatalexperts and all kinds of
different kinds of people.
But it was a really rewardingchallenge yeah, classes and
products and had a greatreputation in the marketplace as
as a play, a way to testproduct for new parents, and
(08:59):
Anyone who's been a parent or anew parent knows how mystifying
that world is.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I'm still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Yeah, years later.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I'm still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I got news for you.
You never figured out, butwe're comfortable with it.
I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, you have to kind of become comfortable with
the constant chaos and constantchange, right?
Yes, yes parenting that's alsoretail.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
So I was just gonna say change is a key element of
comfort.
If you're not comfortable withchange in retail, you're not
going to like it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah, no, that's gotta be very rewarding right to
come into an industry like thatand, and specifically that was
ISIS parenting correct.
Right, that's what you'retalking about snow being about
the goddess of fertility.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
So yes, it was.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I want to make sure that people know we're good.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
This is you know she actually laid claim to that name
.
Yeah, so, yeah, that's so itwas great, it was great.
And then.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I was just gonna say, like you think about the, what
you said there of how theirheart was in the right place.
They had a great product, theywere already making good sales
and everything, but they reallydidn't have the firm grasp on
what they were doing from astructural organization.
So you think of not only them,but you think of how many
(10:23):
retailers currently exist inthat exact same space or in that
same status right now thatmaybe they've got a great
product, they have sales undertheir belt already, people love
them, they've got a good nameand their mission is very
honorable, right, but then theystill need you.
(10:45):
They still need that extraperson to step in.
What would you say is kind ofthe best indicator or maybe the
best way for an organizationlike that to go?
Hey, I've been thinking aboutit.
I think this is what we need.
What's the easiest way for themto jump in?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Is it just find someone like you, or Well, I
think it always helps to haveexpertise, so I think it's
important to know what you don'tknow.
I will also say that I think arecurring theme throughout my
journey in retail has beeninventory management, and that
(11:27):
sounds dry, but it's actuallyvery multifaceted and too many
people going into the world ofmerchandising think that more is
more and it's not and I thinkthat's sort of overwhelming the
world at the moment in terms ofthe supply chain chaos and then
(11:49):
the fear of not having enough.
I was an economics major incollege and so supply and demand
has always been in theforefront of my thought, and
more is not more.
It's okay to create a littledemand with a little scarcity of
supply, and so those are thekinds of things that I bring to
(12:13):
the table as a merchant and ininventory planning.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Is there.
I mean just thinking about that.
You're right, there's nothingwrong with having a little bit
of scarcity.
Obviously you don't want todecimate your supply chain, but
it helps create that desire forthe product right.
And so say, if someone, if anorganization is listening to
(12:39):
this right now and they're likeman, that really sounds like me,
is there a piece of advice thatyou would give them a first
step of kind of how they couldmaybe start approaching their
supply chain, or specificallythe inventory, like you were
saying, the inventory management?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
The first thing I always do is look at what I have
, make sure it's organized in away that I can digest the data
and understand where the salesare coming from and what the
factors are that lead to thesuccess of that merchandise.
So hierarchy and attributionare really critical of
(13:19):
merchandise, and so if you don'thave the exact thing they want,
you may have something veryclose, provided you understand
where your demand is coming from.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, yeah, you truly have to understand their need,
and I think of if anybody'slistening to this that's into
web development or web design.
You think of Google Analyticsand the different analytics
platforms that are out there.
If you don't understand whereyour traffic is coming from on
the website, then you're doingyourself a disservice.
(13:52):
To keep building more of thewebsite, you need to figure out
where that traffic is comingfrom.
You really need to jump in andunderstand that.
And so, in the similar vein,yeah, it sounds like if people
need, if you're not sure wherethose sales dollars are coming
from, or if you're not sure whenwe said this, I think there was
a rise in this then that wouldbe probably the best way to
(14:14):
start.
It sounds like.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, I really think it boils down to data management
Just making sure you'remerchandise and your data is
organized in a way that you candraw conclusions.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you're involved withanalysis, paralysis and you've
got it segmented too many ways,that's just as bad as having it
(14:40):
not segmented enough.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, if you have all the data but yet you're
overwhelming yourself and notable to move on that data then,
it's definitely.
It's just as bad as not havingit in the first place.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Exactly exactly.
So then after I left Dices Iwent into a publishing company
that again was sellingmerchandise and I was dealing
with working with all kinds ofextremely talented people deer
hunters, quilters, knitters,rocket scientists, literally and
(15:17):
they were all trying to wraptheir arms around products that
could augment their publishingbusiness, so that was really fun
.
It was really fun becausepeople want to learn what they
don't know in most cases.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I wanted to learn what they knew.
I mean, I can't be a rocketscientist, but I could help them
with determining the quantityof glasses they needed for the
eclipse.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Yeah, absolutely, what's thinking of that time?
You know you're talking aboutpublications and kind of better
understanding what they'relooking for, was there something
that stood out to you as likehey, that was kind of surprising
, but I really enjoyed thatelement.
Or you know, like you'retalking about the finding the
glasses, or maybe learning aboutdeer hunting or anything else
like that, was there somethingthat kind of took you off guard
(16:08):
that you're like wow, I guessI'm more into that than I
realized I am.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah, you know, it's kind of like peeling back an
onion.
You think you've got a focus oncertain things that interest
you and then the more you learnabout it.
I mean, I didn't know aboutdeer lure that was based on, I
guess.
I guess deer go where they marktheir trees with their orbal,
(16:36):
with their eyes, and so therewas this whole product that was
built around that.
that was a huge win, because Ijust wanted to use it because it
would attract the deer, so Ididn't know that very well, but
I learned that.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
See, I hated admitting that because I grew up
in Kansas in the middle of,like you know, deer hunting
territory and everything.
But no, I had no idea.
That's really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Yeah, it was, and there was one man who did it in
his garage.
And it was, you know, a rarecommodity and in high demand.
So there was a little bit ofsupply and demand there going on
.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
So that was fun and talking to him was fun, trying
to make him understand what Iwas trying to do with.
But that's the human connection, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Then you ended up from theregoing to Invista, is that right?
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
That was the next step for you.
So what took you out ofpublishing and into Invista?
Tell, what does Invista do, Iguess.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So Invista is a consulting firm, predominantly
supply chain oriented.
My particular part of theuniverse is on the merchandise
planning side of things, becausethat's definitely part of the
supply chain.
I was always that client on theother side of the table that
(18:06):
had these people coming in andspeaking in a dialect that I
didn't understand when it wastime to upgrade systems, etc.
Well, I mean, you just don't doit enough to ever get versed in
it.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, and when you do it, then the times that you do
need it you have to reallyunderstand the deep dive.
But then the time between thatis between.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah, so when I started thinking about you know,
I've been thinking aboutconsulting for probably about
five or six years because it hadalways intrigued me but I
wasn't quite sure how to getstarted with it.
But then it kind of a lightbulb went off and I'm like I can
be the translator for thepeople that, like me, never
(18:59):
really got good at it because Ididn't do it enough to
understand it.
Yeah, and so I think you knowmy first client.
I think the big aha moment forme was when one of the buyers
looked at me as we were talkingabout something and she said you
really understand what I do,don't you?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
And I said, yeah, I've been in your chair, I
really do understand and I wantyou to be successful, so I'm not
going to lead you astray.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Yeah, well, that's got to feel really good, right,
the validation, and that it'slike your customer actually sits
there and says, hey look, youactually understand it, they can
put faith in you.
Right, they can definitelyunderstand, and I think that's
where you know.
Going to a broader picture ofretail, I think that's what
majority of retailersdesperately need, whether or not
(19:50):
they realize it or admit it.
You know, they just need to beheard, they need to be
understood, but they also needto understand as well.
And so to find that person whois capable of coming in, and
you've been on both sides of thetable, kind of like we're
saying here that you've seenfrom the client side what is
needed and what you're wantingto get at, but then you're also
(20:13):
seeing from the provider side ofwhat's available, what's
possible, and you know thetechnology side.
So you marry those two togetherand the understanding that
positions you so perfectly to bea great consultant, right?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Yeah, well, one would hope it's worked well, and I
really do enjoy it, becauseevery we all want each other to
be successful.
We all, you know we're allbetter off when we all win.
So that's even competitors.
Yeah, even competitors.
And in talking with thesoftware providers, you know
(20:48):
some of them are in theirparticular little bubble too,
and they don't quite understandwhy the client is insisting on
something or asking for it.
One of the things that happensa lot is a client will come in
and say well, I want you to dothis because it's the way we've
always done it and that's when Igo, but that's not maybe what
(21:10):
you want to do going forward.
Let's think about it.
Yeah, so, and that's the wholechange element again, get
comfortable with change.
I say life without change isboring, and I really do believe
that there's lots to be learnedand lots to be gained by trying
new things.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
There is, and you know it's funny because that's.
I often say that that's one ofthe most dangerous phrases out
there as well.
That's just not the way we doit.
You know or?
That's not the way it's beendone before, because it's like
well, yeah, but if the way you'ddone it before was working, you
wouldn't need me right.
Right.
Wouldn't need me to come in andbe helping you right now.
So if we're going to gobackwards, you can.
(21:50):
You know not to be rude, butyou can do that on your own, you
don't need me.
So I'll save us both some timeand money here and you have fun.
But if you're looking to makethe bigger change and really,
you know, jump in and dosomething differently and get
different results, then by allmeans let's go, let's move
forward on this.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So and I do know from you know, being in the
merchandising world for as longas I have that it's an
independent group.
They were very opinionated.
We want what we want when wewant it and not always open to
suggestions, so there's nothingwrong with that.
(22:32):
Clearly, people have to makedecisions, but part of decision
making is learning when to askfor help.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, my grandpa would always say that there's
some mountains just aren't worthdying on.
Right you gotta know.
You got to know when enough isenough and you got to back off a
little bit.
Was it the other phrase of youdon't have to show up to every
fight you're invited to?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's another good one, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
So well.
So when we look back, I guesskind of thinking of you know you
mentioned there's been somechallenges in there.
There's specifically dealingwith people who maybe don't want
to see a different way orthey're not quite ready to
release yet.
Right, they're not ready tokind of shake up the way that
it's been done before, I guesstaking the focus off of them.
(23:22):
What is something that you'velearned about yourself during
that process?
Or maybe like how you approachthose topics with them, right,
how do you grow past that withthem?
And sometimes I understand youprobably won't be able to lead
certain people out of the funkthey're stuck in, right.
But as you kind of think of howyou've grown in your own
(23:47):
understanding and how youapproach them, what do you see?
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Well, I first of all identify with stubborn
individuals who have a very,what they believe to be a very
informed opinion, because theydidn't get there by accident.
Right, and if I were to say tomy younger self be more open to
(24:13):
other people's input, ask for it, you know, don't make them
force it on you.
But then you know somebodyearly in my director career,
talbot, said to me you know,people don't want to be treated
how you want to be treated.
(24:33):
They want to be treated howthey want to be treated.
So learn that about them.
Yeah.
And I thought that has stood mein good stead through many, many
interactions with people,because just because I believe
something doesn't mean someoneelse has to believe it the way I
do.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's very wise, that's very,
that's very, very wise.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Yeah Well, you'd hope with a little bit of time we
all figure it out.
But the other thing is neverthink you know it all because
you don't.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah, I love that saying that if you think you're
the smartest person in the room,it's time to change rooms.
You need to find a better room.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Very true.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Like that's where you always want to be a student,
right.
You always want to be learning,you always want to be
challenging your own, what youthink are absolutes right,
because maybe you think it's acertain way, but you only think
it's a certain way because ofthe way you've always
experienced it right.
In the same way that we can getupset with a client or a boss
(25:38):
or a subordinate or anybodysaying you know well, that's
just the way it is, that's theway it's always been, or that's
the way we do it, it's easy toget in that rut ourselves and
say, well, that's, I've seen itwork this way before, so
obviously we're going to try itagain this way and it's going to
get the same results Dang it.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Yeah, well, I do have the benefit of moving a lot
when I was young, so I did haveto constantly reenter new
processes et cetera.
But you know, to take it backto retail wire, one of the
things I enjoy about that andI've been following retail wire
for a number of years is I lovethe interaction and, you know,
(26:18):
the wisdom that so many peoplebring, but also a different
perspective, because no oneanswer is right.
There's perspectives and youreally need to draw on all those
perspectives to get to the bestplace.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, how did you get connected with retail wire?
What was your first exposure tous?
Do you remember?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I don't know if it popped up in a feed.
Somewhere I saw a reference andI just clicked through and I
started getting the newsletter.
I'd say it's been a number ofyears, yeah, and then every once
in a while I couldn't helpmyself but comment.
And then in this last fewmonths I've gotten much more
(27:00):
involved.
But I really, really enjoy it.
I really enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah, I was going to say you're a recent addition to
the Brain Trust, right, yeah, soyou joined it this year.
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's beenreally cool.
So it's funny because we bothjoined retail wire this year,
which is so.
You know, that's all right.
We're the newbies and and we'relearning to continue to grow,
so, so I'll tell you, yeah, likeyou kind of touched on a little
(27:29):
bit ago, but you know, talkingabout flexibility, talking about
kind of that, that desire tocontinue to grow.
But you know, well, actuallybefore before I asked that one,
I'm gonna go back and say whatbrands are you following right
now?
Because I'm really dying toknow.
But, being the new person, thenew kid on the block here, it's
like I feel like there's several, the brain trust members that I
(27:52):
kind of know who they'refollowing.
Right, I know, I know whatthey're excited about.
But what are you excited aboutin retail right now?
Like, is there a certain topicor a brand or anything that
you're just like, wow, this is.
I think this is hot right now.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I'm I've been very interested in the the transition
of the D2 DTC world into thefour walls and just broadening
their channel base.
I think that's been fascinatingfor me, so I read everything
and anything I can get my handson about that.
You know there's a lot ofinformation that translates
(28:28):
across all the channels, so Ifound that interesting.
I also, as I said a little bitearlier, is this need for people
to really, or businesses toreally get a grip on how much
inventory is the right amount ofinventory.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's good investment.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
It's a huge investment and if you get it
wrong, yeah, you can find aprice to sell it, but it hurts.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, and not only that, but I mean one of the, you
know, the big challenges thatwe've been dealing with recently
is the idea of returns.
Right, because?
Because not only do you have todeal with inventory, you have
to deal with inventory that issitting somewhere out in the
ether for two, three, four weeks.
You know, maybe it's in acustomer's house and they just
haven't returned it to you yet,or maybe it's in a, you know,
(29:16):
lost in a FedEx truck somewhere,who knows?
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Being your own four walls and you don't know where
it is.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, you gotta have the right tracking for it, and
then there's some greatorganizations out there working
on stuff like that.
Yes, but but yeah, that'sthat's definitely I'm excited to
see and not to not to, you know, overhype a Current topic, but
I'm excited to see how wesupplement that idea with the AI
or machine learning side Toreally help streamline.
(29:43):
Like I say, I know of a coupleof examples.
We actually were at aconference recently and and Met
a couple folks that that aredirectly working in this space
to help Streamline theefficiency of returns, and it's
just fascinating to see kind ofwhat's possible now and to think
what's Going to be possible inanother six months or now.
So yeah.
I'm really excited for that.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Yeah, and it it still goes back to data Yep, always a
key element of it.
So 100%.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Not only having it but, like you're saying, knowing
how to read it, knowing where,Making sure it's clean, it's not
a mess.
Yeah, yes, so, getting back tothe last question, I always love
to love to ask if there was, ifyou go back in time and give
yourself that one piece ofadvice I know, like I say, I
know you touched on it briefly,but just so that way We've got
(30:33):
that what, what would be onepiece of advice you would go
back and give to younger Allisonjumping into your retail career
, or maybe the, the sectionwhere you started seeing the
consulting or Whatever landmarkyou want to choose.
If you could go back and kindof inject something along your
(30:54):
journey, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I Think it's, it will still go back to don't think
you Need or should do this allby yourself that there are
people out there.
There are many, many people whowant you to succeed, because
that's part of how they succeed.
And Don't think that asking forinput is A sign of weakness,
(31:20):
because it's not.
It's a sign of confidence.
If you're willing to do that,so absolutely.
That would be my big thing.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
And I think that's that shows that you're looking
out for everyone's best interestin that circumstance, because
you, you could easily Clenchyour fists and and just run head
first back into that wall again, right, and just go, you know,
I'll figure it out.
I'll figure it out, it'll be meand I'll get the, I'll have the
challenge.
I don't want to burden anybodyelse with the challenge and and
then whenever you get done, well, I get the, I get the credit
(31:50):
for it, right.
But you know, what's funny iswe think about things, I think a
lot like that and we think thatthat's going to be at be the
outcome.
It's like, well, I don't wantto burden someone.
I've heard that a lot morerecently too, especially with
younger generations Well, Idon't want to bother you With
this.
So I'm just gonna figure it outmyself and I'm going you're not
bothering anybody.
(32:10):
Like we're, like you said,we're all in this together.
And it's funny how how we cansay that in so many different
elements of life, in society andculture and everything else,
and then we like to huddle, we,we like to huddle through the
pain ourselves and it's justlike man, it's bring others
along in that journey.
It goes a lot faster.
It goes a lot easier, that'sfor sure.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, don't prolong the agony, it's not necessary.
So.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Well, allison, thank you so much for taking time with
me today.
This has been a great time.
Just to get to chat with you alittle bit, get to know more
about you, is there?
Do you have any partingthoughts for us, anything that
we didn't get to, that You'relike?
I was just dying to say this.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Oh, you know we, you know the minute, you and these
things.
There's always six more thingsthat pop into your brain.
But I mean Clearly, I love whatI do.
I really enjoyed the businessand I want people to be
successful.
And I want to be there to helpthem.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
So two last questions for you.
One.
So I'm dying to know.
What are we looking at behindyou there?
What do you got?
You got a lot of stufforganized.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
This is.
This has got fabric, it's gotyarn, it's got office supplies
it and it folds up into a nicelittle cabinet.
But you know, I live in JamaicaPlain in Boston, massachusetts.
They don't have a ton of spaceso we have to make it out count.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yeah, I think that's super cool.
Now I was just like there'sgotta be some materials there,
so I was just oh yeah, that'sthe stuff yours, I would assume.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
So good, so good.
The second and last questionthat I've got for you is if
people want to connect with youfurther after this, is it okay
if they reach out throughLinkedIn, or is there a better
position for them to reach outthrough a website?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
It's easy to find.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Cool.
So, I'll make sure and tag you,I'll put your connection down
here, your link in thedescription of this episode, and
we'll make sure.
And if you do reach out, besure and leave a note in the
description and we'll make sure.
And if you do reach out, besure and leave a note in the
connection request letting herknow that you heard about her on
the Retail Wire podcast, soshe'll know that you're actually
a real person and not justtrying to tell her something.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
You just read my mind , thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
We're going.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
I don't know if I'm right.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
No, real people, real connections.
We love that.
We love that here in RetailWire, and so you know that's why
we do this series.
And just to wrap up, if youhave enjoyed this conversation
here, first of all, if you'relistening to us on any
podcasting platform audio onlyformat you can actually go and
(34:47):
see what we're talking about.
On our YouTube channel it's onthe Retail Wire YouTube channel,
but also, if you are watchingus on YouTube right now and you
want to just subscribe to us onyour podcasting platform, maybe
you don't care about seeingeverything that's going on.
Maybe you just want to hear thegood nuggets of information that
we've got.
Find us on all your favoritepodcasting platforms.
Be sure and hit that subscribebutton.
Turn on your notifications,because we got a lot more
(35:10):
episodes coming up, includingsome great information from
different companies, differentbrands, Talking about different
topics.
We've got stuff coming up fromdifferent conferences that we're
going to, so you're not goingto want to miss a part of it.
We have more greatconversations with people like
Allison here, and we're going toenjoy every single moment of it
(35:31):
.
So if you do have any questionsfor any of these episodes
whether it's this one or past orfuture.
Leave a comment down below.
We would absolutely love toanswer that for you.
You might even hear your answeror your question read off in a
future episode.
So we will see you next timehere on the Retail Wire Podcast
and catch you soon.
Welcome to the Retail Wire Podcast hey everyone
what's going on.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It's Brian back again with another episode of the
Retail Wire Podcast here.
I'm really excited for todaybecause we have another one of
our Brain Trust members in thestudio with me.
This person she is well, she'sgot a ton of experience.
I am excited to dig into herjourney because I haven't really
had too much of a chance tointeract with her ahead of this,
(00:28):
so this is really kind of acool opportunity for me to get
to know her and you to do thesame all in one conversation.
So before we get started here,she currently lives in Boston.
She's previously been with F&WMedia, isis Parenting not that
ISIS, it's the good one, talbotsand if you've heard of that
(00:50):
company, talbots, maybe one ortwo people know it, which is a
cool thing.
And she is currently theDirector of Retail Technology at
Invista.
And, of course, she is a BrainTrust member here at Retail Wire
.
She's been with us for a while.
Welcome to the show, ms AllisonMcCabe.
How are you today?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm fine.
Thank you, brian.
Thanks for having me Goodabsolutely.
I need to be here and talkabout myself.
Don't we all like to talk aboutourselves?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
You know it's a fun topic, because then you at least
know what you're talking about,right?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Some days yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
I understand that one it's.
Some days are a little moredifficult to know than others.
So yeah, so you're in Boston.
What's it like up there rightnow?
I mean, it's kind of summerright here, so is it as hot and
humid there as it is here?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
We have a little bit of benefit from the ocean breeze
, so it never gets quite ashumid as it does in the Midwest
or down in Arkansas, which Ibelieve is where you are now
right.
That's where I am, so we get alittle bit more of a break.
But you know it's summer, it'shot.
We've got a little bit of thesmoke from the Canadian
wildfires.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yeah, and it's crazy that it's still going on in some
areas and just wow, so well.
So what would you say?
What's one of your favoriteparts of living up in Boston?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Well, when I was little, my family moved all the
time, so I moved 10 times by thetime I was 18.
Okay, so I came to Boston forcollege and I never left.
So I was happy to put down someroots in a city that's got an
awful lot to offer, raised myfamily here with my husband and
(02:38):
still enjoying the benefits ofbeing in a city the size of
Boston with an airport that getsme everywhere I need to go.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Absolutely.
Well, hopefully that airportwill get you down to Northwest
Arkansas at some point, becausewe got some stuff coming up that
we I think you're going to wantto be a part of.
So that's great, see if we canget you on a plane, I know how
to do that.
So you said you got a husband,you got a family, you got kids.
So tell us a little bit aboutthem.
Did you meet your husband incollege or where did you connect
(03:08):
to?
Yeah bye.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Met him in college.
I went to a women's college, hewent to a technology college
and we met at a mixer classicstory and have been together
ever since.
So that that that's that story.
I dives while I Work in frontof a computer most times, but
he's also a software developer,so I do have an in-house expert.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
See, that's nice to have that you know it's like if
that's similar.
My wife is a home organizer andso you know, thankfully she
keeps me in line if I ever gettoo cluttered around here, so
yeah, I could use her.
Oh right, I tell you, but youactually look pretty organized
back there, I'm telling you.
So that's some good stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I, I am, I'm part of.
The reason I got into retail inthe first place is because I'm
a right and a left-brain Person,so I'm always.
I need a lot of color andcreativity in my life, but I
also need data.
So, yep, that's.
I think you'll find that's acommon thread with many of us,
that we need.
Reinforcement.
But we need the data to saywe're not crazy.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So you know, I, I Definitely understand that.
So let's go back when.
Where did you get your start?
I mean, I'm seeing, you know,if we just looked at your
LinkedIn profile, then Talbot'sis kind of where it starts at.
Is that where you started yourjourney in retail, or was it
before that?
What was, what was the entrypoint for you?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I started in an executive training program with
Allied Department Store is thata department store known as
Jordan Marsh back then and Spenta number of years there, ending
up as the bridge and bettersports, where buyer got to
travel around the world Doingall kinds of cool things and
(04:53):
that's where the visual and thedata really, you know, operated
in my brain.
Then I got to go to Talbot's asthe world was of retail is
constantly evolving and I wentto Talbot's and worked there for
a number of years and gotinvolved with the international
business as well as catalogstores etc.
(05:14):
So I got a really Completeworkout in terms of all the
different channels because, ofcourse, online business and came
into play.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah well, and, and thinking about that, I mean you
mentioned going from your yourprevious role into Talbot's and
then mentioning theinternational side.
When you kind of think back onthat, what was?
Was there anything about thatthat kind of surprised you about
the way, say, that NorthAmerica Operates versus the rest
of the world, or was it prettymuch consistent across the board
(05:45):
?
Or or were there any thingsthat really stood out to you at
that time?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Well, I think that people are people.
So you know, certainly thereare cultural things to adjust to
their laws and regulations thatyou need to be aware of and and
Respectful of.
But one of the other things iskind of a dollars and cents
thing, I think.
(06:09):
When you think about taking abrand and putting it in another
country, things like pricing youassume are just a conversion
process, but they're not.
Hmm, okay you have to look atwhat the market will bear and
like product and price in a waythat the consumer there can
Appreciate and trust, becauseotherwise it looks out of sync
(06:31):
with what's going on in the fourwalls around them, so that was
a big learning there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Can you give me a little example of like what's,
what's, something like so I'm.
This is Admittedly not a strongpoint of mind of understanding,
so what would be like anexample of something being
different about like thatpricing you're mentioning?
Speaker 3 (06:50):
So I mean, Talbot's is an apparel company, women's
apparel Predominantly, and soyou're, you selling blazers and
skirts and pants, and you lookat a blazer and you think that
that's going to be at that pointin time.
You know $220, but then youtake and you convert it into
either Canadian dollars or theBritish pound and you say, okay,
(07:14):
well, it should be this,because that's what the
conversion rate is.
Well, the conversion rateschanging every day, so that
doesn't work and you really needto be aware of your competition
in whatever country you're in,so that you can price at the
level where you see yourselffitting and you can't yank it
around because consumers don'ttrust that.
(07:37):
So, that that's.
That's what we did it was.
It was very successful.
It made a huge difference incustomer acceptance.
As silly as that seems.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
But it really did.
Absolutely so.
So then, so you went fromTalbot's.
And then where'd you go afterTalbot's?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
you said so after Talbot's, I I mean I was at
Talbot's and I done just abouteverything.
I Learned what I thought Icould learn there.
I was a managing director andit was time to like shake up my
brain a little bit.
And I got a call from an oldboss who said hey, I know this
(08:14):
startup.
They're at the intersection ofPreschool and prenatal education
and they sell a lot of stuffbut they don't know what they're
doing.
Okay, their heart was in theright place, but they just
didn't know how to organize and,you know, structure it.
So I went in there and it was ablast, but I was working with
(08:37):
doulas and you know prenatalexperts and all kinds of
different kinds of people.
But it was a really rewardingchallenge yeah, classes and
products and had a greatreputation in the marketplace as
as a play, a way to testproduct for new parents, and
(08:59):
Anyone who's been a parent or anew parent knows how mystifying
that world is.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I'm still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Yeah, years later.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I'm still trying to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I got news for you.
You never figured out, butwe're comfortable with it.
I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, you have to kind of become comfortable with
the constant chaos and constantchange, right?
Yes, yes parenting that's alsoretail.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
So I was just gonna say change is a key element of
comfort.
If you're not comfortable withchange in retail, you're not
going to like it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah, no, that's gotta be very rewarding right to
come into an industry like thatand, and specifically that was
ISIS parenting correct.
Right, that's what you'retalking about snow being about
the goddess of fertility.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
So yes, it was.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I want to make sure that people know we're good.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
This is you know she actually laid claim to that name
.
Yeah, so, yeah, that's so itwas great, it was great.
And then.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I was just gonna say, like you think about the, what
you said there of how theirheart was in the right place.
They had a great product, theywere already making good sales
and everything, but they reallydidn't have the firm grasp on
what they were doing from astructural organization.
So you think of not only them,but you think of how many
(10:23):
retailers currently exist inthat exact same space or in that
same status right now thatmaybe they've got a great
product, they have sales undertheir belt already, people love
them, they've got a good nameand their mission is very
honorable, right, but then theystill need you.
(10:45):
They still need that extraperson to step in.
What would you say is kind ofthe best indicator or maybe the
best way for an organizationlike that to go?
Hey, I've been thinking aboutit.
I think this is what we need.
What's the easiest way for themto jump in?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Is it just find someone like you, or Well, I
think it always helps to haveexpertise, so I think it's
important to know what you don'tknow.
I will also say that I think arecurring theme throughout my
journey in retail has beeninventory management, and that
(11:27):
sounds dry, but it's actuallyvery multifaceted and too many
people going into the world ofmerchandising think that more is
more and it's not and I thinkthat's sort of overwhelming the
world at the moment in terms ofthe supply chain chaos and then
(11:49):
the fear of not having enough.
I was an economics major incollege and so supply and demand
has always been in theforefront of my thought, and
more is not more.
It's okay to create a littledemand with a little scarcity of
supply, and so those are thekinds of things that I bring to
(12:13):
the table as a merchant and ininventory planning.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Is there.
I mean just thinking about that.
You're right, there's nothingwrong with having a little bit
of scarcity.
Obviously you don't want todecimate your supply chain, but
it helps create that desire forthe product right.
And so say, if someone, if anorganization is listening to
(12:39):
this right now and they're likeman, that really sounds like me,
is there a piece of advice thatyou would give them a first
step of kind of how they couldmaybe start approaching their
supply chain, or specificallythe inventory, like you were
saying, the inventory management?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
The first thing I always do is look at what I have
, make sure it's organized in away that I can digest the data
and understand where the salesare coming from and what the
factors are that lead to thesuccess of that merchandise.
So hierarchy and attributionare really critical of
(13:19):
merchandise, and so if you don'thave the exact thing they want,
you may have something veryclose, provided you understand
where your demand is coming from.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah, yeah, you truly have to understand their need,
and I think of if anybody'slistening to this that's into
web development or web design.
You think of Google Analyticsand the different analytics
platforms that are out there.
If you don't understand whereyour traffic is coming from on
the website, then you're doingyourself a disservice.
(13:52):
To keep building more of thewebsite, you need to figure out
where that traffic is comingfrom.
You really need to jump in andunderstand that.
And so, in the similar vein,yeah, it sounds like if people
need, if you're not sure wherethose sales dollars are coming
from, or if you're not sure whenwe said this, I think there was
a rise in this then that wouldbe probably the best way to
(14:14):
start.
It sounds like.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, I really think it boils down to data management
Just making sure you'remerchandise and your data is
organized in a way that you candraw conclusions.
Yeah, absolutely.
If you're involved withanalysis, paralysis and you've
got it segmented too many ways,that's just as bad as having it
(14:40):
not segmented enough.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah, if you have all the data but yet you're
overwhelming yourself and notable to move on that data then,
it's definitely.
It's just as bad as not havingit in the first place.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Exactly exactly.
So then after I left Dices Iwent into a publishing company
that again was sellingmerchandise and I was dealing
with working with all kinds ofextremely talented people deer
hunters, quilters, knitters,rocket scientists, literally and
(15:17):
they were all trying to wraptheir arms around products that
could augment their publishingbusiness, so that was really fun
.
It was really fun becausepeople want to learn what they
don't know in most cases.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I wanted to learn what they knew.
I mean, I can't be a rocketscientist, but I could help them
with determining the quantityof glasses they needed for the
eclipse.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Yeah, absolutely, what's thinking of that time?
You know you're talking aboutpublications and kind of better
understanding what they'relooking for, was there something
that stood out to you as likehey, that was kind of surprising
, but I really enjoyed thatelement.
Or you know, like you'retalking about the finding the
glasses, or maybe learning aboutdeer hunting or anything else
like that, was there somethingthat kind of took you off guard
(16:08):
that you're like wow, I guessI'm more into that than I
realized I am.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah, you know, it's kind of like peeling back an
onion.
You think you've got a focus oncertain things that interest
you and then the more you learnabout it.
I mean, I didn't know aboutdeer lure that was based on, I
guess.
I guess deer go where they marktheir trees with their orbal,
(16:36):
with their eyes, and so therewas this whole product that was
built around that.
that was a huge win, because Ijust wanted to use it because it
would attract the deer, so Ididn't know that very well, but
I learned that.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
See, I hated admitting that because I grew up
in Kansas in the middle of,like you know, deer hunting
territory and everything.
But no, I had no idea.
That's really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Yeah, it was, and there was one man who did it in
his garage.
And it was, you know, a rarecommodity and in high demand.
So there was a little bit ofsupply and demand there going on
.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yeah, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
So that was fun and talking to him was fun, trying
to make him understand what Iwas trying to do with.
But that's the human connection, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yeah, absolutely so.
Then you ended up from theregoing to Invista, is that right?
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
That was the next step for you.
So what took you out ofpublishing and into Invista?
Tell, what does Invista do, Iguess.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
So Invista is a consulting firm, predominantly
supply chain oriented.
My particular part of theuniverse is on the merchandise
planning side of things, becausethat's definitely part of the
supply chain.
I was always that client on theother side of the table that
(18:06):
had these people coming in andspeaking in a dialect that I
didn't understand when it wastime to upgrade systems, etc.
Well, I mean, you just don't doit enough to ever get versed in
it.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, and when you do it, then the times that you do
need it you have to reallyunderstand the deep dive.
But then the time between thatis between.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah, so when I started thinking about you know,
I've been thinking aboutconsulting for probably about
five or six years because it hadalways intrigued me but I
wasn't quite sure how to getstarted with it.
But then it kind of a lightbulb went off and I'm like I can
be the translator for thepeople that, like me, never
(18:59):
really got good at it because Ididn't do it enough to
understand it.
Yeah, and so I think you knowmy first client.
I think the big aha moment forme was when one of the buyers
looked at me as we were talkingabout something and she said you
really understand what I do,don't you?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
And I said, yeah, I've been in your chair, I
really do understand and I wantyou to be successful, so I'm not
going to lead you astray.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Yeah, well, that's got to feel really good, right,
the validation, and that it'slike your customer actually sits
there and says, hey look, youactually understand it, they can
put faith in you.
Right, they can definitelyunderstand, and I think that's
where you know.
Going to a broader picture ofretail, I think that's what
majority of retailersdesperately need, whether or not
(19:50):
they realize it or admit it.
You know, they just need to beheard, they need to be
understood, but they also needto understand as well.
And so to find that person whois capable of coming in, and
you've been on both sides of thetable, kind of like we're
saying here that you've seenfrom the client side what is
needed and what you're wantingto get at, but then you're also
(20:13):
seeing from the provider side ofwhat's available, what's
possible, and you know thetechnology side.
So you marry those two togetherand the understanding that
positions you so perfectly to bea great consultant, right?
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Yeah, well, one would hope it's worked well, and I
really do enjoy it, becauseevery we all want each other to
be successful.
We all, you know we're allbetter off when we all win.
So that's even competitors.
Yeah, even competitors.
And in talking with thesoftware providers, you know
(20:48):
some of them are in theirparticular little bubble too,
and they don't quite understandwhy the client is insisting on
something or asking for it.
One of the things that happensa lot is a client will come in
and say well, I want you to dothis because it's the way we've
always done it and that's when Igo, but that's not maybe what
(21:10):
you want to do going forward.
Let's think about it.
Yeah, so, and that's the wholechange element again, get
comfortable with change.
I say life without change isboring, and I really do believe
that there's lots to be learnedand lots to be gained by trying
new things.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
There is, and you know it's funny because that's.
I often say that that's one ofthe most dangerous phrases out
there as well.
That's just not the way we doit.
You know or?
That's not the way it's beendone before, because it's like
well, yeah, but if the way you'ddone it before was working, you
wouldn't need me right.
Right.
Wouldn't need me to come in andbe helping you right now.
So if we're going to gobackwards, you can.
(21:50):
You know not to be rude, butyou can do that on your own, you
don't need me.
So I'll save us both some timeand money here and you have fun.
But if you're looking to makethe bigger change and really,
you know, jump in and dosomething differently and get
different results, then by allmeans let's go, let's move
forward on this.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
So and I do know from you know, being in the
merchandising world for as longas I have that it's an
independent group.
They were very opinionated.
We want what we want when wewant it and not always open to
suggestions, so there's nothingwrong with that.
(22:32):
Clearly, people have to makedecisions, but part of decision
making is learning when to askfor help.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, my grandpa would always say that there's
some mountains just aren't worthdying on.
Right you gotta know.
You got to know when enough isenough and you got to back off a
little bit.
Was it the other phrase of youdon't have to show up to every
fight you're invited to?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's another good one, oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
So well.
So when we look back, I guesskind of thinking of you know you
mentioned there's been somechallenges in there.
There's specifically dealingwith people who maybe don't want
to see a different way orthey're not quite ready to
release yet.
Right, they're not ready tokind of shake up the way that
it's been done before, I guesstaking the focus off of them.
(23:22):
What is something that you'velearned about yourself during
that process?
Or maybe like how you approachthose topics with them, right,
how do you grow past that withthem?
And sometimes I understand youprobably won't be able to lead
certain people out of the funkthey're stuck in, right.
But as you kind of think of howyou've grown in your own
(23:47):
understanding and how youapproach them, what do you see?
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Well, I first of all identify with stubborn
individuals who have a very,what they believe to be a very
informed opinion, because theydidn't get there by accident.
Right, and if I were to say tomy younger self be more open to
(24:13):
other people's input, ask for it, you know, don't make them
force it on you.
But then you know somebodyearly in my director career,
talbot, said to me you know,people don't want to be treated
how you want to be treated.
(24:33):
They want to be treated howthey want to be treated.
So learn that about them.
Yeah.
And I thought that has stood mein good stead through many, many
interactions with people,because just because I believe
something doesn't mean someoneelse has to believe it the way I
do.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's very wise, that's very,
that's very, very wise.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Yeah Well, you'd hope with a little bit of time we
all figure it out.
But the other thing is neverthink you know it all because
you don't.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah, I love that saying that if you think you're
the smartest person in the room,it's time to change rooms.
You need to find a better room.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Very true.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Like that's where you always want to be a student,
right.
You always want to be learning,you always want to be
challenging your own, what youthink are absolutes right,
because maybe you think it's acertain way, but you only think
it's a certain way because ofthe way you've always
experienced it right.
In the same way that we can getupset with a client or a boss
(25:38):
or a subordinate or anybodysaying you know well, that's
just the way it is, that's theway it's always been, or that's
the way we do it, it's easy toget in that rut ourselves and
say, well, that's, I've seen itwork this way before, so
obviously we're going to try itagain this way and it's going to
get the same results Dang it.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Yeah, well, I do have the benefit of moving a lot
when I was young, so I did haveto constantly reenter new
processes et cetera.
But you know, to take it backto retail wire, one of the
things I enjoy about that andI've been following retail wire
for a number of years is I lovethe interaction and, you know,
(26:18):
the wisdom that so many peoplebring, but also a different
perspective, because no oneanswer is right.
There's perspectives and youreally need to draw on all those
perspectives to get to the bestplace.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, how did you get connected with retail wire?
What was your first exposure tous?
Do you remember?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
I don't know if it popped up in a feed.
Somewhere I saw a reference andI just clicked through and I
started getting the newsletter.
I'd say it's been a number ofyears, yeah, and then every once
in a while I couldn't helpmyself but comment.
And then in this last fewmonths I've gotten much more
(27:00):
involved.
But I really, really enjoy it.
I really enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah, I was going to say you're a recent addition to
the Brain Trust, right, yeah, soyou joined it this year.
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's beenreally cool.
So it's funny because we bothjoined retail wire this year,
which is so.
You know, that's all right.
We're the newbies and and we'relearning to continue to grow,
so, so I'll tell you, yeah, likeyou kind of touched on a little
(27:29):
bit ago, but you know, talkingabout flexibility, talking about
kind of that, that desire tocontinue to grow.
But you know, well, actuallybefore before I asked that one,
I'm gonna go back and say whatbrands are you following right
now?
Because I'm really dying toknow.
But, being the new person, thenew kid on the block here, it's
like I feel like there's several, the brain trust members that I
(27:52):
kind of know who they'refollowing.
Right, I know, I know whatthey're excited about.
But what are you excited aboutin retail right now?
Like, is there a certain topicor a brand or anything that
you're just like, wow, this is.
I think this is hot right now.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I'm I've been very interested in the the transition
of the D2 DTC world into thefour walls and just broadening
their channel base.
I think that's been fascinatingfor me, so I read everything
and anything I can get my handson about that.
You know there's a lot ofinformation that translates
(28:28):
across all the channels, so Ifound that interesting.
I also, as I said a little bitearlier, is this need for people
to really, or businesses toreally get a grip on how much
inventory is the right amount ofinventory.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's good investment.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
It's a huge investment and if you get it
wrong, yeah, you can find aprice to sell it, but it hurts.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well, and not only that, but I mean one of the, you
know, the big challenges thatwe've been dealing with recently
is the idea of returns.
Right, because?
Because not only do you have todeal with inventory, you have
to deal with inventory that issitting somewhere out in the
ether for two, three, four weeks.
You know, maybe it's in acustomer's house and they just
haven't returned it to you yet,or maybe it's in a, you know,
(29:16):
lost in a FedEx truck somewhere,who knows?
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Being your own four walls and you don't know where
it is.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Yeah, you gotta have the right tracking for it, and
then there's some greatorganizations out there working
on stuff like that.
Yes, but but yeah, that'sthat's definitely I'm excited to
see and not to not to, you know, overhype a Current topic, but
I'm excited to see how wesupplement that idea with the AI
or machine learning side Toreally help streamline.
(29:43):
Like I say, I know of a coupleof examples.
We actually were at aconference recently and and Met
a couple folks that that aredirectly working in this space
to help Streamline theefficiency of returns, and it's
just fascinating to see kind ofwhat's possible now and to think
what's Going to be possible inanother six months or now.
So yeah.
I'm really excited for that.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Yeah, and it it still goes back to data Yep, always a
key element of it.
So 100%.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Not only having it but, like you're saying, knowing
how to read it, knowing where,Making sure it's clean, it's not
a mess.
Yeah, yes, so, getting back tothe last question, I always love
to love to ask if there was, ifyou go back in time and give
yourself that one piece ofadvice I know, like I say, I
know you touched on it briefly,but just so that way We've got
(30:33):
that what, what would be onepiece of advice you would go
back and give to younger Allisonjumping into your retail career
, or maybe the, the sectionwhere you started seeing the
consulting or Whatever landmarkyou want to choose.
If you could go back and kindof inject something along your
(30:54):
journey, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (30:56):
I Think it's, it will still go back to don't think
you Need or should do this allby yourself that there are
people out there.
There are many, many people whowant you to succeed, because
that's part of how they succeed.
And Don't think that asking forinput is A sign of weakness,
(31:20):
because it's not.
It's a sign of confidence.
If you're willing to do that,so absolutely.
That would be my big thing.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
And I think that's that shows that you're looking
out for everyone's best interestin that circumstance, because
you, you could easily Clenchyour fists and and just run head
first back into that wall again, right, and just go, you know,
I'll figure it out.
I'll figure it out, it'll be meand I'll get the, I'll have the
challenge.
I don't want to burden anybodyelse with the challenge and and
then whenever you get done, well, I get the, I get the credit
(31:50):
for it, right.
But you know, what's funny iswe think about things, I think a
lot like that and we think thatthat's going to be at be the
outcome.
It's like, well, I don't wantto burden someone.
I've heard that a lot morerecently too, especially with
younger generations Well, Idon't want to bother you With
this.
So I'm just gonna figure it outmyself and I'm going you're not
bothering anybody.
(32:10):
Like we're, like you said,we're all in this together.
And it's funny how how we cansay that in so many different
elements of life, in society andculture and everything else,
and then we like to huddle, we,we like to huddle through the
pain ourselves and it's justlike man, it's bring others
along in that journey.
It goes a lot faster.
It goes a lot easier, that'sfor sure.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, don't prolong the agony, it's not necessary.
So.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Well, allison, thank you so much for taking time with
me today.
This has been a great time.
Just to get to chat with you alittle bit, get to know more
about you, is there?
Do you have any partingthoughts for us, anything that
we didn't get to, that You'relike?
I was just dying to say this.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Oh, you know we, you know the minute, you and these
things.
There's always six more thingsthat pop into your brain.
But I mean Clearly, I love whatI do.
I really enjoyed the businessand I want people to be
successful.
And I want to be there to helpthem.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
So two last questions for you.
One.
So I'm dying to know.
What are we looking at behindyou there?
What do you got?
You got a lot of stufforganized.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
This is.
This has got fabric, it's gotyarn, it's got office supplies
it and it folds up into a nicelittle cabinet.
But you know, I live in JamaicaPlain in Boston, massachusetts.
They don't have a ton of spaceso we have to make it out count.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Yeah, I think that's super cool.
Now I was just like there'sgotta be some materials there,
so I was just oh yeah, that'sthe stuff yours, I would assume.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
So good, so good.
The second and last questionthat I've got for you is if
people want to connect with youfurther after this, is it okay
if they reach out throughLinkedIn, or is there a better
position for them to reach outthrough a website?
Speaker 3 (33:56):
It's easy to find.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Cool.
So, I'll make sure and tag you,I'll put your connection down
here, your link in thedescription of this episode, and
we'll make sure.
And if you do reach out, besure and leave a note in the
description and we'll make sure.
And if you do reach out, besure and leave a note in the
connection request letting herknow that you heard about her on
the Retail Wire podcast, soshe'll know that you're actually
a real person and not justtrying to tell her something.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
You just read my mind , thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
We're going.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
I don't know if I'm right.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
No, real people, real connections.
We love that.
We love that here in RetailWire, and so you know that's why
we do this series.
And just to wrap up, if youhave enjoyed this conversation
here, first of all, if you'relistening to us on any
podcasting platform audio onlyformat you can actually go and
(34:47):
see what we're talking about.
On our YouTube channel it's onthe Retail Wire YouTube channel,
but also, if you are watchingus on YouTube right now and you
want to just subscribe to us onyour podcasting platform, maybe
you don't care about seeingeverything that's going on.
Maybe you just want to hear thegood nuggets of information that
we've got.
Find us on all your favoritepodcasting platforms.
Be sure and hit that subscribebutton.
Turn on your notifications,because we got a lot more
(35:10):
episodes coming up, includingsome great information from
different companies, differentbrands, Talking about different
topics.
We've got stuff coming up fromdifferent conferences that we're
going to, so you're not goingto want to miss a part of it.
We have more greatconversations with people like
Allison here, and we're going toenjoy every single moment of it
(35:31):
.
So if you do have any questionsfor any of these episodes
whether it's this one or past orfuture.
Leave a comment down below.
We would absolutely love toanswer that for you.
You might even hear your answeror your question read off in a
future episode.
So we will see you next timehere on the Retail Wire Podcast
and catch you soon.
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