RetailCraft - digital retail, ecommerce and brands - Retail Podcast

RetailCraft 51: "Get more out of life" - in conversation with Paul Hornby, Digital Customer Experience Director at the Very Group

Summary

Paul Hornby, Digital Customer Experience Director at The Very Group (owner of very.co.uk and other brands) joins Ian Jindal and Georgia Scott to discuss his role, career and the positioning of Very within the market.

We explore the history of the group, which dates back to 1890, and how it has evolved into the UK's largest domestic online-only retailer with an integrated flexible payment platform.

We delve into the concept of digital experience and how the Very Group aims to help families get more out of life by offering a wide choice of products and flexible ways to pay. They also touch on the challenges of marketing and personalisation, as well as the ongoing technology transformation at the Very Group.

Listen out for the term "technical cholesterol" - both the phrase and the explanation are delightful and we wish that we'd thought of this, but the recording doesn't lie ;)

 

Takeaways

• The Very Group is the UK's largest domestic online-only retailer with an integrated flexible payment platform.
• The company aims to help families get more out of life by offering a wide choice of products and flexible ways to pay.
• The role of credit is to support families in managing their household income and making purchases more affordable.
• The Very Group is focused on digital experience and constantly optimizing the customer journey.
• The company is undergoing a technology transformation to create a composable architecture and enhance the customer experience.

Quotes

• "Our purpose as a business is to help families get more out of life."
• "Our job was to translate [the heritage] into a digital world, create a compelling digital experience, and then find a way of translating the mechanism of how you could spread the cost online."

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Lunch

01:17 - Introducing Paul Hornby

02:12 - Paul's Role at the Very Group

03:39 - The Unique Proposition of the Very Group

04:38 - The History of the Very Group

06:35 - The Catalog Business and Credit Offering

09:26 - The Transition to the Digital World

13:12 - The Role of Credit in Supporting Customers

15:08 - The Value Proposition to Customers

16:35 - Market Competitive Pricing and Credit Options

21:06 - Digital Marketing and Personalization

24:48 - Paul's Career Journey

29:34 - Returning to the Very Group

32:31 - The Technology Transformation at the Very Group

38:11 - Creating a Learning Culture

39:09 - The Exciting Future of the Very Group

 

--  Run time: 48 minutes

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

Very - https://www.very.co.uk/

The Very Group - https://www.theverygroup.com/   

 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Paul Hornby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhornby/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/  

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal

RetailCraft 50 - "Bring Joy" - in conversation with Mark McKenzie, Technical Director at GuitarGuitar

Welcome to a special episode featuring Mark from Guitar Guitar, who joins us to celebrate the company's 20th anniversary. Hosted by Ian Jindal, Editor-in-Chief of Internet Retailing, and Georgia from Adobe, this episode dives deep into the evolution of Guitar Guitar and its unique approach to music retail.

Mark shares the history of Guitar Guitar, from its humble beginnings to becoming a significant player in the music retail industry. He discusses the company's commitment to providing a personalized customer experience, both online and in-store, and the challenges and triumphs they've faced over the years.

The conversation touches on the innovative ways Guitar Guitar has integrated technology to enhance customer interaction, the importance of maintaining a physical store presence, and the company's recent transition to an employee-owned business model. Mark also highlights their efforts in music education and community engagement, reflecting on how these initiatives align with their core values.

Join us for an insightful discussion about the past, present, and future of Guitar Guitar, and learn how they continue to make music more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

 

--  Run time: 33 minutes

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

Guitar Guitar - https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/  and https://www.linkedin.com/company/guitar-guitar-limited/ 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Mark McKenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mckenzie-uk/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/  

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal

RetailCraft 49 - "Predicting the unpredictable" - in conversation with Radharaman Jha, VP Supply Chain at Flaconi

Welcome to an illuminating discussion with Rad, VP of Supply Chain at Flaconi, Germany's leading online beauty marketplace. In this episode, we delve into the fascinating supply chain management domain within the beauty sector. 

Since its inception in 2011, Flaconi has made gains in the German market, with over 25% share, and continues its successful journey across multiple European countries. Rad, with his extensive experience handling supply chains for luxury brands in Dubai, brings distinctive perspectives on the beauty industry.

Rad brings to life the transformative role of supply chain management in digital retail, emphasising viewing it as a value-adding function fostering business growth rather than a cost centre. 

Rad offers an intriguing overview of the beauty industry’s dynamic nature. He illustrates how brands rise and fall in the blink of an eye due to fluctuating consumer preferences and intense competition. We discuss the benefits of leveraging customer data and predicting stock movements to optimize costs, allied to the notion of sustainability in business practices.

We learn not only about an agile supply chain to support flexible business, but also the dynamics of the online beauty market.

 

--  Run time: 28 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

Flaconi - https://www.flaconi.de/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/flaconi-gmbh/ 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Rad Jha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radharaman-jha/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/  

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal

RetailCraft 48 - ”Activating a City” - in conversation with Juliet Scott-Croxford, President North America for Brompton Bicycle

At the end of NRF 2024 in New York I was able to chat with Juliet Scott-Croxford of Brompton Bicycle. Juliet is President, North America, and leads the growth of this quintessentially British brand in the market.

Brompton is an urban-first, engineering-born, British-made success story, and so the transition to the US is an interesting one. Leading with a combination of product quality and clubhouse retail vibe, they have been at the vanguard of the city-centre, community cycling renaissance that brands like Rapha (just along the road from them in Soho) have embraced.

I caught up with Julia in the back-office stock area of their Soho store as she prepped for an evening event, hence a bit of "real life buzz" in the background of the recording 📼.

In our chat we cover their hire scheme, the Brompton Junction Stores concept, retail partnerships and expansion, Juliet's career path, the importance of a strong team, the "Activating Cities" strategy and the move to B-Corp status...

 

--  Run time: 32 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

Brompton Bicycle: https://www.brompton.com/ and https://www.brompton.com/find-a-store/brompton-junction/new-york 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Juliet Scott-Croxley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-scott-croxford-72050313/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/  

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/ and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal

RetailCraft 47 - ”3am Brew” - in conversation with Georgie Janion-Shaw, Founder, SISTIR

SISTIR is a coffee-originated gifting brand, that grew from a sisterly conversation (SIS) about coffee (Stirred) around the ideal '3am blend' to power parents through that mid-night wake-up moment for a crying baby.

SISTIR's founder, Georgie Janion-Shaw, joins us in the studio and we hare about the brand's beginnings and how the combination of branding savvy, punning and the availability of a gifting channel in NotOnTheHighStreet allowed them to start. Over time - and through experimentation, optimisation, product development efforts - the product range and channels grew. Georgie share with us her journey and learning with a level of humour and wordplay!

We get a chance to reflect upon the mindset of the growth entrepreneur as well as hearing about the extension into sweets and pets.

See below for the AI-generated show-notes: summary, takeaways and timestamps - pretty impressive and created by Riverside.fm...

 

--  Run time: 33 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

SISTIR: https://sistir.com/

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Georgie Janion-Shaw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiejanionshaw/

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal

 

Here's the AI summary...

<ai>

Summary

Georgie, the founder of Novello, shares the story of her coffee brand Sistir and how it started with a concept for a business. She discusses the importance of branding and packaging in creating a unique proposition for consumers. Georgie also talks about launching on Not on the High Street and tailoring product listings for different platforms. She emphasizes the importance of supporting women growers in the coffee industry and how Novello is working towards female empowerment. Georgie shares her experience working at Disney and Hasbro and how it has influenced her approach to product development. She also discusses the mindset of a successful entrepreneur and the challenges of starting a business. Finally, Georgie talks about her plans for the future, including expanding into other product categories and exploring retail opportunities.

 

Takeaways

• Branding and packaging are important in creating a unique proposition for consumers.
• Tailoring product listings to different platforms can enhance the consumer experience.
• Supporting women growers in the coffee industry is a priority for Novello.
• The mindset of a successful entrepreneur involves optimism and a willingness to try new things.

Chapters

00:00. Introduction and Background

01:19. The Story of Sistir

03:13. Starting a Coffee Business

04:34. Launching on Not on the High Street

07:25. Analyzing and Tailoring Product Listings

09:31. Supporting Women Growers in the Supply Chain

12:20. Lessons from Working at Disney and Hasbro

15:20. Becoming an Expert in Coffee

17:36. The Path of Purpose in Retail

18:32. Overcoming Challenges as an Entrepreneur

19:29. The Mindset of a Successful Entrepreneur

20:56. Expanding into Other Product Categories

24:09. Lessons Learned from Global Corporate Roles

25:53. Maintaining Consistency and Flexibility

28:42. Knowing When to Take the Next Step

30:37. Future Plans and Expansion

</ai>

RetailCraft 46 - ”Really Different” - in conversation Kieron Smith, Digital Director of Blackwells, Waterstone and Wordery)

Our studio chat with Kieron (Digital Director at Blackwells, part of the Waterstones group of booksellers) had a number of firsts... Not only the first podcast of 2024 (Happy New Year to one and all!) but also the first time that Georgia and I had been given gifts. In our prep for the studio session Kieron had asked us what were the last three books we'd read. He used this to predict a book for each of us and wrapped them for us to give in the studio! Utterly thoughtful, but more importantly gets to the heart of Kieron's focus upon data AND intuition.

In our conversation we talk about the history of Blackwells (surely one of the most famous longstanding and academic booksellers, now a part of the Waterstones group) and some of the dynamics of the book trade online. We discuss learning and the ongoing quest for information and knowledge, and the vital role of staff in retail. This is the origin of the "really different" of our title - how to engage staff with knowledge, skills, passion and individuality rather than falling into the trap of homogeneity.

There is so much to learn here about individuality, passion and invention in retail - our thanks to Kieron for being so open with us.

--  Run time: 53 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

Blackwells (https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home) is part of the Waterstones (https://www.waterstones.com/) group.

 

Kieron's offered books were:

- for Georgia: "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles (https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/A-Gentleman-in-Moscow-by-Amor-Towles/9780099558781) 

- for Ian: "Tokyo Express" by Seicho Matsumoto (https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Tokyo-Express-by-Seicho-Matsumoto-author-Jesse-Kirkwood-translator/9780241439081)

 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Kieron Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieron/

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal   

RetailCraft45 - ”Consumer moments” - in conversation with Ntola Obazee (Emma Bridgewater) and Raine Peak (New Look)

Ntola and Raine joined Georgia and me in the studio and reminded us just why a roundtable discussion is so much fun and enlightening!

Raine - the head of digital at New Look (www.newlook.com) - talks us through how to connects with the 'moments' in customers' lives, and of course the planning, data, heuristics and approaches needed to deliver that at scale. We hear about her experiences ranging from luxury and digital (Farfetch) to high street (Arcadia), fast-moving digital (Boohoo.com) to more 'considered' retailers.

Ntola - trading director at Emma Bridgewater - picks up on the themes of data, customer focus and engaging the consumer and discusses how the pottery-and-homeware brand is embracing digital.

Ntola is a podcast host too, and creator of the Trailblazers Experience podcast that you can get on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trailblazers-experience-podcast/id1674539126?app=podcast 

 

--  Run time: 44 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

NewLook is at www.newlook.com

Emma Bridgewater is www.emmabridgewater.co.uk 

Ntola's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trailblazers-experience-podcast/id1674539126?app=podcast 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Raine Peak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raine-peake-19954a11/ 

Ntola Obazee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ntolaobazee/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal   

RetailCraft 44 - ”Find a fix for time” - in conversation with Paddy Earnshaw, Customer and Digital Director at B&Q

Paddy joined us in the studio with "time" clearly on his mind. Throughout our zinger-filled, high-protein chat, Paddy returned to the theme of "if you find a fix for time, you'll see the sales".

B&Q is the £4bn-ish turnover DIY retailer that is now part of the Kingfisher PLC group (which also includes in its portfolio the trade-focused Screwfix, plus Castorama and Brico Depot in France and Koctas in Turkey.

During our conversation it was clear that Paddy's broad experience (financial services, department stores, logistics and final mile) has created an omnivorous approach to references and models. A synthesis of this is his contention that "to remain as #1, you have to think like you're #2". Seeking ideas from across the D2C realm, he's "receptive to what's good in the space" and looks at others' capability with 'envy and with pride' - taking the best of ideas and applying them to what B&Q already does well.

Listening to the recording, it's noticeable how frequently the ideas of "time" and convenience appear as a central theme. As their trade-only Tradepoint service has shown, "time is money", but the service also needs to be tailored to the consumer. We talk about just-in-time trade deliveries, and Paddy notes drily that "you can't deliver a fence post on the back of a moped".

Paddy's focus on time and efficiency is all in service of an emotional bond with the customer and products. Noting that in DIY customers seek "to improve their homes so that they can build their lives", we talk about layering emotion into the sales process while simultaneously making that service zippy and on-trend.

A high-speed (of course!) tour de force of insight.

--  Run time: 47 minutes

 

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

B&Q is at DIY.com: https://www.diy.com/

Kingfisher PLC information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_plc 

 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Paddy Earnshaw: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paddy-earnshaw-aa84882/

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal   

RetailCraft 43 - ”Marketing Machine” - In conversation with Tony Preedy, Managing Director at Fruugo.com, on the topic of globalised, localised commerce.

Tony Preedy is a bit of a legend at Etail Towers and has one of the most rounded and in-depth knowledge of e-commerce performance (brand, digital marketing, CRM and business models) that we know. Having run through Tony's CV, we focus on Fruugo - its history, operation and market position. With a blend of incisive wit and deadpan humour, Tony talks about the importance of relevance and focus at scale ("We're not a marketplace, we're a very good marketing machine"), and how a combination of AI and human care can present 140 million SKUs in 40 markets - a combinatorial challenge resulting in c6billion combinations, and serving around 1800 different ads per second. An insight from Tony is the focus on ROAS (return on advertising spend). The bid model takes price, propensity and margin to determine whether or not to bid and if so at what level. This 'anticipation' and planning means that all transactions are profitable and there's no anxiety over CPC spend rising to unprofitable levels. Tony doffs a digital cap to Claude Hopkins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_C._Hopkins), author a century ago of "Scientific Advertising", who emphasised the importance of copywriting for relevance (and whose book was seen in the background of several Mad Men episodes!).  Amongst many 'zingers' and insights, a further point of note was that 80+% of traffic comes to a product description page (PDP) - the lowest level of a site's hierarchy. Rather than being seen after a brand-first browsing and filtering journey, Tony's customers land straight at the 'here it is, buy it' level, and these pages have to carry the whole brand, product and service story. He mentions the importance of the on-page "carousels" of products to increase the number of products shown, fish for opportunity and how these carousels (rather than navigation or on-site search) then drive the browse journey.   So many more things covered in our 40 minutes in the studio, and we'll update the InternetRetailing.net page with the full transcript. --  Run time: 47 minutes INFORMATION: [ 🖥️ ] Free digital copy of Scientific Advertising - https://scientificadvertising.blogspot.com/ Fruugo - https://www.fruugo.co.uk/  Fruugo awarded King's Award for Enterprise - https://channelx.world/2023/04/kings-award-for-enterprise-fruugo-marketplace/  Tony in conversation with Chris Dawson on international selling (video interview) - https://channelx.world/2023/09/introducing-specialist-retailers-to-the-international-stage/    [ 👨‍👧 ] Tony Preedy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonypreedy/  Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/  Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal    [ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal   

RetailCraft 42 - ”Details Matter” - retail and the arts - Ros Lawler and Zia Zareem-Slade

Some 'summer listening' in this episode, where we take as our theme "retailers and the arts". There's a long and illustrious history of retail professionals swapping the stores for galleries, but with our current digital dimension there's still a consumer/customer/visitor/individual connection.

In the studio today we have Ros Lawler, COO of the National Portrait Gallery, fresh from a multi-year reworking of the space, the interpretation and the visitor facilities. Widely hailed as a triumph, Ros reflects on an extremely varied career that spans music, publishing, retail and the arts - all, however with a distinctly digital and transformational flavour.

Zia's retail career has been customer-focused and digital since her time in retail, consulting, then Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason. Moving to the high end of the arts market at Hauser and Wirth, as well as engaging with an inspiring and stimulating arts group in Peckham, London (Bold Tendencies) we hear of the consistent threads throughout retail and the arts - the focus on the consumer's experience and the integrity of the product.

 

-- 

Run time: 40 minutes

INFORMATION:

[ 🖥️ ]

National Portrait Gallery: https://www.npg.org.uk/

Bold Tendencies: https://boldtendencies.com/ 

Ros' previous visit to our studio while at Crabtree & Evelyn: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retailcraft-08-hands-made-conversation-with-made-com/id1418542382?i=1000431732461 

 

[ 👨‍👧 ]

Ros Lawler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roslawler/ 

Zia Zareem-Slade: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziazareemslade/ 

Georgia Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajones1/ 

Ian Jindal: www.linkedin.com/in/ianjindal/   and www.twitter.com/ianjindal 

 

[ 📷 ] (c) Ian Jindal / www.instagram.com/ianjindal