Retail Transformation Show with Oliver Banks

After the energy and excitement of Shoptalk Europe 2023, Oliver Banks catches up with the event's Content Director, Ben Miller. Together, they pull out key moments and connect the dots between key trends and themes from across 35 hours of on-stage content, including data, technology, retail media and transformation. Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show podcast and hear:Tactics and approaches that the largest retailers are approaching their data strategy.How businesses are transforming through retail media networks.How aspects like convenience are shifting specific categories.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/241

Marketplaces have been a key trend for retailers and brands to tackle a number of business challenges. Join Oliver Banks and delve into the dynamic realm of retail marketplaces. Demystify the key mechanics and their potential for transforming your business, whilst being aware of the challenges you might face along the way. Whether you're considering opening your own marketplace or looking to selling on other marketplaces, this episode is designed to guide you. Explore the complexities, identify the key benefits and consider future trends in the marketplace landscape. Tune in and discover how marketplaces could be a game-changer for your retail strategy.Listen to this episode to hear:Decipher the strategic potential of different marketplace models.Learn about the complexities and challenges essential for operating a successful marketplace.Gain foresight on the future trajectory of retail marketplaces and platform models.The full show notes are at www.obandco.uk/240.

Step into the world of preparing an organisation for retail transformation in this engaging conversation with Brandon Rael, a seasoned retail transformation consultant. In this episode, we delve into the essential aspects of getting a retail business primed for transformation, the pitfalls of neglecting this critical phase, and the steps necessary for establishing a solid foundation for change. However, with the typical urgency, this preparation is often difficult to squeeze in. Unravel the complexities of preparing a retail organisation for successful change. In this episode, you'll discover:The essence of "getting the organisation ready" for transformation and why it's pivotal.The potential consequences of neglecting preparation for transformation - and the symptoms to look out for.The key steps to take if your organisation isn't quite ready for transformation yet - and how to balance with the demand for urgency.Find the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/239.

During Shoptalk Europe 2023 in Barcelona, industry leaders converged to explore the key themes shaping the retail landscape - both directly on stage and indirectly in conversation or based on repetitive themes. The event threw a spotlight on the value of a test-and-learn approach, the growing impact of Gen Z, the questionable relevance of the metaverse, the potential of AI, and the ever-present complexity of retail transformation. Join Oliver Banks in this episode as he unpacks these themes, offering a critical reflection on the dynamic retail landscape and how these evolving trends could influence your business strategy and instigate transformative change. Listen to this episode to:Explore the value of a test-and-learn approach and understand why this mindset is more crucial than ever in the dynamic retail sector.Delve into the world of Gen Z and consider the potential pitfalls of treating this demographic as a homogenous group.Dive deeper into the two buzzwords that have dominated recent retail conversations: the Metaverse and AI. Learn how you can effectively monitor and leverage these technologies for your business.Discover the factors that lead to the enduring complexity of retail transformation. And find out how you can get involved in a way to change this. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/238.

Dive into the complexities and challenges of retail transformation with Oliver Banks as he shares exciting news about his upcoming book. In this episode, he touches on 4 elements covered in the book, including the importance of understanding current business challenges, finding the right solutions, managing personal development and mindset, and how to live in uncertainty. More news about the book, Driving Retail Transformation, will available soon, including the pre-order links. In this episode, you'll discover:Why you need to critically assess your business and understand the catalyst for change.What is the biggest challenge facing many retail individuals right now.Which part Oliver has been 'geeking out' on as he's dived into the research.How you can find out more about Oliver's upcoming book and how to get involved.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/237.

Discover the fascinating interplay between today's decisions and their potential future consequences in this thought-provoking episode. Inspired by Mary Portas at the Retail Technology Show 2023, join Oliver Banks and consider how our actions and innovations can give rise to unintended negative effects. Plus explore how to identify and avoid creating future regrets. Delve into a selection of past, present and future examples, and learn the importance of selflessness and collaboration in overcoming present-day challenges. Listen to this episode and discover:Macro, micro and personal examples where we see the consequences of short-term thinking. A comprehensive framework to help you evaluate potential regrets and adapt your strategies.Potential examples of how today's innovations and transformations could quickly unravel to become our future regrets.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/236.

Explore the world of profit warnings and their implications for retail businesses in this intriguing episode of the Retail Transformation Show. Join this conversation with Trevellyan Collier, Partner at EY, and you'll delve into the intricacies of profit warnings and their impact on transformation initiatives and approaches. Gain valuable insights on profit warnings based on EY's Profit Warning Report and learn how to adapt your retail transformation strategy accordingly.Listen to this podcast episode to hear:How a business should change in the face of profit warnings - and if it is too late for transformation.How transformation has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.If "turning the tanker" is the right analogy or mindset for modern transformation.The full show notes are at www.obandco.uk/235.

Dive into the rapidly evolving world of social commerce and dissect the fascinating fusion of social media and online shopping that's changing the retail game. Social commerce is growing, especially with younger demographics who are embracing it more than ever. So leveraging social media platforms can lead to unprecedented opportunities for retailers. Understanding the role of social commerce in your overall retail strategy becomes increasingly important. Join Oliver Banks and learn how to excel in social commerce by tapping into its potential and addressing the challenges it presents. Listen to this podcast episode to hear:The growing opportunities social commerce presents for retailersHow video content and customer communities help drive audience and customer engagement. Why recommendations present a massive opportunity for social commerce. Key considerations for integrating social commerce into your retail strategyShow notes are at www.obandco.uk/234.

Social commerce has exploded into the retail landscape and was powered up throughout the pandemic. In this episode, discover the potential of social commerce in transforming your retail business. Join Oliver Banks and explore the evolution of social media and the commercial opportunities it now presents. Social commerce is an evolving trend that can engage customers and set you apart from the competition. Listen to this episode to hear:How social commerce differs from other retail channels. The impact of Meta's social commerce strategy. Insights from the success of social commerce in China and how that differs in other countries.How to keep pace with the rapidly changing social media and social commerce space. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/233.

Retail transformation initiatives require comprehensive business cases to evaluate costs, benefits, and risks. Often overlooked or hidden costs can significantly impact project outcomes and viability. But ignoring these costs may lead to poor decision-making and governance, hindering the company's strategy. In this episode, Oliver Banks uncovers 3 of the most common hidden costs and how you can counter these.Listen to this podcast episode to hear:Why hidden costs could be lurking in your transformation.How you can estimate or quantify hard-to-calculate costs.3 of the most commonly overlooked or forgotten costs.Find the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/232.

New technologies can help unlock and solve some of the biggest challenges for retailers. However, they also create new issues too. Oliver Banks continues to dive into some of the challenges for physical stores and how retail technology is helping overcome those. From robotics to facial recognition, and from apps to electronic shelf edge labels - there are many options to consider. Listen to this episode to discover:How retail technology in store can help make omnichannel more seamless.Solutions to drive efficiency and store productivity improvements. What's a key challenge presented by these retail technologies. The show notes are at www.obandco.uk/231.

Retail technology is revolutionising the way consumers shop in-store and can help solve long-standing challenges. From gathering data on in-store shopping behaviour to frictionless checkout experiences, retailers are finding new ways to enhance the customer journey and improve their bottom line. Join Oliver Banks and delve into the world of retail tech and the impact it's having on solving in-store challenges. Tune into this episode of the Retail Transformation Show and discover:How retailers can gather rich shopping behaviour, like ecommerce has.Crucial questions to consider for your omnichannel strategy. Why you need to start assessing the frictions and rewards in your customer experience. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/230.

Are you ready to shake things up? Dive into the world of disruptive transformation and explore how companies can revolutionise their industries with fundamental shifts that rewrite the rules. In this episode, we'll take a closer look at examples from in and out of the retail industry. Discover how companies are capturing new revenue streams, gaining competitive advantage, and building resilience by disrupting the status quo. Also, discover what you need to succeed with this approach and the risks and pitfalls to watch out for. Get ready to transform your thinking and unlock new opportunities in your industry. Listen to this episode of the podcast to:Discover how disruptive transformation can drive growth and profitability for your business.Learn about the strategies and risks to implementing a successful disruptive transformation.Hear real-life examples of disruptive transformation in retail and gain insights to apply to your own business.Find the show notes at www.obandco.uk/229.

Consumers continue to evolve and priorities change. Capgemini's recent research discovers how 11,000 people from many different countries feel and where their priorities lie. In this episode, hear from Capgemini's Global Retail Lead, Lindsey Mazza, about what customers want in the current market and what retailers can do to meet this demand. Listen now to hear:Valuable insights into the current state of retail, including the challenges and opportunities facing consumers and businesses in 2023. Why cost reduction and operational efficiency are critical - and why it doesn't work in the same way as past cost-cutting efforts. How to leverage data to understand your customers and create more targeted marketing strategies.Access the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/228.

As the retail market continues to evolve, it's critical to think more about ecosystems, specifically from the customer's point of view. In this episode, discover what an ecosystem is and great examples of retailers that are using this approach. Podcast host Oliver Banks explores how you can define and design your owned ecosystem, your relationship ecosystem and how you can look to expand your ecosystem, including following high margin opportunities. Listen to this episode and discover:Examples of the different aspects of your customer ecosystem.Key considerations when designing your customer ecosystem.What is essential to bring your ecosystem into reality.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/227. 

Transformations, and the journey of change, are dependent on predictions and forecasts on multiple fronts. How will the market evolve? What are the benefits? When will it deliver? And many other considerations. But all of these are subject to an element of chance. In the uncertain world that we live in, it's crucial to start considering how likely it is that the various forecasts in your transformation come to pass. Or not. Join Oliver Banks and discover how you can consider chance and probability in your transformation programme. Listen to this podcast episode to discover:Areas of your transformation that are subject to chance.How you can start considering likelihood. And what you can do to improve the probabilities of your predictions.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/226. 

Ranging and curation have always been key skills for retailers. But with the rise in ecommerce, the biggest range is not always the best. And curation can be a critical skill that transforms how your customer sees you and your brand. And fast fashion retailers are reinventing the whole product innovation space to drastically accelerate time to market and growth. To uncover how ranging, curation and new product development can drive your business, Oliver welcomes experienced merchant, Liza Amlani, to share more. In this episode, you'll hear:The single most important metric for range success.How ultra-fast fashion retailers have been able to transform their ways of working.What limits the extent to which customer feedback is used. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/225.

AI provides major opportunities for retailers as well as threats. But there are big misconceptions or misunderstandings to watch out for. In this episode, join Oliver Banks to explore 10 crucial considerations about AI in retail. Learn new ways to consider AI, bust open a major myth, and discover which AI use case could disrupt retail most. Listen to this episode of the podcast to hear:Why we are likely to be wrong about AI's impact on retail in 2023.How you can reframe AI to think of loads of positive use cases.Which AI use case will provide the biggest impact to the retail industry.The show notes are at www.obandco.uk/224.

The progress in AI development has become highly visible in 2023, largely due to ChatGPT. There is a lot of potential for AI in business, and more specifically in retail. So in this episode, Oliver Banks speaks with an AI expert to understand what the future of retail is and what part AI and humans play in it. Listen in to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show to hear:The role AI plays in the future of retail across different categories and segments.Where AI is currently being used and where it could be used. What's the one big topic that isn't really being explored right now?The show notes are at www.obandco.uk/223. 

We negotiate more than we realise and it's an essential skill as you progress through your transformation. But many of us aren't trained or confident to negotiate. Therefore, mistakes get made, and the best solution is never reached. To help share tips and tactics, this episode welcomes negotiation enthusiast Rosie Bailey, CEO at Nibble - the negotiating chatbot. Rosie shares her expertise and plenty of tips and tactics to get win-win results in negotiations you enter into every day.Listen to this podcast episode to hear:What preparation you must do ahead of a negotiation.How to approach your negotiation to maximise chances of success.How to overcome confidence challenges when it comes to negotiating.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/222.

Trials are an essential part of many transformation initiatives to build confidence in the idea and develop the solution before deploying a major change. However, there are many different aspects that feed into making a trial a success. In this episode, join Oliver Banks and discover how you and your organisation can set your trials up for success. Also, explore how to manage and review your trials, so they deliver what you need from them.Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show and discover:When and why many trials run into issues.What you can do to avoid your trial failing.How to plan, execute and review a trial or test.Show notes at www.obandco.uk/221.

Do you have complete confidence your transformation will work? Probably not, so a trial will be a useful tool to help prove that the solution is viable and improve it further. But there are many types of trial, including tests, experiments, pilots, demonstrations, proof of concepts, beta trials and more. Oliver Banks explores the different types of trials and how you can deliver the goals of your trial. Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show to discover:The different types of trials and how all of the terminologies differ. The five main reasons for running a trial - and how to help deliver this. What can we learn from criminal trials and apply in a transformation setting? Show notes at www.obandco.uk/220. 

As 2023 starts, the retail industry faces several ongoing challenges. And following a tough peak trading period, there will be little room for error. Meanwhile, there are also many opportunities to explore through the year. In this episode, Oliver Banks explores 7 different trends and themes for the year ahead. Listen now to understand how these trends will impact you and your change programme for the year ahead. Listen to this episode to discover:What are the 7 core trends to look out for in 2023. How the current inflation conditions will impact the retail market.Which channel shifts should you be keeping an eye on. The additional considerations to include if approaching a cost cutting programme.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/219.

2022 has been set against a backdrop of an increasing challenge of rising costs and inflation. And consumers face a cost of living crisis. Never-the-less, the retail market continues to evolve and there have been a number of initiatives this year. From expansive metaverse initiatives through to various tactics to shift the channel mix. 2022 has been tough and eventful in many ways. So join Oliver Banks and reflect on key trends from 2022 and what we can expect going forward. Listen to this podcast episode to hear:Who has pulled out of several major initiatives in 2022 - and is that a good thing?Which retailer is taking on perhaps the most audacious fundamental transformation? And what 2022 tells us to look out for in 2023. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/218.

Gossip and rumours about the latest change initiative has the power to derail any transformation. It wastes time. It divides opinion and direction. And it means that fact and fiction gets quickly muddled and confused. In this episode, Oliver Banks explores why you need to tackle the "rumour mill" for your transformation and what to do about it. Listen to this episode to hear:How gossip, hearsay and rumours can push your transformation off course.Why rumours are created in the first placeAnd how they develop and evolve by themselves.6 ways you can tackle the rumour mill in your transformation.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/217. 

2022 has been another disruptive year for retail. In particular, the Ukraine war has led to a global cost of living crisis along with many other challenges. A perfect representation of the interlinking, connected, complexity of the world. And the retail industry, or any particular retail company, is no simpler. So it's important to appreciate the complex systems and how we can work within these. In this episode, Oliver Banks explores more about complex systems and why you need to start to think about systems in your world. Listen to the episode to discover:How the events of 2022 have impacted retail. The mistakes that we make when not thinking about the complex nature of the world. And three ways that you can become a better "systems thinker". The full show notes are at www.obandco.uk/216.

Currently, we're seeing a number of acquisitions in the retail market. And as we enter tough periods of trading, it's likely that more companies and brands will be under threat and takeover or acquisition - either as an exit strategy or after an administration or bankruptcy. Mergers and acquisitions offer significant opportunities but also come with risks and threats attached too. So in this episode, Oliver Banks is helping explore the transformation from both the acquirer's and acquiree's perspective to help boost success rates. Listen now to this podcast episode to hear:How the retail market is changing in terms of acquisitions. How can you get set up for success, given this trend.The 5 big acquisition challenges to overcome.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/215.

Advertising and media networks show high growth potential and large margins. And some retailers are quickly expanding into this business opportunity to supplement their classic retail offerings. But is this a feasible strategy for the future? And is it right for all retailers or brands? To explore more, Oliver Banks joins retail thought leader, Ricardo Belmar, to discuss the opportunities and threats of this new business model.Listen to this episode to hear Oliver and Ricardo discuss:What we mean by media networks.The evolution of paid product placement from store to ecommerce, and back.Which big risks you should be aware of before moving to an ad-based business model.And if live streaming will play more of a part in media networks.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/214.

Change management is a critical topic for successful transformation. However, it's often a topic which is confused with project management or just not considered until the later stages when ready to deploy a change. So in this episode, Oliver Banks speaks with change specialist and author, Simon Costigan, about how to deliver effective change.Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show to hear:Why it’s important to recognise the change catalyst that will start the processThe difference between project management and change managementWhy transition is importantThe significance of giving yourself time to think. And the confidence to get it wrong!Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/213.

The pandemic has caused change and acceleration as well as it's challenges too. But as the Retail Transformation Show podcast celebrates it's 4th birthday, we continue our review of golden nuggets from the past year. This golden nugget roundup features clips from expert guests as well as from the host, Oliver Banks. And among the highlights, you'll hear about: omnichannel, quick commerce, checkout free stores, mobile commerce, livestream and video shopping, customer service and much more. Listen now to part 2 of 2 and discover more golden nuggets from the past 12 months.Listen into this episode to discover:Why omnichannel is older than you think, and why that is.Which area of the business should you be investing in, not cutting cost from?How to understand key trends like the metaverse, Q-commerce and more.Plus plenty more golden nuggets from a selection of fantastic episodes and amazing guests that have featured on the show.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/212.

The retail industry is under immense pressure. With threats from several directions, the ability to change and evolve at pace is becoming a core competency. And as the podcast celebrates its 4th birthday, you can learn from the best bits to help you transform. In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from expert guests as well as from the host, Oliver Banks. And these clips cover: vision, communication, alignment, decision-making, mindset, actionable data and much more. Listen now to part 1 (of 2) for the golden nuggets from the past 12 months.Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show podcast and you’ll hear:How to make your data and insight more useful.How to look after yourself as you head into challenging situationsWays of becoming a better decision makerPlus plenty more golden nuggets from a selection of fantastic episodes and amazing guests that have featured on the show.Find the show notes, and references to all of the episodes featured, at www.obandco.uk/211.

There are loads of stresses and strains facing the retail market right now. So a crucial mindset is that of the marginal gains theory. In this episode, Oliver Banks shares 10 ideas to deliver smaller projects which collectively will help drive growth and profitability. These ideas range from ways to increase sales, boost customer experience, save cost and drive positive change. Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show and hear:Why marginal gains can transform a business.The obvious ideas that you might be overlooking or forgetting about. Tips to boost sales and serve customers better. Ways to save cost and improve productivity and efficiency. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/210.

Great communication is essential to land successful transformation. But despite knowing this, many still struggle to communicate clearly, concisely and with conviction. It can be daunting to find the right communications strategy, especially when looking at complex changes and projects. To help understand what we can do to be better communicators, change communications expert, Lucy Eckley joins Oliver Banks. Listen to this episode to discover:Why we struggle with delivering great communication. What great communication looks like.How story and narrative can help boost your communication.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/209.

The retail and hospitality industries continue to face turbulent and challenging times. To help, in September 2022, Rethink Productivity and OB&Co collaborated to host the first Productivity & Transformation event. Rethink's Simon Hedaux and Oliver Banks chaired the day which was attended by top retailers from many categories. And in this episode, you'll be able to explore new talking points inspired by the day. Listen to this podcast episode to discover:Expanding on key topics and ideas that were raised through the day. What the retail industry can learn from basketball and why that's important just now.What can we see that's in store for 2023. Show notes at www.obandco.uk/208.

Two of the major retail changes that have caught attention in 2022 now seem to be faltering. So does this suggest that fundamental change is not the path forward? And if these major shifts are stumbling, what does this mean for the wider industry? In this episode, Oliver Banks explores two particular examples and highlights the common challenges that cause retail transformation initiatives to fail.Listen to this episode and discover:Which are the two major changes that seem to be failing right now.Understand if the challenges are a risk to other initiatives or specific to these changes.And discover the best practice that can help maximise your transformation's success.Show notes at www.obandco.uk/207. 

Smartphones have disrupted physical stores and have enabled customers to check prices and compare products and retailers right from the shop floor. But given these behaviours are now embedded, what are the opportunities to evolve the in store experience through the smartphone. ChargeBox CEO, Ian Hobson, joins Oliver Banks to explore more. Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show podcast to hear:How the smartphone has disrupted physical retail. The challenges of building experiences around the smartphone. The opportunities of supporting customers with smartphones. What's the next iteration of mobile-enabled shopping (and living). Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/206. 

Customer experience drives future loyalty. But understanding what your current customers feel is hard. And market research surveys like NPS (Net Promoter Score) don't give you sufficient information on what's working and what's not. So TruRating's Brian Dennis, a leading CX voice, joins Oliver Banks to explore how you can improve how you listen to what your customers actually think about your experience and operation. Listen to this episode of the Retail Transformation Show podcast to hear:What retailers should be doing to boost their experience. How to determine if your operating model is being delivered in reality. Why you need to understand if customers are satisfied or highly satisfied.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/205.

Discover more about the recent Productivity & Transformation 2022 event, hosted by Oliver Banks in collaboration with Rethink Productivity. In this episode, Oliver shares key talking points from the day. In addition, he also shares 3 takeaways plus what happened when the event lost all electricity. In this episode, you'll hear:Key talking points from the event.Which element provided delight and opportunity.And what happened next when the event lost all power and electricity? Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/204. 

The word transformation can be overused and misunderstood. So join Oliver Banks and explore the origins of transformation to help clarify. Also, you'll hear about 2 major types of change, incremental transformation and fundamental transformation, what these mean and watchouts and considerations for both. Listen to this podcast episode to hear:Exploring the differences between fundamental and incremental transformation.Finding the right mix for you between big transformation and small changes.Watchouts for both big and small changes.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/203.

Livestreaming and shoppable videos are among the fastest growing channels in retail right now. But, bringing content and commerce together in an engaging way for consumers can seem daunting. With people, process and technology considerations, it's important to plan and execute this complex change effectively. In this episode, Jason Holland from Firework, the global experts in shopping video solutions, joins to explain the opportunities in more detail. Listen to this episode to discover:Why shoppable video and livestreaming offer new opportunities.How to get started with creating immersive and entertaining videos.Why your livestream trial may not be representative of long term results.Find the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/202.

With huge volatility and increasing financial challenges, the upcoming Productivity & Transformation event will give insight and ideas about how to proceed. The event is focused around 4 key pillars: Customer, Colleague, Cost and Change. In this episode, Rethink Productivity's Simon Hedaux joins to explore each pillar and share more about the event. Listen to this episode to discover:More about the 4 pillars.Key speakers and more about what to expect at the event.And more about the background of the event.Show notes at www.obandco.uk/201.

To mark the episode 200 milestone, Oliver Banks has been reflecting on what the prior 199 episodes have revealed about the retail industry. He discovered that there have been a series of trends which have existed for years. And they continue to evolve. Learn about the 8 key mega trends or ever trends. Then we'll also think about why they continue to be a focus and consider what the next step is. Listen to this episode to find out: What the 8 ever-trends areWhy those trends have not yet been "completed"And how these theme might expand in the future. Show notes at www.obandco.uk/200.

Store colleagues or associates represent both a major investment and key point of difference. But the role of people in stores had changed significantly in recent times and continues to do so. To help us understand more, Nikki Baird, VP of Strategy for Aptos, joins to explore why it's critical to understand the role of colleagues and how to get the most from your people.Listen to this episode to discover:Which aspects of the role of the store colleague or store associate are changing?The challenges created by these changes which impact store colleagues.As Gen Z becomes a greater proportion of customers and colleagues, how does this further change the role of colleagues?  Find the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/199.

Visual elements are hugely important for retailers and brands. But the signs and symbols that we use are not always considered, especially outside of the marketing functions. To help uncover the opportunities, semiotics expert, Dr Rachel Lawes, joins to explain how you can boost sales and provide a better and more coherent customer and colleague experience too. Listen now and you'll learn:What semiotics is and why it's around us all of the time.How it can squeeze a little extra from your business. Why you might want to think more about simulations. Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/198. 

Retail is full of acronyms and abbreviations. Of course, they are used to simplify and speed up complex language and terminology in the industry as well as company specific lingo. However, they can also lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication. And there seem to be new acronyms coming into use all of the time. Plus they can alienate those that are new to a specific company, role, function - or new to retail as a whole. Oliver Banks welcomes Rethink Productivity's Simon Hedaux to explore and test understanding across an A-Z of retail acronyms. Listen to this episode to: Put yourself to the test with the A to Z acronym challenge. Understand the challenges of using acronyms (and what you must do).Hear more about Productivity & Transformation 2022.Show notes are at www.obandco.uk/197. 

We face a whole string of important decisions to be made, and with increasing frequency as the pace of change and the market developments. So it's important to consider how we make decisions, how we avoid common challenges and what we can learn from the most expert decision-makers in the world. Join Oliver Banks and look outside the retail industry to learn what you can do to become a better decision-maker.Listen to this podcast episode to discover:What are the most common decision-making challenges or blockers?What can you learn from expert decision-makers?Actionable tips to put into practice straight away.The full show notes are at www.obandco.uk/196.

Decisions are everywhere in transformation, in retail and in life. And making good decisions is key to drive success in your transformation. Yet, decision making is a topic that you never really learn. And there is little indication if you are good at it, either. So in this episode, Oliver Banks looks at the anatomy of decision making to help you understand what's going on and where you can improve.Listen to this episode to understand:Examples of the different types of decision that you may need to make.What the decision making process isWhy it's important to still focus after actually making the decision.Show notes at www.obandco.uk/195.

Technology is essential to bring many aspects of the shopping experience into the modern day. But there are many elements to consider. From which technology to choose, to convenience and even around the education of the consumer base. To help understand more, Oliver Banks talks to retail tech expert Christine Russo. Listen to this podcast episode to discover: How retail tech can bring modern shopping opportunities into the physical store.Why customer education is often the missing piece of the puzzle. Which retail technologies are true trends and which are fashionable fads. Show notes at www.obandco.uk/194.  

In the complex and complicated world, both inside and outside of retail, there are numerous, tough challenges to consider and overcome. But one simple approach can help you across the board: writing things down. In this episode, Oliver Banks explores why the seemingly mundane task of documenting and recording ideas and thoughts can be transformational.Listen to this episode now to hear:Why it is important to write up and document ideas and thoughts.And why is this so difficult to do.Plus simple tips and tactics to help you and your teams to document ideas down.Find the full show notes at www.obandco.uk/193.

"The Customer Is Always Right" - perhaps this is the most famous retail quote. But is it true? In this episode, we'll explore some of the widely believed myths and frequently used mottos. In the build up to the inaugural Productivity & Transformation event, Oliver Banks is joined by Rethink Productivity's Simon Hedaux to test and reflect on these phrases. Listen to this episode of the podcast to discover:Why the customer isn't always right. How it's easy to get your KPIs wrong and what that can do for your business. And how you can attend Productivity & Transformation 2022. Full show notes at www.obandco.uk/192.