On this episode of the Reinventing Retail podcast, Infor Retail SVP and GM Corey Tollefson joins Jenny Reese and Josh Calixto to discuss the rise of universal item catalogs, why “coopetition” between retailers is good for business, and what retail executives should be thinking about right now.

The process of managing a product’s lifecycle has come a long way since the days of Excel spreadsheets. Or has it? In this episode of Supply Chain Radio, Stan Pryzbylinski, vice president of research at CIMdata joins Matt Gunn and Jenny Reese to discuss how PLM software has evolved in the world of manufacturing.

To err is human. To keep the global supply chain running, divine. Supply chain risk isn’t limited to black swan events like fires, floods and hurricanes. Many of the challenges businesses face are the result of human factors as well. Whether it’s something caused internally, or big changes to policies and regulations (Brexit, U.S.-China tariffs, etc.), these man-made issues can be just as disruptive as the largest storm.

In this episode of Supply Chain Radio, Matt Gunn and Guy Courtin discuss the human element of disruption, and how businesses are working to keep the supply chain running through unexpected turns of events.

Customers want it fast, they want it free, and they want it cheap. And when the order isn’t quite right, they often want to send it back. Especially in the world of e-commerce. While online shopping has been a boon to brands, retailers, and consumers alike, it also has a dark side: returns.

By some estimates, returns will cost U.S. companies as much as $550 billion by 2020. And perhaps no part of the business will bear the burden more than the supply chain. In this episode of Supply Chain Radio, SEKO Logistics’ Brian Bourke and David Schulhof of Red Hot Penny join Matt Gunn to discuss the rising challenge of returns and the future of reverse logistics.

David Dorf of Infor and Emily Rudin of CrowdTwist join us to discuss why you don’t have to give away margin to encourage customer loyalty. They say brand loyalty is a two-way street, and retailers should reward their most valuable customers with priceless experiences that go way beyond member discounts. Listen now to find out how Infor Loyalty powered by CrowdTwist enables retailers to connect with customers in meaningful ways, with experiences that matter to them. Listen now: 

Has personalization gone too far?

Making the most of customer data can be a difficult proposition. Not only are retailers reluctant to change the ways they use customer data, but many consumers themselves have demonstrated an aversion to any kind of technology that clearly monitors their purchasing activity—even if the purpose of such tracking is to improve the shopping experience. In this episode of Reinventing Retail, we’re joined by Forbes contributor Richard Kestenbaum of Triangle Capital, to discuss the ways data tracking and algorithms can enhance everything from the shopping experience to product design (if we’ll let it). Listen now:

Is your omni-channel strategy killing employee morale?

In this episode, we’re joined by David Hogg, Sr. Principal Consultant for Converged Commerce at Infor, to discuss retail’s evolution from multi-channel to omni-channel. And while customers enjoy omni-channel shopping experiences like BOPIS, AI-powered customer service, and ship-from-store, the role of the retail store associate is getting more and more complicated. To keep up, retailers need to equip those employees with software that makes their jobs easier and more efficient. David’s solution? Converged Commerce. 

If you’ve ever used Facebook, watched an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, or played in a fantasy football league, you’re feeding data into the AI that determines what’s available in your local stores. In this episode, Doug Tiffan joins us to explore how Demand Management powered by machine learning affects retailers and consumers every day (whether they know it or not).

Convenience stores might lack the big-box buzz of larger retailers, but they have their own specific concerns to address as customer expectations continue to evolve. In this episode of Reinventing Retail, Infor’s Jordan Stasi joins us to discuss the future of convenience store retailers. From getting more customers into stores, to streamlining the shopping process, to hiring friendlier employees, we cover the many ways modern technology can improve the C-store customer experience.

In this episode, we’re joined by IHL analysts Kelly Sayre and Jerry Sheldon to discuss the ongoing sensationalism of the so-called death of retail – and why it’s simply not true.