In this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Scott Greenberg, an acclaimed keynote speaker, renowned for his insightful understanding of people dynamics, and an accomplished author. Scott's insights not only shed light on the intricacies of managerial roles within businesses but also offer actionable takeaways for those navigating the dynamic world of retail. The three discuss the influence of diverse personality types on retail environments, the nuances of generational disparities in the workplace, and much more.

On this episode of The Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Linda Wakim, a very special guest and someone they know very well. Linda Wakim, VP of Pre-Sales and Client Sucess at Birdzi has vast knowledge in all things retail . The three discuss Linda’s pathway through the technology in the retail industry from Giant Eagle to Birdzi, her love of analytics, how she uses her experience to help retailers get the most out of their data, and much more!

In the latest installment of The Retail Perch, your hosts Gary and, filling in for Shekar, co host Stephanie, have the pleasure of welcoming a Chris Kocek. Chris, the author of "Any Insights Yet?" and the visionary Founder & CEO of Gallant Branding, takes us on an intriguing journey through his transition from the world of advertising to the realm of strategy. Join us as Chris delves into the art of defining insights, explores the impact of AI tools on this crucial facet, and covers a myriad of other thought-provoking topics.

This week on the Retail Perch, Gary Hawkins and Shekar Raman are joined by the remarkable Tom Burgess, a true polymath who divides his time between pioneering new ventures and sailing the open seas. Tom boasts a distinguished track record as the founder of four companies, and he currently holds the esteemed position of President at Snipp Interactive. Join us as Shekar, Gary, and Tom engage in a captivating conversation spanning topics such as payments data integration, the synergy between banking and retail data for shoppers, Tom's adventures sailing across the globe, and a myriad of other intriguing subjects.

On this very special episode, Gary and Shekar welcome Paul V. McEnroe, author of THE BARCODE: How a Team Created One of the World's Most Ubiquitous Technologies and a retail pioneer. The inventor of the barcode joins The Retail Perch for a riveting discussion. Paul explains his story in Ohio and his path to creating such an important part of our daily lives. They discuss his journey, the introduction of the barcode to the retail industry in the 1980s, and much more.

Do not miss this episode with Shekar, Gary, Andrew Duffy, and Jake Sky Levin, co-founders of SparkPlug. SparkPlug is a sales incentive software built for retailers and brands to engage frontline teams to hit sales goals while increasing employee engagement. Andrew and Jake explain their interesting career path from hedge funds to tea companies to the retail industry. Also covered in this episode are Sparkplug’s onboarding process, their most recent accomplishments, and much more.

This week, Gary and Shekar are joined by Raz Golan co-founder of Shopic, a company that has transformed the shopping experience to another level. Shopic seamlessly integrates online stores with physical retail stores, enabling businesses to manage inventory, sales, and customer interactions in one unified system. It offers a streamlined shopping experience for both online and in-store customers, fostering efficient and effective retail operations. Shopic has developed an artificial intelligence based device called Smart Cart that attaches to a shopping cart. With cutting edge technology can detect when shoppers remove and add items to their cart acting as a self checkout. Raz discusses his background and the brainstorm that led to the creation of Smart Carts. Gary, Shekar, and Raz talk about the inspiration behind Shopic, the process of onboarding a retailer, and much more.

On this episode of the Retail Perch, Gary and Shekar welcome Max Koziolek who has come a long way from politics to making a marketing platform. Max Koziolek is the co-founder of Spectrm, a conversational marketing platform that powers chatbots for a wide range of companies. Max shares his run in a national election in Germany, his interest in journalism and how that transformed into his current focus of helping marketing teams build trust, and provide success to brands. The three discuss marketing, the rise of marketing on WhatsApp, and much more!

In this week’s episode, Shekar and Gary interview Justin Chen, co-founder of PickFu, a company that provides a self-service way to get in-depth consumer feedback be it for businesses, authors, game designers, and more. Their instant polling services allow you to get feedback on anything from logos to business ideas from your chosen target audience in minutes. Justin explains how this whole project began, how Pickfu can be used in the retail industry, how the surveys work, and much more.

On this week's The Retail Perch, Gary, and Shekar welcome a fascinating, virtual guest, that knows a lot about...well everything. The three of them discuss marketing personalization in retail, the podcast, and the future of AI in the retail industry.