Retail Marketing Insights From Asda and Waitrose
Plus tune in to Radio 4 on Thursday!
I asked Martin George, former customer director at Waitrose and commercial director at British Airways, whether customers expect the same experience (frictionless, self-service, personalisation) across different touchpoints. To what extent do customer expectations translate across industries? Hear what he had to say 👇
In the latest Retail Disrupted episode, which is brought to you by The Richmond Retail & Ecommerce Directors' Forum, I’m speaking to Martin and Jessica Cole, former Senior Director Own Brand, Masterbrand, Customer Strategy & Propositions at Asda. We discuss the evolving role of marketing in retail and the importance of always having the customer in the room. We also explore:
🔹 Retail disruption – how has AI impacted retail marketing? How have legacy retailers responded to disruption? Which grocery innovations haven’t stuck?
🔹 Customer centricity – how to embed this in the organization and learnings from other sectors.
🔹 Understanding diverse customer needs and how some low-tech solutions (ie. spending time on the shop floor) can be among the most effective.
🔹 What skills are required of retail marketeers today and how might this evolve in the future?
🔹 Is the CMO role still relevant in retail? Should they have a seat on the board?
🔹 Tesco Clubcard’s 30th anniversary – what is the role of data in retail marketing today and how do you measure success?
Announcements
📣 Jess and Martin will be speaking at the Richmond Retail & E-commerce Directors’ Forum in April. If you’re a retailer and would like to join us, you can reply directly to this email and I’ll get you booked in.
📣 Tune in to BBC Radio 4’s The Bottom Line podcast this Thursday 27/2. You might hear a familiar voice talking shop!
📣 Retail Disrupted now has a permanent home on LinkedIn. Give us a follow!
South African Retail Insights
Nazim Cassim is a retail veteran who served on the Massmart board during the Walmart acquisition. Today, he splits his time between South Africa and Dubai in his current role as CEO of QVWi Retail, MEA. Nazim is also a Founding Member of the Retail Institute of South Africa (RISA), whose mission is to empower the country’s retail workforce through professionalization and training.
I first met Nazim after writing my Walmart book when I had the pleasure of touring South Africa. We kept in touch over the years and Nazim kindly agreed to be my first guest from the Southern Hemisphere! Here’s what we chatted about:
🛒 The Walmart acquisition and why the retailer is doubling down on Africa.
🇿🇦 Why some businesses fail in South Africa.
📦 The broader state of South African retail and what last year’s Amazon launch means for the industry.
📲 Nazim’s views on retail transformation and the critical role of technology in shaping the future of retail.
🔋 QVWi Retail and retailing in the Middle East.
💡 RISA’s mission, what led to its creation, and the importance of investing in skills development to attract the next generation of talent.