endear Archives

Resale Revelation: How Brands Are Tapping Into Secondhand with Bianca Tarantowicz

January 26, 2024November 21, 2023

In a recent podcast episode, I had the pleasure of hosting Bianca Tarantowicz from Recurate, a software-as-a-service company that helps brands enable their resale channel directly on their website. Alongside my co-host Madeleine, we delved into the world of branded resale, discussing its potential and how brands can leverage this growing market.

Meet Bianca, The Director of Brand Success at Recurate

Bianca, the Director of Brand Success at Recurate, is passionate about helping brands onboard and effectively communicate the benefits of branded resale to their customers. She is based in New York, specifically on Long Island, and has a background in competitive ballet dancing, which she believes has shaped her work ethic and who she is today.

The Power of Branded Resale

Bianca shed light on the challenges and excitement of implementing a resale strategy within a brand. She emphasized the importance of involving various departments, such as sustainability, e-commerce, and operations, to maximize the potential of resale. According to Bianca, brands can tap into their inventory and engage with customers by offering quality products at a fair price point.

The Rise of Secondhand Buying

Bianca and Madeleine discussed the growing acceptance of secondhand buying among shoppers and the convenience of online resale platforms. Bianca explained that Recurate ensures the legitimacy of the products before they go live on their platform. She also acknowledged that while there may be some hesitation from luxury brands to engage in resale, technology like digital ID can help authenticate luxury items.

The Impact of Fast Fashion

The conversation also touched on the concept of fast fashion, which refers to quickly produced, low-cost, and low-quality clothing that follows trends. Bianca explained that fast fashion poses challenges for resale due to its short lifespan and lower quality.

The Future of Innovation in the Sales Space

Bianca highlighted the concept of digital ID and the ability for consumers to track the lifecycle of their products as the future of innovation in the sales space. She also mentioned the potential for advancements in cleaning and repair technology, as well as the growth of peer-to-peer services and community-based collaborations.

The Success of Mansur Gavriel and the Dream of Landing Cult Gaia

Bianca mentioned the success of Mansur Gavriel, a handbag company that has embraced timelessness and authenticity in their products. She also revealed her “white whale,” or the brand she would love to land for Recurate, as Cult Gaia, a brand known for their funky and fun handbags.

The Benefits of a “Takeback” Program

Brent asked Bianca about a “takeback” program, where customers can trade in their pre-loved items for a gift card, and the brand can resell those items. Bianca explained how this program works and the benefits it offers.

Final Thoughts

In closing, Bianca emphasized the importance of brands embracing the resale market and the potential it holds for the future of retail. She encourages brands to consider the benefits of resale, not only for their bottom line but also for the environment and their customers.

In the world of retail, the future is resale, and brands that embrace this trend will be at the forefront of the industry.

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The Art of Clienteling: Building Customer Loyalty with Casey Drake

January 29, 2024October 24, 2023

Hello everyone. Brent, again, and today, I’m excited to share a special episode of our podcast with you. This episode features a fascinating discussion with Madeleine Anderson and Casey Drake from Endear. We discuss clienteling, its evolution, and its importance in retail sales. We also touch on the role of associates in clienteling and the impact of COVID-19 on loyalty and customer engagement.

The Art of Clienteling

Casey Drake, VP of Sales at Endear, is not just a sales expert but also a passionate entertainer. She runs a YouTube channel where she tries to make people laugh and be interested in her content. I must admit, her style of humor is quite different from mine, which tends to make people want to leave. But let’s get back to the topic at hand – clienteling.

Casey explains that clienteling is proactive sales outbound activity in retail. It’s all about ensuring that customers have an exceptional experience, love their products, and are informed about new products and different ways to purchase them. In essence, it’s retail’s fancy word for sales.

The Evolution of Clienteling

We then moved on to discuss how clienteling has evolved over time. Casey references the show “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and explains that clienteling originated from the cutthroat world of retail sales in the 50s and 60s. Salespeople relied on their contacts and provided personalized service to customers. We also reminisced about an episode of “Gilmore Girls” that showcases the high level of attention and service provided to customers in the past.

The Role of Associates in Clienteling

Casey highlighted the significance of associates in Clienteling. She emphasized that when customers enter a store, the first person they encounter is an associate, and that person becomes the face of the brand for the customer. Customers’ loyalty and attachment towards a brand are often influenced by their interactions with these associates. Casey gave an example of a client who prefers shopping at Lululemon because of her attachment to a specific associate, even though Alo Yoga offers a better product at a better price.

Clienteling in High-End vs. Mass-Market Brands

Madeleine Anderson then asked about the difference in clientele between high-end brands like Diane von Furstenberg and mass-market brands like Target. Casey explained that bigger department stores still focus on clienteling, mainly because of their commission-driven sales approach. However, she believes that smaller brands can compete by adopting new technologies and providing a higher level of service. She also mentioned that the success of clients’ telling lies in the hands of the designers who can put passionate associates in their stores and maintain communication with customers.

The Challenges of Scaling Customer Service in Retail

The conversation shifted to the challenges of scaling customer service in retail. Casey suggested that retail needs to reset its approach to incentivizing associates and customers. She also emphasized the importance of personal messaging in clienteling. For instance, marketing for events at a store can be considered retail marketing, and messages should come from the store and be written in a conversational tone. Two-way communication and the ability for customers to reply to messages are also crucial.

Personal Experiences with Being Clientele

Casey shared that he has never been personally clientele by anyone, but he has successfully influenced others to become clientele of certain brands. He mentioned that he is a target shopper and not a big spender on clothes, but he still loves the brands they work with.

The “Great White Buffalo” Brand

Casey shared his “great white buffalo” brand, Farideh, a men’s brand that he admires. He talked about the founders and their cool factor. Madeleine joked about calling it a “white bison” in North Dakota.

Advice for Retailers

As we concluded our discussion, I asked Casey for advice on how retailers can improve their client-telling efforts. Casey emphasized the importance of data and tracking, as well as incentivizing associates and customers.

Upcoming Webinar and YouTube Channel

Casey announced a webinar they will be hosting on Wednesday at 2 pm Eastern Time. The webinar will feature Shopify and Psycho Bunny, discussing Psycho Bunny’s story of getting set up within Shopify. Casey also encouraged listeners to follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel, Casey from Endear, for great content. Madeleine added that the webinar will be available on their website even after Wednesday, October 25th, and Casey mentioned that he will also upload it to his YouTube channel.

Wrapping Up

Casey asked me about my favorite memory from the podcast’s 200 episodes as we wrapped up the episode. I mentioned that I don’t have one specific favorite memory but enjoy learning something new from each episode. I see the podcast as a learning activity and hope listeners can take away actionable insights from each episode.

Casey congratulated me on reaching 200 episodes, and I mentioned that the episode would be released the next day. I joked about having extra time to edit because I am in Hawaii.

I hope you found this episode as informative and engaging as I did. Stay tuned for more insightful discussions in our upcoming episodes.

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A Deep Dive into Growth, Partnerships, and Staying Connected with Customers: A Conversation with Jason Sidana and Madeleine Anderson

January 29, 2024September 27, 2023

Hello everyone, I’m excited to share with you a fascinating conversation I had with two exceptional guests, Jason Sidana, Chief Growth Officer at Maxburst, and Madeleine Anderson, Partner Manager at Endear.

Meet the Guests

Jason Sidana is a man of many hats at Maxburst, a web design and development agency. He juggles sales, marketing, and project management while focusing on the company’s growth and helping clients achieve their growth goals. Jason’s passion for business is evident, and he enjoys delving into operational and management books.

On the other side, we have Madeleine Anderson, who is based in Fargo, North Dakota. As the Partner Manager at Endear, a CRM and clienteling tool for retail brands, she handles co-marketing activities, lead generation, and events with partners. Madeleine is also passionate about triathlons, which adds an interesting twist to her personality.

Jason’s Journey into the Industry

Jason’s journey into the industry is rooted in his family’s footwear and apparel stores. This exposure sparked his interest in retail, leading him to build a custom POS system and expand into wholesale and various sales channels. This entrepreneurial journey eventually led him to start his own agency, which later merged with Maxburst.

Maxburst’s Holistic Approach to Client Growth

At Maxburst, Jason and his team take a holistic approach when working with clients. They delve into the granular details of the business’s operations, including logistics and staff management. This comprehensive understanding of the client’s business allows them to identify areas for improvement.

The Power of Partnerships

Jason emphasizes the importance of partnerships when building a tech stack for clients. He believes that it’s impossible to do everything on your own and that finding good partners in the ecosystem is crucial. By collaborating with experts in specific areas, such as CRM or middleware integration, they can provide comprehensive solutions to their clients.

Leveraging Sales Staff as a Marketing Tool

Jason shares an interesting insight about using sales staff as a marketing tool. He realized that there was downtime during lunch hours and late evenings when the sales staff could engage with customers and potentially increase sales. This benefited the sales staff by earning them extra commission, creating a seamless customer experience, and improving overall satisfaction.

The Importance of Merging Retail and E-commerce

Madeleine adds to the discussion by highlighting the importance of merging retail and e-commerce. She explains that in the past, retail was seen as a stepping stone towards e-commerce, but post-COVID, retail has become crucial for quick and convenient product access. The omnichannel concept has gained significance, emphasizing the need for businesses to have a cohesive presence across multiple sales channels, including retail, online, and marketplaces.

Staying Connected to the Customer

Jason discusses the concept of companies losing their soul as they grow larger. He shares his personal experience of staying connected to the end consumer by working as a salesman in his family business. By doing so, he gained valuable insights into customer trends, preferences, and needs, which helped him make better decisions regarding purchasing and customer experience.

Wrapping Up

As we wrapped up our conversation, Jason offered his sneakers and website development services. Madeleine expressed her gratitude for being part of the podcast. This conversation was a treasure trove of insights and lessons, emphasizing the importance of partnerships, understanding the customer, and staying connected to the customer as a business grows.

For more podcasts about Customer Experience