Strategic Takeaways from NRF’s Big Show: Day 2
FSW examines strategic insights from day 2 of the National Retail Federation's Big Show conference in New York.
With all the technology vendors on display at events like the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, how do brands know what to choose? How do they know what they need from the latest and greatest tech versus what they feel they need to get ahead?
As we wrote at length in our white paper on content-first retail and the notion of unified commerce last fall, many retail, fashion, and luxury brands suffer from shiny object syndrome when it comes to technology. Approaches like unified commerce and everyone’s favorite buzzword, “AI,” may be popular but may not be right for every brand right now, so we always urge brands to consider the “why” of every technology purchase.
At FSW, we have talked a lot about the role of content strategy in helping brands take a more streamlined approach to decision-making around technology like e-commerce platforms, content management systems, content operations and production tools, and digital asset management tools. Holistic content strategy can help brand teams identify the “why” and “what” of the people, processes, and tools surrounding content that genuinely fulfill the brand's and its consumers' needs. For retail tech, this type of integrated decision-making begets more humanistic, value-based customer experiences and documented, scalable processes, guidelines, and tools for content and data (and even useful things like content governance plans).
These ideas for human-centered content and purposeful technology were a sub-theme of our favorite sessions from day 2 of Retail’s Big Show.
Katie Welch of Rare Beauty talks about mental health and holistic, believable brand storytelling
In a morning fireside chat moderated by Dan Frommer, editor-in-chief of The New Consumer, Katie Welch, CMO of Selena Gomez’s beauty brand Rare Beauty, discussed how the brand uses brand storytelling and content marketing strategy to connect with its Gen Z audience.
Rare Beauty has taken a unique approach to brand building through the emotional appeal of mental health advocacy and real-time customer engagement. This authenticity permeates every aspect of the brand’s business, both internal and external. When asked how she was handling the ongoing crisis of the fires in Los Angeles, Welch emphasized that their focus was on their staff. She noted, “You can’t overcommunicate enough to ensure everyone is okay,” highlighting the value of clear communication, particularly during a crisis.
The role of mental health advocacy runs deep in Rare Beauty’s brand ethos and forms a key platform for engaging meaningfully and authentically with its target Gen Z audience. Welch talked about the impact of the brand’s Mental Health Council in guiding their communications on mental health to ensure that they were recommending trusted resources, a move that, in turn, has bolstered trust with their consumers. Rare Beauty’s mental health initiatives aim to foster more positive conversations around self-acceptance. Inspired by Selena Gomez’s own openness about her own mental health struggles, the brand aims to set a positive example and build real relationships with its consumers, as Welch noted:
We’re not just selling products; we’re creating a platform to make people feel less alone in the world….”
This authentic, emotional approach resonates deeply with their Gen Z audience, whom she described as “demanding and inspirational,” noting their loyalty comes from trust and high product standards.
Regarding content, Welch spoke about the need for brands to be consistent with storytelling across channels and tailoring these stories to the platform so they feel real and relatable. Welch provided a lot of examples of how her team is taking advantage of TikTok Shop and what they are learning from it. She explained, “TikTok Shop works if you can demonstrate your product in a thumb-stopping way.” Also, while keeping up with platforms and content trends is critical, Welch also advised the need for consistency in brand narrative, stating, “Figuring out how to tell your story across channels is key, but the story must always align—if it doesn’t, no one will believe it.” Regardless of the platform, she advised that brands “need to pay attention to attention” while staying true to the brand’s mission and values.
Welch also discussed the advantages of partnering with a global retailer like Sephora for both marketing and brand building. Welch praised Selena Gomez for inspiring the brand’s mission of inner and outer beauty, stating, “As marketers, the important thing is to understand the why and vision of the founders … and what …it mean[s] for how we act and show up….”
Hermès, Sam’s Club, and Domino’s Pizza converse on personalization and customer journeys
Our second favorite session of the day was a panel about personalization and consumer experience. In this session, moderator Giri Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer at Incisiv, spoke with industry leaders from Hermès, Domino’s Pizza, and Sam’s Club.
While these retailers are from seemingly fully disparate spheres of the industry, they share a common view that effective personalization is about creating value-driven, seamless moments for customers. Underscoring the changing role of technology and human connection in personalization strategies, Agarwal noted:
Personalization isn’t just about one thing; it’s about creating zero-click relevance and orchestrating moments that matter.
For non-luxury brands like Domino’s Pizza and Sam’s Club, personalization has its roots in customer convenience and relationship building. “Personalization is no different for customers or staff—it’s about speaking to them in relevant, meaningful ways,” noted Christopher Thomas-Moore, SVP and Chief Digital Officer at Domino’s. He discussed the importance of integrating physical and digital experiences to deliver “micro moments of joy.” Similarly, Greg Pulsifer, SVP of E-Commerce at Sam’s Club, discussed the need for personalization strategies that adapt to consumers at different stages of their buying journey but that it is all about making “members feel heard and understood.” He also added that technologies like their Scan and Go feature unify online and offline experiences seamlessly.
On the luxury side, Ken Feyder, VP and Head of IT for Hermès, took a more attenuated, rarefied view of personalization as deeply rooted in the brand’s vision and provenance and in building deep relationships with its high-end consumers. Hermès’ focus on channel unification ensures customers experience the brand holistically, regardless of how they shop. “Customers don’t see channels, and our personalization efforts must reflect that,” Feyder explained.
In luxury, customer service is everything so sales associates play a pivotal role as the arbiters of localized brand storytelling (a concept that reflects FSW’s own notion of IRL+ or the retail store as a content touchpoint). He talked about an ongoing project at Hermès to give associates access to their own analytics to enhance client relationships and create more customer-centric, tailored experiences that align with Hermès’ brand values.
All three brands agreed they needed to balance technology with the human touch to achieve personalization rights. “It’s not just about digital personalization,” Agarwal noted. When it came to AI, the brands were not surprisingly a little polarized in their enthusiasm for adopting these solutions. Pulsifer noted success in using AI tools for copy, particularly for customer service interactions; whereas. Feyder said any use of AI at Hermès would have to be with “surgical precision” to ensure that the technology closely aligned with the brand’s values. Thomas-Moore rounded up the discussion by noting that personalization is a journey and that brands do not need to try to do everything at once, advising “Start with what you need and build from there.”