EP 283: Hershey Perfects Experiential Retail

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Retail theater transforms the store to a stage, and that’s 130-year-old Hershey’s sweet spot. The iconic confectioner is quietly becoming one of the more sophisticated retail operators in the industry. Join Shelley and Stephanie Berman, Vice President of Retail for The Hershey Company, as they reveal how Hershey has rebuilt its entire retail practice around the balance between emotional equity and the disciplined science of motivating consumers to engage and buy. Learn how Hershey uses 3D modeling, virtual reality showrooms, AI-powered planograms, and performance data as a proving ground for new stores and redesigns. Stephanie shares how Hershey studies consumer social media behavior to identify real-time signals to inform product development, merchandising decisions, and promotional timing. The most important takeaway from this conversation may be the simplest: The brands that win in the attention economy are not the ones with the most products but rather they're the ones that show up at the right moments, in the right locations, with the right story. Hershey’s unique partnerships with the NCAA, Olympics, America 250 and acquisition strategy of brands like Dots and Lesser Evil keep the company relevant and popular with this generation of consumers.Special Guest: Stephanie Berman, VP of Retail for The Hershey CompanyFor more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.