Looped In

In this episode of Looped In: The Retail Re-Engagement Podcast, Ines sits down with Claire Hugill (Atelier Consultancy; ex-Harrods, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, and Global Sales Director of Private Client at Farfetch) — a luxury retail leader with a true 360° view of stores, service, and high-touch sales.Claire shares what she learned scaling VIC programs where ~1% of customers can drive ~30% of sales, why mid-tier customers are the most overlooked growth engine, and how to turn clienteling insights into organization-wide action.We dive into:VIC vs. mid-tier reality: nurturing tomorrow’s top clients and reducing over-reliance on the elite 1%.Voice of the Customer that travels: bringing stylist insights from WhatsApp and shop floors into merchandising, product, and board-level decisions.Close the data loop: unifying e-com, store, and social signals for a single customer view — in real time, not “last week’s report.”Enable the front line: “spoon-fed” customer context and product cues that fit the cadence of an associate’s live conversation.Personalization beyond demographics: cohorting by lifestyle and intent, not just look-alikes.Community as loyalty’s engine: how pop-ups, collabs, and small, genuine touches create retention at scale.KPIs and incentives that help (not hinder): aligning attribution, BOPIS/BORIS, and save-the-sale with how customers actually shop.Risks for 2025: pipeline fragility, trend-chasing new demographics without a strategy, and treating “data” as a project instead of a practice.If you’re rethinking clienteling, building a mid-tier growth plan, or trying to make store and digital finally work as one, this conversation is a practical playbook from someone who’s lived it across department stores, mono-brand luxury, and global marketplaces.

In this episode of Looped In: The Retail Re-Engagement Podcast, Ines speaks with Nikki Baird (VP of Strategy & Product, Aptos), a leading voice on unified commerce and the evolving relationship between stores, data, and AI.Nikki breaks down what unified commerce truly means (hint: start with the store), why AI is reshaping the power dynamic between customers and retailers, and how brands can protect customer insight in a world where LLMs may soon “own the cart.”We dive into:What separates unified commerce from omnichannel—and why the store is the anchor.The “LLMs own the cart” risk: losing not just sales, but the customer journey insights that drive personalization and product strategy.Turning the store from a data black box into a source of actionable, structured signals.Equipping associates with AI “spoon-fed” insights (customer context, product attributes, review summaries) to restore their edge.The foundations for AI that actually works: clean customer, product, and sales data—and why “data is a lifestyle, not a project.”Incentives and KPIs that sabotage save-the-sale, BOPIS/BORIS, and attribution—and how to realign them.Department stores, marketplaces, and curation: rebuilding value across third-party channels without losing the customer.Whether you’re safeguarding first-party data, rethinking store KPIs, or mapping your AI roadmap, this conversation offers a clear, practical reality check on how CX, data, and physical retail must come together—before someone else owns your cart.

In this episode of Looped In: The Retail Re-Engagement Podcast, Ines speaks with David Blakeney, a retail veteran whose 40-year career spans House of Fraser, Arcadia and beyond — shaping everything from store development to pop-up innovation.David shares how physical retail has evolved in the wake of COVID, why omnichannel is now a non-negotiable, and how pop-ups, fitting rooms, and community-driven concepts are redefining the role of the store.We dive into:Why in-store insight capture remains the industry’s biggest blind spot.The resurgence of physical stores — and why DTC brands need them.How pop-ups are becoming powerful storytelling tools, not just short-term sales drivers.The fitting room as a conversion engine and customer experience hub.Why community, authenticity, and service quality will separate winners from laggards.Whether you’re rethinking store strategy, experimenting with omnichannel models, or just curious about where the future of physical retail is heading, this conversation is packed with perspective from someone who has lived retail’s reinventions firsthand.

In this episode of Looped In: The Retail Re-Engagement Podcast, Ines sits down with Eleanor Thadani, a seasoned leader in CRM, clienteling, and customer experience whose career spans iconic brands from J.Crew and Michael Kors to LVMH, Zegna, and Jimmy Choo.Eleanor shares how her journey from the e-commerce boom to luxury clienteling has shaped her view on personalization, why CRM and clienteling are “two sides of the same coin,” and what retailers often miss when they separate data from customer relationships.We dive into:How luxury brands pioneered clienteling and what mass and DTC brands can learn.The untapped opportunity in mid-tier customers — beyond VICs.Why store-first perspectives matter when building CRM journeys.The messy but critical role of messaging channels (email, WhatsApp, text, Instagram DMs).How qualitative in-store feedback can unlock smarter merchandising.AI’s potential — and pitfalls — in scaling personalization.Whether you’re a retailer exploring omnichannel engagement or just curious about how luxury brands have long mastered one-to-one relationships, this episode is packed with practical insights and future-facing questions.

What does it really mean to be customer-centric — beyond the buzzword?In this episode of Looped In, I sit down with Emily Brauer Gill — Chief Revenue Officer at Margaux, Former SVP of Customer at Reformation, ex-Apple & Stitch Fix — to explore how brands can hard-wire the voice of the customer into every decision, from product design to distribution strategy.Emily shares lessons from her 15+ years shaping iconic consumer businesses:How Stitch Fix combined tech and fashion to build data-driven customer insight loops.The test-and-learn cadence that Reformation used to balance agility, sustainability, and customer demand.Why customer segmentations often fail — and how to actually make them drive product, marketing, and growth decisions.Building a true omnichannel culture: aligning retail, e-comm, and wholesale under one customer-first P&L.The opportunity in turning anecdotal store feedback into structured data that informs both CX and merchandising.Why AI-driven discovery could become the next Facebook ads moment for retail — and how to prepare.Packed with actionable takeaways, this episode is a masterclass in scaling while staying close to the customer.

Forget points. Loyalty in retail is built on trust, community, and connection — and Chubbies proves it.In this episode of Looped In, I sit down with Nishant Khanduja, Head of Digital & Retention at Chubbies (ex-American Airlines, IHG), to unpack what keeps customers coming back long after the first purchase.➡️ We cover:Why retail loyalty today is less about discounts and more about authentic engagement.How Chubbies built a voice of the customer program that feeds directly into product design.The omnichannel feedback opportunity: connecting insights from digital and physical retail to fuel product and retention strategies.Untapped opportunities: co-creating products with your community and leveraging customers as authentic influencers.Why the post-purchase journey is just the beginning of loyalty, not the end.How retargeting, both online and in-store, can tip the balance from browsing to conversion.With his cross-industry perspective and deep focus on retention, Nishant shares concrete lessons on how brands can create emotional stickiness — and translate it into sustainable growth.

Luxury marketing is changing fast: from controlling the narrative to truly listening to customers across every channel. In this episode of Looped In, I sit down with Katerina Targotay (ex-Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford) to explore how data, creativity, and customer insight are reshaping the future of fashion.➡️ We dive into:How to balance creative vision with commercial results.Why integrated marketing is no longer optional.The blind spot of capturing in-store demand and the rise of “physical listening.”Stores as storytelling spaces, not just transactional ones.First-party data as a true growth engine.Katerina brings decades of experience leading global luxury houses through transformation — from brand repositioning to international expansion. Her perspective is a must-listen for anyone navigating the intersection of brand, customer, and data in modern retail.

✨ Coming soon on Looped In: a conversation with Eleanor Thadani (CRM & Clienteling leader at Jimmy Choo, Zegna, Fendi, Michael Kors & J.Crew).👉 Sales reports tell you 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 happened — but not 𝑤ℎ𝑦.What if we could enrich those reports with the qualitative insights associates hear in-store every day? The customer reactions, the try-on moments, the feedback that rarely gets captured in systems. That’s where the real story behind performance lives.Because sometimes the real question isn’t “is this product a dud?” — it’s “or did no one try it on (and those who did, loved it)?”In our full conversation, we dig into:🏹 How CRM has evolved from broad digital personalization to true one-to-one engagement📩 Why CRM and clienteling are “two sides of the same coin” — and what brands miss when they separate them📈 The changing role of the sales associate: relationship-builder and data contributor 🦾 Where AI fits in scaling personalization without losing the human touch

💡 Customer centricity isn’t just a slogan—it’s an operating system.In my upcoming 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝑰𝒏 episode with Emily Brauer Gill (Chief Revenue Officer at Margaux, former SVP of Customer Reformation, ex-Apple, Stitch Fix.), we dive into what it really takes to scale with the customer at the center.One of Emily’s sharpest points: 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. Hiring people who are naturally curious—and then creating space for structured “voice of customer” sessions—ensures insights aren’t lost in the shuffle but drive tangible product and experience decisions.We also unpack:👱 Why early customer segmentation and personas must be CEO-backed to truly shape decisions.🧪How Reformation’s rapid sketch-to-store cycles drove both agility and sustainability.🛍️ Why multi-channel distribution isn’t optional—it’s simply following how customers want to shop.The full conversation with Emily is dropping shortly—packed with practical takeaways on building organizations and incentives that 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 put the customer first.

🎙 “But then when we need to feed one‑to‑many communications, do we care about what the person has done in‑store? There’s room for that — taking that store interaction and using it for digital interaction as well.”In this upcoming Looped In episode, I speak with Katerina Targotay (Mountri) former Global Director of Marketing at Tom Ford and previously with Zegna and Alexander McQueen.Katerina brings a rare perspective from inside creative‑led, brand‑first environments — where marketing is as much about protecting identity as it is about driving transformation.We dive into:💡 Turning in‑store interactions into measurable digital engagement📈 Linking brand equity to conversion across the funnel🛍 The store as the next big frontier for first‑party data🔗 How creativity and data can co‑exist in luxury📅 Episode drops soon — subscribe now so you don’t miss it

🎙 I’m launching a podcast — and I want you to be part of it.When I started MartyAI, I went deep.Even with a career in retail and omnichannel, I interviewed 50+ retail leaders to understand what omnichannel really means today.From Tom Ford to Jimmy Choo, Chubbies to fast-growing DTC brands, these conversations were overflowing with practical insights and fresh takes on customer centricity.I realised…These stories shouldn’t stay behind closed doors.Looped In is where retail, CRM, and personalization leaders share exactly how they’re re-engaging customers across channels — and building more love and value in a challenging macro environment.We’ll explore:The real role of stores in an AI eraHow to connect digital and physical experiencesWhat customer-centricity looks like in 2025💡 Here’s how you can get involved:1️⃣ Tap Follow here on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Youtube so you’ll get the first episode as soon as it drops.2️⃣ If you enjoy the trailer, share it with a friend or colleague in retail who’d love these conversations.3️⃣ Tag someone you’d want me to interview next — let’s get them Looped In.First episode drops soon — follow now so you don’t miss it.