Learn how retail brands in India can achieve greater customer loyalty with storytelling leveraging data in this episode of Retail Reimagined with Zubair Patel, Chief Merchandising Officer — Health & Glow as he dives deep into buying & merchandising process, omnichannel experience, personalized communication, and how it shapes the overall consumer behavior. This 50-minute episode is filled with success stories & examples of apparel, beauty & personal care brands. EPISODE NOTES: 00:00 - 01:02 — Introduction 01:02 - 03:55 — Zubair’s Gate to Retail: The Bandra Shoppers Stop Store 03:55 -08:36 — 2 Core Values that Data Can’t Teach You About Retail & Why? 08:36 - 13:50 — How “Storytelling” & “Cultural Differences” is a Key Factor in Engaging Retail Consumers 13:50 - 19:27 — The Evolution of Buying & Merchandising: From Visualization to Data Interpretation to AI 19:27 - 24:29 — The Nuances & Strategies of Local v/s Global Large Format & Small Retail Brands 24:29 - 32:43 — The Challenges & Opportunities of Moving Retail into Personalized Omni-Channel Digital Realms 32:43 - 41:00 — What Role Does Buying & Merchandising Play in Driving Customer Experience & Loyalty 41:00 - 46:08 — Factors Fueling the Growth of D2C in India & How Retailers can leverage the growth using Data and Personalizing? 46:08 - 51:49 — 4 Practical Trends that Will Shape Indian Retail in the Future ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Zubair Patel, Chief Merchandising Officer at Health & Glow, is a retail professional with extensive experience in buying and merchandising, building and scaling omnichannel businesses, digital transformation, business strategy in a leadership capacity.

Learn how brands can drive technology in retail space to create a category niche & an exceptional customer experience in this episode of Retail Reimagined with Ankur Bhatia, CEO of Chogori India as he talks in detail about agility & benefits of experimentation in start-up retail, omnichannel marketing, and how Indian consumers have now accepted the Western trend of Sports, Hiking & Adventures. This 30-minute conversation is nothing but the epitome of finding a niche in a cluttered retail world. EPISODE NOTES: 00:00 - 01:56 — Introduction 01:56 - 05:56 — Ankur’s journey of diving into the realm of Retail 05:56 - 09:38 — How Fitness & Fashion Led to the Birth of Chogori India Limited 09:38 - 15:10 — From Corporate to Individual: How customer trends for Sports & Adventure are Changing 15:10 - 19:28 — The Power of ‘People-Driven Technology’: DNA of Customer Experience 19:28 - 21:51 — Why word-of-mouth is still a top-notch Method of Marketing? 21:51 - 25:24 — 5 Key Trends to watch out for in the ‘Outdoor Sports’ Industry 25:24 - 29:15 — “Experimentation”: The buzzword to understanding Customer Segmentation at an early-stage start-up 29:15 - 31:56 — “Retail is Detail”, A Lesson for youngsters who look to join Retail as a career ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Aparna Thyagarajan is the CEO at Chogori Retail. Chogori India Retail Limited has been an exclusive distributor for a number of outdoor brands in India, which is a specialized section of sportswear. He aspires to make Chogori a global leader in outdoor sports. With an executive MBA from Harvard Business School, he was previously Chief of Staff at Bestseller India.

Learn how technology and customer-centricity can play a crucial role in creating retention and loyalty for any retail brand in this episode of Retail Reimagined with Aparna Thyagarajan, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Shobitam as she talks in detail about the AI/ML, Customization & Personalization trends that will boost retail industry in coming years. This 30-minute conversation is nothing but the epitome of finding the "gap" in the market & building a successful D2C brand from scratch. EPISODE NOTES:

00:00-1:38 - Introduction

1:38 - 3:32 - How technology drove the beginning of the Brand "Shobitam"

3:32 - 6:13 - Aparna's Journey of Passion For Fashion - From IT to Entrepreneurship

6:13 - 8:38 - What made Aparna realize there's a Market Potential for Indian Ethnic Wear outside India

8:38 - 10:29 - How Shobitam is democratizing Indian Sarees across the Globe with Personalization

10:29 - 16:23 - How the brand is winning Customer Experience with Non-Localization & Custom Shopping Options

16:23 - 22:58 Major factors to achieve 39% Customer Retention: Lessons From Shobitam's Technology, Community & Loyalty Program

22:59 - 27:45 The Roadmap for Going Omnichannel for Digital First Brands: 2 Trends to Keep in Mind 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Aparna Thyagarajan is the Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Shobitam, one of the fastest growing D2C ethnic fashion brands, with a big bold vision to "Democratize Ethnicity Globally" and a mission-led approach to make people "Look Good, Do Good & Feel Good" Prior to founding Shobitam, she enjoyed a 7+ years career at Microsoft in both Seattle and Silicon Valley, where she developed a good understanding of E-commerce, Global Brand Building, Digital Marketing with Technology and Social Media Solutions. Building Shobitam has been a wonderful learning experience in itself, for it has taught her the importance of customer obsession, staying grounded in one’s roots, and giving back to the community.