Ok! Welcome back to my podcast: The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman! Presented by Details Interactive. Here, you’ll take away 3 game-winning marketing plays every episode to take back to your team. I’m your host, Mark Friedman, and my career has been focused on direct-to-consumer marketing; direct mail, physical retail, and digital commerce.
This is Episode #27 and today’s guest is Sucharita Kodali. She is the VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – subscribe and leave a 5-star review if you have your playbook!
What is The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman?
Mark Friedman (that’s me) knows direct-to-consumer marketing. The 30+ year industry veteran has served as the President of eCommerce at Steve Madden, Chief Marketing Officer of Brooks Brothers, mentor to dozens of startups, and even youth sports coach. You’ll take away 3 fundamental tips every episode to help your team knock it out of the park, and draw up strategies for digital marketing, eCommerce, customer monetization, and pivoting with the brightest all-stars in business. Do you have your playbook?
Podcast Episode #27: Sucharita Kodali – VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester
Sucharita Kodali, the VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, adds her page to the Marketing Playbook. Hear what to expect with the future of retail, how retailers have adjusted their strategies in 2020, how to pivot to an eCommerce focus, detect the shiny object that is worth pursuing, and Sucharita’s experience starting her career at Disney and Saks Fifth Avenue. This episode covers everything from the current state of retail to the future of retail. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What was Sucharita’s role at Disney
- Does she still see retailers that are siloed
- What made her go to the provider side aka “the dark side”
- How has retail changed during the pandemic
- What ordering trends picked up more than anticipated
- How was Cyber Monday in 2020
- How do you know what shiny object is worth pursuing
- What will retail look like in 2021
Connect with Sucharita on Twitter at @SMulpuru and on LinkedIn.
Let’s open the playbook. Ready? Break! Check out the episode, show notes, and pictures below for much more detail.
Show Notes
- Intro
- [0:21] The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [0:24] Details Interactive
- [0:30] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
- [0:39] Connect with Sucharita on Twitter at @SMulpuru and on LinkedIn
- [0:40] Thank you as always to Max Branstetter of MaxPodcasting and the Wild Business Growth Podcast for producing this podcast. You can reach him at Max@MaxPodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life
- Sucharita’s Page of The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [1:08] Forrester Research
- [1:21] Retail, e-tail
- [1:51] What is Sucharita’s first story
- [2:52] Economics
- [3:10] Disney
- [3:29] Internet Boom, Amazon, eBay
- [3:52] Entrepreneurs
- [4:02] eCommerce (eComm)
- [4:28] Harvard Economics
- [4:34] What was Sucharita’s role at Disney
- [4:42] Disney Strategic Planning Group
- [4:52] CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Michael Eisner
- [5:22] ABC/CapCities Acquisition, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine
- [5:53] Chuck E. Cheese
- [6:09] What was Sucharita’s role at Saks Fifth Avenue
- [6:29] Dot-Com Crash, Google, Facebook, MSN Shopping Channel, AOL
- [6:55] Sales
- [7:14] eLuxury
- [7:23] LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton)
- [7:38] Luxury Goods
- [8:51] Insights
- [9:42] Catalog Marketing
- [10:08] Does Sucharita still see retailers that are siloed
- [12:29] What made her go to the provider side aka “the dark side”
- [13:02] Thought Leadership
- [15:08] How has retail changed during the pandemic
- [16:20] Target
- [16:37] Supply Chain, Inventory
- [18:12] Webinars
- [18:54] Luxury Retailer, COVID-19
- [20:21] PPP Loans, JCPenney, Sears
- [20:52] Digital Marketing, Curbside Pickup
- [21:34] BOPUS (Buy Online, Pick Up in Store)
- [21:48] What ordering trends picked up more than anticipated
- [22:08] Instacart, DoorDash
- [22:24] Market Share
- [23:02] Grocery
- [23:22] Supply and Demand, Digital Payments, Contactless Payments
- [23:28] Omni-Channel
- [24:12] DoorDash IPO (Initial Public Offering)
- [24:38] Food Shopping
- [25:14] Target Curbside Pickup
- [25:52] Nordstrom
- [26:03] Customers
- [26:27] Amazon Prime
- [26:43] At Details Interactive, you can discuss your business with a seasoned direct-to-consumer marketing executive who’s helped launch and grow web businesses and integrate multi-channel marketing initiatives. Learn more at DetailsInteractive.com
- [27:15] Cyber 5, Cyber Tuesday, Green Monday
- [27:37] How was Cyber Monday in 2020
- [27:43] Data, Placer.ai
- [28:32] Revenue
- [29:01] Black Friday
- [30:40] How do you know what shiny object is worth pursuing
- [31:31] Technology (Tech), Technologist
- [34:18] What will retail look like in 2021
- [34:42] Mochi Shop Japan 1,000 years old
- Outro
- [36:42] Connect with Sucharita on Twitter at @SMulpuru and on LinkedIn
- [37:35] This week’s 3 Game-Winning Plays are as follows:
- Adjust your retail strategy
- Pivot to an eCommerce focus
- Detect the shiny object that is worth pursuing
- [37:40] If you want to check out more pages of The Marketing Playbook, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
- [37:52] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
- Theme Song: Jazzy Man Funk Rock – Auditone Music Library – provided by Jamendo
How can I work with Details Interactive?
That’s it! Today’s game ball goes to Sucharita Kodali. Thank you, Playbook Marketers, for listening. If you want to check out more pages of The Marketing Playbook, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter at @DetailsInteract and learn more at DetailsInteractive.com. Until next time, The devil is in the details.