Navigating New Retail Realities

Consistently named a top retail influencer, Carol Spieckerman is a recognized authority on retail and brand strategy. As president of Spieckerman Retail, she helps retailers, brand marketers, agencies and tech companies navigate retail from now to next. Spieckerman regularly contributes to major retail and business media outlets across a broad spectrum of retail topics and trends. On this new retail podcast, Spieckerman Speaks Retail, Spieckerman will be speaking on her Retail Trajectories – themes and calls to action that transcend categories, channels, business models and touch points.

 

We all know that this has been year like no other, yet unprecedented disruption has sparked new thinking and awakened ingenuity. Carol’s guest is uniquely qualified to bring much-needed perspective on lessons learned and best practices going forward. Courtney Hawkins’ passion for retail started early and she has since been responsible for over $1.5 billion in P&L as she served in executive roles with iconic brands like Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic and now, as VP of retail for fashion innovator The RealReal. In this far-ranging interview, Courtney and Carol roll through pivotal developments encompassing bricks and clicks and Courtney shares advice for retailers and brands seeking to secure their place in the new retail era.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

  • How to drive discretionary categories as consumers obsess on essentials
  • Why digitally native brands often have the upper hand
  • How to court consumers without compromising brand integrity
  • Possibilities and pitfalls of loyalty programs and content marketing

Contact information: Courtney Hawkins LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyabhawkins/

Listen to Previous Episodes Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

beauty
Building Beauty for Real Women: Why Brands Must Focus on Longevity, Not Hype
March 25, 2026

Walk into any beauty aisle—or scroll through your feed for five minutes—and it’s clear the industry is obsessed with what’s new. New formulas, new trends, new “rules.” But for many women, especially those who’ve been using makeup for decades, the question isn’t what’s new—it’s what actually works. And increasingly, the answer isn’t coming from the…

Read More
Physician
Fixing the Physician Experience: Why Advocacy Is Healthcare’s Next Frontier
March 25, 2026

Physician burnout has become a defining challenge in healthcare, with research showing that a substantial portion of clinicians—anywhere from roughly a quarter to over half—experience emotional exhaustion, driven more by systemic pressures like administrative burden and reduced autonomy than by individual resilience alone. As healthcare systems face growing staffing shortages and rising patient demand, the…

Read More
career
From Starting Over In A New Country To Reaching The C-Suite: A CFO’s Career Comeback
March 25, 2026

Global mobility is reshaping the modern workforce, with millions of professionals relocating each year in pursuit of opportunity, stability, or growth. Yet behind the headlines of talent migration lies a quieter, more difficult truth: restarting a career from scratch—even after years of success—is far more common than people expect. In fact, many skilled immigrants…

Read More
AI in school
How AI is Changing the Safeguarding Landscape
March 24, 2026

This episode of “Safeguarding in Focus,” hosted by Sam Eustace, features Lucie Welch, an expert in primary education and safeguarding from Services for Education. The discussion centers on how AI is transforming the safeguarding landscape in schools, exploring both the risks and opportunities presented by this rapidly evolving technology. Key takeaways: Schools must address…

Read More