October 18 marked the third and final day of Shoptalk Fall, a retail event in Chicago that brought together the biggest and brightest players in the retail industry, including Ulta Beauty president and COO Kecia Steelman, Mall of America CMO Jill Renslow, Vera Bradley growth officer and CMO Alison Hiatt and Skims’ EVP of North America Nina Khoury.

These executives discussed blending human connection and technology to level up store experiences, how to save the in-store experience and achieving success through cross-functional collaboration. 

How Ulta Beauty blends human connection and tech for optimal CX

During her panel, Steelman provided keen insights into how the beauty retailer blends human connection and technology to level up store experiences.

The COO provided an example of how Ulta Beauty has found alternative ways to deliver products to customers, such as through delivery services like Doordash or retail partnerships with Target. 

Another way Ulta Beauty uses technology to enhance the customer experience is by investing in educational video content from beauty brands to enhance the store associate’s ability to educate the consumer about a product. 

At the end of the day, the customer’s connection with a well-informed and engaging store associate in conjunction with exclusive beauty services, such as Ulta Beauty’s robotic eyelash extension machine, is the winning combination to excite the customer and lead to profit. 

“We can do all types of marketing, but the very best interaction that we have is with our associates and their knowledge about the products,” Steelman stated. 

Saving the store experience

In a discussion on how the retail industry should work to save the in-store shopping experience, Jill Renslow, CMO of Mall of America, observed several key elements at play.

For example, Renslow pointed out that there is a rising concern amongst American consumers regarding safety when shopping in highly populated areas such as a mall.

To address this paramount concern, Renslow stated that the Mall of America has been investing in the implementation of facial recognition software to prevent thefts and address other potential safety threats. 

On a more positive note, Renslow observed that retailers need to continue providing customers with interactive in-store experiences. For instance, Renlow referenced a concert that took place at the Mall of America starring the rising girl’s group Katseye and also pointed out other engaging experiences, such as pop-up shops and brand activations. 

“Double down on the thing that makes it [the in-store shopping experience] special,” Renslow stated.

 Achieving success through cross-functional collaboration

During a shared panel, Alison Hiatt, growth officer and CMO of Vera Bradley, and Nina Khoury, North America EVP of Skims, discussed the key steps to achieving success through cross-functional collaboration.

In the midst of its turnaround strategy, Hiatt explained that the veteran accessories brand is focusing on rebooting the entire structure to better align with the needs of its modern consumer base. This involves overhauling the brand’s digital operations to provide smoother, more efficient services and designing more modern products to suit a younger generation of shoppers. 

For brands to avoid falling into the “echo chamber” effect of listening to a diminishing group of existing customers, Hiatt heeded that it is vital to constantly update product merchandising and operational systems.

Meanwhile, Khoury explained that even though Skims is still in its infancy as a brand, it is constantly testing out new ideas. This includes the company’s strategic but aggressive move from solely direct-to-consumer operations to fleshing out a brick-and-mortar presence to product design.

While every idea may not bat 100, Khoury explained that it is important for retailers to keep up with constantly shifting consumers’ needs and interests.

Regardless of the market, be it apparel, beauty or accessories, every executive agreed upon the importance of extensive consumer research and continuous innovation, technological and otherwise, to provide the ultimate shopping experience.