Welcome to a special NRF Big Show 2022 bonus episode of podcast, one of a series of exclusive interviews produced to support the show, the vendors and industry thought leaders heading into the new year. This episode: Jordan Ekers, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Nudge.
Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
Welcome to a special NRF Big Show 2022 bonus episode of podcast, one of a series of exclusive interviews produced to support the show, the vendors and industry thought leaders heading into the new year. This episode: Jordan Ekers, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Nudge.
These bonus episodes all follow a similar format: first, we learn about my guest and the company they work for, and what they are talking about to retailers at the Big Show this year, second, based on their experience, knowledge and conversations with retail clients, two starts and one stop advice for retailers listening. And last, but not least, where you can go to learn more. Alright, let’s jump right in.
Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven’t already, be sure and click subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically twice a week, and check out my other retail industry media properties; the Remarkable Retail podcast, the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, and the Food Professor podcast. Last but not least, if you are into Barbeque, check out my all new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbeque, with new episodes each and every week!
I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company & Maven Media, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co! Have a safe week everyone!
Check out this great interview with David that goes deeper into NCR: https://the-voice-of-retail.simplecast.com/episodes/the-heartbeat-of-the-store
About Michael
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide. Michael was recently added to ReThink Retail’s prestigious Top 100 Global Retail Influencers list for 2021.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. Most recently, Michael launched Conversations with CommerceNext, a podcast focussed on retail eCommerce, digital marketing and retail careers - all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms. Michael is also the producer and host of the “Last Request Barbeque” channel on YouTube where he cooks meals to die for and influencer riches.
Photo credit: National Retail Federation.
Michael LeBlanc 00:04
Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
Welcome to a special NRF Big Show 2022 bonus episode of the podcast, one of a series of exclusive interviews produced to support the show, the vendors, and the industry thought leaders heading into the new year.
Michael LeBlanc 00:22
These bonus episodes all follow a similar format. First, we learn about my guest and the company they work for, and what they're talking about to retailers at the big show this year. Second, based on their experience, knowledge, and conversations with retail clients, two starts and one stop advice for retailers listening. And last but not least, where you can go to learn more.
Michael LeBlanc 00:40
All right, let's jump right in. But Jordan, welcome to a special bonus edition of The Voice of Retail. How are you doing today?
Jordan Ekers 00:47
I'm doing pretty well. And it's lovely to hear your voice once again.
Michael LeBlanc 00:51
Well, you know, I was thinking back to when you and I actually physically saw each other. At, at first my thought was it was Retail Council's store. But then I actually think, too long ago, it was at the NRF 2020. Right, where we physically last, last talked to each other. So, it's been a while, it's been way too long.
Jordan Ekers 01:09
It has. Last did we know, two months later, the world would be flipped upside down for a short period of time. But hopefully we can all be together again in person soon.
Michael LeBlanc 01:19
Yeah, let's from, from your lips to whosever ears, right. Let's, thank you for joining me on the podcast, and let's jump in. Tell, you and I, obviously, to the listeners, know each other, I know something of your business doesn't mean I know all about your business. But why don't we start there. Tell us about who you are, a bit of your background, and what you do at Nudge.
Jordan Ekers 01:40
Perfect. And again, pleasure to be here today. And to everyone listening, thanks for joining in. So, Jordan Ekers, I am the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of an organization called Nudge. And we've built a communication and engagement platform that leading retailers, like Staples, and Michael Kors, and Golf Town rely on to communicate, engage with frontline staff to essentially empower them to deliver an exceptional customer experience in store.
Jordan Ekers 02:08
And a little bit on the background, retailer through and through. So, played the role of the frontline associate, once upon a time. Responsible for interacting with customers. Was then part of a company that was acquired by one of the largest loyalty programs in North America. So, I spent a fair amount of time on the operating side of retail.
Jordan Ekers 02:26
And that's really, for me, where I recognized the role that frontline associates play in delivering a great customer experience, and a little bit around the lack of tools that were provided to the frontline. So, all of that came together. Started Nudge eight years ago, and we're working with a number of the most, world's prominent brands across the world.
Michael LeBlanc 02:47
Well, that, that was going to be my next question. Talk about the scope and scale. You're based in Toronto, but of course, these days, any days, that just happens to be where you hang your hat. Talk about scope and scale, where you operate and all that.
Jordan Ekers 02:59
Yeah, headquarters in Toronto. Nudge is now live in supporting frontline teams across 24 different countries.
Michael LeBlanc 03:07
Nice, great.
Jordan Ekers 03:08
And a variety of different verticals, from retail, food service, hospitality. The broader theme here is anyone that interacts with a customer or guest, can be a user of Nudge, to support them in delivering a great experience.
Michael LeBlanc 03:21
Now what, what brought us here today was the NRF Big Show, as we were saying. If I was to stop in and, and say "hi", what, I know a lot, tremendous amount of planning goes into any conference. What's new, what's new in the tickle trunk, so to speak? What would, you know, if you and I were talking today live and I was from a retailer, what would you be talking about different?
Michael LeBlanc 03:42
I, I can imagine, based on all the things that are happening in retail and around us, that you guys have been working hard on solutions. But walk me through a little bit about what you would be talking to me about if, if you and I work together and, and standing on the floor at the, at the NRF show.
Jordan Ekers 03:58
Yeah, first and foremost, like we have a chance to interact with retailers every day, learn about what they're trying to navigate. And without a doubt, the most prominent challenge that the industry is trying to navigate at this current time is the labour market. And so, retaining staff, attracting staff. We've all seen the series of advertisements to try to have individuals apply for jobs in the various retailers.
Jordan Ekers 04:23
And so, you have this, kind of, labour market force, you have this collision of heightened customer expectations that we've never experienced before as an industry, as consumers continue to come back in-store and interact with retailers in ways they hadn't before. Because of all the omni-channel disruption that's happened over the last 24 months.
Jordan Ekers 04:45
And so, for us, like that key theme here is how can brands prioritize investing in their employees to help create a brand that attracts and retains associates, but ultimately supports them in delivering on those exceptional customer experience. So, most brands we're talking about right now, it's all about attracting, retaining, and supporting your frontline to meet the expectations of customers.
Michael LeBlanc 05:09
You know, you reminded me of, of our last conversation, and you and I were talking about how, in a different context, in the before time, how important stores and associates were becoming, and programs like yours. Because at, you know, at the margins, the last, you know, marginal return on your investment's dollar is hard to get more traffic.
Michael LeBlanc 05:28
So, many, many retailers, I'm sure your clients were turning their minds to, let's make sure that anyone who walks across the sales floor has a higher percentage likelihood of actually purchasing, and a lot of that comes down to what you, and, and Nudge does, right.
Michael LeBlanc 05:44
So, now we're at that point where we, you know, what, what was turning our minds to, is, kind of, a full frontal, we really need to take this on. Do you, do you imagine the, you know, we think of COVID as an accelerant, do you think that's accelerated in your category, that trend? And you're now compounded by, you know, some labour shortages that have been exacerbated by the COVID-era. What, what are you hearing and what do you think about that?
Jordan Ekers 06:09
Yeah, absolutely. I think I'll bring it down to a couple of different stages. So, when COVID first landed, there was an immediate increased need for a solution like Nudge to be able to communicate all the various safety protocols that retailers had to execute on, to keep their people safe and their customers safe.
Jordan Ekers 06:27
So, that was, kind of, phase one, which has obviously continued to be, to sustain till this day. And then, as we started to welcome customers back in-store, there's a whole new customer journey. We had BOPIS, we had curbside pickup, and all of that required change management at scale, across a retailer's footprint.
Jordan Ekers 06:45
So, that again, became a pretty significant forcing function for growth for Nudge. And pretty pleased to share that our last quarter was the biggest quarter we've ever had, to date, in the history of Nudge.
Michael LeBlanc 06:56
Congratulations.
Jordan Ekers 06:56
And so, yeah, it's been obviously exciting. I think, for us, we try to lead with just learning. We recognize that our customers in the industry needed to be part of the solution. And our job was to try to be as empathetic as possible, to understand all of the various challenges that retailers are trying to navigate, both now, but also in 12 months, and 24 months from now.
Jordan Ekers 07:19
And then, build a platform that was designed to help retailers navigate that change. And thankfully, it's manifested into some pretty significant growth for the business. And so, we're going to continue to, kind of, push that intellectual curiosity to figure out how else we can help.
Michael LeBlanc 07:34
Right on. So, take me through, help me visualize something, take me through what the associate’s experience of your product is. So, the business rationale is, is now thanks to your great explanation, evident. But take, I just want from an experience perspective, I'm an associate, and I'm an associate of one of the retailers that you do business with. So, just help me to unpack that a little bit, what is, what's that experience look like for the associate?
Jordan Ekers 08:01
Sure. So, on Monday morning, you walk into your retail location, and you've downloaded Nudge, on your smartphone. It's a free application, takes about 45 seconds to register. And you now have access to all of the relevant information that you need, in your role, to be able to deliver a great customer experience.
Jordan Ekers 08:20
And so, if that retailer is rolling out a new promotion, they can push a Nudge out to everyone in the field to educate them on that particular LTO. The system is gamified, so I reward you, Michael, with points when you learn about a particular initiative, or when you answer a quiz correctly, to demonstrate that you understand that information.
Jordan Ekers 08:41
And then, the second key piece of the solution is a feedback loop. So, as a brand, I can solicit feedback from my top performers to say, what is it that you're doing that is driving the highest lift in sales around this product. And if you, Michael, are the best sales associate around that product, we can take that behavior, and then push it out across the rest of the organization.
Jordan Ekers 09:05
So, it's, kind of, changing the way that brands communicate, source feedback, and then make better decisions about how they optimize the performance of their people. All in this fun, gamified experience that individuals start their day with and end their day with.
Michael LeBlanc 09:21
So, it's both, it's interesting you say gamification, because it's both, you know, it's got to be both practical and engaging, right? Is that a secret sauce that you and the team, and designers, think about, is how do we make it not just functional and easy to use, but also entertaining on the receiver end, the associate end?
Jordan Ekers 09:39
Absolutely. So, Nudge is currently the most highly rated communication platform in our industry, as ranked by frontline associates in the app store. So, we have spent a lot of effort building a platform that frontline employees want to use, versus building a platform that departmental leaders want to buy.
Jordan Ekers 10:01
Because our thesis always was, if we can have people using Nudge up to eight times a week, which is what our average engagement is, the organization can then figure out how they leverage that tremendous engagement to drive different outcomes for the business. And so, building a user experience that's gamified, that rewards people for interacting, has always been a competitive differentiator for us, which is, shows in the user reviews that we have.
Michael LeBlanc 10:27
Right on, right on. All right, well, let's, let's get to the, your advice. I mean, you've got all this insight. And you've been talking to the people who are decision makers in the retail space. Two starts, and one stop, based on your experience, what you're hearing, and your advice for retailers listening.
Jordan Ekers 10:43
Cool. So, the first thing we'll dive into, in terms of a start, is activating customer feedback loops across the frontline. So, most brands that we work with have a customer experience provider that they get feedback from customers around the in-store experience. A lot of those insights are then packaged up and provided to a manager.
Jordan Ekers 11:04
And we all know managers have a series of priorities on their plate. So, quite often, those insights are not actually activated on. As a result, brands aren't closing the feedback loop from the customer feedback. So, a big piece that we've been spending time on, and learning in the industry, is how can we actually take those insights and put them in the hands of frontline employees, so that they start to understand the different behaviors that they can execute on to deliver a better customer experience.
Jordan Ekers 11:30
So, the whole start is close the feedback loop, take the insights, put them in the hands of frontline employees with solutions like Nudge, and they will deliver a better customer experience. Second one I'll jump in on, kind of, comes back to my earlier comment, but the employee experience is your number one priority. With the labour market better navigating, with the heightened customer expectations that are facing frontline retail employees.
Jordan Ekers 11:55
We are, heard for the last 10 years that we need to provide employees with digital tools to support them in delivering a great experience. And the time has come to start to place investments in your people, to both attract and retain your associates so that they can meet the expectations of customers. And then the last one, which is the stop. This one's a little bit more philosophical, but it's treat customers with a lifetime view perspective versus a transaction.
Jordan Ekers 12:23
So, we know foot traffic in retail right now is precious. Consumers are coming into store with more purchase intent than they ever have before. But we need to make sure that we are supporting customers as they interact with our brand, not trying to push a particular product and make a particular sale.
Jordan Ekers 12:40
Because if you drive long term loyalty with customers, the LTV of that customer is going to be dramatically higher, than if you try to push a transaction in a given moment. So, it's a bit of a mind shift towards a, like, consultative selling approach in retail, versus that transactional interaction that traditionally happens.
Michael LeBlanc 12:59
And we've seen such change in consumer behavior, you know, early in the COVID-era with big, huge basket sizes. And, you know, I just want to get in and get out. And then we'll start to see that, kind of, wane where the folks become more comfortable being in the store.
Michael LeBlanc 13:14
And then you get back to, as you say, and not back to, but as you say, make it clear that the consultative selling and the impulse and, you know, the inspiration, really, the inspiration comes back into retail and to the associates. Well, listen, this is all great, great stuff. So, thanks for, for sharing. Now, where can folks get in touch with you, and learn more about Nudge, and where should they go?
Jordan Ekers 13:37
Yeah, absolutely. They can jump over to our website at nudge.co, and we've just released a new 'State of the Deskless Workforce Report', that they can access where we interviewed over 1000 frontline retail associates, to understand what motivates their behavior.
Jordan Ekers 13:53
And so, that's at nudge.co/decklessreport. And yeah, our team is retailers through and through, and we have a huge passion for supporting brands, and supporting their people. And so, we're always happy and willing to get on a call, or an email, to share a conversation.
Michael LeBlanc 14:09
And you're a, are you a LinkedIn guy, should we connect with you on LinkedIn? Is that a good place to get a hold of you?
Jordan Ekers 14:14
We can do that, as well. My first name is Jordan, last name Ekers. E-K-E-R-S. I'm also sure that you have a, a little YouTube channel that's starting up some barbecue work, too. So, I give you a plug as well. I think others should check that out.
Michael LeBlanc 14:27
Well, thank you for the corresponding plug. That's fun. Well, listen. Hey, listen, thanks, you know, I wish, I wish, I look forward to seeing you in real life, real soon. But for now, thanks for joining me on the podcast, sharing your insights and I wish you much continued success, and moving forward in 2022 and beyond.
Jordan Ekers 14:47
My pleasure, and lovely to share a conversation as always, and thanks so much for inviting us to join.
Michael LeBlanc 14:53
Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven't already, be sure and click and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, so new episodes will land automatically, twice a week. And check out my other retail industry media properties, the Remarkable Retail podcast, Conversation with CommerceNext podcast, and The Food Professor podcast, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.
Michael LeBlanc 15:13
Last but not least, if you're into barbecue, check out my all-new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbecue, with new episodes each and every week. I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E LeBlanc & Company and Maven Media. And if you're looking for more content, or want to chat, follow me on LinkedIn or visit my website at meleblanc.co Have a safe week everyone.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
retailers, retail, nudge, brands, customers, frontline, podcast, supporting, insights, associates, people, exceptional customer experience, store, experience, interact, talking, akers, barbecue, industry, building