Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

EP 255: Why Retailers Are Becoming Political Casualties in Culture Wars

Shelley E. Kohan

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Crisis management has become a requisite strategy in today’s fractious marketplace. The socio-political landscape has become a minefield for retailers where one misstep can trigger unprecedented consumer backlash and boycotts. In today's hyperconnected environment, every consumer with a smartphone becomes a potential crisis catalyst, documenting empty shelves and operational failures that go viral instantly. Join Shelley and crisis management expert Edward Segal to learn why successful retailers must shift from reactive damage control to proactive crisis prevention. Their conversation reveals how major retailers are failing in everything from Cracker Barrel's tone-deaf new logo rollout to a succession of mismanaging DEI initiatives. The result is that customer credibility and trust are eroded, turning loyal customers into vocal critics. Listen and learn why traditional crisis management approaches are obsolete and why there is an emerging need for chief geopolitical officers to navigate an increasingly polarized marketplace and build crisis prevention systems before problems spiral out of control. 

Special Guest: Edward Segal, Best-Selling Author and Crisis Management Expert

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

People on this episode