What's In The Box
The brand new podcast from BOXTEC. Join us as we invite guests from retail and hospitality to discuss the issues of the day, with one unique twist: uncut, unedited and each episode just twenty minutes long.
What's In The Box
Making Moments Matter: A Retail Expert's Top Five, With Melissa Moore
What makes retail truly magical? In this captivating episode, we turn the tables on retail advisor Melissa Moore, who previously joined us to discuss banishing retail buzzwords to Room 101 on her podcast The Retail Tea Break. This time, she shares the five elements of retail that fill her with genuine passion and excitement.
Melissa brings decades of retail experience to the conversation, from her Saturday job at 16 to her current roles as a retail advisor, podcast host, and university lecturer. Her enthusiasm for nurturing future retail talent shines through as she discusses her work with apprenticeship programs, helping tomorrow's retail leaders blend practical experience with academic knowledge.
The heart of our discussion reveals Melissa's retail loves: the people who make retail a vibrant, unpredictable industry; the theatrical elements that transform stores into stages for memorable experiences; the thrill of discovery when customers find exactly what they need; technology that genuinely enhances the shopping journey; and those special moments that create lasting emotional connections with customers. Each element intertwines to create the magic that keeps retail relevant and exciting in our digital age.
We also explore how AI might become retail's helpful colleague rather than its replacement, freeing staff to focus on meaningful customer interactions. Melissa shares brilliant examples from retailers like IKEA, Fortnum & Mason, and Lush who excel at creating immersive, shareable experiences that drive loyalty and sales.
The conversation wraps with a passionate plea for retailers to improve often-neglected touchpoints like fitting rooms and click-and-collect services—practical insights that demonstrate how attention to detail separates good retail experiences from truly great ones.
Join us every two weeks for new episodes that explore retail innovation, technology, and the human connections that make shopping special. Follow the link in the description to learn more about BOXTEC and how we're powering retail with purpose.
Welcome to what's in the Box, the brand new podcast brought to you by Box Technologies. Powering retail with purpose. Boxtech delivers innovative and market-leading customer engagement solutions that turn business ideas into a performing reality, From design and integration to ongoing support and maintenance. We're with you every step of the way. Now, this podcast is a little different to what you might be used to. It's audio only, totally unscripted, and just 15, maybe 20 minutes each episode. That's if my guest is interesting and we let them carry on talking Because we're busy. Our guests certainly are, and we're sure you are too, so let's get right into it Now. I'd imagine that most, if not all, of our listeners will have heard of my guest this week. She's known as a retail advisor, helping retail businesses to achieve their full potential, and is also a host of the hugely successful Retail Tea Break podcast. She's also a lecturer at the university of go away and highly in demand as a conference chair. Now welcome to what's in the box, melissa moore oh, my goodness, that introduction.
Speaker 2:I have such a big head now, so I'm hoping, like that fits in the box. Andrew, that was amazing.
Speaker 1:A bit of research for that one. Yeah, now I I've got to say that I mentioned your podcast there and I was fortunate, lucky, whatever you want to call it to be on there not so long ago so I don't know if it's payback or serendipity, whatever you want to call it, because it wasn't that long ago when I appeared on there and had a right old rat shoving things like Omnichannel and Fidgetle into Retail Room 101. So I thought what we'd do today for this episode is the opposite of that. What aspects of retail do you love? It could be design, it could be a store, a campaign, a specific retailer, retail media, great use of tech whatever you want. It's entirely up to you. But before we get into that, tell us a little bit about the Retail Advisor and also the Retail Tea Break podcast.
Speaker 2:Sure. So I suppose, look to start off, I've been in the industry forever. It feels like I started off the Saturday job at 16 years of age and worked my way up there and kind of never left. I did my degree, I did my master's, but retail kept pulling me back and bear in mind that neither my degree or my master's was anything to do with retail. I just kept coming back. It's how much I loved it, it's how passionate I was. So I suppose I spent my four years rising through the ranks of retail in that respect and only left the industry six years ago, so just before covid. Yes, I left a pensionable job, you know, on a very structured, paid well, fairly well paid job just before covid. Well done me. Um, because I wanted to go out my own. There was a need and I could see the need, and people were coming to me to work with independents and, as you know, like independent retailers, much like entrepreneurs, wear like 20 different hats. So it was nice to be able to use my knowledge and my insights to help and support independent businesses, which is really where the retailer advisor came from, and then from there, because I've done lots of trainings of teams when I was working for various retailers.
Speaker 2:I kind of have fallen into this whole educational piece which I'm so passionate about. So you mentioned the University of Galway there, where I teach sales, but also and I think to me the one that I love more than anything is I teach on an apprenticeship program. So again, we've got our future retail leaders, who I see you know almost day in, day out. They're working for some of the biggest retailers in the world, but they come and they study as well, so they have that great idea. They still work full-time, but also they're studying. They're getting the best kind of guest speakers. They're getting the best, I suppose, academic side, but then they go back to their retail stores and they put it into practice. So they're winning. The retailers are winning, the customers are winning and, as you can tell, I'm super passionate about that and that's nice because everything I do I bring back to the classroom.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping I'm passing that on in some way and that almost then brings in this whole idea of the podcast, because I started that in 2021, so you were a brilliant guest there on on episode 101 for retail room 101. It's nearly four years old, which is bananas, and that's just because you know me well enough. I just just like to talk. As you know, I love those conversations and actually what it's done is it's taught me so much about the industry that I don't know Some people all over the world that I wouldn't necessarily have connected with had I not had this podcast. So people are listening to that, not just the wider community, but those that I'm teaching and it's giving them an insight as well. So, but those that I'm teaching and it's giving them an insight as well. So, look, I'm really lucky to do what I do. I love it, I'm very passionate about it, like you are. So, yeah, long may it continue.
Speaker 1:Oh, that sounds great. I mean that lecturing and the what do you call it? Mentorship or working with young retail leaders and so on. That must be so fulfilling, to be able to put something back, if you like. That must be great.
Speaker 2:I that to me, is so important it really is. When I think of my years coming up through the ranks in retail, I've had some incredible teachers, mentors, store managers, call them what you will and I do feel it's important to pass that on. Now I look, some people might see the glamorous side of me, being in New York for NRF, or Paris or London this year, and I'm in Istanbul now in a couple of weeks. That's great, but I'm trying to take those learnings, whether they're the practical ones, with the images of the different stores and my learnings from them, or the people I've met. I'm passing that knowledge on because you can't gatekeep at this industry. The industry will go nowhere and I certainly don't want to be one that kind of adds to this doom and gloom of our retail dead. It's not going anywhere. We have to embrace it and we have to pass it on yeah, no, absolutely so.
Speaker 1:As I think I said, when I came on the retail tea break, had a lovely rant and we talked about room 101. So, as I mentioned, let's turn that on its head and we're going to do the five things that melissa loves about retail. So what's your first entry for? For that list?
Speaker 2:Do you know what? It's probably an obvious one to you and to everyone listening it's the people. Retail, to me, is all about people. So, in that respect, whether it's the actual customers that we're serving, whether it's the colleagues that we're working with day in, day out and remember retail, because no hour is the same, no day is the same you need those really strong people around you. So, for me, retail, yes, it's business, but it's a people-led industry. It's. That's the only way, I think, we will continue to grow and be agile.
Speaker 2:But maybe the interesting little caveat I know this is going to annoy some people my little addition to this is yes, the first thing I love is people, but I'm really starting to embrace the fact that AI, shock, horror can actually be seen as a bit of your colleague is people, but I'm really starting to embrace the fact that AI, shock horror can actually be seen as a bit of your colleague as well.
Speaker 2:So I'm kind of I've come off the fence somewhat about AI and said look, if you see it as your colleague, if you see it as something that you can maybe pass on some of your tasking the boring work, as I call it and I'm told off often by calling it that, but some of those things you just have to do and actually you can spend even more time with those real customers, whether it's on the phone, online, in person, and, I just think, embrace this idea that retail is about the people we know, it's not just about the product we know. It has to be about this emotional connection and we wouldn't be anywhere without them no, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're right. It does sound like a little bit of a cliche, but we keep on coming back to that, don't we? And I also think that retail from that point of view, and particularly working on the shop floor, a lot of people can be a little bit of a Marmite. You do either love it or not, so keen and so forth. And what I would just add briefly to that is I think there's an opportunity, should we say, for retail to reach a bigger audience in terms of potential people that are going to come into the industry, and that it's not all about 5 o'clock starts and welcoming the first delivery of the day, and stacking shelves and dealing with abusive customers, et cetera, et cetera. There are so many other things in retail. So I hope that we see some improvements in what you're doing, with the work that you're doing, it's fantastic.
Speaker 2:And I think this is really key. So something like the apprenticeship. We don't just talk about selling or customer experience. We dig into things like logistics, into the whole idea of and I know you don't like this term omni-channel.
Speaker 2:We look at all the different aspects, this podcast was going so well but we dig into all the different kind of aspects of retail and I really encourage people because a lot of them are shop floor, they're customer facing. It's almost like you're trying to remind people that your retailer does not run with just you on the shop floor. So you know, before you think about walking out of retail, what else is available to you. Could you move to HR? Could you move to logistics?
Speaker 2:The knowledge these people have on the shop floor about the customer and the product is incredible. So if you can move that sideways in your business yeah and this is where the savvy retailers, I think, are really coming to the fore right now if you can keep your people, that retention rate is strong because you're training them, you're developing them. You've maybe moved them sideways into a job where they maybe the hours are better for them and their family, or maybe if they just find it more fulfilling, well then fantastic. But I do think we do have an issue we know we have in this industry. But you've got to fight hard to keep the people and it could mean moving them somewhere else in the within the organization yeah, agreed, totally okay.
Speaker 1:So people was number one, number two theater.
Speaker 2:Now I talk about this an awful lot when I'm training teams. This idea is retail as theater, the idea that every day the physical store is a stage, because, again, we don't know what's going on, we don't know who's going to come through the door, we don't know what issues or happy nice problems that they might have, and because every day is so unpredictable, I kind of play this out in a training setting. So for me it is about you know that store being the stage. You working in that store are actors and I don't mean you're faking it, but it's because you've got to deliver that service day in, day out. You don't know what that looks like, you don't know what the problems are you might be facing or who's coming through. But then you start to layer upon that. You've got window displays and fixtures and fittings and all that jazz to have those props. So it really starts to layer in and I suppose with that then this idea of theater. You know stores like fortnum and mason's who continue blowing me out of the water with their incredible window displays. You've got that kind of atmospheric fun of places like a gallery lefayette in paris where it's just, it's a beautiful building, it looks stunning. You almost feel delighted to be in there. I suppose harrods is still like that today.
Speaker 2:And then you've got these really kind of interesting, maybe slightly more new age things, these really cool campaigns that an awful lot of retailers are running. So one just recently, um ikea opening in brighton. We all know what an ikea store is like. We won't mention oxford street. But back to brighton, and they've done a series of really cool ads again, which I think adds to this idea of theatrics. Brighton, well known for the seagulls, unfortunately, and the seagulls kind of drop in that poop absolutely everywhere, on people, on cars and everything. So they've done some really cool ads where they've got traditional or famous ikea furniture bits, but of course they've been splattered with this kind of seagull poop, which fair enough, but actually do you know what? It's a bit of tongue-in-cheek, it's a bit of crack. They've also got this really cool kind of I suppose you want to call it like a chip fan, because again, seagulls are notorious for nicking your chips and they're giving these away free. So again you're bringing the theatrics outside, you're bringing them to the new customers, you're trying to drive that that kind of loyalty, that football as well, and I just love that. So you've got that whole kind of front of house theater. But then and it's something you introduced me to you've got this idea of marrying it with the backstage tech so cavernous which you told me all about on on that episode of the retail favorite podcast I visited. Thanks to you, caverners have this gorgeous kind of electronic shelf-based labels, thanks to our friends at fusion group. And again that just is layering on this idea of theatrics because they're not just boring black and white. Here's your price. There's so much more going on there.
Speaker 2:And then the last little one and I promise I will let you get a word in edgeways at some stage of your own podcast Primark. The famous, famous Primark have suddenly in the last couple of weeks launched an app. So bear in mind Primark, probably the world's most notorious fast fashion group, very much sticking to their bricks and mortar, but they've launched an app here in Ireland, over in Italy, I think. Uk is coming online now, maybe in the next year or so, and it's incredible because again it's marrying on this idea that you've got immersive digital kind of experience. You've got the new trends, you've got style inspiration. There's a stock check feature. You can't quite buy on it yet. But again, I kind of think it's brilliant that the app tricks now to your phone for a brand that everyone loves. So there's loads of different layers there, but I think without it we just have boring black and white retail and nobody wants it yeah, no, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean we years ago we did talk a lot, we've got a lot about retail theater. Then it was kind of like, oh well, that's old hat, and you know, it seems that that that whole concept if it is a concept is is coming back into vogue, if you like, and, I think, for very good reasons. So yeah, because I think that retailers need to give us, as customers, a reason to step into their stores, and so they are becoming. I think it's exciting. Actually I didn't today. I was in London earlier today, as you know, and unfortunately I'll have to go up there again next week because I wanted to have a look at the new Space NK store.
Speaker 2:Yes, which looks incredible. It does, doesn't it? I probably should be bound for it before I even visit. You need to have a look at that.
Speaker 1:Okay right, the clock is ticking, but we're okay.
Speaker 2:And this is kind of like that thrill that I think retail brings you. So the thrill of the find, helping someone discover exactly what they want. Of course we're thinking whether it's gifting, whether you need a new pair of jeans, whatever that might be. I'm loving the layering of tech again here. So using the likes of enhancement with AI, virtual try-ons, digital product discovery. So again, look, sephora, have it with their virtual artists If you're looking for a new lippy or whatever.
Speaker 2:Ikea is probably the most famous example with their ar and then even kind of bog standard amazon, you know, frequently bought together. It's just so clever. You go on, I don't know, maybe you're looking for a glass and all of a sudden you've got all these lovely little things that do work with the glass. They're not completely random and I love that about retail and I do think, again, this is where tech is really helping. You know, said by someone who is not a techie, as everyone knows, but I think it really helps bring that kind of shopper their wow moment in really fast, you know, in a fast way nowadays, which which is needed. So I love it. That's through the fire. The excitement of discovery is number three.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's a great one. I love that. I love that.
Speaker 2:Okay, moving on Number four, oh, I think this might annoy people that I haven't gone kind of fancy, fancy, but actually tech that adds value to me as a shopper, so not just the store but to me as a customer spending my money. So the simple things, I think, bring me joy because they're quite practical. So actual retail apps that have store receipts embedded in them. You know, they have your shopping history so you can go back and reorder the lipstick or whatever it might be that you love, the color of that you now lost, or whatever it might be. And then kind of the side note to that.
Speaker 2:And again, not to be negative, of course, but like I'm really fed up of retailers taking my email address because they're saying, obviously we don't want to waste paper, we're going to email you a receipt but then they bombard me with stuff. I'm like I don't want that. So if we can keep it in the app, I love that because I feel more organized, it brings me, me more joy and I'm more likely to go back and shop from those retailers. So, yeah, tech then adds value, and I mean proper, simple value to the shopper. I'm all there for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I always think that great tech is invisible. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't get in the way. So, yeah, totally with you there. This isn't going well because we're agreeing we're violently agreeing, come on, this doesn't happen often. Give me something to disagree on at number five.
Speaker 2:Oh well, I wanted to be positive and happy. So number five and this is quite an oh bless moment making moments that matter. So those tiny little interactions that can turn kind of a bad day into a good one, both for the customer, but also probably more importantly and again this is coming from a place where I train an awful lot of retail teams that we want the teams to have that buzz. It helps their day go faster, but it also it brings them joy and remember, the really good people in retail are really passionate about what they do. So for me, if we can make these moments that matter, we're driving loyalty for the customer, we're retaining the staff, but also we're then starting to layer up the value, some authenticity, integrity, all those really good things that keep that customer coming back for the long term. And we know that is the goal for every single retailer out there.
Speaker 2:Anyone that says they're not, they're absolutely lying. So look, simple little examples here. Lush, I've lush. I'm lifted with incredible examples of these little moments of matter. So, whether you're making the little bath bombs, whether it's a little personalized notes from their teams, disney stores need I say any more? The same with lego. Do you know what I mean such instagrammable, tick tockable I don't know if that's a word tick tockable moments but, loads of these kind of cool brands.
Speaker 2:You know what you're getting. You're probably going to be fleeced for a fortune but actually it's really nice because these are magic little moments and then even really random ones. We know oasis are back with a bang this summer. Like we've seen little like redo storefronts in certain parts of the uk and ireland they've offered merchandise for the likes of oasis. I think it's a bit of fun and you know what again, retail is about, that emotional connection. You've got to make those moments that matter because, again, if it's going to drive loyalty, actually it's going to put money in the bank for you and it's going to drive the business forward.
Speaker 1:So it's so important yeah, no, absolutely, and I was kind of, whilst you're talking, I was thinking me being me, I was thinking the other side of that and, um, so I can't, I can't go a podcast with you without having a, a minor, a micro rant you said this wasn't allowed.
Speaker 1:I could have ranted all day now the way in terms of what I think I mean fantastic. Yeah, I agree with you making moments that matter, but making moments that you remember. A plea to all fashion retailers, particularly this time of year make your fitting rooms a pleasant place to be, please, because at the moment they are hot and sticky and stuffy and claustrophobic and I really don't want to be there, and I've had that conversation with a number of um of retailers and it's almost like it's the most important part of you and I think to your point, which is why you know making those moments that matter. You could they could do so much with that part of the store. I think I'm going to start a campaign, I don't know what.
Speaker 2:You should and I will join you because, again, there is nothing worse than dirty, fitting and small ones. I'm not being funny, I'm not a little person. You want a fitting room. If you're selling certain sizes that are bright and airy, big enough to fit in and swing a cat in, I'm probably not allowed to say that anymore, but still you want something that you can go in and just breathe in and relax and then to kind of add to that negativity now that we're on that, another kind of service, because again, I would see a fitting room as a really strong service. It's helping people to buy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, my goodness and I ranted about this on instagram recently if you're offering services like click and collect, will you please make sure that you can actually find the little scanner thing that scans the customer's qr code to give them the product? Because I had an awful experience with a very large retailer that everyone here will know in their orange and I bought the product. The product was there in the store, it was ready and waiting for me. I go up to the desk with my little q code on my phone and I can see the product and of course, they couldn't give me the product because they couldn't find the scanner, and this went on half an hour so again.
Speaker 2:It's that kind of frustration. I want to spend my money with you, much like if you're in a fitting room, but if you're going to block that, if you're going to put a barrier up, I give up, I give up.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it's not good, but anyway, we're not ending on a negative that was me dragging, dragging it down, and so I and you, you talked uh, I saw something very, very recently that you're talking about retail right now. I think an experience. I loved it three things. Experience is everything, ai, which you mentioned. Ai is your new teammates. I think that's fantastic. And values win hearts. I love. I love that. So, and again, we'll see because the the platform that this podcast uses is there's ai embedded in there and they'll, I'm sure, do a fantastic job of bringing out those five points. But just to play them back, it was people, theater, thrill of the discovery, tech adding value and making moments that matter. I think that's absolutely brilliant. Melissa, we're out of time, unfortunately. I could talk all evening because it's now it. We're recording this on a friday after six o'clock, would you believe? That's how keen and passionate we both are about retail, or crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Crazy, yeah, yeah. So it really is margarita G&T, whatever your favorite. Bring it on A lime and soda. Melissa, thanks so much. That was absolutely brilliant. Thank you very much, my pleasure. Thanks for having me, andrew. So that's all we've got time for for what's in the Box for now. New episodes will be dropping every two weeks, so please stay tuned, and if you want to find out more about BoxTech, please follow the link in the description. Thank you so much for listening.