Future Shop Podcast with WSL
EP89: Investing in the Future of Retail – Where, Why, How with Diana Melencio
Mar 31, 2025
Season 5
Episode 89
WSL
In this episode, Wendy Liebmann talks to Diana Melencio, partner at XRC Ventures, an investor in the early-stage intersection of consumer behavior and technology, and its investment approach in the health, beauty, and technology sectors.
They discuss:
- How XRC finds opportunities (one way: scraping the web)
- The touchpoints of the consumer journey that have become so critical in understanding opportunities
- The challenges of growth when physical retail is shrinking, where stores will become showrooms, and DTC profitability is a challenge
- Retailers who win are those at the forefront of testing new things in growth marketing and performance marketing
- How AI is a must for accelerating growth opportunities
- How Retail Media is fast becoming the profit center for many retailer
- The concern for brands in the middle and their potential race to the bottom
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