How to Create Premium Retail Experiences

Today's consumers are buying into values. They buy trust. Having been in the trenches building these programs with major retailers like Amazon, Ulta Beauty, and Sephora, I get asked almost daily: "How do we do this right?" From years of learning, here's the 5 step framework that actually works (and generates 12% sales lifts): 1- Start with data-driven audience insights. Macy's exemplified this by analyzing customer search and filter behavior to uncover which values actually drive purchase decisions. 2- Know your authority position. Ulta's high, unaided awareness meant they could confidently define values for their consumers. Other retailers might need to leverage third-party certifications. This decision fundamentally shapes your entire approach. 3- Create black-and-white program definitions. Sephora demonstrated why this matters. Their clear, unambiguous standards protect both retailers and consumers from misinterpretation. 4- Integrate technology from day one. This isn't optional. 82% of Gen Z researches online, but 73% convert in-store. Your values-based program must deliver a seamless omnichannel experience. 5- Make brand participation worthwhile through distinctive merchandising, special placement, and loyalty program integration. Your participating brands are investing significantly. Reward that investment. Ultimately, a successful values-based program goes beyond just adding labels to a shelf. It's about building trust at scale. It's the new gold standard for retail leadership and the key to winning the next generation of consumers.

We talk a lot about Customer Experience. But what is CX, really? Customer Experience refers to the overall perception and feelings that customers have about their interactions with a company throughout their entire journey with that brand. Thats a mouthful. Here’s how I think of it: The layers and layers of experiences that a customer has throughout their journey, positive or negative, that form their opinions and decisions. The CX includes everything from interactions with marketing content, sales experience, onboarding, automated emails, webinars, meetings, product, support issues…. You get it. But how do we take all of these layers of experiences and actually make an impact? How do we ensure we are creating positive moments when it matters most? Brad Davis spoke at Pulse about a psychological premise referred to as “the peak-end rule”. 🏔️ Here’s the gist: - People judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its peak (the most intense point) and at its end, rather than based on the total sum or average of every moment of the experience. So in theory, creating peak moments throughout the customer experience can impact a customer’s feelings towards the collective experience. Here’s some examples to try: 🍪 Personalized Gifting: Customer achieved something big? Send cookies with a personalized note from Grove Cookie Company (they do the notes for you!) to celebrate a milestone or accomplishment. 📝Thoughtful Message: Perhaps a customer mentions that their son is graduating college. If you don’t have gifting budget, send a simple nice note without any agenda or ask. “Hey Sara, Hope you had a great weekend celebrating your sons graduation!” Stick out by showing up in a more human way. 🎥 Send a Video: Have an important Exec Business Review coming up? Send a video ahead of the call with the agenda and some highlights so you can get their input and make the best use of your time. Video has a ton of applications, I love when CSMs use video to answer questions instead of assuming a call is best. 🤩 Give Them The Spotlight: Invite your customer to be on a Customer Advisory Board, an upcoming customer panel, or to share their experience and business impact during an internal all-hands. Including them drives advocacy by allowing them to feel like they are part of what you are building. Taking the extra effort in a proactive, intentional, or even a just-for-fun way can help create peak moments that leave a lasting impression. Brad helped create a peak moment for me last week. During his presentation, he unexpectedly invited me to join him on stage to share my insights and experiences. This surprise gesture not only made me feel incredibly valued, but also showed a real-time example of creating memorable, impactful experiences. What cool examples of peak moments have you experienced or created?????

Luxury retail taught me a lesson I carry into every boardroom, build, and brainstorm: ✨ Details aren’t decorative — they’re decisive. In luxury, it’s the subtle stitch. The quiet gesture. The exact tone of voice that turns a customer into a lifelong client. Tech should be no different. Too often, we glorify scale over intimacy. Growth over grace. Speed over soul. As a woman leading a retail tech company, I’ve learned something important: Precision, presence, and empathy aren’t soft skills — they’re differentiators. They make a platform intuitive. A rollout seamless. A brand unforgettable. At XY Retail, we don’t just build for performance. We build for presence. Because the same principles that shape a luxury flagship should shape the future of enterprise SaaS: → Respect the moment → Design with intention → Lead with clarity and care Luxury taught me that excellence is quiet — but unmistakable. And that’s exactly the kind of leadership the industry needs more of. #WomenInTech #LuxuryRetail #RetailLeadership #XYRetail #EnterpriseSaaS #FounderVoice #CustomerExperience