Jumpmind at WIRLS: Celebrating Women in Retail Leadership

What a fun week it was for women from across the country who came together  at this year’s Women in Retail Leadership Summit, and that included Jumpmind’s own Girl Team: myself, Arianna Marks and Lauren Cevallos.  

As a first time attendee, I was blown away by the experience. The 3-day event provided us with an opportunity to learn from  leaders in retail  and attend  sessions around topics that are relevant to retailers, and challenges that they are facing these days. What is the meaning of “brand,” how are retailers truly building strong and meaningful customer loyalty, and what learnings can be uncovered around  what it takes to build a strong, dynamic and engaged team.  

Amongst many of this year’s themes, one remained consistent throughout the sessions: creating a strong brand.  Brands should have a sense of purpose.  They are an art; a way of self-expression, and customers become loyal to them when they feel connected.  More often than not, this begins at the store-level and first finding that deep connection.    Hiring the right associates to represent the true essence of the brand can transform that first-time shopper into a lifetime customer.  

As Kristen Maa (Chief Marketing Officer, Saks Global) explains, “Brands are a form of self-expression.  They make customers feel a certain type of way when they wear them.”  The more fun, seamless, and personalized associates can make the shopping journey, the more the customer will find themselves becoming loyal to the brand, the store, and even the associate. 

To customers, a brand goes beyond the product itself; it  is also a “culture” and a sense of community.   Ways in which retailers can increase brand loyalty (and community) are by hiring a team of passionate store associates, building strong  loyalty programs, and creating events for shoppers of the brand to feel a sense of community and feel connected.  

Creating fun, seamless, and meaningful shopping experiences is one area where Jumpmind differentiates itself with its flexible, modern cloud POS platform.  Our solution has enabled many of the world’s most recognized global retailer brands to successfully  transform their in-store shopping experiences.    We understand the every day challenges that retailers face, with each having  unique goals and experiences they want to create that best represents their brand when shopping in-store. For most, the north star is delivering upon the promise to simplify the shopping journey, making the ability to move between digital (online) and retail (in-store)  seamless, with a checkout experience that is both engaging and  frictionless. Our goal is to help our customers deliver upon that goal and move from aspiration to their new reality.   

If we didn’t have a chance to meet at WIRLS, I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts on attending the event and what you found to be  the most valuable takeaway.