Unlocking the Mobile Secrets to Holiday Retail Success with Sienne Veit, Founder & Director of Invisible Stuff
In today’s episode, Tom Butta sits down with Sienne Veit, an esteemed executive in the retail space, to discuss the power of mobile apps in unlocking retail success during the holiday season. Veit emphasizes how mobile apps have become the key to empowering retailers by bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds. By joining and knowing the customer, retailers can leverage apps to provide personalized experiences, enabling customers to plan purchases, access product information and enhance their in-store journey.
Veit draws on her extensive experience working with renowned retailers like Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, and Kingfisher to highlight the impact of well-designed mobile experiences. She stresses the importance of understanding the unique capabilities and usability of mobile devices, ensuring that the app serves a purpose in the customer's journey. In the early days, many retailers overlooked the distinct nature of mobile and tried to duplicate the desktop experience, failing to cater to the on-the-go, time-sensitive context in which customers use their mobile devices.
The interview delves further into the challenges and opportunities retailers face in operationalizing the connection between physical stores and mobile apps. Veit emphasizes the invaluable role that mobile apps play in the end-to-end customer journey, from planning purchases and checking store stock to click-and-collect services and personalized interactions with in-store staff. By understanding the key priorities for each channel, owning the customer experience, and designing for the specific context of mobile usage, retailers can maximize the value they offer to their customers and build long-lasting relationships.
—
Guest Bio
Sienne has 25 years of experience in leading digital retail and technology products. She has a strong commitment to creating customer-centered products and innovative solutions in mobile, social, and omni-channel retail. She has held leadership roles at well-known UK and European brands like Kingfisher Plc (B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama & Brico Depot), John Lewis & Partners, Marks & Spencer, and Morrisons. She has also collaborated with industry leaders such as Sony Playstation, Coca Cola, and eTV (South Africa).
Early in her career as a product innovator, Sienne played a key role in introducing pioneering concepts in UK high street retail. She developed a personal styling application for fashion store employees, launched the UK's first mobile website for shopping at M&S, created a groundbreaking smart TV application for the fashion industry, and spearheaded the development of the first social and mobile gamified Facebook app for donating clothes. She also introduced the first mobile taste test, allowing customers to discover and buy the perfect wine. Most recently, her team built a DIY marketplace at B&Q that uses AI recommendations.
Motivated by her passion for crafting mobile experiences that customers love and for building successful products through joyful and productive teams, Sienne founded Invisible Stuff, a consultancy dedicated to helping organisations craft outstanding customer-centric digital experiences. The name "Invisible Stuff" began as a family joke, reflecting her lifelong commitment to integrating technology seamlessly with customer experiences, making it virtually invisible.
—
Guest Quote
“Mobile is the most personal of devices. It's always there, it's always on, and increasingly it's the thing we reach for in the moments that matter. When we want to check something, when we want to research something, when we see something we like, we take a picture or we immediately search to find it. It captures all of our finest moments, our best moments with our families, with our friends, it's a key productivity tool. And because of that, it just has so many interesting ways that we can use it to make people's lives better, easier, happier, and more fulfilling. And I think that's what really excites me.” - Sienne Veit
—
Time Stamps
*(01:24) Sienne's background in the retail industry
*(04:26) Create an obsession with mobile as a platform
*(06:20) How mindsets have changed around mobile design
*(08:28 Why retail brands find success when adopting mobile early
*(12:21) Glueing the physical and digital world together
*(16:54) Who should own a brand's mobile experience?
*(19:05) Life before download vs. life after download
*(23:52) Achieve your biggest retail wins this holiday season
*(30:09) Where AI fits into all of this
*(33:08) Should we say goodbye to email for good?
*(35:15) Rapid Fire Questions
—
Links
