Hello from the final day of the 2026 Women in Retail Leadership Summit! It’s been a great few days here in Florida at the stunning JW Marriott Turnberry. We’ve listened to insightful content, come away with so many learnings and, of course, made great connections. We couldn’t be more proud of our community and the journey...
There’s a concept from Netflix called the Keeper Test. The idea is simple: If someone on your team told you they were leaving tomorrow, would you fight to keep them? Not “would you be bummed.” Not “would it be inconvenient.” Would you genuinely fight to keep them? It’s an uncomfortable question. And that’s exactly why...
Most brands talk about personalization like they’ve mastered it. However, personalization is still mostly smoke and mirrors. If customers click your email and land on a website that acts like it has never met them, you’re not personalizing, you’re decorating. True personalization spans the entire customer journey. Great customer experience (CX) feels like one continuous...
If you’re reaching out to an executive (or anyone) to get their time and/or attention, here’s what actually works (and what usually doesn’t). I get a lot of messages that are basically, “Hey Jane — can we grab a quick coffee?” Totally get the intention. But here’s the truth: my calendar is chaos, and vague...
Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) recently released its 16th annual Top Women in Retail report. The valuable resource highlights female executives who impressed our Editorial team as well as colleagues from across the industry. One such woman was Artemis Patrick, president and CEO of Sephora North America. Here’s a sampling of Artemis’ interview featured in...
Whether you’re a retailer or a technology provider, you’ve probably had this experience at least once: your schedule is jam-packed at an industry trade show, but with meetings that maybe weren’t as relevant to your needs and goals as you would have hoped. Women in Retail Leadership Circle’s sister brand, Total Retail, set out to...
Retail media networks (RMNs) have become as mainstream as existing content and advertising channels. The problem is that RMNs are still measured according to traditional metrics like clickthrough rates and impressions. However, just as retailers embraced a new model when they added data monetization and publisher functions to their strategy to create RMNs, pioneering retailers...
Looking for clarity, connection, and your next big move? Jacqueline Ardrey, former CEO of Vera Bradley, joins Women in Retail Leadership Circle for our April 24 Next Chapter Session from 12:00 p.m. ET to 1:30 p.m. ET to discuss career transitions, practical insights, and meaningful progress. Jacqueline brings a powerful leadership perspective to help you...
Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) recently released its 16th annual Top Women in Retail report. The valuable resource highlights female executives who impressed our Editorial team as well as colleagues from across the industry. One such woman was Meenakshi Lala, CEO of UrbanStems. Here’s a sampling of Meenakshi’s interview featured in the report. Women in...
In retail and consumer businesses, the store manager is the critical operator in the system. They own daily execution, set the expectations for the team, and translate strategy into action. When a store performs, it’s because the store manager has a CEO mindset. But in a multi-unit organization, performance cannot rely on individual excellence alone....
