Send us Fan Mail

Episode Summary

This episode is a rebroadcast of the first episode Bryan recently hosted for Fujitsu Retail on the Engaging Deeper and Scaling Smarter Podcast. The link for the series can be found below or follow Fujitsu wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Bryan Amaral sits down with retail innovation leader Michelle Pacynski (former VP of Digital Innovation & Consumer Technology at Ulta Beauty) to explore what it באמת takes to scale innovation in high-engagement retail categories like beauty.

Michelle shares firsthand insights from helping grow Ulta’s eCommerce business from $125M to over $2B, unpacking how customer-centricity, disciplined experimentation, and strong business cases turn promising ideas into enterprise-wide impact.

From AI-driven personalization to unified commerce and the future of digital engagement, this conversation blends strategy with practical execution—offering a clear lens into how retailers can innovate with purpose, not just speed.

Key Topics Covered

• Why customer-first thinking is the foundation of scalable innovation
• The gap between pilot success and enterprise rollout—and how to close it
• Building a business case that earns prioritization inside large organizations
• The real challenges of unified commerce across digital and physical channels
• How to evaluate emerging tech like AI without falling into hype cycles
• When to stop an innovation and what “success” really means in experimentation
• Rethinking personalization in an era where “creepy” is being redefined
• Governance, trust, and responsible AI in beauty retail
• What separates scalable innovation from point solutions that stall
• The future of digital: conversational, immersive, and interactive experiences

Notable Insights

• “Scaling smarter starts with solving a real customer problem—not just launching something new.”
• “Winning experiments don’t scale themselves—you have to sell them internally.”
• “Success in innovation isn’t always outcomes—it’s often what you learn.”
• “Being early can feel a lot like being wrong.”
• “Retailers need to shift from a portfolio of products to a portfolio of customers.”

Looking Ahead

Michelle emphasizes that the next wave of retail innovation will be driven by two-way, conversational digital experiences—blending AI, video, and human-like interaction to mirror the best of in-store engagement.

About the Guest

Michelle Pacynski is a seasoned retail and technology executive and former VP at Ulta Beauty, where she led digital innovation and consumer technology. Today, she advises companies, founders, and investors on how to translate emerging technologies into scalable business value.

Listen & Connect

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the series Engaging Deeper & Scaling Smarter for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of retail innovation.

Michelle's Email: mpacynski@ivantedgeadvisors.com

Michelle's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-pacynski

Bryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanamaral/

Bryan’s Website: https://www.clientricity.net

Bryan’s Email: bryan@clientelingpodcast.com or bryan@retailtechexec.com

Call Bryan: 404-348-4849

Fujitsu's FNAI Engaging Deeper & Scaling Smarter Podcast Series:https://www.buzzsprout.com/

Send us a text

In this episode, Bryan Amaral interviews Ruaraidh ("Rory") Grubb, CEO of Own-Kind, a UK-based clienteling and customer-engagement platform. Rory traces Own-Kind’s evolution from a 2018 “digital wardrobe” concept to a post-lockdown product-market fit that helps retailers deliver exceptional, content-rich customer experiences. Framing clienteling as a practice supported by software, Rory explains how Own-Kind shortens time-to-value for store associates and customers through personalized, shoppable lookbooks, QR-enabled onboarding, and engagement telemetry that surfaces purchase intent and prompts timely human follow-ups.

Bryan and Rory dig into real outcomes and adoption: streamlined integrations (including Shopify), 1:1 onboarding for every user, and results reported by brands such as 2–4× higher conversion and 3× AOV, with rapid ROI. They also explore the road ahead—supporting in-store events with sales attribution, instant chat, social modules, and an enhanced appointments flow—and how AI should remove admin and amplify people rather than replace them, keeping associates at the center of the relationship.

Key takeaways

1. Clienteling is a practice — Software should enhance associate engagement, and empower better human moments.
2. Content drives engagement — Personalized, video-rich lookbooks + clickstream insight reveal intent before purchase and is the entry point into creating high-value customer journeys.
3. Adoption by design — 1:1 user onboarding provide real-world insights into how technology supports retail selling and constant UX iteration lower friction and speed results.
4. Plug-and-play where possible — Streamlined integrations (incl. Shopify) reduce IT lift and time to go-live.
5. Measured impact — Brands report rapid ROI, 2–4× conversion, and 3× AOV; retention is the next frontier to quantify.
6. Human + AI balance — Use AI/agents to suggest next best actions and remove admin while the associate stays in the loop.

Enjoy the show!

Own-Kind Website: www.own-kind.com

Ruaraidh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruaraidhgrubb/

Bryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanamaral/

Bryan’s Website: https://www.clientricity.net

Bryan’s Email: bryan@clientelingpodcast.com or bryan@retailtechexec.com

Call Bryan: 404-348-4849

Tags: retail clienteling clientricity Own-Kind retailtransformation

Send us a text

In this episode, Bryan Amaral interviews Whitney Cathcart, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer 3DLook, a leading AI-based mobile body scanning and virtual fit and try-on startup for the fashion industry. Whitney is a noted fashion and retail tech expert, having worked in apparel manufacturing, retail, and e-commerce, with three decades of experience in senior leadership roles for leading branded apparel, celebrity licensing, and private-label manufacturing companies.

She is also certified by MIT’s Sloan School of Management in Artificial Intelligence, Whitney is among the leading voices on retail innovation.

First, Whitney shares her personal story and the motivation to create an AI-based 3D body measurement and sizing solution. Then she shares her perspective on what is happening in today's retail market that is finally making this technology an investment priority for retailers and what she hears from customers and prospects as the Size-Fit category expands. She shares her perspective on how evolving consumer expectations, sustainability, and demand for greater personalization are necessitating virtual fitting room capabilities.

Whitney and Bryan discussed the cornerstone of 3DLook's underlying body measurement technology and how the Mobile Tailor SaaS app is enabling an array of made-to-measure products ranging
1. Lean into the technology and communicate the value to your customers.

2. Knowing your customer - In a clienteling environment, asociates are able to recommend the ideal fit and know who they are.

3. The world is shifting into 3D - Digitize your products.

Enjoy the show!

Resources:

3DLook Website: 3DLook.me
Email: Whitney@3DLook.me
Whitney's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyjoycathcart/

Bryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanamaral/

Bryan’s Website: https://www.clientricity.net

Bryan’s Email: bryan@clientelingpodcast.com or bryan@retailtechexec.com

Call Bryan: 404-348-4849

Tags: retail clienteling clientricity Size-Fit Virtual Try-on 3DLook