30. Retail innovation, impactful ideas, and the power of optimism with Matt Newell

What does innovation in the retail space look like? And how can we develop more impactful customer experiences?

Hello and welcome to episode 30 of the B-side and our first episode for 2022. I'm kicking off the year with an awesome chat with Matt Newell, CEO and founder of The General store.

Matt's journey started out with a degree in music and dreams of making it on the big stage. But with the advice of his dad he caught the agency bug, found a new passion, and built a career as a strategist in the advertising industry. Before founding his own agency, The General Store, in 2012, which has quickly become one of Australia's leading agencies dedicated to retail strategy and innovation.

Matt talks about how he sets his agency apart from others, by focusing first on outcomes and delivering impact, as opposed to the outputs. And in creating genuine, informal client relationships. Where he and his team are seen as trusted partners, not just order takers. He picks my brains on what makes for an excellent agency-client relationship, given I’ve worked on both sides of the fence.

He discusses the differences between online and bricks and mortar retail strategies. The two types of shopping experiences. What retail innovation is and what the future of retail looks like, it's not all Apple stores and Amazon guys.

We reflect on the rising power of retail brands, with their ownership of rich audience insights and control over vast retail ecosystems. And we cover the challenges faced by the retail sector, tackling some tough questions like why delivery is outsourced to third parties. Why customers should carry the burden of trust with an online purchase. And how can we improve the online transaction model to benefit both the vendor and the customer.

And he shares his leadership philosophy, centred on developing positive environments where optimistic people can thrive and where creativity and innovation emerge organically.

This was such an insightful and refreshing chat and a cracking episode to kick the year off with. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Matt's thoughts on retail marketing, customer experiences, innovation and strategy, and I know you will too. Cheers.

You can find Matt Newell and learn more about The General Store here: https://www.thegstore.com.au