Seamless Experiences That Drive Revenue
With John Ludlow, VP of Omni Operations at Designer Brands
In this episode John discusses investing in your physical footprint, the importance of aligning your physical and digital experiences, and how Designer Brands is driving customer loyalty.
Listen now:
ServiceChannel
Modified on
March 14, 2024
Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar.
A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.
On today’s episode, we talk with John Ludlow, VP of Omni Operations at Designer Brands. Designer Brands is a leading footwear and accessories retailer that operates a portfolio of retail concepts with a shared goal of inspiring self-expression. Prior to joining Designer Brands, John led Under Armour’s North America Omni Channel team. He also worked at Nike, where he was responsible for helping shape the company’s Connect the Marketplace strategy focused on connecting its direct ecosystem with its strategic wholesale partners while also connecting Nike’s digital channels with its physical stores.
About the Guest
John leads DSW’s Omni Operations team covering store operations & communications, field asset protection, customer service, and retail experience. Prior to joining DSW, John led Under Armour’s North America Omni Channel team focused on creating frictionless experiences across all consumer touchpoints. Before that, John was at Nike, where he was responsible for helping shape the company’s Connect the Marketplace strategy focused on connecting its direct ecosystem with its strategic wholesale partners while also connecting Nike’s digital channels with its physical stores. Early in his career, John worked at Hitachi Consulting, focusing on digital transformation initiatives. When not working, John enjoys spending time with his wife and newborn, as well as traveling the world to immerse himself in different cultures.
“The reason why the store has become such a critical part of these digital native companies is the ability to reach customers that they otherwise would not have been able to reach. When you do invest in those physical footprints, the entire ecosystem raises up so your e-commerce revenue goes up and so forth.”
— John Ludlow
TIMESTAMPS
**(01:43) – What is really means to be VP of Omni Operations
**(06:25) – The North Star of Designer Brands
**(12:42) – Finding Nirvana
**(19:57) – Post-Covid customer expectations
**(27:49) – What are retailers getting right
**(32:56) – Tech John’s excited about
**(37:48) – Sid’s final thoughts
SPONSOR:
ServiceChannel brings you peace of mind through peak facilities performance.
Rest easy knowing your locations are:
- Offering the best possible guest experience
- Living up to brand standards
- Operating with minimal downtime
ServiceChannel partners with more than 500 leading brands globally to provide visibility across operations, the flexibility to grow and adapt to consumer expectations, and accelerated performance from their asset fleet and service providers.
