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[00:00:00] Suzy Davidkhanian: Atmosphere TV is the largest streaming TV platform purpose-built for shared social spaces like bars, restaurants, gyms, and airports. Atmosphere TV is the creator of ChiveTV and 30-plus mesmerizing audio-optional channels that entertain over 150 million monthly viewers. Built for business, made for fun, [00:00:20] Atmosphere TV

[00:00:25] Suzy Davidkhanian: Hi, everyone. Today is Wednesday, October 14th. Welcome to EMARKETER's weekly retail show, Reimagining Retail, an EMARKETER podcast made possible by Atmosphere TV. This is the show where we talk about how retail collides with every part of our lives, and [00:00:40] I'm your host, Suzy Davidkhanian. On today's episode, we're talking about how an iconic retailer reinvents itself for a new generation without losing what made people love it in the first place.

[00:00:50] Suzy Davidkhanian: Joining me are EMARKETER analyst, Arielle Feger. Hi, Arielle.

[00:00:53] Arielle Feger: Hi, Suzy.

[00:00:54] Suzy Davidkhanian: And special guest, Jillian Cueffe, chief merchandising officer at Claire's.

[00:00:58] Jillian Cueffe: Hi.

[00:00:59] Suzy Davidkhanian: Hi. [00:01:00] We are so excited to have you. But before we get started, Jillian, let's do some speed intros. In 30 seconds or less, tell us what do you do, and if, for the few people who don't know Claire's, what is Claire's?

[00:01:13] Jillian Cueffe: So I am the chief merchandising officer, and Claire's is the most accessible [00:01:20] piercing destination and modern playground for girlhood.

[00:01:24] Suzy Davidkhanian: Many of us know merchant, but just in case, what d- what does that entail?

[00:01:28] Jillian Cueffe: So I lead all of design, production, buying, and planning, and sourcing, and really in charge of the overall assortment and [00:01:40] experience for the Claire's brand.

[00:01:42] Suzy Davidkhanian: I love that. And tell us, what is your current favorite, you can pick which one you wanna talk about, book- Podcast, TV show, movie

[00:01:50] Jillian Cueffe: Ooh, this is so hard. I'm gonna out myself because I'm really excited that there's a new ACOTAR book coming out, [00:02:00] and I also just read the most recent release of Fourth Wing that is, um, coming out.

[00:02:08] Jillian Cueffe: So I'm, I'm giving you a little clue into what I read when I'm not, um, operating as chief merchandising officer.

[00:02:14] Arielle Feger: You're a romantasy girl. I like

[00:02:16] Jillian Cueffe: it. I am. I am.

[00:02:18] Suzy Davidkhanian: Can you tell me, I have never heard of [00:02:20] these books. Can you tell me more?

[00:02:21] Jillian Cueffe: It's a lot of dragons and fairies- Oh, fantasy ... and magic and, yes, that kind of thi-

[00:02:27] Suzy Davidkhanian: I did not realize that.

[00:02:29] Jillian Cueffe: It's like- It's very, very fun, and there's a lot of content to get through if you get into it, so, um, highly recommend.

[00:02:37] Arielle Feger: I still have yet to, uh, get [00:02:40] into either of those series, but I probably will someday. I mean, there's just so many books in the world, you know. But- It's true ... maybe this is the time.

[00:02:47] Jillian Cueffe: It's definitely the time.

[00:02:48] Jillian Cueffe: I believe there's content coming out, um, for both of those series on either Amazon or one of the networks- Ooh ... is doing, is doing some, some content that's coming. But I am actually a fan of [00:03:00] graphic audio, so I listen on Audible to these books. Oh. And graphic audio is like listening to a movie. So if you're gonna get into it, I highly recommend.

[00:03:09] Suzy Davidkhanian: Oh, that's cool.

[00:03:10] Arielle Feger: Awesome. Love that recommendation.

[00:03:12] Suzy Davidkhanian: That's, that's like an experience.

[00:03:13] Jillian Cueffe: It is.

[00:03:14] Arielle Feger: Yeah.

[00:03:14] Suzy Davidkhanian: I love it. Well, it's like Claire's, right, for more than 60 years.

[00:03:18] Arielle Feger: Great pivot.

[00:03:19] Suzy Davidkhanian: [00:03:20] Amazing. Thank

[00:03:21] Jillian Cueffe: you. You got it. Yes. We have been part of piercing and growing up for generations.

[00:03:26] Suzy Davidkhanian: Right? And it's for more than 60 years you guys have been part of that generation of girls, part of their growing up, like you just said, and for many it was the place where you got your ears pierced, you discovered the latest [00:03:40] accessories, and maybe it took you to the mall and you spent time with your friends.

[00:03:43] Suzy Davidkhanian: But today's Gen Alpha shopper is growing up in a very different world. Trends are moving so much faster, inspiration is coming from everywhere, and kids have more choices than ever before. So while many moms have loved Claire's when they were growing up, it doesn't automatically make it her [00:04:00] brand. So today we're gonna talk about how Claire's is reimagining everything from its products and stores to where and how to reach shoppers, all the while holding on to the things that made it iconic in the first place, and what other retailers can learn from that transformation.

[00:04:14] Suzy Davidkhanian: But before we get started, you guys, I wanted to ask you if you remember your first ear [00:04:20] piercing experience.

[00:04:21] Arielle Feger: Yeah, it was at Claire's. I got my ears pierced at Claire's, so that's why it's so exciting to be on this episode.

[00:04:29] Jillian Cueffe: And Arielle, do you remember which Claire's? Like, where in the country were you?

[00:04:33] Arielle Feger: Yes, I do.

[00:04:34] Arielle Feger: It was the Claire's in the, um, Meriden Mall in, uh, [00:04:40] Meriden, Connecticut.

[00:04:40] Jillian Cueffe: Interesting. I have not been to that location. I don't know if it's still open, but I will have to put it on my list of places- Yeah ... to go check out.

[00:04:49] Arielle Feger: Susie knows this. Uh, I was just... I went to another location. Uh, I was just in Connecticut, and I went to the location at, um, West Farms Mall in West Hartford, Connecticut.

[00:04:59] Arielle Feger: Um, and I took a [00:05:00] little spin around prior to this episode 'cause I wanted to kind of get a sense of what you were doing, so that was really cool.

[00:05:05] Jillian Cueffe: Did they have the new experience yet?

[00:05:07] Arielle Feger: They did not, I don't think. I mean, it, it looked pretty similar to, like, what I remember, but, uh, kind of updated, uh, merch obviously.

[00:05:15] Arielle Feger: Some really interesting stuff, but it was cool to give it a look.

[00:05:18] Jillian Cueffe: Well, we have a glow up that's [00:05:20] coming soon, if not now. It's... We are in the middle of rolling out our new piercing experience to our fleet. So we are trying to touch all stores before holiday, as... or as many as we can get to, so I'm not exactly sure where West Farms is on the list, but I know they're on the list for pretty soon.

[00:05:38] Jillian Cueffe: So we'll... You'll have to go back and [00:05:40] check it out when the- Yeah ... new experience is in. It's a, it's a pretty big wow.

[00:05:43] Suzy Davidkhanian: We're gonna give you a LinkedIn assignment to go back and do a store visit.

[00:05:47] Arielle Feger: Yes. I love a homework assignment that involves me going to the mall.

[00:05:51] Suzy Davidkhanian: I love- It's

[00:05:52] Arielle Feger: not a bad one.

[00:05:53] Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, it's funny 'cause I grew up in Canada, so there w- uh, there were no Claire's when I was growing up in Canada, but I still [00:06:00] remember distinctively my dad took my best friend and I to the mall to get our ears pierced, and it's like a seared memory.

[00:06:05] Jillian Cueffe: Well, we have Claire's in Canada now.

[00:06:07] Suzy Davidkhanian: You do now. I saw. Yeah. Well, at first I was like, "Was I at a Claire's?" And then I, of course, Googled it to make sure that I was telling the right fact, which you guys came in the '90s and I got my ears pierced in the '80s. [00:06:20] But you should absolutely be checking it out if you're listening from Canada, because it is very cool.

[00:06:24] Jillian Cueffe: Absolutely. And my first experience was also at Claire's, and mine was at the Willow Grove Mall in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. It was when I was seven years old, and I remember because I was asking my mom for, for years prior. I think I wanted to get them [00:06:40] pierced at least since I was five. "Please, please, please."

[00:06:42] Jillian Cueffe: And it was definitely a, a major milestone and rite of passage for me, and, and something that I remember fondly, and, uh, definitely love that I get to now shepherd this brand that means something personally to me. And my daughters too. My daughters are both Claire's girls.

[00:06:57] Arielle Feger: I love that.

[00:06:58] Suzy Davidkhanian: That is awesome, right?

[00:06:59] Suzy Davidkhanian: And [00:07:00] it's kind of a big responsibility if you think about it in some ways, right? Not, not about just nostalgia, but as you think about that next chapter, how do you decide what to keep that's core to Claire's and you cannot touch it, versus what needs to change a little bit to be a little more modern?

[00:07:16] Jillian Cueffe: Totally. I mean, we see the nostalgia that [00:07:20] moms have for us, and the, that memory of their first piercing and their experience. You know, that's really what gets them in the door, and it's a huge asset that we have. You know, since coming on board last January, I, I have spent a lot of time talking to people in the wild, and literally [00:07:40] almost every person I've talked to has a Claire's experience and, and almost all of them fond memories that really make me proud to be part of this brand.

[00:07:49] Jillian Cueffe: Um, but that means nothing to Gen Alpha. You know, what mom thinks is cool is really not anything other than a gateway to what gets her in the door. And I can say [00:08:00] that personally with experience 'cause I have a Gen Alpha daughter who really tells me that I'm chud, whatever that means. This is the new vernacular.

[00:08:08] Jillian Cueffe: It's not good. I'm unk and I'm chud, whatever those two phrases are, that's the new version for, "Mom, you're not cool." So, you know, the fact that we're cool or has a really great memory is amazing for [00:08:20] us, but we know that it's not what's going to make us win with Gen Alpha, so we really know that we have to listen to her And we have to pay attention to her and make sure that we are putting her at the center of our decisions as curators of the assortment and the experience.

[00:08:36] Jillian Cueffe: And we are really designing the assortment with [00:08:40] and for her. We're speaking with her. We're talking to focus groups. We're really lucky because internally we have an organization that has a lot of Gen Alpha kids, so it's not just, you know, focus group of my daughter. But we are vetting everything through them, even down to, um, if, when you do get to see our new experience, [00:09:00] Arielle, it's a new color for us.

[00:09:01] Jillian Cueffe: We retired our tried and true dark Claire's purple, and we are migrating to a new color that is called Lilith. That's a, that's more of a softer lavender-like color, and that was Gen Alpha driven. Like, we were gonna go a really different direction when we were discussing remodeling the [00:09:20] stores originally, and we were thinking, you know, we'll totally leave purple behind and go a totally different direction to kind of commemorate this new chapter.

[00:09:27] Jillian Cueffe: But Gen Alpha was like, "You can't take purple away from Claire's. It's important." And so that was a really big change for us, and we were like, "Whoa, we need to listen." And so it really made us stop [00:09:40] in our tracks, and it changed our entire remodel strategy around what they told us they wanted. And that, you know, didn't stop just at the remodel strategy.

[00:09:49] Jillian Cueffe: We, we spent a lot of time listening to the same type of insights on our merchandising strategy. So, you know, one of the first things I did when I got here was [00:10:00] I brought my daughter to a Claire's and I said, "Have at it," you know, "Go spend your money and, and you can have anything you want." And it was really interesting to watch what she gravitated towards and, and what she didn't.

[00:10:11] Jillian Cueffe: And we were really early to get onto the sensory toy trend. And so we had NeeDohs, and we had [00:10:20] slime and fidgets before it was such a viral sensation, and we, that, the store that we were in happened to have a table of them. And she went right over to that. She knew what that was. She knew what she wanted and went all over it.

[00:10:32] Jillian Cueffe: So definitely validating that viral products were something that we needed to have in our assortment, which might have been not necessarily something you [00:10:40] would intuitively think you'd find at Claire's. And then I saw her walk over to the jewelry wall, and it was almost like she was intimidated by the wall, and she backed up and turned away and went right over to beauty because she could understand what she needed to do with the beauty stuff.

[00:10:56] Jillian Cueffe: And I asked her afterwards, like, "What happened there? I saw [00:11:00] a reaction." And she was like, "Mom, it was just a lot. Like, I didn't know what to do with it. And I didn't know, like, does this go with this, or does that go with... Like, how do I even put it together? You know, I didn't know what I wanted, and I didn't know how to put it together."

[00:11:14] Jillian Cueffe: And that really was kind of a light bulb for me, which says, okay, maybe we don't need to organize [00:11:20] by, you know, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, but really, what is she doing there? She's getting staffed. And so she wants to get stacked, and so we've changed the entire way that our jewelry is merchandised now so it's more prioritized by metal, so she can be confident when she walks up to that wall that if she wants something that's silver, if she has an, you know, the [00:11:40] earring, the bracelet, the necklace, it all is merchandised together so that when she wants to stack it, she can have confidence that it can, she can do it with style.

[00:11:48] Suzy Davidkhanian: I love that, 'cause it's really starting from the consumer. But at the same time, your consumer is changing, and when you're talking about kids, you have to think about the parent as well as the person who's gonna be using your things. How are you [00:12:00] thinking about who your actual customer is today? And it sounds like it's pretty clear it's Gen Alpha, but how do you then keep the parent in the loop, the mom, or the dad in my case, to trust you guys?

[00:12:10] Jillian Cueffe: You know, we have a really unique position, because when you're piercing, that is really giving trust, right? You're, you're letting us [00:12:20] take not only, you know, the most important first milestone for many girls into feeling like their womanhood, but it's also something that parents really expect a high level of trust.

[00:12:33] Jillian Cueffe: And it was a big part of our remodel strategy that we listen to what parents told us It [00:12:40] again impacted our merchandising as well. Our parents told us they wanted a destination in the store that was really dedicated towards piercing. Our merchandising sometimes encroached on that space and made it feel a little bit like you were getting pierced in a bazaar, and not anymore.

[00:12:56] Jillian Cueffe: Our new experience really takes a big position. We took a lot of [00:13:00] merchandising space out and dedicated it towards piercing so that the space is clean, safe, clinical, and also inspirational. So one of the things we know is that Gen Alpha loves to touch and feel and try before she makes a commitment, and so we added inspiration bars that allow [00:13:20] her to see the earrings on try-on sticks.

[00:13:23] Jillian Cueffe: She can have selfie mirrors and even a handheld mirror so she can try out what that stack might look like before she has to make the commitment to get pierced. And also, there's fun surprise and delight products that we expect to house on that inspiration bar to [00:13:40] really inspire the Gen Alpha consumer while she's there, that it's not just about that piercing experience, but about what coming to Claire's could mean for her.

[00:13:48] Jillian Cueffe: You know, there really isn't any other dedicated space in the mall anymore for this consumer, and we feel lucky enough... You know, I said we're a modern playground for girlhood. We feel lucky enough that we get [00:14:00] to be that because when we were growing up, there were several different destinations for this customer, but there's really not anymore.

[00:14:06] Jillian Cueffe: And so much of our competition is really encouraging her to age up and to operate like she is aspiring to be much older than she is, and we really are excited that we can say with pride that [00:14:20] our products are designed for her right now when she doesn't necessarily have it all figured out, and she's figuring out who she's becoming.

[00:14:29] Jillian Cueffe: And it's okay that, you know, today she wants to be a punker rock chick, and tomorrow she wants to be preppy, and we're there for her for all of those moments of discovery and all of those first [00:14:40] moments that Claire's was there for us for. You know, think about your first journal for your first crush or your first best friend necklace for your first bestie.

[00:14:49] Jillian Cueffe: Like, we own that, and we plan on continuing to own that. You know, Suzy, you asked about what are the things that you can't take away from Claire's, and- Those first moments of [00:15:00] girlhood are what we really believe we stand behind, and they might change over time as girls evolve and do different things. But Claire's is gonna be there for her for those first moments, um, no matter where you find us.

[00:15:13] Arielle Feger: I love that you were able to kind of keep your core identity. What is Claire's? [00:15:20] Claire's is a playground for girls. Claire's is a place that you can go and get your ears pierced, that you can find new things. But you're also willing to accept that the shopping experience has changed, that consumers are changing.

[00:15:31] Arielle Feger: You know, you took a step back and you said, "Okay, we wanna stay who we are, but how can we update it to keep it [00:15:40] relevant for how consumers are shopping now?" And I think navigating that balance is really, really tricky, and it just sounds like you've really managed to listen to parents and to the young girl consumers, and really find a, a way to kind of walk down that middle line in a way that resonates.

[00:15:57] Suzy Davidkhanian: So Arielle, is there a way for [00:16:00] other brands, like Claire's has really found that balance. How do other brands think about, like, nostalgia but staying relevant, a place to be but not over-hyped? You know, like, it, it is a complicated thing to be true to your heritage, but also wanna be updated. What should other brands be thinking about?

[00:16:17] Arielle Feger: You've really gotta know, you gotta de- [00:16:20] set out to define who your consumer is, right? Are you trying to play on that nostalgia for parents? Are you trying to really be new and exciting for Gen Alpha? And I think that's decision number one. And then, you know, again, like, once you decide that, you really have to go all in on, okay, how are they shopping?

[00:16:39] Arielle Feger: [00:16:40] What are they looking for? Rely on them to tell you what they want. Especially, I mean, we know Gen Alpha, we know younger children are more empowered than ever to kind of be able to tell brands what they're looking for and what they want. So I think- And

[00:16:54] Jillian Cueffe: their parents.

[00:16:55] Arielle Feger: Yes, and their parents, exactly.

[00:16:57] Arielle Feger: They're

[00:16:57] Jillian Cueffe: influencing 50% [00:17:00] of family spends. Like, Gen Alpha is telling their parents what to buy just as much as their parents are telling them what to buy, which is so crazy when you think about it, 'cause these are, you know, six to 14-year-olds. And it's so true, 'cause, like, like I said, I have them in my house too, and I see it.

[00:17:17] Jillian Cueffe: And they know more about [00:17:20] what- Features and benefits products have than we do. I think it's actually a really awesome benefit of this generation, is that they know what they want.

[00:17:30] Arielle Feger: Yeah. I think you have to trust them to know that they know what they want, you know?

[00:17:34] Suzy Davidkhanian: But you also maybe have to trust, as the chief merchant, what they want and what works for your [00:17:40] brand may not always work well together.

[00:17:42] Suzy Davidkhanian: Have there been instances where it's a cultural moment, it's a big trend, and you're like, "Ooh, I don't know if this is a Claire's moment"?

[00:17:49] Jillian Cueffe: Absolutely. I would say the beauty sector of our business is a place where we've had opportunities to bring in products that likely would be great revenue [00:18:00] drivers, but aren't necessarily pitched for our consumer.

[00:18:04] Jillian Cueffe: And we just, you know, have kind of a line in the sand where we said we're not going to bring in products that encourage her to do things that she doesn't need to be doing at that age, or play to any insecurity that she might have. We are here to celebrate [00:18:20] her, not to tell her anything needs to change, right?

[00:18:22] Jillian Cueffe: She might wanna change things. Of course, we all do when we're going through adolescence, and, and that's what we celebrate in Claire's, and, you know, you wanna come in and try out a, a pink hair piece, we got you. But we're not gonna tell you that you need an anti-aging serum at 10 years old.

[00:18:37] Arielle Feger: I think that goes back to what you were saying about [00:18:40] kind of protecting that space for this age, this consumer, this demographic, because you're right.

[00:18:46] Arielle Feger: Like, you can go anywhere to find... Not anywhere, but there's lots of places you can go to find an anti-aging, you know, whatever. But there's just not as many places that you can go to find things that are really directly within that age group, [00:19:00] that demographic. And I think that, again, becomes so important to really carve that out and not lose that sense of identity, because again, then you're just like everyone else.

[00:19:09] Jillian Cueffe: Yep, and I think, going back to the fact that Gen Alpha is- More requiring than previous generations. You know, it's really encouraged [00:19:20] us as a merchant organization to step up our game, if you will, on style, quality, and value. Because we know this customer has $22 a week in allowance on average, and if we're gonna get her to spend it with us, she has to trust us, but she also has to love what we have, and [00:19:40] that means it has to be durable.

[00:19:41] Jillian Cueffe: That means that it has to be on trend, and that means that it has to be in a price range that she can afford. And so I would say those are things that my team is constantly thinking about as they are pool hunting for the next best thing that is going to help enhance that piercing [00:20:00] experience as well as the overall merchand- mer- you know, merchandise assortment in general.

[00:20:05] Suzy Davidkhanian: Merchants always think assortment is critical, right? And so the, the question becomes hard, 'cause also a merchant wants a lot of stuff in a store. So how are you helping your team better understand this idea of curated assortment goes much further [00:20:20] than, as you had maybe said, clutter, you know? How, how do you guys balance that?

[00:20:24] Jillian Cueffe: I think, you know, it really comes down to the place where you and I first fell in love with each other, which is in, in consumer data, and in looking at the facts, not the feelings of merchants. And I always say merchants are so good at, you know, [00:20:40] squeezing everything onto a fixture, but that's not always the way that you make the most impact with the customer.

[00:20:45] Jillian Cueffe: And I think coming from a little bit of mass background, I learned that in a big way how powerful the item can be, and how being clear with the customer and telling them what you think is important as a merchant often [00:21:00] helps inspire them to purchase the things you want them to. You have to show them, not just tell them.

[00:21:05] Jillian Cueffe: And so really connecting the dots between the data and the facts- And how our product is showing up to the customer. So we're being a lot more mindful of our space and how we are merchandising for the space that we have, [00:21:20] and how when we have products that we believe are what I call hero products, or newness that we really want the customer to see, that we're aligning with our in-store merchandising, our marketing partners on how that shows up through all channels.

[00:21:36] Jillian Cueffe: Because, you know, what's unique about Claire's is that we really aren't an [00:21:40] e-commerce business. You can book appointments online right now, and we're starting to dip our toe into putting some of our collaboration assortments out there. But we aren't, we are largely an IRL in-store retailer, and that's a, you know, a unique challenge for us.

[00:21:55] Jillian Cueffe: But we also know that our customer is finding her inspiration on [00:22:00] social and online, so we have to find ways to connect those dots. And, you know, it's hard when you don't have a digital voice to speak with as loud as omni-channel retailers or, or D2C retailers might have.

[00:22:12] Suzy Davidkhanian: I love that, 'cause you're also, with that in mind, you're evolving not only your own footprint, but it sounds like you're expanding into other retailers.

[00:22:19] Suzy Davidkhanian: Tell us a little bit [00:22:20] more about how that started.

[00:22:21] Jillian Cueffe: We have an amazing partnership with Centric, who leads our CPG business, um, so our business that's out there in Walmart and Kohl's and several other retailers. And that business is really geared towards making sure that we can- Get our brand out to the masses, and i- it [00:22:40] helps us explore into categories that we may not be able to do in our piercing destinations.

[00:22:47] Jillian Cueffe: So it, it helps us kind of keep the brand separate. You'll get the full expression of our brand in our retail stores, and then through the CPG business, you'll see expanded assortments in, in various [00:23:00] categories in prices that we frankly are not playing in in our stores. You'll see a far more elevated experience in the retail stores.

[00:23:08] Jillian Cueffe: That doesn't mean we're expensive. It just means that you'll see some more specialty products because we are a specialty store. And you'll possibly see categories in the CPG business that you would [00:23:20] never find in our stores. So we think it's a really interesting partnership and a way for us to explore getting our brand out there to more people.

[00:23:27] Jillian Cueffe: And something that I had a lot of experience in, that's kind of how I found Claire's, is that a while back, I was leading the jewelry and accessories business at Walmart and was responsible for bringing Claire's into the jewelry and accessories [00:23:40] department. So I am very familiar with just how commercial it can be and just how much brand love there is for this brand inside our stores and across America.

[00:23:49] Arielle Feger: I think that's such an interesting strategy, right, to be able to create brand awareness outside of your own four walls, but then also kind of maintain [00:24:00] the reason to go to your store, right? You'll have an assortment outside. You'll have it at Walmart or whatever, but, you know, there's still gonna be these exclusives, these, the more expanded assortment that you have to go to Claire's for.

[00:24:13] Arielle Feger: And I just, I really love that strategy. I think that's, it's a, it's a really interesting way to go about it.

[00:24:18] Jillian Cueffe: As our brand [00:24:20] continues to gain traction and strength, we have a lot of really exciting collaborations in the, in the pipeline that are coming down that I can't talk about yet, but they will be a definite reason for why you would wanna come into our Claire's, and, um, some exciting things that you haven't seen from us yet.

[00:24:35] Suzy Davidkhanian: I mean, that's the key, right? Doing new, fun things to get people off [00:24:40] their phones and into your store. So to tie up, really fast, I wanna ask you both the exact same question. If another brand or retailer came to you and said, "We need to sort of update our brand. What do we do so that we don't lose what made us who we are, but that we still feel a little modern?"

[00:24:57] Suzy Davidkhanian: What's the one thing you would tell them to start [00:25:00] with?

[00:25:00] Jillian Cueffe: The customer. Listen to the customer. Be customer obsessed, and don't rely on feelings. Use facts. To help guide your decisions.

[00:25:11] Arielle Feger: Yeah, I mean, that would definitely be my my first answer. But I will say, to throw in a little something else, start with a blank slate.

[00:25:19] Arielle Feger: You know, [00:25:20] uh, you know who your brand is, right? Uh, likely you're someone who is really eating, sleeping, and breathing your brand. So think about what you would do if you were completely starting over. What are the essentials that you need to, to say, "Okay, these are gonna stay." What would you do if you could just completely redo it all for the [00:25:40] modern age, you know, for, for today's consumers?

[00:25:42] Arielle Feger: I think it's okay to think sky high, you know? And maybe not everything is gonna be 100% doable, but I think it gets you to a place of embedding yourself in what's going on today versus, "Oh, well this is how we used to do it, so maybe we should do it this way again." So I think that's my advice, kind of thinking [00:26:00] about it a little bit differently.

[00:26:01] Suzy Davidkhanian: And I'm gonna throw in the product is king, and if you don't have a solid product as the foundation, then it doesn't matter how much nostalgia or heritage. None of it really matters if you don't have a good product to start with.

[00:26:13] Jillian Cueffe: Thank you, Suzy. The merchant in me was waiting for that to-

[00:26:18] Suzy Davidkhanian: It is beyond... I [00:26:20] cannot...

[00:26:20] Suzy Davidkhanian: Especially, I think, in this age of AI, with the sea of sameness, product is gonna be that much more important. We could go on and on, but unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you, Jillian. Oh my God, thank you Suzy and Arielle. This was so great. Yeah. Thank you, Arielle.

[00:26:34] Arielle Feger: Thank you. This was so fun.

[00:26:35] Suzy Davidkhanian: And thank you to our listeners and to our team that edits the podcast. Please leave a [00:26:40] rating or review, and remember to subscribe. I'll see you for more Reimagining Retail next Wednesday. And on Friday, join Marcus for another episode of Behind the Numbers, an EMARKETERpodcast made possible by Atmosphere TV.