PROFILE
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
Georganne Bender is a speaker, retail strategist, author, and consultant. Georganne and her business partner, Rich Kizer, have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, collegiate, toy, travel, tanning, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. Georganne is particularly known for her store makeover and visual merchandising skills.
KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers and have been named two of Retailing's Most Influential People. Their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog is consistently listed among important retail and small business blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, and are partners and emcees for the popular Independent Retailer Conference held twice a year in Las Vegas.
Georganne and Rich are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals: Today's consumer. Each year KIZER & BENDER host consumer focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and intensive on-site studies. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. KIZER & BENDER are married, just not to each other. 2023 marks their 33rd anniversary as a speaking team.
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- Posted on: 05/31/2023
Should Brand Founders Get Personal on TikTok?
People like to know the face behind the business. It's not easy to put yourself out there but if your goal is to truly connect with customers then it can work. But it can also turn on a dime and go in the other direction. Founders and CEOs on social media have to be ready for that too, and have a plan in place. - Posted on: 05/29/2023
RetailWire Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day
Andy Lopez, my friend and US Marine, says that heroes die twice: once when they are killed, and again when they are forgotten. He suggests if you know someone who died in active duty while serving our country to say their name. Often. Just one of the things Cabela’s did to commemorate this Memorial Day was to set Missing Man Tables in its stores; tableaus full of symbolism meant to honor those who did not come home. It’s a moving reminder that this weekend is about more than barbecues or big sales. - Posted on: 05/26/2023
Has Abercrombie & Fitch Been Transformed?
The Abercrombie & Fitch Co. stores today no longer resemble the dark, heavily perfumed and pulsating teen palaces of the 90s. This is a good thing because Gen Z is too evolved to accept that behavior from their retailers of choice. The Abercrombie & Fitch stores I have visited recently are beautifully appointed, rich in graphics, and the clothing assortment is curated. It’s a completely different ambiance. Perhaps the best thing about the brand transformation is that Millennials, who wouldn’t set foot in an A&F store just a decade ago, are shopping there again. It took focused change to recapture lost customers but Abercrombie & Fitch did it. - Posted on: 05/25/2023
Do Ads Work Better On Podcasts?
This one will. - Posted on: 05/25/2023
Do Ads Work Better On Podcasts?
While Baby Boomers weren’t listed as part of the EMarketer demographic mentioned in the article, this Boomer listens to podcasts all the time. I love the diversity of topics; what I don’t love are the commercials. Unlike broadcast and cable networks, where we are forced to sit through the commercials when watching on demand, podcasts allow listeners to fast forward through every one of them. Until podcasters figure out how to force people to disable the fast-forwarding option I don’t see them being a good advertising value for retailers across the board. - Posted on: 05/24/2023
Will Staples ‘Business is Human’ Campaign Connect With Customers?
For so long retail news has been technologies that are designed to replace human contact - and human contact is what we need more of these days. There is a place for AI but not at the expense of humans. Good job, Staples! I love a program that focuses on human interaction, human intelligence, and especially store associates. Sorry Klarna, but there won’t be a robot measuring or recommending fashions to me anytime soon. - Posted on: 05/23/2023
Is Walmart Barking Up The Right Tree With TeleVet Service?
I can’t tell you how many times over the years I have wished I’d had immediate access to a veterinarian and I know I am not alone. Every service offers variations of the same thing so this is a smart move by Walmart. If you want to connect with customers fix the needs they didn’t even realize they had. - Posted on: 05/22/2023
Does Retail Need a New Approach to Fight Organized Crime?
I ran a boutique that was targeted several times by groups of organized shoplifters, let me tell you it was terrifying. These weren’t people who would have benefited from in-store kiosks that connect them with government resources, and I don’t think the groups shoplifting today will be either. Retailers need real protection, especially those on the front line. - Posted on: 05/19/2023
Do Retailers Need to Get Ready Now For Mother’s Day 2024?
I’d never find them again! - Posted on: 05/19/2023
Do Retailers Need to Get Ready Now For Mother’s Day 2024?
Every smart retailer keeps their “Beat Yesterday” book/data close. It’s the roadmap they use to guide them to higher sales next year. - Posted on: 05/19/2023
Will More States Follow Montana And Ban TikTok?
All I can say to Montana lawmakers is good luck with that. - Posted on: 05/18/2023
Will Consumers Knock Off Buying Lululemon Dupes After Wearing The Real Thing?
I was going to say the same thing Rich said but he beat me to it. That’s what happens when your biz partners for 33 years! - Posted on: 05/18/2023
Is Flexibility The Key to TJX’s Success?
That flexibility - and the thrill of the hunt - is what brings shoppers to TJX’s stores. It’s a take off on that old Marshall’s slogan: shoppers come to see the 1000s of items that arrive every week. It’s a good business model and one that has trained shoppers to visit the stores frequently or they could be missing out. - Posted on: 05/18/2023
Will Consumers Knock Off Buying Lululemon Dupes After Wearing The Real Thing?
Swapping a dupe for the real thing at no cost will definitely get consumers attention. Events like this will be successful, but it’s what happens afterwards that truly matters. Spending triple for a brand name is only important to people who are all about labels. If the quality is comparable, I doubt the dupe buyers will switch loyalties. It’s too expensive. - Posted on: 05/17/2023
Is Taco Bell The Hero or The Villain in Taco Tuesday Fight?
It shouldn’t matter that Taco Tuesday has become part of the vernacular, it’s still owned by Taco John’s and Gregory’s, two companies that have taken the high road in allowing others to use it. Taco Bell will lose goodwill points in this fight.
