PROFILE
Heidi Sax
Director, Growth Marketing for WizardHeidi leads growth marketing at Wizard, a conversational commerce platform that helps brands sell, market, and engage customers — all via text. Wizard is co-founded by Marc Lore, former CEO of Walmart.com and the entrepreneur behind Diapers.com (which sold to Amazon) and Jet.com (which was acquired by Walmart). Before this, Heidi was on the small but mighty marketing team at CB4, a Sequoia-backed AI startup for retail ops that grew quickly and was acquired by the Gap in 2021.
Heidi grew up in retail, picking up shifts at her mom’s local gift shop. After graduating from Emory University, she found her way to New York City to work as a retail marketer for iconic international apparel brands. Now, she uses that experience — and her Master of Science in Professional Writing from NYU — to help retailers and brands better serve their customers with cutting-edge technology.
For more information, visit: wizard.com
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- Posted on: 02/21/2023
Hy-Vee suspends employee discounts after finding fraud and misuse
It sounds like Hy-Vee made it too easy for employees to misuse store discounts. They did their due diligence in monitoring the program. It may feel punitive, but grocery profit margins are just too narrow to allow for abuse of the policy. Here's to hoping Hy-Vee can adjust and relaunch the program so that that store employees can still get perks. - Posted on: 01/18/2023
Does Neiman Marcus have too many eggs in too few baskets?
I love this for them. Neiman's customer base is motivated by exclusivity, white glove service, and premier shopping experiences. As long as Neiman is using the size of their base to their advantage, i.e. training associates to clientele and deepen relationships, storing zero-party customer data to capture selling opportunities, and rolling out the red carpet, this approach gives them an edge where most retailers struggle. I'm less concerned about Neiman losing their base over time than some other brain trusters given that their product assortment covers the entire customer lifecycle (kids, home, apparel, beauty, etc). - Posted on: 12/21/2022
Is holiday music torturing retail workers?
As someone who worked the holiday season at Macy's Herald Square for years -- I can tell you that if you're working retail this season and the music is what's torturing you, you can count yourself lucky. - Posted on: 12/16/2022
Will Super Saturday be the most super ever?
The deals that started running in October meant that consumers got a big head start on the shopping season. At Wizard, early access campaigns especially drove over 30 percent more revenue than campaigns sent on and after Black Friday. Super Saturday is still relevant, as the last Saturday to shop before the holidays, but I predict that shoppers have crossed most of the gifts off Santa's outstanding list by now. - Posted on: 10/20/2022
Christmas 2022’s inventory looks a lot like 2021
It depends on the retailer and the product. Old decorations = no biggie. But for old fashion, it will have to do a lot with the price point and the buyer. If I were a retailer, I'd try to make the old new again by styling it in new ways and merchandising it with fresh merch. - Posted on: 10/13/2022
Is Victoria’s Secret’s inclusivity messaging resonating?
I appreciate that Victoria's Secret has now fully committed to a brand turnaround -- not that they had much of a choice in the matter. The video and image campaign is powerful. I have questions about "becoming the world's leading advocate for women" (come on!) but I'm willing to wait and see what they mean. The logo is still a little triggering, but I appreciate that they're owning their history and past mistakes rather than trying to erase it. It's a marathon not a sprint for VS so we'll see how they play their cards over time. - Posted on: 10/03/2022
Does Sephora need a same-day delivery subscription?
If the competitors are offering same-day delivery, then I suppose Sephora "needs" it in the same way that consumers "need" it. I wonder how many of Sephora's consumers live within a stone's throw of a Sephora to pick up the items themselves and how much lost revenue this will help them recoup. Either way, it keeps with the industry trend of focusing on subscription, swift fulfillment, and convenience. - Posted on: 09/20/2022
Are biases still holding back marketing analytics?
Good marketing is a combination of having strong gut convictions and minding the data. But there's a reason "How to Lie With Statistics" by Derrell Huff has been a go-to marketing text since the 1950s. And as good as AI is at recognizing patterns in data, it falls short in answering the question of "why." And nailing "why" is at the heart of great marketing. For this reason, marketing analytics investments shouldn't be the be-all, end-all and I'm comfortable scaling them back. - Posted on: 09/15/2022
Will upgraded virtual try-on tech get more Walmart shoppers to say yes to the dress?
It does seem that this is an improvement on pre-existing similar tech. That said, unknowns will determine what impact this has on purchases and returns. How many products have the "try it on" button? How well does the tech work - is it accurate? How likely are customers to be their own model and what influence does that have on results? How do shoppers buy Walmart clothes? Are they an impulse purchase? Or is there a long consideration phase? What impact does fabrication have on their decision to return or not? What's their general basket size and how does that impact how much they use the tech? Certainly Walmart has considered all of the above and it will be interesting to watch what happens here. - Posted on: 09/14/2022
Walmart and other retailers are canceling billions of dollars in orders
Order cancellations should be a last-resort. And as much as cancellations raise the risk of straining vendor relationships, the truth is that inventory overages are just as bad for the brands as they are for the retailers. If anything was learned at the top of the pandemic, I'd say it's understanding the importance (and shortcomings) of inventory optimization and demand forecasting solutions. - Posted on: 09/09/2022
Should Ulta be merging premium and mass beauty products in its stores?
Brilliant! Prestige and mass products aren't for two different customers. Product categories (ex: skincare vs. haircare) should live together. Let the consumer should be in charge of how she divvies up her dollars. I, for one, will be filling my basket with Chanel foundation and Revlon mascara in one fell swoop. - Posted on: 09/08/2022
Will robots nail in-store manicures at Target?
Manicures are about a lot more than color. The article glosses over filing, cuticle trimming, and shaping, but these are really pretty core to the manicure experience, no? That said, I like this for being fun and experimental. I'd definitely try it and clearly others will too. But it's going to be a temporary PR burst like most in-store events are rather than a true added value experience. As for other robotics in health and beauty stores, at a bare minimum I'd love to just be able to pick up my prescriptions by checking in on a screen at the pharmacy. I've seen these in the wild but they never seem to work... - Posted on: 09/07/2022
How does smartphone shopping differ from laptop shopping?
It's an interesting topic. For larger, established brands it might be worth experimenting with as more and more consumers shop on mobile apps and via SMS. That said, I'm not sure retailers and brands should be altering what they offer based on what consumers might consider "unusual" or "personal." Shopping on a mobile device is ideal for quick purchasing decisions like re-upping when you're running out of something. Or when you're on the move and you suddenly remember "Hey, I didn't buy that thing I need!" To that extent, what retailers and brands should be doing is focusing on making the mobile shopping experience faster, easier, and more rewarding for their customers. Enabling shoppers to browse the options, quickly learn about products, and then buy them in the moment of intent is what will give merchants a leg up here. - Posted on: 08/26/2022
Transactional reward programs are easy, but do they build customer loyalty?
Let's be real. Up front discounts and promotions are practically table stakes to gain opt-ins for loyalty of all kinds - whether it's a loyalty program, an email list, or a text channel. The trick to avoiding the opt out kickback is to continue to offer value without having to keep offering steep discounts. You can't only send spammy marketing messages and expect to keep earning loyalty. Brands that can a.) offer true personalization based on loyalist's preferences and buying patterns; and b.) make browsing and shopping faster and easier for loyalists will win in the long run. - Posted on: 08/05/2021
Kroger seeks to ghost up take-home and meal delivery sales with dark kitchens
Where and how Kroger rolls this out will be key to the conversation here. I could see this getting traction in markets where there are fewer convenient fresh food options. In other markets, I think it will be pretty dependent on what's being offered and how accessible/seamless it is.
