PROFILE
Patricia Vekich Waldron
Contributing Editor, RetailWire; Founder and CEO, Vision First
For over two decades, Patricia has lived at the crossroads of consumers, technology, and data. Her track record is filled with the stories of companies who have, with her help, differentiated themselves through innovative strategies, solutions, and marketing initiatives.
Patricia is CEO and Founder of Vision First an advisory firm that helps companies stand out in a crowded market where many are vying for visibility. She is known for identifying new market opportunities to drive growth, launching, repositioning offerings, and showing up differently in the marketplace.
Patricia speaks at global industry events, including World Retail Congress, Consumer Goods Forum, Retail Leaders Forum, and the National Retail Federation (NRF) and is well known by clients, partners, press, and analysts around the world.
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- Posted on: 10/20/2020
Will virtual recruiting and onboarding hurt seasonal hiring?
Modernizing the application, screening and background check process can make hiring safer, more efficient, and more inclusive. - Posted on: 10/19/2020
Retailers need to prep for in-store COVID conflicts
This is a serious and sad situation and another example of why store associates need to be appropriately compensated for their essential role in our communities. - Posted on: 10/15/2020
Has Rite Aid found the right prescription for growth?
Rite Aid has been in distant third place for years. These changes will go a long way to making them more attractive to consumers who have a choice. - Posted on: 10/14/2020
Can relevant digital ads be too relevant?
When consumers are in the research phase on their path to purchase a specific item it’s much more effective to serve up options, rather than a singular focus. - Posted on: 10/12/2020
Should Yelp be calling out businesses accused of racist behavior?
Consumers are being very mindful of where they spend their hard-earned cash, and paying more attention on selecting businesses that are in accordance with their principles and core values. Providing this type of information would be extremely useful, but challenging to ensure its accuracy. - Posted on: 09/29/2020
Are Amazon Prime delivery shoppers disrupting Whole Foods’ stores?
This perfectly describes my own experience at Whole Foods. They will lose customers and associates if they cannot find ways to balance online fulfillment and in-store shopping through use of dark stores, limited hours and better stock control. - Posted on: 09/28/2020
Retailers and brands shortchange cross-platform analytics tools
Retailers' inability to access connect and analyze information across their organization is legendary, even though there are significant benefits to be gained. Harnessing the power of data can improve sales, margins and loyalty. - Posted on: 09/25/2020
Can retailers drive climate change action?
Regardless of the intention, retailers and suppliers making climate change part of their business operations will benefit consumers, communities and the global economy. - Posted on: 09/24/2020
Will homes of the future include ‘Amazon Rooms’?
It's deja vu all over again -- remember when homes had insulated milk boxes outside for weekly dairy deliveries? Calling a place to securely receive goods an Amazon Room is a PR coup for Bezos. - Posted on: 09/24/2020
A successful diversity initiative led to an unintended consequence at Walmart
WMT successfully addressed one aspect of diversity and learned that it's a multi-dimensional problem that requires wide-ranging change. They can take what they learned promoting women, broaden the scope to include more categories of diversity and use metrics to understand how the overall profile of their workforce changes over time. - Posted on: 09/22/2020
Grocers are primed to compete with Amazon’s free grocery delivery
A combination of think big (Distributed Order Management including suppliers) and think small (local assortment, promos) will help retailers offer more convenience and value customers. - Posted on: 09/18/2020
Have multiple rounds of price cuts changed Whole Foods’ high price image?
While the 365 line products are (more) price competitive, that is not why consumers shop @ Whole Foods -- they go for organics, prepared foods and special items which are premium priced. If Whole Foods wants to keep Premium core customers they need to pay attention to their stores which are a mess with Amazon pick-up and pickers and often out of stock on produce basics. - Posted on: 09/17/2020
Amazon Fresh grocery store opens touting low prices and cashier-free checkout
Convenience, quality and value will keep consumers coming. If Amazon harnesses its learning from Whole Foods they have an opportunity to solve the perennial "what’s for dinner" problem. - Posted on: 09/14/2020
How can grocers help ease home cooking fatigue?
Along with prepared meals/meal kits, grocers should get creative to help consumers with meal solutions when so many are homebodies. Be creative -- pick a weekly theme or ingredient. Team with local brands, farmers, chefs and feature products. Offer several different Recipes with pre-prepared ingredients. Have a contest and publish top recipes. Use weekly circulars (and in-store merchandising) more creatively -- group cross-department items together into solutions/recipes. Organize stores by solution, not category. - Posted on: 09/10/2020
How can indie retailers build lasting brand equity?
It all starts with a good plan based on an intimate understanding of the targeted customer and the unique value (product, services, experience) that the retailer offers. Consistent execution -- including course-correcting when needed -- is the key to success.
