channel mastery podcast, episode #60: kristin carpenter-ogden … · 2019. 4. 22. · channel...

ChannelMasteryPodcast,Episode#60:KristinCarpenter-OgdenInterviews

GregCarter,SVPofConnectedBuildingsSoftwareAcuityBrands,Inc.

www.channelmastery.com/79

Kristin: 01:32 Welcomeeverybodytoepisode78[sic…79]oftheChannelMasteryPodcast.Iamsoexcitedtosharemyguestwithyoutoday.WehaveGregCarterinthehouse,whoistheSeniorVPofConnectedBuildingsSoftwareatAcuityBrands.WelcomeGreg.It'sgreattohaveyouhere.

GregCarter: 01:59 Oh,thanks.It'sgreattobehere.

Kristin: 02:01 AndIappreciateyoujoiningusduringsuchabusytime,becauseIknowwehavealotofbigtradeshowsonthehorizonforyou,butcanyoutellmyaudiencewhatAcuityBrandsdoes?We'regoingtogetintoconnectedbuildingsandallkindsofamazingtechnologytodaythat'sgoingtobeimpactingwhatyourcustomerisgoingtobeexpectingfromyouwhentheyinteractwithyourbrandoryourretailstorefront.

GregCarter: 02:24 Sure,thatsoundsgreat.AcuityBrands,althoughmostofyourlistenersprobablyhaven'theardofus,weareactuallythelargestlightingcompanyinNorthAmerica.Thereasonthatpeopledon'tknowaboutusisbecausewesellmostlythroughcommercialdistributionchannels,andwesellthroughourindividualbrands.Theonethat'speoplemayknowabout,LithoniaLightingiscarriedatHomeDepotandLowe'sandotherplacesthatsomepeoplemightshop,butmostofthemare

ChannelMasteryPodcastEpisode#79:GregCarterofAcuitywww.channelmastery.comemail:[email protected]

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beingsoldtoelectricalcontractorsforuseinlargercommercialbuildings.

GregCarter: 02:59 Itmaybealittlebitofasurpriseforyourlistenerstohearthatwe'reintheIoTanddigitaltransformationgame,butit'sactuallyareallyinterestingplay.IactuallycametoAcuityafewyearsagofromCiscoSystems,whereIrantheIoTservicesbusinessforCiscoforaboutfiveyears.

GregCarter: 03:21 Oneofthethingswewerealwayschallengedwithasweweretryingtocreatethatcategoryandconnectupalltheseunconnecteddevicesisthatinorderforacustomertogoandpursuethatkindofadigitalstrategy,theirfirststepistohavetoputinacommunicationinfrastructurethatlet'sthemconnectallthesenewsensorsanddevices.

GregCarter: 03:41 Thatcommunicationinfrastructurecanbeveryexpensive,andyou'vegottodothatbeforeyou'veevenstartedtoexperimentwiththedatathat'snowrevealedfromthosedevices,andfigureouthowit'sgoingtobenefityourbusiness.IwasreallyattractedtowhatAcuitywasexperimentingwithatthetime,whichwastosay,ifyouwanttoputinareallydensenetworkthat'sgoingtobeabletoconnecttosensorsandpeople,alloveranindoorspace,youcaneithergobuildthatoryoucanlookatwhatalreadyexistsinthebuilding.

GregCarter: 04:12 Ifyoulookup,you'llseethatthere'sanaturalgridofdigitalnodesthatissittingoverheadandthat'sthelighting.Aslightshavemovedfromanalogtodigital,toLEDtechnology,andmoreandmorelightingcontrolsystemsaregettingdeployed,whichcreatesadigitalnetworkthatconnectsthosenodes,andthensensorsarebeingdeployed.Initiallythingslikelightlevelcensorsandoccupancysensorstosupportlightingcontrol,younowhavethebeginningsofareallypowerful,dense,andubiquitousIoTnetwork.

GregCarter: 04:43 Whatwe'vedoneatAcuityiswe'veputafewmorebitsoftechnologyintoalltheselights,specificallyaBluetoothradioandadigitaldriver,anditallowsustocreatethatnetworkthatwecanusethoselightsasabeaconsandcreateeffectivelyanindoorGPSsystemthatcanallowustocreatepersonalnavigationtools,sowecanenableapplicationsonmobiledevicesthatnowknowwhereyouareandcanhelpguideyoutothingsyou'relookingfor,likeaproduct.

GregCarter: 05:14 Whenyoudoaproductsearch,youcannowhaveitplotteditonamap,andgiveyouturnbyturndirectionstogettothatproduct.Or,ifyouneedtogethelpfromanassociate,youcan


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nowputoutacallforhelpandtheycancomefindyou.Then,there'sawholebunchofthingsthatcanbedoneonmoreofanemployeeefficiencysideofthebusiness,sothingslikethetrendsofbuyonline,pickupinstore.

GregCarter: 05:35 Or,theassociatescangoaheadandloadupashoppinglistandhaveitlaidoutonamapandbeguidedontheoptimalroutetogopicktheorderandreducethetimeittakestodothosekindsofthings.Thosearejustsomeexamplesonthenavigationside.Wealsohaveenabledtheabilitytotrackassets,soputtingBluetoothenabledassettagsonthingslikeshoppingcartsoronrestockingtugstobeabletoimprovetheworkforceefficiency,tobeabletogetbettermarketinganalyticsabouthowpeoplearemovingthroughspace.

GregCarter: 06:12 Youcandosomereallyinterestingthingsasyoustarttrackingalltheshoppingcartsthatmovethroughastore,ortrackingpeopleoremployees,andyoucanstarttounderstandhowyoucanbetterdesignthestoreandbetterlayouts,betterlayoutmarketingdisplaystoimprovethebehaviorthatyouwanttoseeoutoftheconsumersthataremovingthroughyourspace.

Kristin: 06:33 Sothat'salot.Ihavetopauseforonesecond.There'ssomuchtherethatIwanttotouchonbeforewemoveonto,becausetherearemany,manyfacetstothisandwehavealotofthingstocover.Butlet'sreelthisbackin.YoumentionedafewthingsthatIthink,Ialmostfeelliketherearetwoareasoffocushere.Oneisagain,onthatdigitalGPS,andthisissomethingIwanttojustemphasizetothecrewhereonChannelMastery,yourconsumerisequippedwitheverythingtheyneedtoparticipateinthis.

Kristin: 07:04 Evenifyoufeellike,"Thatfeelslikeit'swayouttheretome,Ican'timaginelookingup"...Alotofourawesomeaudiencewilllookupattheirceilingandseeabunchoftents,okay?

GregCarter: 07:14 Right.

Kristin: 07:15 That'swheretheydisplaythem'causethere'snootherplace.It'sawesome,butatthesametime,nomatterifyouownyourbuildingoryou'rerentingabuilding,youhavethecapabilityofdeployingthistechnologyandkeepinmindthatyourconsumersaregoingtobeexpectingahightouchexperiencedrivenbythedatathat'sminedfromit.

Kristin: 07:34 Thatisareallybigleapforalotofus,anditalso,theremightbesomeobstaclesinthemindsofthebrandsandretailersthatcomprisemyspecialtyaudience,butlet'stakeafewstepsback.


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Wherewouldyoustartwithmaybeaspecialtybrandorretailerthathasnotembracedthisyet?Whatarethefirstfewstepsthatwewanttogointo?Andthenofcourse,Iwanttogetintosomeoftheawardwinningtechnologythatyouhave,etcetera.

GregCarter: 08:00 Yeah,Ithinkthefirstthingisunderstandingwhatyou'retryingtoaccomplish,right?Understandingwhatsomeofthelargerretailerswho'vebeeninvestinginthesekindsoftechnologiesforyears,whydidtheydothat?Whydidtheyputbeaconsinthestore?Someoftheexampleusecaseswouldbetobeabletowakeupacellphoneandsendamessagetoaconsumerwhentheygetnearsomething,somethingthatyouwanttotellthemabout.

GregCarter: 08:25 That'saverysimpletypebeaconusecase.Then,asyougetmoreandmoreadvancedandwehaveadensebeaconnetworklikewehavewiththelighting,youcanstarttogetintosomeofthosetriangulationtechnologies.Igaveafewexamplesoftheusecases,butit'sreallyunderstandinghowarethosegoingtodifferentiateyouandmakeiteasierforyoutoprovidethosekindsofexperiencesthat,let'sfaceit,allofusareshoppers,andwe'vegottenusedtoshoppingonline,shoppingonmobiledevices,andwe'reexpectingmoreandmoreoutofourretailers,andwe'restartingtochoosewithourwallets,wherewespendourdollarsbasedonthatkindofanexperience.

Kristin: 09:07 Absolutely.That'swhyIfeelsogratefultohaveyouhereasaresourceforustoday,becauseyou'rethefirstpersonI'vehadwiththisareaofexpertiseontheshow,althoughanumberofthepanelsthatI'veledatourtradeshowshavetalkedaboutthis,butitalwaysfeelslikeit'soffinthedistance.We'reheretoday,lateFebruary,2019,it'shere,andGregisdeployingthis-

GregCarter: 09:27 Itishere.

Kristin: 09:27 ...acrossthecountry.

GregCarter: 09:28 Yeah,I'lltellyou,justtomakethatrealforpeople,we'vegottobealittlebitconfidentialaboutwho'sdoingwhatinthisspace,buttogiveyouasenseofscale,we'vegotover300millionsquarefeetofretailestablishmentsintheUSthathavedeployedthistechnology.They'reallstillearlyinthejourneyofhowtousethedata,butthey'removingaggressively,andthey'restartingwithsimpleusecases,andthenthey'restartingtomovebeyondthatnow,andbasicallybuildingaphysicaltrailwithallthecharacteristicsofashopperjourney,that'sstartingtomirrorwhatonlineretailersareabletodevelopabouttheircustomers,whereyou'rebuildingabreadcrumbtrailandyou're


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understandingwherepeoplearespendingtheirtime,whataretheylookingat?Howlongaretheyspendinglookingatthings?Thistechnologygivesyoutheabilitytodothesamethinginaphysicalspace.

Kristin: 10:21 Thatissuchafantasticanalogy.Basically,ifwe'relookingatitaswegoonlineandobviouslyalotofproductsearchesarestartingonAmazon,butitreallydoesn'tmatter.You'reinasearchengine,youputinyourcriteriaofwhatyou'researchingfor,andyou'reservedthings.That'sexactlywhatyou'resayingiswe'reabletodoinaphysicalenvironmentnowwiththistechnology.

GregCarter: 10:40 Correct.

Kristin: 10:42 Thatisafantastic,Ilovethat.That'sagreatanalogy.Ihaveaquestionhere.Areyouabletohelparetailerunderstandifsomebody'scomingintotheirstore,iftheywerejustatBestBuyprior,orPetSmart,orREI,priortocomingtoyourstoreandwheretheycouldgoafter?Isthatsomethingthatyou'reableto?

GregCarter: 11:05 Itis.I'lltellyou,wehaven'timplementedthat.Butitiscertainlysomethingthatcanbedone.Thingslikethathavebeendonemuchlongerthanreallyexploringpreciseindoorlocationwithinaspace.'Causethatusesatechnologycalledgeofencingwhereyou'rereallyusingtheoutdoorGPSsatellitesandyou'retrackingpeople,howthey'removingthroughoutacity.You'redrawingageofencearoundtargetsofinterest,sothatcouldbecertainstores,certainretailers,andbeginningtobuildthebreadcrumbtrailaboutwheretheygo.

GregCarter: 11:38 Buttheproblemwiththatgeofencingtechnologyisthatassoonastheywalkintoastore,theGPSsystemgoesdark.Wenolongerwhatthey'redoingwhenthey'reactuallyintheretailerandthey'reinteractingwithproducts.That'sthebigadvancementofhavingthisindoorlocationcapability.

Kristin: 11:57 Soitmakesit,likeit'snotsiloedorseparatedfromthat?

GregCarter: 11:58 Correct,andyoucantiethosethingstogether,andwe'vegotalotofpartnersthatreallyfocusontheexternalgeofencing,andthat'stypicallyawayacustomer'sgoingtodoit.They'regoingtouseusfortheindoorlocationandthey'regoingtouseanotherpartnerfortheexternal.

Kristin: 12:10 Okay,that'samazing.It'snotonlyveryinformative,butit'sentertainingtohearthis,becauseIalmostfeellikeI'mwatching


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asci-fimovie,buthonestly,thisisreal,thisishappeningnow.Let'sgointotheawardyoujustwonwithAcuityBrands.Talkalittlebitaboutthat,'causeit'sabrandnewaward,sofirstofallcongratulations,buttellusabouttheaward.

GregCarter: 12:35 Yeah.Well,there'sanumberofthingsthatwe'vebeenrecognizedforoverthelastyearortwo.ButtheonethatI'mreallyexcitedabout,justwasannouncedinthelastcoupleofweeksactually,andthatwasthatwewerenamedasavisionaryintheGartnerMagicQuadrantforindoorlocationservices,whichisafairlynewcategory.

GregCarter: 12:56 AsItalkedabout,thetechnologyisonlyafewyearsoldandhasonlygottentobeatthelevelofprecisionwherepeoplecanreallystartrollingitoutonmassinjustthelastfewyears.Gartneristheplacethatmostpeoplegowhentheywanttostartdoingtheirinitialinvestigationoftechnologiestoaidtheirbusinesses.

GregCarter: 13:19 BeingnamedasavisionaryintheirMagicQuadrantwasahugerecognitionofoursuccessoverthelastfouryears.

Kristin: 13:25 That'sawesome.Ijustthoughtofanotherquestionasyouweretalkingthroughthat.Inourmarkets,obviouslythereareretailerslikeGrassrootsOutdoorAlliance,orREI,andtheyareacollectionofbrands.Areyouabletosharethedatathatyou'rereceivingfromtheretailfloorbacktothebrands?

GregCarter: 13:45 Thesimpleanswerisyes.We'reabsolutelyabletodoit.Thequestionisbusinessmodelandprivacyandsecurity.Becauseifyouthinkaboutit,theretaileristheonewho'sgoingtoinvestinputtinginthelightsandthenetworkinfrastructurethatenablesallofthis.Thequestioniswhoownsthedata?Isittheretailer?IsityouandIwhoarewalkingthroughtheseretailestablishmentsandwe'recreatingthebreadcrumbtrial?

GregCarter: 14:12 Theanswerisit'sreallyalotofdifferententities,andthejury'sstillalittlebitoutintermsofhowwe'regoingtonavigateallthoseownershipissues.Whatwe'retryingtoworkonwithourretailcustomersisnewbusinessmodelswheretheretailercanbeincentedtosharedatawiththebrands,becauseeverybody'sgoingtowin.

GregCarter: 14:33 Andthere'salreadyahistoryofthatkindofthinggoingonwithmarketingfundsthatbrandsprovidetoretailers,sothisjustenricheshowyoucoulddosomethinglikeareverseoptionforshelfspace,becauseyoucouldbesharingbackwiththebrands,theresultsintermsofdwelltime,ofpeoplespendingtimein


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frontofyourproducts,basedonwhereyouendedupbeingontheshelf,orsamethingwithmarketingdisplays.

Kristin: 14:56 Itreallyfeelslikethere'salmostanewrulebookthatneedstobecreatedaroundthis.

GregCarter: 15:01 Exactly.That'sexactlyit.

Kristin: 15:04 Again,myhopeisthatasbrandsandretailerscometogetheronthis,they'regoingtoreallyalignaroundwhat'sbestfortheendconsumer,becauseIthinkoncetheystarttogetintothatstreetfightonwhoownswhat,theendconsumerlosesandtheyhavesomanychoicestoday,theycangoanywhereandgetadifferenceexperience.

GregCarter: 15:21 Itotallyagree.Andnottomentionthat,itslowstheadoptionofthetechnology,right?Whichiswhywe'respendingalotoftimetryingtobrokerthosediscussionsbetweentheretailersandthebrands,tofigureout,let'sstartwiththingsthatareobviouslywin/win,andthenwecanworryabouttheedgecaseswheretheremightbeafightoverdataownershiplater.

Kristin: 15:42 Okay,andthenalso,anotherquestionpoppedtomind,'causeagain,I'mgoingtowheremyaudienceisandalotoftheopportunitiesthatthey'veseenaroundtransparencyinthesupplychain.ThereobviouslyaresolutionsrightnowavailablewhereyoucanactuallylookattheNorthFacejacketthatIwant,I'minBoston,Icanactuallydoasearchandfindoutwhichretailerhasitorwhatthestockisinaregion,right?Isthatsomethingelsethatyourproductcanactuallyconnectwithandworkwith?

GregCarter: 16:16 Well,I'llbehonestandsaythatnobody'saskedustodothatyet,soIhaven'treallylookedintothosesystems.Butwhatwearedoingiswegeneratealotofdata,alotoflocationdata.[crosstalk00:16:29]locationdata,youcan...Moreandmorecustomers,ofourcustomers,arestartingtodeployvariouskindsofsensorsintheirspace.Thatcanbeassetutilizationcensorsinahomeimprovementstore,onasaw,oronaliftorpalletjackorsomethinglikethat.

GregCarter: 16:51 Notonlyunderstandingwherethingsare,buthowthey'rebeingused,andallofthatdatacanbepassedupthroughoutthelightingnetworkbecauseofhavingaBLEradiowithin10or20feetofwhereanyofthatdata'sbeinggenerated.Allofthisdata'sgettinguploadedandmadeavailablethroughthecloud,andwhatwe'reworkingonwithourretailercustomersiswhatotherkindsofdatadotheywanttomashupwiththat?


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GregCarter: 17:14 Whetherit'spointofsaledata,whetherit'ssupplychaindata,whetherit'sstockingdata.I'llgiveyouanexampleofaproofofconceptwedidwithSAP,aboutsixmonthsago,wheretheyhaveaproductcalledcustomeractivityrepository,thatisasinglesourceoftruthofalotofthoseretaildatasystems.WhenwewereabletousetheAPIsonourplatformtopulllocationdata,theusecasewaswe'vegotcertainitemsoutofstockinastoreandthestoremanager'stryingtofigureouthowdoesheprioritizewhatthingshehaspeoplefocusonrestockingfirst.

GregCarter: 17:51 Youcanlookattheprofitabilityofthatitem,theprice,andthenstartlookingatthefoottrafficthat'spassinginfrontofthatitemandgetasenseofpotentiallostsalesandcomeupwithanimpactscorethatcanbeprioritized,andthattellsyouwhichobjectsorwhichproductstorestockfirst.

Kristin: 18:11 That'samazing.Wow.Well,IlovethatIhaveyouontheshowrightnow,'causeIfeellikeintwomonths,youcouldcomebackandgivemeanupdatewithpossiblyawholedifferentsetof-

GregCarter: 18:21 That'sright.It'smovingfast.

Kristin: 18:24 ...reports.

GregCarter: 18:24 It'smovingfast.

Kristin: 18:25 Andyou'reouttalkingtopeopleallthetime.I'msureyoudobusinesswithawiderangeofretailersandobviouslysomespecialtycompaniesaswell.Ifeellikewhenacustomergoesintoaspecialtybrandorretailstorefront,theyhavealittlebitofadifferentexpectationintermsofwhatwantingtobelongorperhapsthey'regettinginformationonabikeorapairofskisorabackpackthattheyneedtohavefitorservicedorwhatever.

Kristin: 18:52 Ifeellikewhatyouprovidehereisactuallygoingtobeevenmoreimportanttospecialtyastheystarttoembraceitandinstallitintheirstores.Wouldyouagree?

GregCarter: 19:02 Yeah,Ithinkthat'sabsolutelytrue.Ithinkthefirstusecasesarefranklyfairlysimple,right?Theideaofhavingyourloyaltyappwithaproductsearchandgivingtheconsumertheabilitytocomeinandbemoreefficientintheirtrip'causetheycanfindwheresomething'slocated.IthinkthoseareobviousandfairlysimplebutIthinkwhatwe'refindingwhat'smorepowerfulisbeingabletotrackpeopleastheymovethroughthestoreandfindingoutwheretheyspendtheirtime.


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GregCarter: 19:28 Isthatinfluencedbythetimeofday?Whatkindofshopperarethey?Andtryingtoimprovetheirexperiencebasedonthecohort,orthecharacterizationwecanmakeaboutthosekindofpeople.So,wecanmakeiteasiertodesignthestoretoallowpeopletogettowhattheycareaboutmoreeasily.

Kristin: 19:47 Right,okay.Oneofmyquestionsforyouwasdefinethecustomerexperiencetoday,andmyguessis,Greg,thatit'sbasicallyaboutremovingfriction,andmakingthingsefficient,andimprovingacustomerexperience.Thatreallyhasn'tchanged,butin2019,IknowyouhaveatShoptalkinearlyMarch,2019,yourcompany'sgoingtobehostingIthinksomesortofaneventorshowcasingthelatestinIoTandconnectedbuildingtrendsforretail.

Kristin: 20:15 Canyoumaybegiveusalittlebitofalineofsightonsomeofthetrendsthatyouseewithoutgivingitallawaybeforeyourevent?'CauseIknowwe'recominginalittlebeforethat.

GregCarter: 20:23 Yeah,sure.Ithinkasyousaidearlier,thesetrendsareevolvingreallyrapidly.There'salotofthemthatweseeatthesetradeshows,someofwhichwepartnerednicelywith,someofwhichImeanarefranklyjustcompletelyoutsideourrealmoffocus,butareinteresting,likeusingaugmentedandvirtualrealitytoimprovetheshopperexperience.

GregCarter: 20:46 WhereIthinkwe'refocusing,andIlikethewayyousaiditaboutreducingfriction,we'retryingtomakeiteasyforaretailertounderstandmoreandmoreabouthowcustomersareinteractingwiththeirphysicalstoressothattheycandoeverythingfrommakingitfasterforthecustomertomovethroughthatspace,puttingtherightproductsintherightplacetomakeiteasier,andthenevenimprovingtheexperiencetheyhavewithassociates,right?

GregCarter: 21:15 Thatcanactuallydoboth,itcanbothimprovethecustomerexperiencebutalsocutthecost.Ifwecannowlookatwherecustomersaregrouping,whereemployeesare,anddetermineifwe'vegottherightratioofassociatestocustomers,tomakesurethatthey'realwaysavailabletohelpcustomers,thenyoudon'tspendtimelookingforsomebodywho'sgoingtobeabletotellyouwhatyouneedtoknowabouttheproductssoyoucanmaketherightdecision.

Kristin: 21:40 Right.Ialsojustfeellikeagain,goingbacktoyourearlieranalogy,it'salmostlikewe'reabletofinallylookatthephysicalretailerasalmostasearchbar.Whatyourtechnologyenables


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ustodoisgetthedatathatinformsusonhowtoservethembetter.

GregCarter: 21:56 That'sright.Oneotherthingthatoccurredtomeasyou'rethinkingaboutspecialtyandmaybesomeofthesmallerretailerswhomightbealittlebitdauntedabouthowtheycantakeadvantageofthisnewtechnology,oneoftheadvantagesoflookingatalightingbasedorconnectedbuildingbasedtechnologysetortechnologyinfrastructurehereisthatthisisnotsomethingwhereyou'vegottostartfromscratchandinvestinputtingsomethingbrandnewinplace.

GregCarter: 22:24 Ifyou'reusingalightingretrofit,you'refirstreplacingthelightstoimproveenergyandreducethecostofthatenergy,andwe'retalkingaboutaverysmallpercentageincreasetoputtheradiosandthedriversinthere,thatenableallofthisotherfunctionality.Thepaybackonthatisareallyshortperiodoftime,basedontheenergysavings.

GregCarter: 22:50 Itreallyreducesthebarrierofentry,especiallyforsmallerplayers,togetintothisspaceandhaveareallypowerfulplatformthattheycanexperimentwith.Wehavesomereallyinterestingtools,wehaveaproductcalled[DGLux00:23:02],whichwasdesignedtohelppeopleprototypeandexperimentwithstreamingdata,fromanykindofsensors,whetherit'slocationdataorsomesensordata.

GregCarter: 23:13 Youcanbuildvisualizations,graphs,barcharts.Youcanbuildmaps.Thenyoucansetpoliciesforevaluatingthatdataasit'scomingacrossandtakingaction.We'vebasicallytriedtosetitupwithasetoftheseusefultoolsandalowcostinfrastructuretoallowpeopletogetstarted.

Kristin: 23:35 Oh,that'sawesome.Iimaginethatyouguyshavethecapabilitytoobviouslyhelptrainandwhatnot.Imean,abigpartofthis,asthingsevolvewithsalesrepsandtheybecomemoreofaproactivepartnerintermsofenablingstorestocreatethecorrectorderandwhatnot,butobviouslythisisgoingtospeedupprecipitouslywhatreordersneedtobe,andalsochangingandbeingnimblearoundwhatyou'restocking,dependingonwhatyou'relearningaboutyourconsumersastheymovethroughyourstore.

GregCarter: 24:03 Absolutely.IthinkintheworldofIoT,oneofthethingsI'velearnedoverthelastIguessprobably10yearsnowfrombeinginthisspace,isthereisnoonesizefitsallsolutiontoallproblems.It'sabsolutelyanecosystemplay,it'sallbuilton


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interoperableopenplatforms.You'vegottofindtherightpartnerstoaugmentwhateveritisthatyou'reproviding.

GregCarter: 24:25 Ithinkthere'salreadyalotofreallygoodtechnologyouttherethattracksdifferentkindsofdata.I'msureyou'vehadshowsaroundsomeofthosethings,aroundsupplychainandreorderandtrackingthingswithdigitalpresence.Thisjustgivesyouanothertoolinthetoolbelttomashupmoresourcesofdatathatgiveyouamuchricherpictureofyourcustomersandhowthey'reinteractingwithyousoyoucanserve'embetter.

Kristin: 24:52 Ihaveaquestionalso.Isthereanythingyouwanttoaddonprivacylaws?Becauseobviouslywewentthroughanumberofthingslastyearonthatfront.We'reseeingthateveryday,whenwelandonwebsitesnow,likeacceptingcookiesanddifferentthingslikethat,butcanyoutalkaboutprivacylaws,intermsofhowyourtechnologymightaffectabusinessmodeliftheyincorporateit?

GregCarter: 25:14 Yeah,absolutely.Imean,thisisnewgroundandfrankly,it'sabouttimethatwestartedtogetsomelevelofregulationsthatgivesomecertaintytotheindustryaboutprivacy,andcybersecurity.WehadGDPRcomealongfirst,andthatreallystarteddrivingalotofchangesinwebsites.Butit'sspeedingupwithtwolawsthathaverecentlypassedinCalifornia.Oneoncybersecurityandoneonprivacy.

GregCarter: 25:42 BothofthoseareduetogointoeffectinJanuaryof2020,soallofthecompaniesthatplayintheconnectedspaceareallscramblingtofigureouthowtomakesurewecancomply.Itdoesn'tstopusfromcollectingdataaboutpeople,butitmakessurethatweputcontrolsinplacethatmakeitclearwhatdatawe'recollecting,andwe'veimplementedthatinbannersonmobileapps,sothataspeoplearecomingintothestoresandusingthistechnologyintheirloyaltyapps,thattheconsumersareabletounderstandwhat'sbeingcollectedandwhy.

GregCarter: 26:22 Andthenifconsumersdon'tfeelcomfortablewiththat,theycaneitheropt-out,ortheycanaskfortheirdatatoberemoved,ortheycanasktohavetheirdatabeprovidedtothem.We'remakingsurethatwemakethatavailableinallofoursoftwaresystems.

Kristin: 26:38 That'sgreat.That'sobviouslyreallyimportantintermsofbuildingtrustwiththatendconsumer.Aswelooktowrapuphere,andagain,I'mjustsoappreciativeofyourtime,we'vedonealotofcontentrecentlyonenablingspecialtybrandsandretailerstobridgethedigitaldivide.Essentially,they'reallvery


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muchawarethattheycompetefortheattentionoftheconsumerwithmega,megabusinesseslikeAmazonandTargetandNordstrom.

Kristin: 27:03 We'reallcompetingwiththem,nomatterwhatsizeourcompaniesare,andwehavepeoplelikeyouandthetechnologiesthatyou'reofferinghelpusbridgethatdigitaldivide.Itdoesreallyseemlikeasthey'reincorporatingthistechnology,andtryingitout,itseemslikechangemanagementhasalwaysbeenrealdifficulttodo,'causeyou'retryingtokeepthelightsonandserviceyourcustomer,butthenyouhavetoincorporatetechnologylikethis,whilealsokeepingyoureyeonwhat'saroundthecorner.Doyouhaveanythingyoucanofferusintermsoftipsonhowtodothat?Itseemslikeyoujustarejugglingflaminghulahoopsallthetime,youknow?

GregCarter: 27:41 Greatanalogy.Imean,there'snodoubtthatinthisageofdigitaltransformation,competitioniscomingfaster.Thetechnologyevolutioniscertainlyhappeningfaster,andit'shardtokeepupwith.IthinkthisiswhyIwassoattractedtowhatAcuity'sdoing,byusingalightingbasedplatformfordoingthiskindofthing.

GregCarter: 28:11 Becauseupuntilnow,youhadtobeaprettysizableplayerwithabigbudgettobeabletoexperimentwithputtingindependentbeaconsthroughoutastore,beingabletohiretherightcompanies,therightpartnerstodothedataanalyticsbeforeyou'devenbeabletofigureoutwhetheryoucouldtakeadvantageofit.

GregCarter: 28:30 Ithinktheadvantageforalotofthecompaniesinthespacearethatthewayhasbeenpavedtosomeextentbysomebiggerplayers,andthistechnologyisnowbecomingavailableanddemocratized,andit'sfairlyinexpensivetogetstarted,andthetoolsaretheretolearnhowtoapplyittoyourbusiness.

GregCarter: 28:54 Iwouldencouragecompaniestogoinandtrythis,andseewhattheycangetoutofitbeforehavingtomakeamassiveinvestmenttorollitoutacrosstheirfleet.

Kristin: 29:03 Right.That'sgreatadvice.Then,onethingalso,beforeIletyougo,Inoticedsomeofthethingsyou'retalkingaboutaroundyourShoptalkpresenceisyou'realwaysgoingtobeenablingretailerstounderstandhowtooptimizethebuyonline,pickupinstore.Obviouslyeverythingyou'veexplainedaboutyourtechnologyunderpinshowtodothat,butisthereanythingthatyouseeonthehorizonaroundthattrendchanging?Because


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that'salwaysbeenabig,bigpartoftheopportunityforusasspecialtybrandsandretailers,isbeingthatlastmile.

Kristin: 29:36 IknowIcanseeobviouslyhowthetechnologyhelpsthis,butisthereanythingthatyouwanttotalkaboutintermsofthattrendspecificallychanging,intermsofBOPIS?Ihatethatacronym,butit'sBuyOnline,PickupInStore.

GregCarter: 29:49 Imean,theonlythingIcantellyouisthatfromtalkingtoourcustomers,weonlyseeitincreasing.That'sheretostay,andagain,thisisanexampleofunderstandingwhatyourconsumersarelookingfor.Theyvaluetheirtime,theywanttoblendtheonlineandthein-storeexperience,andsoit'sbeingabletoberesponsivetothat.

GregCarter: 30:14 Whetherthat'sdoingabuyonline,pickupinstore,orit'senablingapersonalshoppertogoinandfindtherightthings,you'vegottotakeadvantageofthetechnologiesthatmakethatefficientandlowcostforyou.Ithinktherearethingsyoucandowithlocationbasedtechnology,therearethingsyoucandowithmobiledevicesandcamerasthatarecombiningwiththat,tobeableto...Especiallyifit'spersonalshopper,tobeabletobringthepersonwho'ssittingathome,interactingmostlyonline,intothestorewhentheirshopper'sthereandhavethewholethingbeseamlessandlowcost.

GregCarter: 30:51 Yeah,Ithinkthetrendisgoingtocontinue,andagain,it'simportanttohaveagoodplatformsothatyoucanbenimbleandrespondtothisandothertrendsthataregoingtocomedowntheroad.

Kristin: 31:01 Amentothat.Well,thishasbeenabsolutelyfantastic,Greg.Thankyousomuchforyourtime,andtellmyawesomeaudiencewheretheycanlearnmoreaboutAcuityBrands.

GregCarter: 31:10 Yeah,pleasegotoAcuityBrands.com/iot.Or,youcancomevisitusatShoptalk.We'llhaveaboothwherewecandemonstratesomeofthesecapabilitiesandwe'redoingsometalkstheretohelpyoulearnalittlebitmoreaboutthesetrends.

Kristin: 31:26 Awesome.Thankyousomuch.Ireallyappreciateyourtime,Greg.

GregCarter: 31:29 Allright,thanksalot.Byebye.

channel mastery podcast, episode #60: kristin carpenter-ogden … · 2019. 4. 22. · channel...

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