In our bi-monthly advisory council meetings, we discuss top-of-mind trends and current challenges facing the retail industry. One major trend that has dominated the conversation lately is generative AI. According to a recent survey by NVIDIA, 98% of retailers plan to invest in generative AI in the next 18 months. Our advisory council agrees that AI can serve as a valuable tool for boosting productivity and enhancing customer experiences.
We’ll be digging into this topic through a variety of sessions at the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo this June. More specifically, I’m looking forward to learning from three leaders at Crocs, Zenni Optical and Adore Me as they will discuss the practical use-cases for AI to scale creativity and performance across content, commerce, performance marketing and other key functions. One member of our advisory council that is particularly excited about the future of generative AI is Ranjan Roy, VP of Strategy at Adore Me.
Ranjan helps drive the DTC womenswear brand’s expansion into new categories, satellite brands, and sustainability initiatives. Before Adore Me, he spent time in a variety of media and technology roles, running a content personalization startup and working as a Director at the Financial Times. Ranjan earned his MBA at INSEAD, and is incredibly thankful to work at the intersection of retail + media + technology at a transformative time like this.
Learn more about his passion for the retail industry and career tips in the Q&A below!
Retail Innovation Conference & Expo (RICE): What excites you the most about the retail industry?
Ranjan Roy: This is the most exciting moment in retail since the iPhone catalyzed the mobile commerce revolution. Generative AI means we can create customer journeys more personalized than ever before, that provide genuine value to customers. One day soon, every word you read, and even image you see, will be created to provide you the most tailored shopping experience.
RICE: What’s one piece of advice you’d wish you heard sooner in your career?
Roy: Industry matters a lot less than team. Finding a team that allows you to match your interests against the needs of the company is far more important than being in the exact right industry or category. You’ll develop the skills and confidence to succeed anywhere. Especially given the pace of change in today’s retail careers, this is more important than ever.
RICE: What is your top tip to prevent burnout?
Roy: Work with fun people you genuinely like and work on interesting things. Also, make sure to have plenty of interests outside of work.
RICE: What do you believe is the most underestimated leadership trait today?
Roy: Today’s leader should exemplify the idea of “T-shaped skills”, where they have a broad set of expertise across disciplines (The horizontal bar of the T) and then deep expertise in one important area (the vertical bar of the T). This type of personality is becoming more important, regardless of the function, as every function keeps being redefined.
