Attendees network at the 2013 NRF Global Supply Chain Summit in Dallas. Click the image to view more photos.

The mounting challenges facing the industry along with the exciting pace of change set a “we’re-all-in-this-together” tone for the summit as a diverse collection of retailers set competition aside and became collaborators. Retailers gained insights into how companies are faring with issues like omnichannel demands, RFID implementation, inventory visibility, corporate social responsibility goals and global compliance requirements.

It’s a fascinating time to be in the supply chain business, and executives gathered for the summit made the most of the expertise in the room, gathering business cards, discussing common challenges and working out potential solutions with their peers. Thanks to all who attended and made the summit possible with their sponsorship. To get a glimpse of the event, check out some of the scenes in our Flickr set from the show.

But how do you go about calculating carbon emissions when logistics partners and multiple carriers are involved? That’s where the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program comes in.

To learn more about how retailers are using the SmartWay program, which will be discussed at our Global Supply Chain Summit next month, we talked with Cheryl Bynum, EPA’s national director of SmartWay and supply chain programs.

Cheryl Bynum, National Director, SmartWay and Supply Chain Programs, EPA.

SmartWay collects a lot of environmental performance data on carriers. Can you describe how the program benefits retailers? What does it mean for them?

SmartWay gives retailers and other shippers an easy way to assess and manage carbon and other air emissions from their transportation supply chain. This used to be a challenge for many companies because while they knew the amount of emissions and carbon generated from their own facilities, they didn’t know the carbon footprint of moving their goods. Retailers, logistics companies and carriers are all linked across the supply chain, so having uniform metrics and a single integrated carbon assessment framework for all of them means retailers can better understand their total carbon footprint.

SmartWay also gives retailers a way to identify and select the greenest carriers and modes for the products they are shipping, as well as track year-over-year environmental performance and emissions to see the impacts of choices they make. Tools like this help companies integrate corporate sustainability goals with their transportation operations.

Retailers in particular, because they deal with the public, want to be responsible environmental stewards, and SmartWay offers them an opportunity to stand out by showcasing their environmental achievements. SmartWay is run by the EPA, which is especially important to our retail partners since the integrity of their brands is as important to them as the integrity of the SmartWay brand is to the EPA.

The EPA reports that the SmartWay program has eliminated 28 million metric tons of carbon dixoide, and saved 65 million barrels of oil and $8.1 billion in fuel costs. What does that mean? Can you put these numbers in perspective for us?

Transportation accounts for over two thirds of our domestic oil consumption. Heavy-duty vehicles, including those used to move freight, account for about 17 percent of transportation oil use. Our dependence on oil to drive the transport sector in our economy is a challenge that we as a nation must address. If we can use less of this finite resource to move our goods across the country, then we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while investing more in our communities, businesses and households. Our partners are leading the way to do this – those SmartWay savings are equivalent to taking over 5 million cars off the road for an entire year!

To achieve those savings, our partners are investing in innovative technologies, strategies and operational practices – and sharing their successes with others. SmartWay partner achievements help to spur innovation across the entire goods movement supply chain. This raises the bar for the kind of excellence and innovation that today’s top global businesses are known for.

I noticed several retailers on your list of SmartWay Excellence Award winners. Can you share any particular examples of retailers that are doing a good job reducing their carbon emissions? What are they doing right?

SmartWay Excellence Award winners are our top performing partners, the “best of the best.” Shippers that have received an Excellence Award ship the majority of their goods with the most efficient SmartWay carriers. They optimize modal selection. They adopt strategies such as no-idling policies at their docks, and evaluate and modify freight operations at their distribution centers and warehouses with flexible pickup and delivery scheduling and cleaner and more efficient freight equipment like electric forklifts. Top performers look into how to ship more goods per mile by optimizing product packaging and routing. And they educate their carrier base, customers and suppliers about SmartWay, to encourage greater efficiencies across their supply chains.

What do you love about your job at the EPA? What do you find exciting about the work you do?

My colleagues and I love being part of a partnership that embraces and meets the needs of a broad group of stakeholders — the business community, the public, environmental organizations, professional groups, academic and research groups. It’s a pleasure and an honor, day in and day out, to serve the public interest by helping businesses involved in goods movement achieve significant environmental benefits while contributing to a strong and sustainable economy and to our nation’s energy security.

Since I worked in the transportation industry – including retail – for several years before coming to EPA, it’s especially rewarding for me to be able to apply what I learned from my experience in the business world to promote sustainable goods movement.

Earth day was this week. How do you celebrate?

That’s a great question! I celebrate Earth Day by learning what more I can do to protect our beautiful planet. I encourage your readers to check out www.epa.gov/earthday. It’s chock full of opportunities – from joining a national conversation, to committing to take action by “choosing five,” to learning more about what others in your community and around the country are doing.

Of course, since Earth Day was a Monday, my colleagues and I were hard at work, contributing to achieving EPA’s mission through our efforts with our retail and other partners and the SmartWay Partnership.

This 40-hour interactive instructor-led course is designed to help instructors prepare participants for a career in retail.

STORES focused on this very topic a few weeks back. They hosted a webinar, “How to Hire Candidates with Superior Customer Service,” which demonstrated the importance of sales associates and in-store customer service. The event examined what roles an employee responsible for and pinpointed three of the company’s most valued assets: merchandise, cash, and customers. The webinar emphasized why it is crucial for associates to be trained early and well so they can take proper care of all three assets.

Many retailers are recognizing the urgency to train employees quickly and are adopting “just-in-time learning” – giving someone a skill they need at the time they need it. Or, in some instances, even before being hired. Macy’s recently partnered with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta on a workforce training initiative that helps match qualified candidates with open positions. Candidates who enroll in the Urban League’s program receive training that includes a “Magic of Macy’s” unit on customer service, which is coupled alongside the NRF Foundation’s Retail Operations curriculum. Together, the program presents qualified candidates the opportunity to receive the National Professional Certification in Customer Service, which is earned by nearly 15,000 candidates a year. The general retail operations training and certification, combined with the specialized Macy’s training, means potential hires can arrive at work on Day One with skills that allow them to contribute right away.

Other retailers such as Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald’s and Jiffy Lube are developing in-house training programs to sharpen their managers’ business and leadership skills with an added bonus: the training often qualifies for college credit. Managers and prospective managers taking part in a week-long training program at McDonald’s can earn up to 23 credits toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at their Hamburger University. Starbucks’ Barista Basics and Barista 101 programs qualify for credits at the City University of Seattle.

We see retail companies invest in new technologies, website features, and in-store experiences all the time to try to get ahead. It only makes sense that employee training programs are following suit. At NRF, we’re fond of saying that in retail, “where you start isn’t where you’ll end up.” Giving employees and potential employees the skills they need to get ahead is a powerful way to emphasize the longevity and rewards of a career in retail.

And while the session content was created for small businesses, retailers of all sizes could learn something from the speakers about how to connect with customers and build community. (Afterward, one retail attendee remarked to a panelist that her presentation made the entire trip worthwhile.) Here were some of the key takeaways of that session.

1) Facebook isn’t free. Tanna Dang is a small Honolulu boutique owner with a BIG Facebook page. While her 13,000 fans haven’t come through advertising, Dang is the first to say that the best way to leverage Facebook is to spend money on it. Believing that Facebook is an extension of her brand, Dang pays a professional photographer and a copywriter to put together Facebook posts and cover photos. Her Facebook look always matches the company website, which you can believe takes some finagling. And her editorial calendar with a checklist of ten items that take a post from concept to approval would make even the most “Type A” personality proud. But the benefits are worth it. During her presentation, Dang shared a number of examples of how one Facebook post has helped move product that had formerly been sitting on shelves for weeks (by declaring purple and yellow the new “it” color combination), and how the company has been able to sell out of items in mere hours after one post.

Kim Williams, Owner of The Polka Dot Press in Tallahassee’s Market District

2) Look for reasons to celebrate. Personalized stationery shop The Polka Dot Press likes to party, and Kim Williams doesn’t wait for the obvious celebrations to bring people into the store. During the “This is Retail” video contest, she hosted a chocolate martini party for customers just to say thank-you (she intentionally turned off the cash register, though so many people wanted to make purchases she ended up turning it back on). She has also encouraged customers to pop in to celebrate staff members’ birthdays, and she holds a  series of workshops to get kids busy – and give their moms time to shop.

3) You don’t need the government to make change happen. Frame of Mind owner Mark Plessinger told the story of the rundown Main Street in his hometown of Columbia, SC, and his efforts to bring it back to life. After finding success with art shows in his eyewear store, Plessinger used the concept of synergy to band together the merchants on the street in the hopes they would collectively draw more than each storefront could draw on its own. And now that the merchants have come together to drive traffic downtown (to great success – some events bring up to 1500 people), you can believe the local government officials are noticing. It’s no wonder why half a dozen new businesses have chosen to open their doors recently in the once-abandoned Main Street storefronts.

4) Be authentic. While each one of the business owners sees tremendous recognition among their customer base, there’s no question that a promotion or traffic-driver that works for one probably wouldn’t work for the other. Frame of Mind has hosted fire-spinners and belly dancers to appeal to its cutting-edge customers. Eden in Love uses philanthropy to connect with its customers through “buy one, give one” scarf promotions to help cancer patients and magazine collections to distribute in doctor’s offices and hospitals. The Polka Dot Press has held back-to-school photo sessions and “meals in minutes” workshops for its moms.

5) You can’t do it all, so stop trying. After one attendee asked about the ROI of Twitter, several of the panelists talked about their lessons learned on the importance of prioritizing. Twitter doesn’t lend itself to showcasing experiences or a brand, said the panelists, so they haven’t found it as valuable. And even those channels that do help you demonstrate your brand need to be evaluated. Williams talked about choosing to shut down her blog after several years because it was a “time suck” and she didn’t see the work translating into sales. Instead, she has chosen to focus on Pinterest, which has already proven to be a better way of connecting with the moms who visit her store.

Thomas McCally of Carr Maloney, P.C.

The Retail’s BIG Show session, “The EEOC Crackdown on Criminal Background Checks” provided retailers with advice on what employers should know and how retailers can comply with the updated guidance.

Like most other employers and businesses, retailers utilize criminal background checks to protect consumers and employees, and limit liability. But as the use of background checks has increased, the EEOC has grown more concerned that they disenfranchise minorities. This concern led the EEOC to update its guidance. As a result, the agency is investigating and litigating up to 16 cases a year on employers’ use of criminal background checks. The main target of this activity, said McCally, is major brands and companies. If retailers and employers still want to utilize criminal background checks to screen applicants and employees, McCally provided a few recommendations, including:

1. Develop company-wide policies on criminal background checks that are clear and concise. They should be neutral and universal.
2. Develop strong job descriptions that detail every job function and responsibility. They should be well-developed and shared publicly.
3. Train every employee and manager on the company’s policies. Everyone involved in hiring decision-making should know the policy and abide by the policy to avoid EEOC action.
4. Take into account the severity of a given crime and the length of time since the offense when conducting background checks. Only the nature and gravity of the criminal offense should be of concern to the employer.
5. Eliminate any criminal background check that excludes individuals with a criminal offense or past. Employers can’t not hire an individual just because they were convicted of an offense.

In a much-anticipated keynote speech at Retail’s BIG Show, Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, spoke to a packed room about the “Three Pillars to a Prosperous Society” and the role businesses need to play in fostering growth and opportunity in developing economies. It is the existence of these pillars, according to Annan, that creates the stability required to attract the level of capital sufficient to generate meaningful economic development.

Ultimately, Annan said, the problems of developing economies won’t be solved at the international level. The solutions will come from actions taken at the national and local levels with support and pressure from the business community (big and small) playing an important role. The increasingly global nature of business presents companies with the opportunity to play a bigger role in the development of these three pillars, according to Annan. Where the pillars are not yet in place, Annan says, businesses can and should take steps to help.

Annan pointed to a few ways businesses can do this. First, retailers need to integrate smaller-scale farmers and individual businessmen and women into their supply chains. This increases living standards and contributes to economic and social stability, a key factor in attracting capital investment. Second, companies that enter the developing world need to make a concerted effort to source their materials locally whenever possible. Firms need to do their research and resist the urge to import all their source material. Third, Annan suggested that retailers entering developing markets invest in their local partners when possible, either directly or through public-private partnerships, in order to give them the processes and technologies required to improve their products.

With the world population set to expand to 9 billion by 2050, millions of jobs will need to be created to support growth and to keep social unrest to a minimum. As Annan suggests, retail’s most important role could be helping to generate a good portion of these. With the right policies in place, retail will continue to play an integral role in the global economy.

The company, leveraging customer insights of its joint-venture partner dunnhumby, launched a customer-centric strategy that goes beyond a marketing campaign and into the fabric of the organization. Before his presentation at Retail’s BIG Show today, we spoke with Marc Giroux, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Metro, Inc. about what’s changing in the retail marketplace and what it takes to build customer loyalty.

As we start off the year, what are a couple of the big issues or trends you see shaping the rest of 2013 for Metro and the retail industry as a whole?

Marc Giroux, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Metro, Inc.

In 2013, we’re likely to see an already competitive retail market become even more aggressive. Similar to other markets, Canada’s retail landscape has seen a lot of change in the past few years, not only in terms of competitive players but also in terms of consumer behavior and preferences.

Differentiation and loyalty are becoming more critical, and for Metro, we see them as a critical focus to grow our business in the short- and long-term. Not only are consumers demanding greater value, they have the tools at their disposal to make more informed purchase decisions. Retail as an industry is rapidly evolving but there’s also an element of excitement for the year ahead because we’re seeing consumers get more engaged through technology. They are relying more on word-of-mouth and social media to drive their perception of a brand and determine where to shop, what to buy.

To put it simply, consumers have the power! In 2013, the focus needs to be on truly delivering a connected, channel-less experience. It’s no longer enough to have a mobile app, a Facebook page or digital coupons – those tactics need to be tied to the same data, strategy and metrics within a system that allows you to learn what works and what doesn’t across the business.

At Retail’s BIG Show, you’ll be discussing the Metro & Moi program, which you’ve called more than just a loyalty program. Tell us what you mean by that.

Metro & Moi, or Metro & me, isn’t just a loyalty program, it’s a business strategy and a brand strategy. Metro’s executive team is committed to make this a reality, allowing customer centricity to drive all functions of the business and become a true core of our strategy as a business. Our new brand strategy is not only a marketing program but is also an internal rally cry to focus on our customers.

Through Metro & Moi, we’re able to leverage customer data and insight to improve our commercial strategy, improve our pricing, assortment and promotional program to better meet the needs of our loyal customers. It also allows us to apply these insights to traditional media and new digital media to connect with consumers in new ways with authenticity and relevance. In addition, by leveraging dunnhumby’s global experience and best practices, we launched a “five customer promises” program and trained more than 55,000 store employees. The program gives employees specific benchmarks and tools to measure the customer experience in their store on a monthly basis and supports them in building plans to improve the areas with opportunities.

What are the top one or two key things that have made the Metro & Moi program so successful?

In a highly saturated loyalty market like Canada, at launch it was about building a program that was simple, engaging and truly rewarding for our customers. And we’ve accomplished that. A full 40% of households in our market are now members of the Metro & Moi program. In dunnhumby, we chose the right partner with the right capabilities that allowed us to realize that vision. It also allows us to keep our Metro & Moi members engaged via personalized offers and promotions that keep the program relevant and top-of-mind.

Store employee engagement, at the launch and through our customer promises program has been critical. We also have the executive commitment to allow customer centricity to drive all functions of the business as the core of our business strategy. It’s everybody’s job to have the courage to take on the tough decisions, prioritize our efforts and work together to meet the specific needs of loyal Metro customers.

For more insights from Metro and dunnhumby, check out Tuesday’s session, How Metro Personalized Its Way to Growth, at Retail’s BIG Show.

The Ebeltoft Group’s recent study of 92 retailers in 18 countries narrows it down to four things. Neil Stern, senior partner McMillanDoolittle, Ebeltoft USA explained those secrets to success and the retailers who are doing it right, and wrong, at Retail’s BIG Show 2013.

Also on hand were top executives from international fashion brand MANGO and food retailer Delhaize Belgium – who shared their own insights on going global. “The best advice is GO,” said Jose Gomez, SVP, Business Development, MANGO – which operates 2,500 stores in 109 countries.

In today’s world there’s really only one option – go global, or go home.

At 75 years old, Krispy Kreme isn’t a fresh and hip start-up or a disruptive industry force. It uses the original old recipe and even some original machinery. But with more than 4.5 million raving Facebook fans, stores in 24 countries around the world and 15 consecutive quarters of growth, Krispy Kreme knows how to attract and retain millennials (that highly sought-after generation of consumers born between 1977 and 1996).

In his session, Chambers, joined by Barkley’s Jeff Fromm, shared a few things Krispy Kreme found resonate with millennials.

Keep it simple. Rather than trying to encourage a new behavior with its mobile app, Krispy Kreme focused on something customers already love – the Hot Light that tells drivers-by that the doughnuts are hot. Krispy Kreme’s app keeps it simple, alerting users when hot doughnuts are nearby.

You don’t need to run the show. Chambers knows that experiences with Krispy Kreme’s products are about more than Krispy Kreme, “I don’t own the brand. I’m a steward of it. When we try to control brand too much, we stifle it. We want our fans to own the brand.”

Whether it’s a dad sharing a special morning with his kids, or people enthusiastically using Krispy Kreme doughnuts in their own bizarre concoctions, “we’re just happy getting the doughnuts out and enhancing someone’s morning,” Chambers said. It’s more important to contribute to someone’s joy than try to control the brand.

Be authentic. Don’t just get on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and everything else simply because they’re there, Chambers says. It has to be right for you. When you do engage, be true to your brand. For example, promotions for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” spread through social media because they fit the brand’s fun-loving nature.

Be transparent. The Krispy Kreme Theater, or the glass-walled open kitchen that allows customers to view operations, was designed for just that – theater. But millennials love it for a different reason—the transparency of it. Nothing’s hidden from view, even all that sugar.

For more about consumer insights that help drive successful strategies like Krispy Kreme’s, check out this data-filled snapshot of the millennial consumer.

Many of you have been coming to Retail’s BIG Show for years, but whether this is your first time or your twenty-first time, here are a few things you should know before you go.

1. Download the mobile app. Whether you’re looking for the precise location of an exhibitor, searching for sessions about global retailing, keeping up with the #nrf13 Twitter feed or planning your schedule, this app will be your most valuable resource. It’s free in the App Store and Google Play, and there’s a web-based version, too. Tip: Download the app before the show, check out these quick tips to get started, and plan your schedule beforehand to hit the ground running at the show.

2. Review the Quick Guide. Prefer a hard-copy guide to the show? Download our Quick Guide and get up to speed on all the happenings at the show. Don’t forget to pick up your full conference guide at the EXPO and session entrances.

3. Avoid lines at the Convention Center with satellite registration. Nobody likes to wait in line, so this year, we’re offering satellite registration at our two biggest hotels—the Marriott Marquis and the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. If you’re staying nearby, get your badge there first and skip the lines at the show. Tip: Bring your registration confirmation email with your barcode to speed through the express lanes at both satellite and onsite registration.

4. Don’t miss the TWO EXPO Halls and the new EXPO Level 1 Preview Reception. The enormous EXPO is the heart of the action at Retail’s BIG Show, and this year we’re kicking it off early, celebrating the opening of our new EXPO Hall (EXPO Level 1) with a Preview Reception on Sunday night. Both EXPO Level 3 and Level 1 will be open for business Monday–Tuesday, featuring nearly 500 solution providers. Stop by EXPO Level 1 the night before to get your bearings, network with attendees, and enjoy a complimentary Happy Hour. Tip: EXPO-only attendees can go to all the educational programming in the EXPO, too. Check out sessions on the EXPO Stage (Level 1) and the Exhibitor BIG !deas sessions (Level 3).

5. Tweet with us! People are already buzzing about the show. Follow us on Twitter at @NRFnews, @RetailsBIGShow and with the hashtag #nrf13 for all the latest updates. We’ll also be updating our Facebook page, and we’ll have lots of coverage right here on Retail’s BIG Blog during and after the event. Also, be sure to check the Retail’s BIG Show event site for daily recaps, videos and more. Tip: To find out which of your LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter contacts are also attending Retail’s BIG Show, use this neat tool.

6. Tell your colleagues—we’re live-streaming three keynotes from the BIG Show. If they can’t join you at the show, tell your team back at the office to tune in for three outstanding keynotes on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The three sessions feature some truly remarkable retail leaders. A senior executive from Mango on Sunday; a Monday keynote with CEOs from Starbucks, The Container Store and Whole Foods Market; and the Walmart U.S. CEO on Tuesday. Tip: To see even more recorded presentations after the show, purchase the audio presentation package for access to session recordings (subject to speaker permission).

7. Relax in the NRF Members Coca-Cola Happiness Lounge. New this year, NRF, Shop.org, NCCR and ARTS members have a special place to relax, recharge their mobile devices, check in with the office or enjoy a bite to eat. You’ll find the NRF Members Coca-Cola Happiness Lounge on Level 4 of the Convention Center. Tip: Members, don’t forget the Members-Only Luncheon on Tuesday honoring Ohio Council of Retail Merchants President and CEO John C. “The Chief” Mahaney, Jr with the J. Thomas Weyant Lifetime Achievement Award, accompanied by guest speaker Neil Pasricha, author of The Book of Awesome.

8. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of some of New York’s coolest stores. The store tours at Retail’s BIG Show are now self-guided audio tours that you can do on your own schedule. Purchase the audio guide and map to get an inside look at innovative retail environments like Eataly, Nike Running Flatiron, Ralph Lauren and more. Tip: Store Tour quantities are limited, so update your registration now or ask first thing when you get on site.

9. Get first-hand insight from retailers on Main Street. New this year, the Main Street Retailing Forum is a full day of programming designed specifically for small-business retailers. The Forum is included in a full-conference retailer registration, and open to Retail EXPO Only attendees for a nominal fee.

10. Bookmark the Resource Center. Got a question? Check the Retail’s BIG Show Resource Center. You’ll find links to shuttle schedules, onsite registration hours, EXPO floor plans, registered companies, International Resource Center, and everything else you could need.

See you at Retail’s BIG Show!