Podcast S1 E11: Sonal Gandhi – Discover Invaluable Knowledge

In season 1, episode 11 of RetailWire’s podcast, we had the pleasure and opportunity to sit down with Sonal Gandhi and pick her brain as she dropped invaluable nuggets of industry wisdom. Sonal possesses a wealth of experience and unique perspectives, especially when it comes to brand identity, its development, and what you need to know about this critical factor. Any retailer and company will hugely benefit from our podcast. To help add more background to her featured interview, we’ll share important information about her background and journey thus far.

Sonal Gandhi’s Career History

According to her Linkedin, “Sonal is an expert on how new tech and disruptive business models are shaping the strategies of the world’s leading retailers and brands.”

Sonal Gandhi’s education began at the University of Delhi with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, in which she achieved her Honors. 

Immediately after that, she attained her Masters’s in Public Policy and Management and Management of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University.

Her education undoubtedly prepared her for her foray into the business world and equipped her with foundational skills and knowledge.

Careerwise, she started as a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in 2003 and remained with them for the next two years. This management consulting company spans all across the globe and is a military contractor with a focus on intelligence. This occupational jump to senior consultant was a huge boon for Sonal Gandhi’s development.

Afterward, Sonal Gandhi transitioned into an industry analyst for the next five years at Forrester Research which specializes in business and technology analysis. This advisory company continued her growth through its work in consulting, events, and research.  

This position was a major driving force behind her skills and talents as Sonal realized her true strengths. She became a leading expert in the media industry with an emphasis on digital content, evolving into a thought leader for strategies in digital distribution, internet and mobile content, audience cultivation, and various business models. 

Sonal Gandhi also worked closely with the forecasting team to plan up to five years ahead for sales and adoption of digital music licensing and media players. Finally, she accumulated expertise in small and mid-size business analysis by providing research and advisory services in regard to marketing, advertising, and customer service.

Turning to retail, Sonal secured the position of Omnichannel Strategy Architect at Macy’s for a total of four years. In this role, she worked closely with executives and cross-organizational teams to fulfill strategic omnichannel initiatives as the industry evolved.

From 2014 – 2015, she became the strategic lead at eBay in this New York office to work directly with clients such as Ahold (Stop & Shop), Kate Spade, and Calvin Klein. 

Switching gears, Sonal Gandhi attained the role of VP of Content Strategy at Shoptalk, which she held for three years before co-founding Kent and Butler in 2018. This led to her joining The Lead as their head of product for almost a year, then being promoted to the chief content officer, which she’s held for the past four years.

Her skills include:

• Strategy
• Analysis
• Analytics
• Management
• Business Analysis
• Forecasting
• Project Management
• Business Process
• Strategic Planning
• Change Management
• Market Research
• Social Media

Not content with reaching a plateau, Sonal still considers herself an ongoing student of the industry, always learning and analyzing trends and developments. This is especially true for anyone who wants to stay up-to-date with consumer behavior and competitor’s strategies. 

Direct to Consumer (DTC) 

Another reason to check out the podcast is the conversation that Sonal and our host, Brian, have about the DTC shift that many retailers and brands have taken in recent years. It’s proven to be more than just an effective solution and can be considered a necessity in the modern landscape of retail.

This is another area where Sonal’s experience and expertise shine. She goes in-depth about how she witnessed the evolution of the DTC firsthand and explains some of the driving factors behind this development. Her most important discussion points elaborate on the benefits that DTC has on customer engagement, relationships, and profit.

With this topic, Sonal and Brian bring other important elements into play with regard to global brands, small brands, the digital landscape, and how everything ties together. These are nuggets you’ll need to hear for yourself, and you don’t want to miss these details.

Taking Brands to the Next Level

In the next part of their discussion, Sonal and Brian transition into more detailed points about how brands are establishing their dominance while asserting their social media presence.

Everything from company CEO and CMO social media accounts to the effectiveness and power of global brands like Nike. Furthermore, she elaborates on another example regarding “Away Travel,” a company that started out as a DTC brand, or a digital native, as they’re called by experts in the industry.

Based on her experience and insightful analysis, Sonal takes listeners through a breakdown of various brands, effective branding strategies, and how they communicate their themes and messages with unparalleled messages.

The other invaluable aspect of this podcast you need to hear is about the continuing journey and evolution of a brand that desires to take root and thrive. The bottom line, Sonal explains, is that all brands want to grow their revenue and have lasting success.

She explains further that brand identity is paramount in this pursuit and being able to grow with the customer is a brand’s best bet. Through the lens of her understanding of the industry, Sonal talks about how she’s observed various brands reach certain pivotal points, and what they do from there is absolutely critical for their future.

Sonal Gandhi Podcast Conclusion

Brian’s interview with Sonal closes with forecasting the future of retail and how brands will have to effectively prepare for and adjust to the ever-evolving retail landscape. Culture and consumers are an unpredictable entity that metamorphoses just as easily as the retail industry, and now AI has been deployed into the mix.

Sonal Gandhi leaves listeners with information about her upcoming “The Lead Innovation Summit” happening July 12th and 13th in New York City. There’s plenty of useful information that you can quickly apply to your life and retail business from this podcast and her summit, so make sure to give our podcast a listen now and check out Sonal’s Lead Summit page for all the information.

Also, if you enjoy retail podcasts, we have a list of the 10 best retail podcasts you should be listening to and a featured interview with Patricia Waldron, founder of Vision First.