Insider Interview: Modern Retail Pioneer Kristi Allison

Kristi Allison is a seasoned store sales & operations executive with broad experience leading business growth and transformation within the retail and service industries. She has a unique ability to lead and balance revenue growth with expense savings to optimize P&L performance.? I caught up with her recently to discuss her amazing background and what she aspires to achieve next in her executive leadership journey.

?You’ve led some impressive companies through growth and transformation. Tell me about some of the experiences that you are most proud of.

There are two stand out transformation efforts I’m proud of from my 7-year tenure with Neiman Marcus:

1.??????? Operations transformation that enhanced the customer service experience - This transformation involved modernizing and streamlining both the in-store service experience and refining processes that improved the experience for digital customers.

2.??????? Transformation and optimization of Neiman’s off-price division, Last Call - I led a team in identifying and establishing a selling, service, and operations culture that was unique for a luxury, off price brand.

In both turnaround leadership experiences, I was proud to be a part of identifying a strategy and leading the execution of tactics that delivered performance success for the company without physically adding new store locations.

From a physical store location growth perspective, I am most proud of my experience as one of the pioneer leaders that launched Soma (a Chico’s brand) from concept to opening its first 50 physical store locations.

Tell me more about how you modernized the in-store shopping experience for Neiman Marcus customers.

Achieving an optimum service experience for our customers required a significant change and modernization of our processes including how we managed online orders that were fulfilled from stores, the in-store return/exchange transaction process, and how we managed inventory availability to both the store and digital customer. Through streamlined processes, targeted training/education, data analysis, and resource allocation we were able to make significant improvements to the customer experience.

After a long career in the retail industry, you joined a fitness company. Tell me about the contributions you made while there.

While with Excel Fitness I was able to establish operational structure and discipline that supported the company in scaling their growth efforts. I led a cross functional team in establishing playbooks for opening new clubs, remodeling existing clubs, and managing emergency situations. I’m also proud of the team we built and developed; they are now well positioned to scale with the company as it grows.??

Store Operations is ever more complicated now that the store is responsible for so much omnichannel fulfillment. What do you think stores need now?

I think it’s important that service and retail businesses understand and commit to the holistic customer experience. I believe there are still too many instances in which performance is measured in silos (i.e. stores vs online) versus measurement at a total level. In setting performance goals at the channel level, counter-productive competition is created that negatively impacts the company’s success and the customer experience. In holistically viewing and measuring the business, we can teach leaders to work collaboratively to achieve the best company and customer results.

I also encourage businesses to evaluate processes and labor allocation/expense to ensure operational processes are streamlined and adequate resources are available to service both the sales and operational needs of the business. When stores are doing more tasks and/or fulfilling more digital orders than previous time periods, it’s important that adequate resources be allocated to perform tasks efficiently. In taking such actions, store employees can effectively service in-store and digital customers which results in improved sales performance and a great experience for the customer.???

You are currently in pursuit of your next executive leadership role, tell me what’s important as you engage with potential companies and leaders?

I thrive in a business with a strong service culture so securing a role with a company that has, or desires, such culture with their customers and employees is important. I also enjoy leading a team through transformations involving modernization of sales processes, operational efficiency, technology enhancements and/or resource optimization. Solving complicated challenges with a team is always appealing and rewarding.

If someone wants to connect or network with you, what’s the best way to reach you?

I’m always eager to build my network and share experiences with business professionals. I’d love to connect with leaders via LinkedIn message or connection at Kristi Allison | LinkedIn

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