Amidst headlines about the demise of malls, how can a brand that is steeped in the mall experience continue to thrive? Jenn Kretchmar, Chief Digital and Merchandising Officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop, discusses digital transformation at Build-A-Bear and its record-breaking results. She also dives into her holiday marketing predictions and her team’s strategy this year.  

Tune in to learn:

• The focus on digital transformation (2:46)
• Build-A-Bear’s bifurcated business model (11:16)
• Why to have an agnostic view regarding points of customer engagement (18:16)
• Insights into holiday marketing (37:28)

Mentions:

• Build-A-Bear After Dark
• Andrea Brimmer, Head of Marketing, Ally Financial
• Count your Candles, Pay your Age
• Build-A-Bear Entertainment
• Honey Girls (Build a Bear Entertainment Movie)
• Build-A-Bear Radio
• Mace Security International 
• Lindsay Roy, SVP of Consumer Experience and CMO, Hallmark 
  • Lindsay’s Marketing Trends Episode
• Build-A-Bear Foundation
• Salesforce Loyalty Cloud 

About the Guest:

“Jennifer Kretchmar joined Build-A-Bear Workshop in August 2014 as Chief Product Officer and Innovation Bear. In March 2016, she became Chief Merchandising Officer and, effective June 2020, she now holds the title of Chief Digital and Merchandising Officer. Ms. Kretchmar serves on the Board of Directors of Mace Security International, Inc., a publicly traded personal security company. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Kretchmar was Senior Vice President of Product and Brand 37 Management with the Stride Rite Children’s Group of Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. where since 2004 she was responsible for the global product creation strategy for a diverse portfolio of children’s footwear brands, including Stride Rite, Sperry Top- Sider®, Saucony®, Keds®, Merrell®, Robeez®, Jessica Simpson® and Hush Puppies®. Before joining Stride Rite, Ms. Kretchmar held positions of increasing responsibility at The Timberland Company, Goldbug, and the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Service.”

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