Content Guy's Note: The goal of "The Innovation Conversation" is to explore some facet of the fast-changing, technology-driven retail landscape and how it affects businesses and consumers. It is, we think, fertile territory ... and one that Tom Furphy - a former Amazon executive, the originator of Amazon Fresh, and currently CEO and Managing Director of Consumer Equity Partners (CEP), a venture capital and venture development firm in Seattle, WA, that works with many top retailers and manufacturers - is uniquely positioned to address.
This week, Tom Furphy and I decided to do our Innovation Conversation via Skype; Tom was at the FMI Midwinter Conference in Arizona … and I had a conflict that kept me from attending. But we had what I think was an engaging conversation about the energy and determination that Tom detected among retailers in attendance, as they face off against new and often harsh competitive realities.
One note: A slight glitch in the wifi service caused one small part of Tom's comments to be garbled. The reference he made was to Karen Short of Barclay's Investment Bank, and a report she wrote that was highly critical of Instacart. You can learn more about that report here.
- KC's View:
