You won’t find “clienteling” in Merriam-Webster, and to the uninitiated it might seem like jargon for “customer service,” but don’t let anyone at Endear hear you say that.

Endear, a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that focuses on helping sales associates in physical stores with follow-up messaging, even goes to the trouble of disabusing those who conflate the terms in a blog post. Customer service is largely reactive, responding to issues customers have with returns or undelivered packages, the post explains. But clienteling is proactive and “uses data to anticipate needs, make personal recommendations, and create moments of delight before the customer even has to ask,” Endear wrote.

The point of clienteling is not to resolve complaints like the customer service department, the post continues, but rather to “foster a relationship that encourages repeat purchases and turns customers into brand evangelists.”

Now Endear is reporting that one of the key aspects of clienteling on its platform—sending personalized messages to customers rather than mass marketing email and text blasts—is gaining traction.

Keep reading here.—AAN

When the biggest retailer in the country opens its books, there are bound to be some interesting insights buried in there—some of which point toward wider trends in the retail industry.

Here are four takeaways from Walmart’s Q1 earnings:

Inflation ahead: While Walmart executives stated multiple times that Walmart will continue to compete on price, including putting into place 7,200 rollbacks, CFO John Rainey warned that “if the current elevated cost environment persists, we’d expect somewhat higher retail price inflation in Q2 and the second half of the year.” He added that inflation in Q1 was just over 1%, but as fuel prices increase and the supply of nitrogen and phosphates is constrained due to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, inflation could trickle down to the fertilizer-dependent food category.

More and faster deliveries: Walmart is becoming a fast delivery machine, and its brick-and-mortar stores are at the center of the gains.

Keep reading here.—AV

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Lee Moffie is founder and CEO of men’s apparel brand State & Liberty Clothing Co.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? We build businesses, lead teams, and always put the customer first. A big part of our role is developing people through training, setting standards, and creating an environment where our team can perform at a high level. On the product side, it’s about delivering gear that actually solves problems for our customers, and on the business side, it’s making sure every touchpoint reflects that same mindset.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? How much time goes into developing our people on the ground. A big part of what we do is working with our retail teams, training, reinforcing standards, and making sure we’re delivering a consistent, high-level customer experience across every store. That’s where the brand really comes to life.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Growing State & Liberty while developing strong teams along the way has been the most rewarding part. Building the business is one thing, but doing it with great people by hiring, training, and watching team members grow into leaders is what stands out the most.

Keep reading here.—EC

"Retail Brew" recently sat down with Ratna Rao, founder and CEO of RK Beauty and CPG consultancy RK Ventures. Learn what she had to say about upcoming projects to her go-to coffee order.