Coworking with Frasier Neil

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The customer’s always journeying: Retail, like life, is about the journey—the customer journey, that is. In our State of Stores report, we dive into how retailers need to use every tool in their kit (including the POS) to meet the ever-expanding expectations of today’s shoppers. Read it here.

Frasier Neil is chief sales officer at smart cart platform Cust2Mate, deployed by retailers like Morton Williams and Carrefour.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help retailers make shopping faster and less frustrating. Most stores still have small friction points, such as locating items, queuing, and checking out. These add up. My job is to work with retailers on how to remove these pain points in a way that actually translates in real life, not just in a demo.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? You wouldn’t guess how much of my position involves psychology. A big part of my role is understanding how shoppers behave in store, what frustrates them, what they ignore, and then translating that into something retailers can act on. It is less about selling a product and more about providing retailers with solutions that enhance the customer experience.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? The best projects are the ones where you see behavior genuinely shift. When a retailer moves from skepticism to complete buy-in, fueled by faster, frictionless customer journeys, the focus naturally shifts from technology to commercial results. That’s when it gets interesting. One that stands out is working with a large retailer that bought into the smart cart vision early on. What made it interesting wasn’t just the technology; it was how they approached it commercially. They integrated the solution into their existing systems with our remote support, without us needing to be on the ground, which says a lot about how practical and scalable it became. Recently, they decided to move forward with the next generation of the solution, which for me is the clearest signal, when a retailer doesn’t just adopt something, but doubles down on it. That’s when you know it’s no longer a tech conversation; it’s a commercial one.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I am most excited about the shift from more tech to less friction. For a while, retail innovation was about adding more layers of technology. Now the focus is shifting to making the shopping experience feel effortless, and the retailers who win will be the ones who simplify the journey, not complicate it.

What’s your go-to coffee order? Espresso or double espresso, no messing about. If I have a bit more time in my mornings, a black Americano, and if I’m really splurging—normally a weekend treat or when on vacation—a skinny caramel macchiato or an iced brown sugar oat milk shaken latte.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “People buy from people, and your strategy should only revolve around this principle.” Whilst it’s true to a point, the reality is that people buy when there’s a clear business outcome. Relationships open doors, but they rarely close deals.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? At 15, it was whatever I thought looked good, rather than what was actually the best. It was the newest basketball shoe or item of clothing. Now, anything that genuinely saves me time. If a product can make my day run smoother or allow me to get a task done quicker, I’m sold.