Episodes

Friday Apr 26, 2024
Friday Apr 26, 2024
In this episode, recorded live at The Laughter Lounge in Dublin at StudioFory9's Transformation: Excellence in Ecommerce conference, Ger and Gordon talk on stage with Paul Rogers, ecommerce consultant and founder of Vervaunt, a London-based eCommerce consultancy and performance marketing agency.
They discuss clienteling, unified commerce, Shopify's big data play (bye bye GA4) and the importance of the order confirmation page in boosting sales and data acquisition.
There are also bouncy couches, complete silence and poetic language.
Can you afford to miss this episode of Functional and Fabulous? No, you cannot.

Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Retail media is hot right now, but what is it exactly? And is it fab or fad?
Ger and Gordon have the questions. Paul Stafford of Superdrug has the answers.
Paul takes you deep into the workings of retail media, and explains how it differs from traditional marketing supports. There's lots of tech. There's lots of creative. And there's lots of potential.
Listen to the boys talk through what Paul has learned so far, and what lies ahead.

Friday Nov 17, 2023
Friday Nov 17, 2023
In this, the pronunciation episode, Marshall David Johnson of UK designer department store Fenwick joins Gordon and Ger to talk about the challenges of luxury retail.
Marshall guides you through a world in which luxury brands call the shots over retailers, and styling and managing products for online goes beyond anything mere mortals should attempt.
Dive into the realm of retail opulence and find out how to pronounce 'luxury', 'Ciarán, 'Fenwick' and 'Fraser'.

Friday Oct 13, 2023
Friday Oct 13, 2023
Andrew Ostcliffe of Oxfam in the UK navigates e-commerce waters that many other hardened online retailers would avoid. Three revenue streams, products distributed over more than 600 locations, 250,000-plus SKUs, and a diverse inventory that changes by the minute.
Welcome to the world of decentralised charity retail—both online and in store.
Join Andrew as he leads Ger and Gordon through this daunting, yet highly effective, e-commerce maze. A maze that's built on employee experience (EX)—in more ways than one.

Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
This time out, Gordon and Ger check-in to fly social with Ryanair (no checked luggage and the crisps are extra). Their pilot is Michael Corcoran, until recently Ryanair's Head of Social and Creative Content.
Michael talks about the importance of reach over followers, why community matters, what social media really is (and isn't), and outlines a non-scientific (but completely scientific) way of effective content creation.
Beware: this episode may even make you like Ryanair—the airline we all love to despise, but fly with anyway.

Friday Aug 18, 2023
Friday Aug 18, 2023
Our guide in this episode is retail technology publisher, author and consultant Miya Knights. She talks to Gordon and Ger about how the use of cutting-edge technology can put the retail experience in service of the customer.
Miya discusses three vital customer considerations that retailers (and retail tech) need to address in order to be successful.
But that's only the half of it. She also talks about how technology is helping retailers answer key questions about their customers and their products.
This is literally the hottest episode so far—there was no air conditioning in the studio. Listen to find out whether Ger or Gordon succumbs to the heat first.

Friday Jul 14, 2023
Friday Jul 14, 2023
eBay's GM Global Fashion, Kirsty Keoghan, takes Ger Keohane (StudioForty9) and Gordon Newman (Omnichannels Stories) on a journey through the mind-blowing world of pre-loved fashion. They stop off at an authentication warehouse (where trust is built), negotiate a mountain of discarded fashion items, and visit Love Island.
To keep never-worn and rarely-worn fashion out of landfill, eBay is going back to its roots so consumers and retailers can enjoy the many benefits of buying and selling pre-loved fashion. The numbers will make your ears pop.

Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Growth expert Richard Chapple (The Growth Foundation) sets sail with Ger Keohane (StudioForty9) and Gordon Newman (Omnichannels Stories) to talk about growing your retail business, scaling up and brilliant basics.
Along the way, the episode is boarded by pirates and parrots. But karate keeps them at bay.
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Richard's notes and the strategy information he spoke about can be accessed here: Where to Play and How to Win

Friday May 19, 2023
S1 E3: Matthew Brown, Retail Futurist with Echochamber - CX Sells
Friday May 19, 2023
Friday May 19, 2023
Retail futurist Matthew Brown (Echochamber) guides Ger Keohane (StudioForty9) and Gordon Newman (Omnichannels Stories) through excellence in retail customer experience.
Along the way, we unbox an absolutely lush gift package from Faerly, an Irish online retailer that specialises in local and sustainable products that deliver the right amount of happy moments.
But Matthew, Gordon and Ger aren't alone! Audio gremlins manage to slither in and feast on the audio in places. Does it stop the intrepid trio? It does not.

Friday Apr 21, 2023
Friday Apr 21, 2023
Gordon Newman (Omnichannels Stories) and Ger Keohane (StudioForty9) are joined by ecommerce strategist and trainer Vinny O'Brien live on stage at StudioForty9's annual Excellence in Ecommerce Conference in Dublin.

Functional and Fabulous Insights into Online Retail and Digital Transformation
Functional & Fabulous is the must-hear podcast for anyone in (online) retail. In each episode, industry veterans Ger Keohane of StudioForty9 (Functional) and Gordon Newman of Omnichannel Stories (Fabulous) go on a journey of discovery, guided by a stellar guest from the world of retail.
Come along, learn and laugh.