Shelley E. Kohan welcomes Leigh Sevin, co-founder of Endear, a CRM solution tailored for modern omni-channel retail brands. Leigh explains that Endear focuses on empowering retail teams—especially store associates—who often lack sophisticated technology despite being responsible for over 80% of revenue. The platform enables associates to reach customers at scale while maintaining personalized relationships, driving sales, loyalty, and lifetime value, and providing measurable gratification in their daily work. Leigh shares that Endear was born from frustrations over the disconnect between online and offline retail channels. Shelley emphasizes a cultural shift from transactional customer relationships to meaningful, authentic engagement, which Leigh agrees with, noting intense competition among brands and the importance of fostering loyalty through genuine connections. Endear leverages data and AI to help store associates build relationships with every customer, not just the top ones they personally know. Contrary to common misconceptions, Leigh clarifies that their AI is designed to assist with administrative tasks, freeing associates to focus on personal human interactions like product recommendations. AI identifies key customers who might be overlooked, reducing rote work, boosting employee retention, motivation, and productivity. Shelley, who teaches marketing and CRM, discusses segmentation’s evolution. Leigh explains how AI simplifies this process, enabling non-technical users—like store managers—to easily build customer segments without needing data expertise. The AI acts as a “sidekick” or personal assistant, not a replacement, enhancing both the quality and speed of outreach and messaging. Leigh highlights that Endear empowers retail associates, often overlooked by marketing software, to use AI tools to connect with customers professionally and effectively, eliminating inefficient manual processes.

This empowerment increases sales significantly—average order values rise by 75% and purchase frequency nearly doubles—resulting in immediate sales boosts and long-term customer lifetime value. On technology inside stores, Leigh describes an Endear AI note taker which allows associates to quickly capture key customer interactions via voice, automatically converting notes into structured data with actionable reminders (e. g. , birthdays or upcoming trips), facilitating timely personalized follow-ups. This innovation turns in-store moments into ongoing relationships beyond the store visit. Shelley compares this to traditional “patron books, ” noting how Endear democratizes personalized client assistance, previously only available to elite associates at high-end stores, by providing affordable, accessible AI tools to all retail staff. Leigh emphasizes that AI automation helps sustain ideal behaviors daily without overwhelming employees. Leigh also notes the importance of supporting new or less confident associates by offering AI-generated message drafts that maintain correct grammar, brand voice, and personalization, giving them confidence and control over their communications. Regarding the balance between AI and human touch, Leigh explains that AI handles heavy research and personalization at scale—such as instantly identifying thousands of customers’ birthdays—allowing associates to focus on authentic, human-to-human engagement. For product recommendations, Endear facilitates personalized, relevant suggestions tailored to each customer’s preferences and history, integrating online and offline channels seamlessly. Associates can send high-quality, context-rich product info linking to e-commerce, avoiding clunky manual methods like texting photos from phones. This enhances the customer experience and tracks purchases to measure impact. Shelley raises concerns about privacy, noting some customers dislike personal texts from associates. Leigh confirms Endear prioritizes privacy and compliance by safeguarding communication within the platform, protecting associates’ personal contact info, and allowing brands to monitor interactions for security and ROI. Leigh reflects on unexpected insights learned through Endear, such as associates’ discomfort when receiving unsolicited texts from customers. She encourages viewing AI as a helpful tool, not a job threat, advocating for retail teams to adopt AI technology just as marketing teams have. In closing, Leigh urges retail professionals to embrace AI to ease workloads, enhance customer connections, and advance their careers. She encourages brands to invest in AI tools for retail staff to stay competitive and deliver superior personalized experiences. Shelley thanks Leigh and the listeners for joining the insightful discussion on enhancing retail CRM with AI-powered personalization and human connection.