InReality Hires Retail and DOOH Innovation Leader Laura Davis-Taylor as Chief Strategy Officer

Analyzing how new technology platforms dovetail (or fail to dovetail) with the new retail realities on the ground in the age of Amazon and the age of changing shopper demographics, I’ve often turned to a trusted beacon in that foggy landscape. There has been no one better positioned than Laura Davis-Taylor to explore – and explain – how new approaches are being enlisted in the herculean (if often frustratingly stop-and-go) efforts to reinvigorate retail.

 

Retail stores are being pressure tested like never before. And as typical transactional store trips become a commodity, what then does the brick and mortar store need to become? Can the tech tools that have taken the enterprise world and sports arenas and educational campuses by storm bring experiential magic or just good informational/visualization tools to the retail shopping world? (My answer to that is a simple yes. Case in point – much of retail is going through a boom and renaissance. That would be the part of Retail that we often take for granted – and the part that Amazon will never threaten: restaurant, and sports venues, where there is such healthy growth that it’s easy to overlook. And much of the growth is from turning those venues into retail outlets for things other than food or the actual sporting event. But I digress, back to Laura…)

 

Laura Davis Taylor has been focused on creating meaningful retail experiences that bridge home, life and store for a good while now, both as a consultant and as part of some lauded global agencies. Her experience is multifaceted, ranging across brand planning, digital engagement, store design, CX, and in-store results measurement. She believes passionately that good brands need to deliver experiences in unique and compelling ways, and measure, measure, measure. With that experience tied to her tireless passion, she has become not just a strategist but an author, teacher, sage – and now InReality’s new Chief Strategy Officer, as the company rolls out robust metrics for place-based engagement. – David K.

 

Here is the press release:

 

ATLANTA, GA, January 22, 2020  – InReality, LLC, a leading solution for analyzing and optimizing place-based experiences, has announced the addition of Laura Davis-Taylor, long-time DOOH and retail leader, to their executive team as Chief Strategy Officer.

In her 25-year career spanning across advertising, store design, media, retail experience design and digital, Davis-Taylor has worked as a tireless industry practitioner, educator, activator and thought leader. As an Executive Board Member of the Digital Signage Federation and contributor to esteemed organizations such as RetailWire, RetailTouchPoints, MediaPost and more, her addition to InReality’s executive team brings with it a compelling differentiator within the venue analytics industry vertical.

“Anyone that knows me is aware of how committed I am to measurement–knowing what’s really happening in a store or venue, what kind of people are there, what they are doing and what we should do about it to fortify ROI. The biggest challenge has been piecing the various platforms and data streams together to get the ‘complete picture’ and acting on it dynamically. The data quality has also been historically spotty, leaving it up to consultants to clean and analyze the data to generate insights that stakeholder teams could utilize confidently. InReality provides the best solution I’ve seen for solving these challenges, and I’m delighted to start a new career chapter passionately focused on helping stores and spaces work more profitably.”

Ron Levac, InReality CEO, commented, “We have watched Laura’s impact on the industry and her fierce dedication to not only leading the conversations strategically but proving out her approaches with hard revenue. We know the importance of providing industry partners with seasoned expertise as we navigate the exciting opportunities for spacial analytics and responsive experiences. With Laura on board, we’re confident our platform will continue to evolve into an essential tool for giving them an extra edge.”

“The in-venue data gap has been a black hole for too long,” Davis-Taylor continued. “I love the place-based industry, and I love the amazing people, products and potential within it. Until we can follow every other established media venue with dependable analytics that fuel both context and commerce at scale, we will continue to wrestle for our piece of the media and marketing pie. It’s going to be a pleasure to bring InReality’s solution to brands and retailers through the industry ecosystem, helping us all rise up together.”

About InReality
Based in Atlanta, GA, InReality enables venue owners, brands and retailers to understand and tune the experiences and multi-sensory stimulus they deliver to customers so that they can optimize revenue and profits. Through its SaaS platform, coupled with a customizable suite of computer vision and sensor technologies, they provide real-time, irrefutable metrics for place-based KPIs.

InReality works with a variety of partners serving brands, venue owners and retailers, providing them a new recurring revenue stream that differentiates their businesses and helps them retain their customers through the consistent delivery of customer analytics and dynamic response offerings. They offer a powerful suite of products, built for speed and scale.