Be a *Store Optimizer* with Ronny Max
Amplify store sales, operations, and profits in retail, malls, banks, venues & any physical environments with Behavior Analytics.
What Makes Ronny Max Different?
In 2015, I found myself in an innovation team working two doors from where Google was founded. I was the retail domain expert in the Stanford University Vision Project.
Andrew Ng sponsored the project as part of his innovation groups for post-docs. The Vision project was the first research endeavor into what advanced computer vision can do in physical retail.
I came out of that year at Stanford University with three observations.
The first was that AI is dangerous, powerful, and promising (in that order). The second is that retailers and technology companies have a knowledge gap (which is changing). And finally, what is needed is a professional discipline based on Behavior Analytics.
It is worthwhile to clarify where I add value.
In-Store Technologies: I help technology companies to align their product development to what their clients can do with the data. My goal is to deepen the partnerships between retailers and solution providers.
In-Store Analytics: I help the sell-side (solution providers and investors) and the buy-side (retailers, malls, airports, etc.) to develop data-based analytics for physical stores.
In-Store Optimization: I help retail, brand, mall, and other managers of physical venues build the process to amplify store sales, operations, and profits.
I’m an analyst.
Since I don’t work like most retail tech analysts, it is worthwhile to say what I do and what I don’t do.
I don’t make competitive comparisons between technologies. Gardner, IDC, and Martech do an excellent job evaluating markets and players. When most people think about an analyst, they think of comparing companies in a visualization tool. I don’t do that.
I also don’t do market intelligence. The retail and consumer surveys from IHL Group, RSR Research, and Coresight do fantastic work evaluating the current state of retail markets.
My focus is education, research, and advisory. I’m an analyst because I offer research on where your company fits in the retail technology ecosystem. We live in a fast-changing decade for retail, and the opportunities for growth are vast.
To achieve this, my business has three sides: advising tech companies, solving problems for retailers, and promoting Behavior Analytics.
The Executive Coach
I work with tech startups in the retail space. From 2015 to early 2020, it was an exciting period where possibilities seemed endless. The reality was not. Retailers were not keen on investing in physical stores.
As a result, many startups shifted their efforts to malls, banks, venues, airports, and smart cities. Some were sold. Some went out of business. And some startups survived, changed, and pivoted.
Meanwhile, I learned strategy (yes, it is a skill set), digital marketing, and product development. I focused on the go-to-market strategy for location analytics startups and became an executive coach.
I’m not a consultant. I don’t do reports, build software, or manage your team. Consultants embed themselves in your organization for as long as possible. They have a specific job to execute.
I’m an executive coach: I want to get you to speed up as fast as possible, help you solve the problem, and get out as efficiently as possible. It’s the opposite of consulting and an important distinction.
In 2016, I developed Good Enough Accuracy. The framework solves the oranges-to-apples comparison of technology solutions by focusing on audits and features. The framework will also help you articulate your company’s unique market positioning.
In 2019, I created the Win-Win-Win Alignment. The framework became important for product development and go-to-market strategies. The alignment between behaviors, actions, and technologies clarifies why a solution works and why it does not.
During the pandemic of 2020, the retail markets faced a tsunami of challenges.
In 2021, it became evident that AI was changing the tech landscape.
I happily take technology briefings with no expectations. Slides work best. Hearing about a well-defined market positioning does wonders. You got 30 minutes to show me your problem-solution path. Frankly, you probably lost me if you can’t get the point across in 5 minutes. More importantly, you probably lost your potential clients.
Be bold. Be curious. Be clear.
Today, most of my work with technology companies shifted to working with their client retailers.
The Problem Solver
As often happens, the pivot to helping retailers started with a crisis.
Most of my current projects occur because of a problem between the solution provider and the retailer. The data may have unearthed a problem with no clear explanation. Or there is a new product or a feature that the retailers don’t use. Sometimes, bringing an outside expert is good business.
My approach to the retailers (and other companies on the buy-side) makes me different from other analyst firms. Many retail managers feel besieged by vendors and marketers. I enhance the partnership between the retailer and the technology provider.
I do that primarily with immersive workshops and management boot camps.
The formats are similar. The difference is scope. The workshops take 90 minutes and are often focused on a single problem. Many workshops are done online with 3 to 5 people. Often, technology companies sponsor confidential workshops for their client retailers.
The management boot camps last a day, two or three days, and can grow to 60 people. In that case, the focus is on the organization and how to solve the problem.
These sessions are the source of the PEACE for Profit framework for solving problems in physical environments. By identifying behaviors, quantifying behaviors, identifying context, quantifying context, and designing store experiments, you have a robust but flexible structure to solve any problem.
Effectively, PEACE for Profit neutralizes the organization’s egos, silos, and politics by digging deep into the problem step-by-step.
I love it when the retailers stop the conversation to tell the solution provider, “I want that.”
There is no one size fits all. I do what’s best for the team.
What makes all the difference is that I help people make their mistakes privately. Unless I’m participating in a conference, webinar, or podcast, everything I do is confidential.
Behavior Analytics Academy
A few things have changed since I started my career, but people don’t change behaviors that quickly. In many ways, our organizational structures have not changed. I see technology as a tool—behaviors as a guide.
That led me to develop the techniques of Behavior Analytics.
The insights from the advisory sessions, retail workshops, and management bootcamps enable everything I do with the Behavior Analytics Academy.
You will soon see more speaking events and podcasts. More YouTube Videos. More long blog posts. And, of course, the weekly newsletter. None are particularly unique forms of marketing, but what is unique occurs at the crossroads of behaviors, data, and storytelling.
I enjoy scintillating conversions. Webinars. Podcasts. User conferences. Open Q&A. You make it worthwhile.
I love what I do. The highest compliment I can receive is when clients re-engage for the 2nd, 3rd, or 10th project. I get most referrals from people I’ve worked with throughout the years. Nothing could make me prouder than watching you get promoted and thrive.
So, there you have it – what I think makes me different. And if it sounds like a concept that rings true, reach out, and let’s work together.
What Clients Say
“I have worked with Ronny for many years. She is deeply knowledgeable about the Retail Analytics industry. Her insights have been invaluable. She is easy to work with – highly responsive and highly pro-active. I strongly recommend Ronny.”
Christopher Ainsley, CEO ShopperTrak
“Ronny is very knowledgeable with technologies and business analytics used to assist in labor scheduling, product placement, and customer behavior. These insights resulted in business changes that delivered significant ROI and improved overall customer service.”
Butch Jagoda, VP IT Helzberg Diamonds
“I have worked with Ronny both as a contractor to my company and as a trusted advisor. Her insights into the market of customer behavior and analytics for physical retailers are as deep and thoughtful as can be found in the market.”
Steve Hornyak, CEO Symphony CPG|AI
Services by Ronny Max
Executive Coaching & Sponsorship for Providers
Get expert, open, and confidential feedback on markets, products, and strategies. Become a sponsor of case studies – for startups and growth teams building in-store solutions.
Speaking at Podcasts, Events, and In-Person Conferences
Book Ronny Max for high-energy expert insights on how to solve problems in retail with Behavior Analytics – for online and in-person retail, tech, and marketing events.
Workshops & Management Bootcamps for Retailers
Take the uncertainty out of store sales, operations, and profits with behavior-based frameworks – Immersive workshops and management boot camps for retailers.
