Apr 29, 2021

Meet Bret Conard

One of our core Rosie pillars: personal responsibility. Each individual and department has a specific role to play in ensuring our independent retailers’ growth and success, from education on new features to providing the building blocks that inform our decisions on how to increase basket size.

This week, we sat down with Bret Conard, SVP, Data & Integrations to learn more about data at Rosie and what this means for retailers and the future of online grocery.

You joined Rosie a year ago as SVP, Data & Integrations. Tell us a bit about your background.

I’m a programmer by training and have developed enterprise and big data solutions for over 20 years. My ten years of direct grocery experience in data and integrations and masters of science in data analytics give me a unique perspective on where the grocery industry can head next – this opportunity with Rosie was one in a million. I’ve also served on the ROFDA advisory council and on standing committees at NGA and am inspired to be doing work that directly impacts the independent retailer community.

How would you describe your role?

It’s been a challenging and rewarding first year. As my title might imply, my focus is on data. How we collect it, store it, integrate with third parties, and ensure we maintain compliance with all various state laws. I’m Rosie’s security officer, in charge of the data and am responsible for the security and access of that data. Most importantly, how we can provide value to the Retailer with that data. We’re also currently working on creating an education program for staff that teaches industry best practices on security for Rosie, our retailers and their consumer data.

How does data impact independent retailers on Rosie’s platform?

Our retailers have access to Rosie Data Analytics (RDA), which is their personal tool for extensive reporting on customer transactions. But there’s more we could be doing. We want the why – reporting will tell you what has already occurred, which is important. Analytics will tell you why it happened, and even; what will happen. The key is knowing the grocery industry well enough to know what analytics matter and make the most impact for our independent retailers.

What’s next for data?

Our single biggest initiative drives impact across the board by aggregating all various data sources into a single warehouse so we can access data points holistically. This means we can provide actionable insights to internal resources and retailers. The impact of that work for retailers and brands will be my legacy.

We could check out Rosie Data Analytics, but what are the three items in your Rosie cart?

The three C’s: coffee, ice cream, and cinnamon raisin bagels.