Screenshot 2024-06-09 at 11.20.13

- 40:57

Interview

or listen on

Embracing Challenges and AI as Competitive Advantage with Aldo’s CIO

📍Montreal, Canada

In the latest episode of OFFBounds, Paula Macaggi interviews Matthieu Houle, the CIO of Aldo, a globally recognized shoe brand. Matthieu shares his unconventional journey from starting a surf magazine in Costa Rica to leading digital transformation at Aldo. His career path is marked by a series of bold decisions, fueled by curiosity and a willingness to embrace new opportunities. These traits have equipped him to navigate the fast-paced world of retail technology, where adaptability and innovation are crucial.

Matthieu’s experience at Aldo highlights the importance of leveraging technology to gain a competitive edge. He discusses how Aldo was an early adopter of omnichannel strategies, enabling seamless shopping experiences such as curbside pickup and ship-from-store services. These initiatives, driven by a forward-thinking approach, allowed Aldo to stay ahead of the curve, especially during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthieu emphasizes that the key to success in retail technology is not just in the front-end consumer experience but also in having a flexible and agile backend system.

One of the standout projects Matthieu leads is the development of an AI-driven forecasting tool named Delphin. This tool uses machine learning to predict sales and optimize inventory management, providing significant business value. By accurately forecasting demand, Aldo can ensure that the right products are available in the right stores at the right time. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also improves operational efficiency. The project, supported by partnerships with academic institutions like McGill University, showcases the intersection of academia and industry in driving technological advancements.

Matthieu also touches on the cultural and organizational changes necessary to foster innovation within a company. He describes how Aldo’s IT department has evolved from a traditional support role to being an enabler of business growth. By adopting an agile, squad-based structure, the IT team works closely with various business units to deliver technology solutions that directly impact business outcomes. Matthieu’s leadership philosophy focuses on empowering his team, promoting a culture of curiosity, and ensuring that technology serves as a superpower for Aldo’s employees. His insights provide a valuable roadmap for other organizations looking to thrive in the dynamic retail landscape.

Listen more

Interview

Rohlik Group: Europe’s Best-Kept Secret in Online Grocery

Operating across five European countries under locally adapted brand names, Rohlik delivers a full grocery assortment of 25,000 SKUs to customers' doors in as little as 60 minutes

Operating across five European countries under locally adapted brand names, Rohlik delivers a full grocery assortment of 25,000 SKUs to customers' doors in as little as 60 minutes

Interview

Operating across five European countries under locally adapted brand names, Rohlik delivers a full grocery assortment of 25,000 SKUs to customers' doors in as little as 60 minutes

Rohlik Group: Europe’s Best-Kept Secret in Online Grocery

Operating across five European countries under locally adapted brand names, Rohlik delivers a full grocery assortment of 25,000 SKUs to customers' doors in as little as 60 minutes

Interview

From Points to Participation: What Actually Drives Loyalty

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Interview

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

From Points to Participation: What Actually Drives Loyalty

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Book Author

Retail Doesn’t Have a Technology Problem. It Has a Process Problem

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Book Author

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Retail Doesn’t Have a Technology Problem. It Has a Process Problem

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Interview

From “Best in Breed” to Frankenstein Stack: The Reality of Retail Technology

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Interview

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

From “Best in Breed” to Frankenstein Stack: The Reality of Retail Technology

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Interview

The Build-in-Public Strategy Behind Meadow Lane

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Interview

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

The Build-in-Public Strategy Behind Meadow Lane

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Receive new exclusive episodes


Sign up for our newsletter now!

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.