For this month’s audio blog, Ketner Group CEO and president Catherine Seeds explores department stores, including their glory days, challenging years and innovative futures. Watch the video or read the transcript below! Hello, and welcome to another installment of our KG audio blog series! I’m Catherine Seeds, president and CEO of Ketner Group. Thanks for…

At a time when everyone is looking for the next big trend to latch on to, it can be hard to differentiate what makes a good news story vs. what is the next “flash in a pan” trend.  The reality is, trends are not on their own, stories. Good PR professionals know that the media…

Hi, everyone! I’m Emilia, and I’m excited to introduce myself as Ketner Group’s Retail Tech Marketing Intern! I’m also currently a third-year Economics Major with a minor in Journalism and Media here at UT Austin. Originally from Southern California, I didn’t think I’d find myself being a Longhorn, but now I can’t imagine it being…

Growing up, I was fascinated with the investigative journalists I saw on TV and read about in books. I pictured myself chasing stories that would reveal injustices, uncover corruption and expose wrongdoing. A champion for the truth, I would don a well-tailored blazer, microphone in one hand, notebook filled with insights and hard-earned facts in…

Labor Day unofficially marks the end of vacation season and a return to normal schedules, after slowing down just a bit for the summer. For those of us in retail and technology, though, September is also a time to shift into a higher gear for some of the industry’s most important events. Groceryshop, NACS, P2PI…

In her latest audio blog, our president and CEO shares the latest trend in retail tech. Transcript of “Spatial Computing” audio blog: Hello! It’s been a minute since we’ve recorded one of our KG audio blogs, but I am glad to be back and excited you have joined me today! I’m Catherine Seeds, president and…

It’s hard to believe that today’s AI revolution started only 18+ months ago. That’s when OpenAI publicly released ChatGPT, forever changing the technology landscape by fueling an exponential wave of technology innovation. We’ve seen firsthand the impact of AI in retail technology. NRF 2024 could easily have been rebranded “NRFAI,” as AI was everywhere and…

Hello, everyone! My name is Lucy Benish, and I am so excited to join the Ketner Group team as a summer intern! I am originally from the Chicago suburbs, but I go to school at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I am majoring in Creative and Entertainment Industries. My major choice was inspired by my…

As a PR agency that specializes in helping retail technology companies gain exposure in their areas of expertise and expand their share of market, we know what it takes to set our clients up for long-term success. The reality is that, when done right, a solid PR program can provide major value to tech companies.…

Content, like blogs and whitepapers, is a valuable asset for you as a marketer for a B2B retail tech business. It can be used for sales meetings, prospect outreach, discoverability on search or social media, and more. Yet content can often fall to the back burner when other marketing deliverables take priority. That’s why many…

Trade shows are one of the best opportunities for retail tech vendors to meet with clients and prospects face to face. Whether it’s an initial meeting or a chance to move a prospective client further along the sales pipeline, in-person meetings are invaluable. And since key events such as NRF, Shoptalk, FMI Midwinter and others…

Well, this was a fun one, folks! I recently had the chance to visit with the talented Jamie Grill-Goodman, editor in chief of RIS News. As editor in chief, Jamie is among the ranks of amazing journalists and retail tech thought-leaders who previously held this post, such as Joe Skorupa and the late Dennis Eskow. She has…

When a tech company has an exciting announcement to share, many turn to press releases without a second thought. After all, press releases are an effective way to share news, reach a wide variety of audiences and increase SEO. But the reality is, the impact of a press release can vary widely based on how…

Hello, everyone! I’m Shay Edblom and I am currently in my last semester of college at The University of Texas at Austin. Hook ’em Horns! When deciding what to study in college, I followed my talent for writing into a public relations degree. Throughout my time at UT, I picked up a business minor and…

AI’s breakthrough year in 2023 was the retail technology equivalent of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour – a once-in-a-generation event that changes everything. If Swiftmania is the biggest musical sensation since The Beatles, then Generative AI is easily the most revolutionary technology since the iPhone. AI is quickly becoming a pervasive technology, dividing the timeline for…

Hello everyone! My name is Matthew Boncosky, and I’m the latest and greatest member to join the Ketner Group team full-time! It feels great being able to put that into words. If you already recognize my name, that’s because you might have read my first introduction on the KG blog when I began as an…

I think we can all agree that the retail tech industry is extremely lucky to have so many wonderful experts and content creators! You may recall that I recently sat down with our friend Barbara Thau to get her take on industry trends and tips for PR folks. For my next chat, I sat down…

As a PR professional with almost 25 years of experience creating and executing successful communications strategies for my clients, I do feel it is my duty to address a big elephant in the room. Some of you may just not be ready for PR. And that is ok!  As with anything in life, just because…

I’m writing this blog during the hottest summer on record, and like you, I’m dreaming of cooler weather, football season, the holidays and…. ….NRF! The first email for NRF ’24 hit my inbox Aug. 8, and my first reaction was “whaaaat!?” But after 30+ years in retail tech PR, the timing makes sense. After all,…

Hello, world! My name is Bernice Chen, and I’m a senior public relations student at The University of Texas at Austin. I’m excited to be starting my internship with Ketner Group! How it all began: landing on public relations I was born in Taiwan, one of the best places on the planet, but I’ve lived…

In a fast-paced news world, journalists continue to rely on reputable and interesting story resources from PR professionals. That is why it is important to know and understand as much about the media we are working with as we can. Over the years, the Ketner Group team has been lucky to work with so many…

Texans love their H-E-B. The beloved grocer was recently named the Ultimate Texas Brand by Texas Monthly readers, who overwhelmingly crowned H-E-B the winner over 49 other iconic Texas brands including Dairy Queen, Whataburger, Buc-ee’s, Southwest Airlines (that holiday scheduling fiasco didn’t help) and many others. Why H-E-B? It all boils down to an incredible…

Hello readers! My name is Abby Nelson, and I am a brand new full-time member of Team Awesome.  Once upon a time, i.e. five months ago, I started my first ever, agency-side internship with Ketner Group. I remember feeling intimidated by the retail technology niche. I was trekking into an unknown world of artificial intelligence…

In her latest audio blog, our president and CEO recaps some of the cool in-store technologies at the Domain shopping center in Austin, TX. Transcript of “Domain Diaries” audio blog: It’s times like this that I really love my job. In preparation for this audio blog, I recently spent some time cruising around the Domain, the…

It’s been a little while since I’ve published a piece of writing under my name. By a little while I mean about six months, but those six months have been a welcome reprieve. That’s because for three and a half of the last four years, I was immersed in the hectic but rewarding world of…