Butterfly.ai adds retail technology influencer, author and podcaster Ron Thurston to its advisory board

Butterfly.ai, an engagement and feedback solution designed for frontline and deskless workers and their managers, has announced the addition of Ron Thurston to its advisory board.

Thurston brings several decades of experience in leading retail operations for brands such as Gap, West Elm, Apple, Tory Burch, Bonobos, Saint Laurent, and INTERMIX.

He is also an author and podcaster.

“Having observed Butterfly’s journey since its inception over five years ago, I am thrilled to join their advisory board,” says Thurston.

“This year marks a crucial turning point as brands redefine their store footprints in the face of a workforce increasingly disengaged from traditional leadership methods. Understanding how frontline teams experience their work is imperative before we discuss leadership training or development tools.”

“Nothing drives revenue and brand loyalty more than a friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful team of frontline workers. These employees interact directly with customers and are critical to the in-store experience.”

“However, with most retail jobs being part-time, entry-level, and compensated hourly, it’s clear that low wages, long shifts, and burnout contribute significantly to high employee turnover.”

“Butterfly’s actionable insights and engagement tools are pivotal in addressing these issues, making this endeavour crucial for retaining talent and improving customer experiences in retail.”

RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List

Thurston is included in the latest edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List, sponsored by 3D Cloud.

These are the people who made a splash in 2023 and are set for a barnstorming 2024.

RTIH has scoured the retail technology world to find the most influential figures for this comprehensive list of people and trends that shape the industry and help drive it forward.

We’re living in unprecedented times.

The Covid-19 outbreak and cost-of-living crisis have driven a seismic change in shopping habits.

We are seeing retailers taking innovative technologies like AR, AI, and spatial computing, and finding ways to use them to make customer experiences more exciting and dynamic.

Which is where the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List comes in, presented, we should stress, in no particular order.

Such disruption requires new ways of problem solving and thought leaders who can both evangelise and execute on the likes of digital transformation and omnichannel success.

We hope you enjoy reading through it and, as always, if you would like to give feedback or believe that there are some glaring omissions, please feel free to get in touch via the form at the end of this article.

Many thanks to 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualisation software trusted by top furniture and DIY retailers, for sponsoring it.

Download the list in pdf format here.

Or read via Issuu.

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻