At eTail Palm Springs 2025, retail leaders gathered to hear Sarah Crockett, Global Chief Marketing Officer of DSW, share her experience navigating changing consumer expectations and brand strategy in a fireside chat hosted by Jill Manoff, Editor in Chief of Glossy & Modern Retail. The session spotlighted the vital role of customer understanding and brand evolution for success in the competitive retail landscape, providing valuable insights for attendees across the consumer goods vertical.

Key Takeaways

1. Emotional Connection Drives Brand Loyalty

Sarah Crockett emphasized how the most iconic brands evoke emotional, nostalgic feelings—a quality she is working to reimagine for today’s consumers. Maintaining this emotional resonance, while evolving to meet modern preferences, helps brands retain their core audience and attract new generations, reflecting a broader industry push toward experience-centric retailing.

2. Broad Assortment Fuels Modern Relevance

DSW’s legacy as a “house of brands” and its wide breadth of assortment were highlighted as major strengths. Crockett stressed that evolving beyond dress footwear to embrace athletic, casual, and household needs positions DSW to serve a broad customer base—mirroring trends where consumers expect variety and relevance for every lifestyle.

3. Customer-Centric Evolution, Not Disruption

Instead of drastic rebrands, Crockett advocates for thoughtful brand evolution. The session underscored that leveraging existing strengths, such as the value-based model and self-service ethos, while layering “freshness,” enables retailers to modernize successfully—a tactic seen as critical for businesses wary of alienating loyal customers.

4. Omnichannel Engagement is Essential

The session made clear that integrated digital and physical experiences are a must in 2025. DSW’s focus on seamless omnichannel journeys—empowered by their app and tailored store events—highlights how retail leaders can meet customers “where they are,” accommodating evolving shopping behaviors and preferences with technology and experiential moments.

5. Loyalty and Acquisition Remain Top Priorities

Crockett spotlighted DSW’s robust VIP loyalty program as foundational to retention. Continuous innovation in rewards, personalized communication, and digital channel diversification support growth by rewarding faithful customers and attracting newcomers—approaches increasingly recognized as fundamental in retail success.

In Their Words

The marketing function is a customer function. We are here to ensure that we’re winning the hearts and minds of our target consumers and maintaining that engagement. First and foremost—I would never want to lose focus on continuously improving our retention capabilities.
— Sarah Crockett, Global Chief Marketing Officer, DSW

Why It Matters

Retail leaders navigating unprecedented change must blend the emotional strengths of legacy brands with innovations that resonate with evolving customers. Crockett’s approach highlights the importance of knowing your audience—not just demographically but by mindset—while balancing tradition with modernization. As omnichannel strategies and loyalty programs become central to building resilient, future-ready businesses, these insights offer practical guidance for tackling market fragmentation, digital disruption, and shifting consumer values in the broader consumer goods vertical.

Actionable Insights

Reinforce brand values that foster emotional connection and trust.
Modernize assortment and store experience to reflect changing lifestyles.
Develop agile, omnichannel strategies to enhance customer journeys.
Continuously innovate and energize loyalty programs for retention and acquisition.

Want More?

Curious about what’s shaping retail’s next chapter? See how the eTail community is leading the charge — learn more here.

Full Session Transcript

Jill Manoff, Editor in Chief, Glossy & Modern Retail: Oh, hey, Sarah. Welcome. For those who don’t know, Sarah Crockett. She’s the CMO of DSW for eight months. Very fresh.

Sarah Crockett, Global Chief Marketing Officer, DSW: So ask me all the questions. I have all the answers.

Jill Manoff: Yeah, we're going to go wild. So new to the company. Tell me about your coming in—what did you see as the biggest challenge coming into this long-standing company that has its own reputation before you joined?

Sarah Crockett: I’ll start with what drew me to DSW. When I got the opportunity to talk about this role it immediately evoked this emotional, nostalgic feeling. The very first time I stepped into a DSW—this was a very long time ago—when I first started making my own money and working, I walked into the DSW in Pasadena, California, because I needed to change my whole footwear wardrobe to be a professional. It was just the start. I had this sense of joy, honestly, and you walk in and see an endless assortment of shoes. It was not just a want, but a need at the time, and I was so appreciative of their value-based model—not having to sacrifice anything about my self-expression for my wallet, which was pretty slim at the time. That was my feeling. Walking in the door eight months later, I would say the biggest challenge—and I think one of the approaches—is how do I maintain focus on this midterm and long-term journey to re-imagine that emotional response for a modern consumer base while also driving the business on a daily basis.

Jill Manoff: For sure. As you’ve come to know the brand, what would you say is the brand as it stands? What is it best known for?

Sarah Crockett: Yeah, DSW is a long-standing house of brands. We’ve been known for carrying an immense variety of products—a wide breadth of assortment. We’ve also been known predominantly for the fashion footwear space, dressy shoes, and that's part of our evolution. We know, if you look—last night we were doing this actually—if you look at everyone’s shoes, I’d guarantee you over sixty to seventy percent of the audience is wearing some version of an athletic footwear choice. Now our journey is to make sure we continue to carry the best brands, the best assortment, evolving that persona. It’s not just about dressy footwear, but really a broad assortment for your household needs: men, women, children, whatever it is. It’s important to get the best trends, best national brands—that’s the journey.

Jill Manoff: And your customer—men, women, children, the everyday—who are they now?

Sarah Crockett: Who needs shoes? No, I’m just kidding—it’s a little bit more specific than that. Yes, she tends to be more female. She tends to be the purchaser in the household—for her kids, her partner, whomever it may be. Demographically, she looks like you and me. That’s something we’re continuing to evolve with our future: maintaining that customer, but of course, attracting a new customer as well—Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennial generations, etc.

Jill Manoff: Is a full rebrand necessary? You’ve got a lot of strengths already.

Sarah Crockett: We do have a lot of strengths. Some of my favorite rebrand projects that I’ve seen in the wild and been part of are like an evolution of the brand. When there’s a drastic change to a brand, the customer base feels that, and it can feel a little “icky.” There’s no reason for us to do that at DSW—there’s so much goodness at DSW from our past. We’d be foolish to throw that in the trash. We’re taking the goodness—the value-based model, the self-service model that broke the industry—modernizing that. Our store staff is amazing. There’s a lot we wouldn’t change. We’ll maintain and take stock, but we’re going to apply some freshness and use that to propel us into the future.

Jill Manoff: That self-service—nobody wants to go hunt for their shoes and wait ten minutes. What would you say is your priority? What’s the immediate update or change needed now?

Sarah Crockett: It’s a long body of work. Anyone who’s been part of a brand strategy overhaul knows it takes time, thoughtfulness, stages of research, and being thoughtful about those choices. Implementation is a whole journey in itself. We have over 500 doors. Imagine touching every single one of those doors. It’s going to take a while. The reason it’s an early priority for me is because the journey is long, so we have to get started now to put it into place as quickly as possible.

Jill Manoff: So you’re going for a younger customer—Gen Z, maybe Gen Alpha. Who’s the main target?

Sarah Crockett: It’s actually not a demographic. With our breadth of assortment, we don’t have a single competitor. If you ask who our competitor is, it depends on the category—athletic, dress, etc. Same with our customer base: it’s a broad customer base. We’ve spent a lot of time getting to know and understand what moves them and what they’re looking for. What we’ve found is a shared mindset that can link everyone from boomer to Gen Alpha. Tapping into that shared mindset, beyond demographics, we hope to maintain a rich relationship with existing customers, while ushering in new consumers—Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennials. It’s a combination of demographics, but leaning into a shared mindset.

Jill Manoff: You’ve got this amazing customer base built in. Are there decisions or conversations where you think “we’re not going to go there—they won’t like that”?

Sarah Crockett: Everything we’re doing—from campaigns to brand positioning—we are leading with the customer and gut-checking ourselves: will this action, partner, influencer alienate or create magnetism? Not every asset must work for every KPI. It’s a mix—an ecosystem. We focus on the richest ecosystem to become a magnet for our target consumer; that’s the day job.

Jill Manoff: What partners are needed to make your vision happen?

Sarah Crockett: I have an amazing team—luckily inherited and grown in place, so motivated by this work. I’m a big believer in internal teams; they bring momentum. If I could design my ideal system, it’s a combination of internal and external. Magic happens when teams live and breathe the brand and consumer every day, making decisions on guardrails we build. Injecting outside partners—like Crispin, our agency working with us on brand and creative—brings an interesting spark and perspective, since they work with other brands and industries.

Jill Manoff: Are there communications or tactics you want solely in-house?

Sarah Crockett: For brand strategy—the guidelines side, visual communication of our strategy and positioning: what we look like, feel like, sound like—that’s vital for internal teams to own, because it’s work they leverage daily. Building partnerships throughout this work, not just in marketing but across stakeholders, is the fastest path to adoption and market execution. So, the guidelines work is deeply internal.

Jill Manoff: Did you say 500 doors? Tell us about your store footprint.

Sarah Crockett: Over 500 doors—more coming across the country, plus Canadian locations. Our brick-and-mortar stores are my number one marketing vehicle. Not only do they work as billboards for the brand, but once you cross the threshold, nothing communicates what we’re about like face-to-face interaction and experiencing the breadth of products and the joy that comes from that experience. We recently saw customer content from Salt Lake City—a woman trying on ten pairs of shoes, dancing around the store, showing ten personalities. What a joy for customers to witness.

Jill Manoff: Are you hosting events and building community in your stores?

Sarah Crockett: Absolutely. Store size (to hold our assortment) gives us an opportunity—and we’re leaning in. We’ve hosted Ariana Maddox at Union Square; just finished a Fashion Week partnership with Christian Cowan, bringing him into stores for Q&As and content creator fireside chats. Local community and marketing events are store-led. We use our footprint in special ways.

Jill Manoff: How do you balance store strength with online opportunities?

Sarah Crockett: Omnichannel is a must in 2025—consumers have varied preferences. In footwear especially, most prefer in-store. One sales associate said the average customer has three different shoe sizes, since each brand interprets sizing differently. Trying on in person is invaluable.

Jill Manoff: Any updates to the e-commerce site ahead?

Sarah Crockett: Digital experience is built for online conversion. We're looking to make omni experiences seamless—customers browsing online and purchasing in-store deserve smooth processes. Our app is key: top customers shop both channels and engage heavily through the app, unlocking unique discounts and benefits. Digital and physical are very connected—a relationship we continuously evolve.

Jill Manoff: Are influencers and celebrities serving you? Any user-generated content efforts?

Sarah Crockett: It’s a tiered approach—celebrity partnerships and influencers are word-of-mouth at scale. Marketing has evolved, but storytelling and trusted recommendations remain. Today, influencers augment old-school recommendations—friends, coworkers, family—by building communities you follow. We aim to be visible and dominate feeds through varied influencer partnerships, plus working with celebrities. We just announced a partnership with Paige DeSorbo—she’s authentically connected to our brand and all about empowerment. It’s a great start.

Jill Manoff: What’s your direction—fashion-forward, more casual, or both?

Sarah Crockett: The core of the brand sat in fashion footwear for years, and we’re not letting go—but the retail landscape has changed. Dress footwear is often replaced by comfort or casual, and sneakers are now a fashion aesthetic. We maintain the destination of choice—including for undecided shoppers. Customers spend an average of 45 minutes in our stores; we distract them well, showing off new styles and options. Fashion is the tip of our influence pyramid, but we ensure our assortment meets varied needs.

Jill Manoff: Last question! With channel strategies and KPIs varying, how do you focus your efforts?

Sarah Crockett: With less sleep! Marketing is a customer function—sometimes store, sometimes digital—but always the customer is at the core. Never lose focus on improving retention. Our amazing VIP loyalty program is a cornerstone; we’re always finding ways to energize it, reward loyalists, and welcome newcomers (customer acquisition) by telling the right stories on the right platforms—especially digitally. Diversified channels get us to the consumer efficiently.

Jill Manoff: Membership and loyalty are going to be hot topics at this conference. Thank you, Sarah—this was so great.

Sarah Crockett: Thank you so much.