Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.

Conversational commerce is one of the most powerful trends shaping retail marketing media today, according to Michael Ricci, industry expert and Vice President of New Technologies at Sinch.

In this episode, Michael breaks down the past, present and future of SMS and how the modern era of customer acquisition lies in trust building and the potential of chatbots.

Together, we discuss the impact of personalized, accessible and streamlined conversation on the consumer buying process. Michael offers key examples of big brands that are pack leaders in utilizing chatbots, addresses common misconceptions about SMS and chatbot technology and talks about cutting-edge mobile strategies.

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Voice of Retail. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss out on the latest episodes, industry news, and insights. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a rating and review, as it really helps us grow so that we can continue getting amazing guests on the show.

I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!

Until next time, stay safe and have a great week!

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

Michael Ricci is a Highly accomplished senior digital marketing & business development executive with 30+ years of international experience in technology focused operations (B2B & B2C focused) ranging in size from $8/yr million SaaS businesses to $4.2/yr Billion global industry leaders.

• A well regarded Mobile CX architect who has guided some of the world’s most prominent brands.
• Clear track record of success in leading large, complex integrated solutions selling and business development programs and driving strong top line sales growth
• A well respected thought leader in the Mobile Marketing industry and past Chairman of the MMA's Mobile Analytics Committee
• Created the first successful “business to business sports sponsorship models and earned recognition as one of the Best B2B sports marketers in the world.
• Recognized track record of driving over $200m worth of revenue/contracts from global key events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, NASCAR, Super Bowl, World Alpine Skiing Championships, World Track & Field Championships.

Specialties: Mobile CX, digital marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing, analytics/data visualization, SMS, PUSH, mobile web, web design, business development, sponsorship marketing and strategy.

The Voice of Retail podcast is presented by Hale, a performance marketing partner trusted by brands like ASICS, Saje, and Orangetheory to scale with focus and impact.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

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