In this episode of The Voice of Retail, Michael LeBlanc sits down with Mark Ryski, Founder & CEO of HeadCount and three-time retail author, to explore why store traffic remains one of the most underutilized and misunderstood metrics in modern retail. With over two decades of experience pioneering traffic and conversion analytics, Mark shares insights from his new book, Store Traffic is a Gift, and explains why retailers must treat every store visit as a precious opportunity.

Mark begins by recounting his early career in Edmonton, where a stint managing a single computer store opened his eyes to the importance of measuring traffic. What started as an entrepreneurial challenge became a lifelong mission—helping retailers of all sizes, from independents to global chains, understand the relationship between visits, transactions, and conversions. He reveals how his first book, When Retail Customers Count, broke new ground, and how subsequent works, including Conversion: The Last Great Retail Metric, gave leaders practical playbooks to rethink operations.

The conversation dives into the myths that persist in retail, such as the assumption that transactions equal store visits. Mark explains why this false equivalency blinds retailers to missed opportunities, misguides staffing schedules, and undermines marketing effectiveness. He argues that traffic counting is as essential as point-of-sale systems, electricity, or internet access. With a SaaS-based platform, HeadCount provides “analytics as a service,” helping retailers turn data into actionable insights, whether they operate one store or thousands.

Looking back at the pandemic, Mark reflects on how the sudden collapse of traffic underscored its value and forced retailers to redefine what store visits mean in an age of curbside pickup, BOPIS, and returns partnerships. He stresses that not all traffic is equal—intentionality matters—and that success comes from converting purposeful visits, not just chasing volume.

Michael and Mark also tackle the role of AI in retail. While acknowledging AI’s potential, Mark warns that technology cannot fix flawed operating models. Instead, AI must be grounded in reliable first-party data, with store traffic as the denominator for every in-store initiative.

Finally, Mark shares practical advice for retailers: stop using sales transactions as a proxy for store visits, start aligning staff schedules to actual traffic patterns, and never squander the chance to serve a customer once they cross the threshold. With consumer habits shifting faster than ever, his message is clear—store traffic is a gift, and every visit counts.

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.

#334: April Wachtel – Cheeky Cocktails, Mixer Mixologist