Democratizing eCommerce with Lightspeed

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 and this episode is sponsored by RIWI..

What if you could take a daily pulse of retail shoppers in every market in the world - hearing directly about their behaviours, views and fears?  What if you could hear from more than just your own consumers and shoppers, and from people who don't participate in focus groups or research panels? RIWI collects real-time data on consumers in every market in the world. If you need to understand how people's views are changing in today's challenging environment visit RIWI.com  to book a demo.

If you’re a Small Business, you will LOVE this episode! On today’s show, CEO of Lightspeed POS ($LSPD) Dax DaSilva joins us to share his entrepreneurial journey and the genesis of Lightspeed POS. We get the chance to talk about the development of eCommerce over the past 20 years, and how massive technological innovations have paved the way for small and medium sized businesses to compete on a level playing field with massive corporate enterprises online.

“That, you know, even though they might consider themselves diehard brick and mortar, that, that online presence and the ability for their customers to interact with them on these other channels, that the personal connections were still existed and that shopping online doesn't mean that you weren't shopping local, and that those weren't opposite things. So that that I think is just reinforced, you know, our belief that omni channel is important for everybody.”

We get some insider information from Dax just off the virtual NRF Big Show stage in New York on how purchase behaviour has shifted over the years, and gain insight to some of the lessons his clients have learned about eCommerce during the pandemic.  From inventory management to supply chain procurement tips, this episode has it all.

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 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.