213 – Paul Greenberg of The NORA Network – The Godfather of Online Retail

The most influential body in Australian retail, connecting retailers, service providers, markets and customers to accelerate learning and business growth... Paul Greenberg, Founder of The NORA Network (an influential business network providing a fresh outlook and a balanced, optimistic view of New Retail in Australia), and member of The Forum of International Retail Association Executives, joins Pavan Bahl, Marc Raco, and Ilan Tito at Shoptalk Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark. Powered by Sennheiser. A network that connects, brand not channel, and vintage guitars Greenberg describes NORA Network as the network that connects new retail and technology, how customers shop by brand and not by channel, and the changes to the voice of new retail. He mentions founding DealsDirect, Australia’s first online department store, and how he used to sell vintage guitars on eBay. Business network NORA’s size and impact, building to 7,500 members over 4.5 years, and Greenberg’s nickname as the grandfather of online retails. Solid market and great springboard into Asia, helping innovations, and digital safaris The retail environment in Australia, as a solid market and great springboard into Asia, and a middle stop between established markets and the massive Asian market. How NORA Network is helping innovations like SalesForce to come into Australia, and the twice monthly, short form, high impact events that work very well to bring enablers and participants around the table for candid conversations, and “digital safaris”, webinars. The state of the venture side of things in Australia, Afterpay, the sweet spot between digital and physical (“phygital”), and a corporate retail tech accelerator program called Slingshot. Slingshot, going global, and that distance Accelerator models, Slingshot’s unique model including a small group of corporates with big dollars, tech innovators to solve problems and fight for the money, with equity interests in companies, and several examples of successes. How NORA supports and encouraging young entrepreneurs to go global, how the distance might stifle growth for companies, and how it has changed. Why why NORA changed it’s name to get with the reality of the times. “Retail has always been detail”, so many things from RFID to supply chain as examples of what is exciting for the future. And Off the Grid Questions cover most unexpected travel destination disconnecting with expectations, New Caledonia, Africa, the warm Berg Wind as an earliest memory, a frustrated blues player, the biggest rock star moment, and adding guitar into public speaking.