Peter Tashjian of Love & War On The Supply Chain and The Future Of Retail

Authority Magazine: Peter Tashjian of Love & War On The Supply Chain and The Future Of Retail -- Listen Share Once convenience became so easy online, physical retail had to lean harder into what online cannot replicate, which is atmosphere, texture, and human energy. Once convenience became so easy online, physical retail had to lean harder into what online cannot replicate, which is atmosphere, texture, and human energy. As a part of our series about the future of retail, we had the pleasure to interview Peter Tashjian. Peter is a founding partner of Love & War and a brand strategy expert with over 25 years of experience in brand positioning and developing bran

d concepts. Prior to Love & War, he held strategic consulting and brand strategy positions at FutureBrand, Chadwick, Consumer Dynamics, and Trinity Associates. He is an avid tennis player and an INTP on the Myers Briggs scale. Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? I don’t think I ever had a career path per se. It was really a series of jobs and experiences that helped me figure out what I liked and what I was good at.

I started in consulting, spent time in tech, and at one point nearly took a job at a finance company in the World Trade Center shortly before 9/11. Instead I found my way into branding, and in retrospect it was the first field that really brought together all the parts of my brain that I liked using. Can you share the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started your career? Probably the way my own mind has opened up to how many different kinds of intelligence there are, and how many different ways there are to work through a problem.

Early in my career, I thought there was a right way to solve every problem, usually the most logical one. Over time, working with people who think visually, intuitively, strategically, or emotionally has expanded my own thinking a lot. It has made me better at what I do, and probably more open-minded in general. Are you working on any exciting new projects? How do you think that might help people? Yes, several. We are currently working on a few hospitality projects that are trying, in a very deliberate way, to bring more human texture, connection, and friction into the experience.

For years, everything was focused on being “effortless,” but after years of food delivery, one-click ordering, and other screen-based conveniences, I think people are craving things that reward effort. So we’re seeing new models of hospitality emerge, ones where you’re actually doing, learning, and putting something into the experience to get something out of it, not just being indulged. What’s fascinating is that this is happening even at the very highest tiers. Can a luxury vacation also be truly rewarding? Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful, who helped get you to where you are?

Can you share a story? I am very grateful for my two business partners. They approach work very differently. One is highly analytical and methodical, the other is much more intuitive. I have learned a ton from both, not just from the way they approach things, but from their absolute commitment to doing even the smallest things well. I remember one small project where we were all working late obsessing over a tiny detail that, frankly, most people would have let go, and the client probably would not have noticed one way or the other.

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The article addresses significant shifts in retail strategy that are crucial for brands to remain competitive, making it impactful and relevant, while the ideas presented are somewhat novel but not entirely groundbreaking.