"Get your house in order." That was Andrew Laudato's opening message at the Interactive Customer Experience Summit Wednesday at the Hilton at Easton hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Laudato, EVP and COO of The Vitamin Shoppe, provided the opening keynote, 'Fostering Innovation: How to Create an Environment Where Innovation Thrives.'

Andrew Laudato of The Vitamin Shoppe unpacked the key aspects of creating a successful team during the Interactive Customer Experience Summit.

June 2, 2022 | by Kevin Damask — Editor, Digital Signage Today

When thinking about innovation, Andrew Laudato believes there are several factors businesses should follow to be successful and retain valuable employees. His biggest point of emphasis, however, is rather simple, but an aspect many companies overlook: Innovation thrives when you get your house in order.

That was Laudato's opening message at the Interactive Customer Experience Summit Wednesday at the Hilton at Easton hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Laudato, EVP and COO of The Vitamin Shoppe, provided the opening keynote, "Fostering Innovation: How to Create an Environment Where Innovation Thrives." The keynote was sponsored by Loop Media, a multichannel streaming platform that produces curated music videos and branded entertainment channels.

Laudato compared growing a thriving business to planting a seedling. The plant will not grow unless properly cared for and maintained.

The Vitamin Shoppe executive created a hierarchy pyramid of basic needs businesses should follow. From bottom to top, tips included: Keep the lights on and get a lean and efficient IT structure. "Get it right then get it cheap," he said. Create value. "Do fewer things, but do them better. Less activity to get something done." Finally, make sure the company is stable, then innovate.

Throughout his keynote, Laudato emphasized the value of hiring and retaining quality employees. He talked about utilizing the ideas of staff members to take businesses to a higher level. Laudato believes the best innovations come from within.

"Companies don't innovate, people do," he said. "Put your best people on innovation."

To chart speed versus quality in workers, Laudato presented an interesting graphic, the "Speed and Quality Matrix." The executive said people who complete tasks slowly with low quality should be replaced. On the flip side, some employees work fast, but the output is shoddy. Projects can be rushed with many mistakes. Laudato said the ideal employee is a mix of someone efficient with their time who completes quality work.

"Grow your team by hiring the best," Laudato said.

When hiring, employers should follow these character traits, according to Laudato:

The executive then outlined 10 guidelines companies should follow to take care of their workers:

"Firing someone is the worst thing a manager has to do, but it will lead them to finding a better fit," Laudato said.

"You'll hear this a lot in sports when athletes praise their teammates instead of themselves," he said.

Laudato also touched on risk taking. Employees feel more valued if they are allowed to take risks. He admitted it's an easier thing to say than to do. Bosses will often ask if another company (perhaps a competitor) has tried this risk before and, if so, what was the ROI? And, all too often, if the project fails, the company no longer discusses it. Laudato said it's fine to try a bold new project even if it falls flat.

"Embrace it, talk about it," Laudato said. "What did we learn from it?"

In recent years, The Vitamin Shoppe has launched three different projects with varying degrees of success: a non-touch display to order products that failed, a line of robots to assist employees with deliveries that had some success, and a partnership with Instacart, a grocery delivery app to offer same-day service started during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. That service boomed.

"We were generating millions (of dollars) within days," Laudato said. "Generally, the more quickly you do something, the less you spend on it. And, it's just a wonderful innovation — I love it."

For the best user experience innovation, Laudato said small things often lead to the best innovations because they help customers. He said it's vital to interact with customers to go beyond the transaction.

Laudato's last slide showed a healthy, stable plant sprouting from the earth.

"Eventually, your little seedling turns into a beautiful tree," he said.

Kevin Damask is the editor of Digital Signage Today. He has more than 15 years of journalism experience, having covered local news for a variety of print and online publications.

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