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How B.C.’s House of Q Built a North American BBQ Brand Through Specialty Retail

By
Craig Patterson
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BBQ. Photo: the épicier

Nearly two decades after Brian Misko began bottling flavours developed on the competition barbecue circuit, one of his best-known sauces is again earning recognition south of the border.

House of Q, the Vernon, B.C.-based company founded by Misko and his wife, took second place in the Mustard Sauce category at the 2026 International Flavor Awards in Wisconsin for its Slow Smoke Gold BBQ Sauce. According to the company, the competition drew more than 320 entries from 12 countries.

The award marks another milestone in a much longer business story. Misko says House of Q products are now carried in more than 600 stores across Canada and over 150 in the United States, with much of that footprint built outside conventional grocery.

For years, the company concentrated on independent butcher shops, gourmet stores and a growing network of specialty BBQ retailers. That route to market emerged from the same competition culture that produced the sauces themselves.

“Our mission in creating products is plain and simple: to win awards at BBQ Pitmaster competitions,” Misko told Retail Insider. “If it was a regional event or a world championship, we need to perform at the highest level of our ability.”

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From Software to the Competition Circuit

House of Q traces its beginnings to Misko’s earlier career in software. Regular travel to American cities exposed him to slow-smoked barbecue and eventually led him into competition cooking.

What began as a hobby became increasingly serious. Misko started developing sauces and spice blends for contests at a time when the commercial BBQ selection available to Canadian pitmasters was much smaller than it is today.

The first sign of a business opportunity came directly from consumers. At competitions, people who sampled the food began asking whether they could buy the sauces.

Brian Misko

“Do you have any of that sauce that was on that pulled pork sample you gave me?” Misko recalled.

The question pointed to a market. People wanted access to the same flavours being prepared for competition.

Misko and his wife placed their first order with a co-packer in the spring of 2007, and retailer interest followed.

“That was the beginning of House of Q,” he said.

The business remained closely tied to competition BBQ as Misko’s profile expanded. His record would eventually include a sixth-place pork finish at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue and first place in ribs at the World Food Championships.

A major turning point came in 2010, when he was invited to participate as a guest chef at the B.C. Pavilion during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, showcasing British Columbia agricultural products for international media. He left the software industry shortly afterward.

As Misko remembers the decision, the experience prompted a straightforward thought: “Maybe you should put some energy on this BBQ thing.”

His public profile continued to grow through television, trade shows, cooking demonstrations, a national bestselling cookbook and more than 75 BBQ segments on Global TV’s B.C. Morning News. He has also appeared on Food Network Canada programs including Fire Masters.

The retail business, however, was shaped by a decision that proved especially important: where House of Q products should be sold.

Building Through Specialty Retail

Many emerging food brands look first to supermarkets. House of Q followed another path.

Misko said the earliest retailer inquiries came from independent butcher shops and gourmet stores. Those channels became central to the company’s go-to-market strategy.

“There is an instant polarity for food creators to go to grocery stores when you bring a product to market,” he said. “The first phone calls we received from retailers asking for our sauces and spices, however, were from butcher shops and gourmet stores. It wasn’t grocers.”

House of Q focused on merchants Misko describes as having a “value-added relationship with their customers.”

For a BBQ brand, the fit was practical. Independent butchers could recommend sauces and seasonings alongside meat purchases, while gourmet retailers could introduce shoppers to products they might not encounter in a conventional grocery aisle. Store employees also had opportunities to explain how a rub, binder or sauce fit into the cooking process.

Another channel became increasingly important as Canada’s BBQ market developed.

Misko recalls that the country had only a handful of dedicated BBQ stores when House of Q entered the market in 2007. As home grilling and smoking became more established, specialty retailers selling grills, smokers, fuels, accessories, rubs and sauces expanded with the category.

For House of Q, BBQ retail has been its fastest-growing segment over the past five to 10 years, according to Misko. Independent butcher shops represent another major channel.

The company effectively grew alongside Canada’s specialty BBQ retail ecosystem.

“In short, grocery stores haven’t been a focus for our go-to-market strategy, but maybe that could be next,” Misko said. “We learned early on that we wanted to focus on merchants with a value-added relationship with their customers and that has proven to be with BBQ shops, butcher stores and gourmet outlets.”

The approach also gave House of Q a way to expand without depending entirely on supermarket shelf space, where smaller brands often compete for attention against significantly larger suppliers.

In more recent years, selected distributors have helped extend the company further across Canada by bringing the products to their own retail customers. Misko said that distributor-led growth has been central to House of Q’s expansion over the past five to 10 years.

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From Independent Stores to Larger Retail Channels

Canada remains House of Q’s more established market.

After nearly two decades of selling and marketing BBQ products in this country, Misko said the company has developed a stronger understanding of how to explain the category to Canadian consumers. The U.S. market is considerably more crowded.

“There are more stores in Canada that carry House of Q sauces and spices than down south,” he said. “After 19 years of marketing in Canada, there may also be a bit of experience in describing BBQ to Canadians.”

The company’s growth has also included setbacks.

Misko pointed to the 2025 collapse of Peavey Mart as an example of the disruption suppliers can face when an established retail customer disappears. Roughly 90 Peavey Mart stores moved into closure during the retailer’s collapse, removing a significant retail channel from the Canadian market before the banner was later revived on a smaller scale under new ownership.

For a smaller supplier, the failure of a retailer can quickly alter distribution plans even when demand for the product itself has not changed.

House of Q has continued broadening its reach. Misko said the company has added distribution through TJX-owned stores in Canada, taking the brand beyond the independent and specialty merchants that historically formed the core of the business.

Retail Insider has also observed House of Q products on shelves at a HomeSense connected to Winners on Bloor Street in Toronto.

The presence points to a gradual evolution in the company’s retail mix. House of Q remains closely associated with specialty BBQ stores and independent butchers, while consumers are also encountering the brand in larger national retail environments.

Turning Competition Recipes Into Retail Products

House of Q’s product development process grew directly from competition.

When Misko began competing, specialized commercial BBQ products were less widely available. Pitmasters often needed to create their own sauces and spice blends, then refine them through repeated testing.

For House of Q, that meant adjusting recipes week after week in pursuit of better results from trained judges. The Kansas City Barbeque Society was a major presence in that world, with formal judging standards and a competition structure that rewarded consistency.

“When we first started competition BBQ, there wasn’t the same volume of commercial food products available, and we needed to make our own sauces and spices,” Misko said. “That meant crafting a recipe and making minor changes week after week until we consistently won awards from the trained judges.”

Once a recipe performed consistently, the company knew it had something worth keeping in its competition lineup. The next challenge was determining whether it could work as a commercial product.

Misko said early meetings with the company’s co-packer became an education in production at scale. Ingredients had to perform consistently, recipes needed to be repeatable, and commercial manufacturing could require changes that would never arise in a home kitchen or competition setting.

“Learning how to create recipes that are scalable and easily adjustable for commercial production posed a learning curve early on,” he said.

The company also had to accept that a recipe might need to change as it moved into manufacturing.

“Learning how things are made is one thing, but having the willingness to adapt your home recipe is another,” Misko said. “But we got there.”

That path from competition to commercialization became one of House of Q’s defining characteristics. Products were developed to perform in contests, refined through repeated judging and later adapted for home cooks and commercial production.

Slow Smoke Gold reflects that history.

Misko originally created the mustard-based sauce as a competition slather applied to raw meat before dry rubs or seasonings. The layer helps seasoning adhere during cooking and became part of his competition approach.

The sauce later developed into one of House of Q’s best-known retail products. Its tangy, gold-coloured profile differs from the thick, sweet, tomato-and-molasses sauces many consumers associate with barbecue, and the latest International Flavor Awards result adds to a longer record of recognition for the product.

A B.C. Production Network and a Growing BBQ Culture

House of Q is based in Vernon, but its production and logistics network extends across British Columbia.

The company’s sauces are manufactured in Vancouver, its spice rubs are produced in Burnaby and its warehouse is located in Abbotsford.

Misko said the COVID-19 period created ingredient and packaging challenges, though those pressures have since stabilized. He described the company’s current co-packer relationships as strong, with reliable turnaround times and high-quality production partners.

The pandemic also brought more consumers into home cooking. Misko said House of Q benefited as people experimented with grilling and smoking, followed by continued interest in outdoor cooking.

Canadian consumer research points to the depth of that behaviour. A survey by Caddle and Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, reported by Canadian Grocer, found that 42 per cent of Canadian consumers barbecue more than once a week during the summer.

For House of Q, the customer base extends well beyond serious pitmasters.

Misko said consumers encountered at trade shows across Canada often look surprisingly similar from one region to another. Many are families with several people to feed. Others are backyard enthusiasts who have become more sophisticated about multi-step cooking processes involving rubs, sauces and binders.

The common thread, he said, is an interest in flavour and product quality.

“Everyone just wants something that really tastes fantastic and makes them smile,” Misko said.

Looking South as the Category Evolves

House of Q sees further opportunity on both sides of the border.

In Canada, Misko believes the company can increase coverage through additional distribution and regional retail relationships. Grocery, historically outside the core strategy, could become a larger part of the mix.

The U.S. presents a different challenge. House of Q already has a retail presence there, according to Misko, along with American manufacturing relationships. It is also competing in a denser market filled with established products, pitmasters, creators and social media personalities.

“Meanwhile, we are still navigating how to market to the American consumer and differentiating our award-winning flavours, or should that be flavor?” he said.

Misko is also watching changes in the wider sauce and condiment business.

In May 2026, The Marzetti Company completed its acquisition of fast-growing Japanese barbecue sauce brand Bachan’s. Reuters reported the transaction at roughly US$400 million amid broader investor interest in sauce and spice companies.

For House of Q, the relevance is not that an acquisition is necessarily the objective. The company has not indicated that it is seeking a buyer. The broader activity shows how differentiated brands in adjacent categories are attracting strategic attention as the market evolves.

Misko sees an increasingly complex environment in which independent food companies face choices around distribution, manufacturing and scale.

“Navigating the increasingly complex food product market means making more choices,” he said.

For House of Q, those choices could include deeper Canadian distribution, additional regional and national retail relationships, further U.S. expansion or a larger move into grocery.

“It all starts with letting merchants and distributors know who you are, what your story is and if they want to share our love of BBQ with their customers,” Misko said.

Challenging a Canadian BBQ Inferiority Complex

For all the company’s growth, Misko believes Canadian BBQ brands still face a credibility challenge at home.

Canadian consumers are heavily influenced by American BBQ personalities, social media and YouTube creators, he said. That exposure has helped build interest in outdoor cooking, while also reinforcing a perception that serious BBQ expertise comes from south of the border.

House of Q has spent nearly two decades competing in that environment. Its products have won international awards, Misko has earned major competition results in the U.S., and the company has built a retail network spanning both countries.

Yet Canadian brands can still encounter a familiar assumption.

“It’s from Canada, what do Canadians know about BBQ?” Misko said, describing the attitude.

For House of Q, the challenge remains one shared by many independent consumer brands: earning shelf space, building awareness and giving shoppers a reason to look beyond larger or louder competitors.

The latest award for Slow Smoke Gold adds another answer.

“It’s easy to say, yes, Canadians do know BBQ.”

More from Retail Insider:

Toronto-Based Rawcology launches GUT TO GO probiotic snack bites, expands retail distribution across Canada

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Rawcology photo
Rawcology photo

Toronto-based Rawcology is expanding beyond its flagship grain-free granola with the launch of GUT TO GO, a new line of probiotic snack bites as the Canadian food company broadens its presence in the functional snack category. The new product is available in Apple Cinnamon, Berry Burst and Chocolate flavours and combines probiotics, apple cider vinegar, organic gluten-free oats, seeds and protein in a grab-and-go format.

The launch marks the company’s latest product expansion as it responds to growing consumer interest in convenient foods with added nutritional benefits. Rawcology says the new snack was developed to offer an accessible option for consumers seeking products that support digestive wellness while maintaining the company’s focus on organic, allergen-friendly ingredients.

The Toronto-based company says GUT TO GO is part of a broader growth strategy that includes additional snack innovations and expanded retail distribution over the coming year. Rawcology expects to introduce the product through retailers including Fortinos, Walmart and Thrifty Foods as it continues to grow its footprint across Canada and North America.

Food should do more than simply fill you up

Megan Loach Tomulka, CMO and Co-Owner, said Rawcology has always believed that food should do more than simply fill you up, it should help you feel your best. 

“Over the years, we’ve built a loyal community around our grain-free granolas and better-for-you snacks, and one thing we kept hearing from customers was that they wanted more convenient options that fit into their busy lives,” she said.

“At the same time, we were seeing a significant shift in consumer behaviour. People are becoming more intentional about their food choices and increasingly looking for products that offer functional benefits without sacrificing taste.

Megan Loach Tomulka
Megan Loach Tomulka

“GUT TO GO was born from that intersection. We wanted to level up our current Granola Snack Bites and create a snack that was convenient, delicious, and accessible while incorporating ingredients that support digestive wellness. It felt like a natural extension of the Rawcology brand and our mission to make nutritious food easier to enjoy every day.”

A gap in the marketplace

Tomulka said the company saw a clear gap between traditional snack foods and many of the gut health products on the market.

“Consumers are increasingly interested in gut health, but many products in the category can feel intimidating, expensive, or require major changes to daily routines. We wanted to create something approachable, a snack people would genuinely crave and reach for every day,” she said.

“GUT TO GO brings together organic ingredients, probiotics, apple cider vinegar, gluten-free oats, and great taste in a convenient grab-and-go format. It’s designed for real life, busy parents, made nut free for school aged kids, commuters, students, professionals, and anyone looking for a better snack option.

“Our goal was to make gut health feel less like a wellness project and more like an easy, enjoyable part of everyday eating.”

Megan Loach Tomulka
Megan Loach Tomulka

Snack bites available in three flavours

Tomulka explained that  GUT TO GO is a line of probiotic snack bites available in three flavours: Apple Cinnamon, Berry Burst, and Chocolate.

Each serving contains probiotics, apple cider vinegar, organic gluten-free oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and just 5 grams of sugar as well as 6-8g of protein per 60g serving. The product was designed to bridge the gap between function and flavour.

“What makes it different is that it doesn’t feel like a supplement disguised as a snack. It’s first and foremost a delicious food product. We know consumers won’t consistently eat something simply because it’s healthy, they have to genuinely enjoy it,” she said.

“We also wanted to make sure the product remained accessible. It’s organic, allergen-friendly, gluten-free, and made with ingredients people recognize and trust. That’s been central to Rawcology since day one.”

Consumers increasingly understand connection between food and wellbeing

 Consumers today are more informed than ever. They’re reading ingredient labels, researching nutrition, and increasingly understanding the connection between food and overall wellbeing, added Tomulka.

“Gut health has become a focal point because people are recognizing that digestive wellness can influence many aspects of how they feel day-to-day. At the same time, major brands and retailers are investing heavily in the category, which has helped bring gut health into the mainstream,” she said.

“We believe consumers are moving away from an “all or nothing” approach to wellness and toward small, sustainable habits. That’s exactly where GUT TO GO fits in. It’s a simple snack people can enjoy at work, on the road, or at home while incorporating ingredients associated with digestive wellness into their daily routine.”

Megan Loach Tomulka
Megan Loach Tomulka

Balancing functionality with flavour

Tomulka said one of the biggest challenges in bringing the product to market was balancing functionality with flavour.

“Consumers have high expectations. They want products that deliver nutritional benefits, but they also want them to taste great, have the right texture, and fit within a reasonable price point,” she said.

“We spent a lot of time refining the recipes to ensure we could incorporate probiotics and apple cider vinegar while still creating a snack that people would genuinely crave. We also wanted to maintain the ingredient standards Rawcology is known for, organic ingredients, low sugar, allergen-friendly manufacturing, and clean labels.

“Like many food companies, we also navigate sourcing, packaging, production, and retail requirements, all while staying true to our values. It’s a complex process, but we believe the final product was worth the effort.”

Mission of having nutritious food accessible 

And while the company has grown and evolved, its mission hasn’t changed at all. 

“Rawcology was founded on the belief that nutritious food should be accessible, delicious, and made with integrity. That’s still at the core of every decision we make,” said Tomulka.

“What has evolved is our understanding of how we can serve consumers. As we’ve grown, we’ve expanded our thinking beyond individual products and toward helping consumers build healthier habits through convenient, everyday food choices and fully embracing that food is life changing!

Whether it’s granola, snack bites, or future innovations, our goal remains the same: create products that help people feel good, that have functional benefits without compromising on taste or quality.”

Megan Loach Tomulka
Megan Loach Tomulka

Commitment to  innovation 

Tomulka said  GUT TO GO represents an exciting next chapter for Rawcology.

“It demonstrates our commitment to innovation while staying grounded in the values that built our brand. We’re focused on meeting consumers where they’re headed, and right now that’s at the intersection of convenience, functionality, and great taste,” she said. 

“This launch reflects our belief that wellness products don’t need to be exclusive or complicated. They can be everyday foods that fit seamlessly into people’s lives.

“Coming down the pipeline we have two more exciting completely new product lines coming that we are really excited about in the snacking space. We’re investing in innovation, expanding our reach, and working to make better-for-you snacks accessible to even more Canadians and families across North America. We have some new retail launches coming up in Fortinos, Walmart and Thrifty foods in the next year, and a few others in the works we can’t talk about yet.

“The moment in front of us is incredibly exciting, and we’re just getting started.”

More from Retail Insider:

June spending holds steady as Canadians balance essentials and experiences: RBC

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Gustavo Fring photo
Gustavo Fring photo

Growth in RBC Canadian cardholder spending held relatively stable in June as consumers continued to balance higher costs for essentials while selectively spending on seasonal experiences such as sporting events, according to an RBC report.

Abbey Xu
Abbey Xu

“Our estimate of core retail sales from cardholder transactions (excluding purchases of gasoline and autos) edged up 0.5% in June on a three-month average, similar to May, suggesting spending momentum remained positive despite ongoing budget pressures from higher energy prices,” said Abbey Xu and Rachel Battaglia, economists at RBC.

“Spending on discretionary goods led the way, posting the strongest gain among major categories on a three-month average. Essentials’ spending—including gasoline—also contributed to growth, while discretionary services rebounded after softening in May. Excluding gasoline, essential spending rose 0.5% on a three-month average, a welcome improvement after earlier signs of easing.

“The breadth of spending increases across categories points to households maintaining a cautiously optimistic view heading into the summer even as they remain selective about bigger-ticket discretionary purchases.”

Rachel Battaglia
Rachel Battaglia

The RBC report provided the following details:

  • Gasoline spending continued to outpace other categories, rising 2.3% on a three-month average. Gas prices were still up on a three-month average due to higher oil prices, but declined about 10% seasonally adjusted in June.
  • Entertainment and arts posted the second strongest gain at 1.7%, underscoring continued appetite for experience-related spending as summer activities pick up, including spending likely related to the FIFA World Cup.
  • Spending on clothing extended its positive trend, while dining also increased 0.7%, reversing weakness from prior months as consumers grew more comfortable with meals out with the improving weather and social activity.
  • Travel remained the outlier, continuing its decline on a three-month average, although the pace of contraction moderated in June. Households appear to remain cautious about larger discretionary purchases, but may be warming to travel deeper into summer.
  • Provincial trends were broadly positive with most regions posting spending growth on a three-month average. Ontario and British Columbia tied for the strongest performance, while Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island were the only provinces to see declines.

More from Retail Insider:

Retailers risk losing sales as more shoppers expect tap-to-pay, Oobit survey finds

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Pavel Danilyuk photo
Pavel Danilyuk photo

Slow checkout lines and outdated payment terminals aren’t just an inconvenience anymore, they’re costing retailers real sales. Oobit surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and found that a meaningful share of shoppers are walking out the door the moment a business can’t keep up with how they actually want to pay. For retailers still relying on swipe-only setups, the data is a clear signal that the checkout experience itself has become a competitive risk.

Key Findings:

  • Over 1 in 4 American adults (28%) have walked away from a purchase because the merchant didn’t accept tap-to-pay.
  • 44% say a no-tap business feels outdated, a perception problem that compounds the lost sales.
  • Gen Z shoppers are more than twice as likely as baby boomers to abandon a non-tap purchase (36% vs. 14%), a warning sign for retailers trying to win younger customers.
  • More than half of Americans (56%) used phone tap-to-pay in the past 30 days, meaning the customers retailers are losing aren’t a fringe group, they’re the mainstream.
  • 1 in 4 American adults (25%) leave their wallet at home either deliberately or without thinking, including just over 1 in 10 (11%) who say they no longer feel they need it.
  • More than 2 in 5 Gen Z Americans (41%) treat their phone or smartwatch as their primary payment method, compared to 1 in 4 American adults nationally (25%).

You can explore the full study here.

In an interview with Retail Insider, Bernard Fisher, CMO, Oobit, discusses the survey findings.

Bernard Fisher
Bernard Fisher

Question: Your survey found that 28% of consumers have abandoned a purchase because tap-to-pay wasn’t available. What does that tell us about how consumer expectations at checkout have evolved?

Answer: In this context, the number seems to be a clear indicator that tap-to-pay has reached the level when it should not be considered nice to have but expected. In light of 27% of adults deciding not to complete transactions because a shop did not accept tap-to-pay and 44% of respondents finding it old-fashioned when a store did not accept taps, checkout friction has become a deal-breaker for many customers. People have grown accustomed to paying in one swipe. As soon as a retailer expects them to fish a card out of a pocket, the convenience of paying in one click breaks and the consumer does not hesitate to leave.

Q: Gen Z is far more likely than baby boomers to walk away from retailers that don’t accept tap-to-pay. How should retailers adapt their payment strategies to meet the expectations of younger shoppers?

A: The fact that members of Generation Z are almost twice as likely (36% vs. 14%) to avoid stores that do not accept taps indicates how much this trend can grow in the near future and how the retail market will change. Retailers interested in attracting young consumers cannot consider contactless payments a premium service and need to ensure that their terminals are equipped with NFC capabilities. Besides, retailers need to train their employees and consider potential implementation of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins stored in a wallet. Members of Generation Z and younger consumers who tend to use smartphones as primary devices are the most convenient group concerning in-wallet cryptos.

Q: Beyond avoiding lost sales, what other business benefits do retailers gain by modernizing their payment systems, such as improved customer loyalty or operational efficiency?

A: There are several ways how faster checkout can benefit retailers, even if they are not directly visible in a single transaction. Shorter queues mean increased checkout throughput during busy hours and are particularly important for quick-service and high-volume retail. Modern payment infrastructure, especially linked to mobile devices, provides for richer transactional data for developing personalized loyalty programs. Finally, the perception aspect: 44% of adults perceive no-tap checkout as being “outdated.” By modernizing the payment process, a retailer signals customers that it is a modern and reliable company, not only fast.

Oobit photo
Oobit photo

Q: What are the biggest barriers preventing some retailers—particularly small and independent businesses—from adopting newer payment technologies, and how can they overcome them?

A: However, there is little reason to doubt that the barriers to implementing faster payment are usually related to cost, complexity, and inertia instead of the skepticism towards the technology itself. Terminal upgrade, renegotiation of processor contract, staff training all take some time and initial investment, which is hard to justify for a business with low margins. Moreover, many independent retailers stick to whatever infrastructure their processor provided initially and never update it. For example, modern POS providers already provide for NFC capability as a part of the package. Therefore, many smaller businesses are able to upgrade their checkout process simply by switching processors at a natural renewal date without any large investments.

Q: With ongoing economic uncertainty and consumers being more selective about where they spend, how important is a seamless checkout experience in helping retailers remain competitive and capture every potential sale?

A: When consumers are more selective about purchases, they become less patient in terms of payment and less willing to experience any unnecessary friction. Seemingly small issues can become reasons to abandon the shopping idea. Moreover, combined with the fact that nearly half of all adults find losing their phone more problematic than losing a wallet, payment convenience became an integral part of the approach to spending money. In such conditions, a retailer has to care not only about the quality and pricing of its products. Payment process became a part of the customer value proposition.

More from Retail Insider:

Why consumer behaviour is becoming harder to predict in the AI shopping era

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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cottonbro studio photo
cottonbro studio photo

Why is consumer behaviour becoming harder to predict?

Consumers are changing faster than marketers can keep up. Economic uncertainty, AI-powered shopping tools, and shifting media consumption habits are making traditional audience segments less effective.

Mike Ford, CEO of Skydeo, says the old purchase funnel is dead. 

“People bounce between TikTok, an AI assistant, a store, and an app — sometimes in the same hour — and change their minds mid-stream. Demographics won’t save you anymore. You have to read what someone is actually doing right now, because that’s the only reliable signal of what they’ll buy next,” he said.

Ford said AI-powered shopping tools are the biggest shift since mobile.

“Shopping is becoming a conversation instead of a search. Nobody’s comparing 40 products anymore. They ask an AI and it hands them one answer. So the new fight isn’t for a search ranking. It’s to be the recommendation. And the whole journey collapses from days of research into a single conversation.”

So what data signals should retailers and brands prioritize today, and which traditional metrics are becoming less reliable?

“Behaviour beats demographics, full stop. Someone who searched hiking gear, walked into an REI (Recreational Equipment store), and bought a tent is telling you exactly what’s next. Knowing they’re 35 and live in a certain ZIP code tells you almost nothing. Impressions and clicks are the metrics I’d trust least. They measure attention, not intent,” explained Ford.

He said the best retailers stopped treating channels as separate campaigns. 

Mike Ford
Mike Ford

“A customer might find a product through an AI assistant, check it on social, touch it in a store, and buy it in the app. The winners build for that whole path. They’re also using AI to adjust creative and targeting in real time instead of waiting for the quarterly review, and investing in audience intelligence so they catch trends before their competitors do,” added Ford.

“The challenge is speed. Consumer behaviour is changing faster than most marketing orgs can react. The opportunity is that brands have never had richer behavioural data. Combine purchase data, location, and search behaviour and you can anticipate what customers need instead of chasing them after the fact. The whole game is moving from understanding audiences to understanding intent. The brands that make that jump win.”

Skydeo is a U.S.-based audience intelligence and data analytics company that helps retailers, brands and marketers identify and target consumers based on real-time behavioural signals rather than traditional demographic data.

More from Retail Insider:

Why smart retail brands are investing more in in-store experiences despite e-commerce growth

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Vitaly Gariev photo
Vitaly Gariev photo

There’s a counterintuitive story sitting right now at the centre of retail: in a world of infinite digital options, physical presence has become a competitive advantage — not a legacy cost. The brands figuring that out are pulling ahead on both trust and conversion. 

The conventional wisdom is that e-commerce has made physical retail an afterthought. The data says otherwise. In-store retail media ad spending is expected to climb 33% in 2026. Nearly three-quarters of Gen Z shop in-store weekly. And experiential campaigns — when done right — are delivering returns of 3:1 to 5:1 on spend. 

The question isn’t whether in-person brand moments work. It’s why so many brands still can’t execute them

Also: 80% of consumers say in-person events are the most trusted way to discover new products — and 85% are more likely to make a purchase after engaging with a brand in person. 

Meanwhile, e-commerce keeps growing. So why are smart brands investing more in physical experiences, not less? 

In an interview with Retail Insider, Jeff Snyder, founder and Chief Inspiration Officer at Inspira Marketing, elaborates on what’s happening.

Question: What are the biggest mistakes brands make when trying to turn in-store experiences into actual sales rather than just foot traffic?

Answer: When someone interacts with your brand in person, whether it’s a pop-up or live demo, they internalize it. That kind of engagement drives long-term brand relationships because it simultaneously taps into emotion, memory, and relevance.

The biggest mistake brands make when launching in-store experiences is failing to define what they want to achieve before designing the experience. The second mistake follows closely behind: not setting clear KPIs to measure progress toward that goal. We know experiential marketing delivers on emotional engagement, brand loyalty, and long-term value, but if the actual objective is increasing on-site sales or CRM signups, the experience needs to be architected so that the outcome happens organically.

Take a new product launch as an example. Cross-channel storytelling, pre-seeded social content that builds demand ahead of time, and influencer content introducing the product before it hits the shelves all work together to prime consumers. By the time someone engages with the product in-store, the groundwork has already been laid, and increased sales follow naturally, while the in-person experience builds relevance and long-term affinity for the brand, not just the product.

Jeff Snyder
Jeff Snyder



Q: Why are some brands succeeding with experiential retail while others still struggle to execute meaningful in-person activations?

A: It comes down to creating community and a sense of belonging. Shoppers gravitate toward stores that immerse them in multi-sensory brand worlds rather than simply presenting products on a shelf. When we think about retailers doing this well, a few come to mind right away: Sephora offers personalization and education, Alo hosts in-store workout classes, and Nike’s House of Innovation in New York turns retail into a showcase and innovation studio. Apple lets customers try new products and take classes on the spot. Even Home Depot and Brass Pro Shops pull this off in their own ways, proving the approach works across very different categories.

Brands and retailers are now driving engagement through hyper-local, multi-touch strategies. I expect experiences to keep moving toward something more community-based and tailored, with local stores and small businesses curating products and moments around local tastes, perhaps leaning on AI to understand what those tastes are. In practice, that looks like community collaborations, food tastings, and pop-ups built for a neighbourhood rather than a national template.

Q: How has the path from an in-store brand interaction to a purchase decision changed in the last few years, particularly with Gen Z consumers?

A: Once Gen Z is standing in the store, the phone doesn’t go away; it becomes part of the decision. Gen Z expects a frictionless omnichannel shopping experience, using their phones to compare prices, check reviews, and browse online while shopping in physical stores.

Gen Z might discover a product on social, price-compare in-app, and transact in-store, meaning the “research” phase doesn’t end when they walk through the door. They’re often pulling up reviews, comparing prices against other retailers, and checking whether a friend or influencer they trust has posted about the exact item in their hand. In fact, they may be crowdsourcing the decision on social from the try on room. It’s an entirely different decision-making process than prior generations.

For brands, that changes what physical stores need to deliver. It’s no longer competing against other brick-and-mortar shops; it’s competing against whatever’s on the shoppers’ screen in that moment. QR codes, in-store social proof, and staff who can speak to what’s being said online now matter as much as the product display itself.

Vitaly Gariev photo
Vitaly Gariev photo

Q: You’ve said winning brands think more like experience designers than merchandisers — what does that mindset look like in practice? 

A: Thinking like an experience designer means starting with the feeling you want to leave someone with, then building backward from there, rather than starting with shelves and merchandise and hoping something sticks. Where a merchandiser thinks about placement, an experience designer thinks about the story someone is walking into, what they’ll touch, how they’ll move through the space, and what they’ll want to share after. The best retailers are already doing that. They’re paying attention to the areas shoppers gravitate toward, where they slow down, and what they come back to.  

Q: With in-store retail media spending rising so quickly, how should brands measure ROI and determine whether an experiential campaign is truly effective?

A: In-store retail media is growing fast. In-store retail media ad spending in the U.S. is forecasted to grow an average of 31% through 2028. With that much money invested, brands need real proof it’s working. That means tracking a full stack of signals together: foot traffic lift against pre-campaign baselines, dwell time in the experience zone, conversion from engagement to purchase, and customer acquisition cost compared to other channels.

The real shift is connecting the in-store moment to what happens after someone leaves. If someone shows up to an event, then buys something in an email follow-up, or online a week later, or back in-store next month, that all counts as one connected result. Loblaw and Sam’s Club, for example, now have systems that follow a consumer’s activity for months after an event, so brands can see what really worked long-term instead of guessing. Brands that get the most out of experiences are the ones that decide upfront, before the event ever happens, what they’re trying to achieve and how they’ll know if it worked.  

More from Retail Insider:

Daily Synopsis: July 14, 2026

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Retail Insider
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Welcome to the Daily Synopsis by Retail Insider. We highlight key developments in Canadian retail across 9 articles published today.

Hong Kong-based Bakebe found early success at CF Markville with its interactive baking experience appealing strongly to families, illustrating growth in experiential retail. Meanwhile, Canadian wholesale and retail employment rebounded in June but is still nearly 72,000 jobs below last year’s level, raising workforce concerns amid sector expansion efforts.

Retailers like Aritzia and Group Dynamite are outperforming by focusing on affluent younger women, showing strong sales growth and profit margins. Canadian retailers also face a new challenge with shoppers increasingly using AI for product discovery, requiring enhanced content and data to remain competitive. Optional coverage highlights youth job growth led by the restaurant sector and financial pressure on Canadians impacting discretionary spending.

🗞️ The Day’s Retail Insider Article List

🌐 Canadian Retail News From Around the Web

How to Choose a Room Air Conditioner Brand in 2026: What Actually Matters Beyond the Label

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Retail Insider
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Shopping for a room air conditioner has become more complicated than simply comparing BTU ratings or choosing the brand you’ve heard of before.

Today’s buyers face a growing range of window air conditioners, inverter systems, smart features, and energy certifications. At the same time, manufacturers are solving different problems in different ways. Some focus on quieter operation, others on installation flexibility, while others invest in smarter controls or improved energy efficiency.

As a result, choosing a room air conditioner brand in 2026 is less about finding a single “best” company and more about choosing the brand whose design philosophy best matches your home, your room, and how you actually use an air conditioner.

Start With Your Room, Not the Brand

One of the biggest mistakes consumers make is choosing a brand before understanding what their room requires.

A bedroom, a home office, a studio apartment, and a large living room all present different cooling challenges. Room size, window type, sun exposure, insulation, ceiling height, and even how often doors are opened can influence how an air conditioner performs.

Before comparing manufacturers, it helps to answer a few practical questions:

Is a window air conditioner compatible with your window?

Do you rent or own your home?

How many hours will the unit operate each day?

Is indoor noise an important consideration?

Do you want remote or voice control?

These factors often have a greater impact on satisfaction than the brand name on the front panel, so the right choice starts with the room, not the label.

Look Beyond Cooling Capacity

Cooling capacity remains important, but it is only one part of the buying decision. A better comparison looks at how a unit performs over time, not just how much cooling power it lists.

Modern room air conditioners are increasingly evaluated on how efficiently they maintain comfortable temperatures rather than on how quickly they reach them.

For many households, inverter technology has become one of the most meaningful developments in recent years. Unlike traditional fixed-speed compressors that repeatedly start and stop, inverter systems continuously adjust compressor speed to match changing cooling demand. The result is typically more stable indoor temperatures, improved energy efficiency, and quieter day-to-day operation.

Rather than asking whether a unit has the highest BTU rating, buyers may benefit more from asking how consistently it performs throughout an entire day of use.

Good Product Design Solves Everyday Problems

Technical specifications rarely tell the whole story. The real difference often appears in how design choices solve everyday problems.

Many of the most noticeable improvements in room air conditioners now come from engineering decisions that address everyday inconveniences.

For example, traditional window air conditioners often prevent the window from opening after installation. Some newer designs approach that limitation differently, subject to window compatibility and proper installation, while positioning portions of the system farther from the indoor living space.

Air conditioners have also evolved beyond simply increasing cooling capacity. Airflow management, installation design, and controls now play important roles in overall performance, particularly in rooms where maintaining steady comfort becomes more challenging.

These kinds of design choices may not stand out on a specification sheet, but they often become the features owners appreciate most after several months of daily use.

Smart Features Should Be Practical

Wi-Fi connectivity has become increasingly common across home appliances, but not every smart feature adds meaningful value. The key question is whether the feature fits naturally into daily cooling needs.

The most useful systems simplify everyday cooling rather than adding unnecessary complexity.

Remote scheduling, temperature adjustments before arriving home, voice control through existing smart-home ecosystems, and maintenance reminders can all improve the ownership experience when they integrate naturally into daily routines.

Consumers may find it more useful to evaluate how well smart features fit their lifestyle than simply checking whether an app exists.

Independent Recognition Carries More Weight Than Marketing Claims

Air conditioner brands often describe themselves using terms such as “leading,” “innovative,” or “No. 1.” Those statements should be evaluated in light of any supporting independent research with clearly defined methodologies. That is why the details behind a claim matter as much as the claim itself.

When evaluating brand claims, consumers may wish to consider several questions:

Who conducted the research?

What product category was measured?

Was the ranking based on production volume or retail sales?

What years were included in the study?

Is the claim still within its stated validity period?

Understanding the scope behind a claim is often more valuable than the headline itself.

For example, Midea’s own marketing materials reference a Euromonitor International recognition related to residential inverter air conditioners. As with any brand-cited ranking, that claim should be read against its exact source, product category, measurement basis, research period, and validity period — it should not be interpreted as overall market leadership across every room air conditioner category. It is most useful here as an example of how context shapes the meaning of a claim.

Innovation Often Shows Up in Everyday Use

Consumers rarely experience “innovation” through marketing language. They experience it while living with a product, through the details that shape everyday use.

A quieter bedroom at night.

A window that may allow the window to open and close after installation, when properly installed in a compatible window.

Cooling that may feel more consistent throughout the afternoon.

An air conditioner that better maintains indoor comfort during extended operation.

These improvements are often the result of engineering decisions that receive far less attention than BTU numbers but can have a greater influence on long-term satisfaction.

The Midea U-Shaped Smart Inverter Window Air Conditioner illustrates this approach by combining inverter technology with a U-shaped structure that may allow the window to open and close after installation, subject to window compatibility and proper setup. Likewise, the Midea DUO uses a

hose-in-hose airflow design intended to help improve room cooling, with the 12,000 SACC configuration designed for spaces up to approximately 550 square feet (based on manufacturer testing; actual performance and coverage may vary depending on room characteristics, installation, and operating conditions).

Rather than representing isolated features, these products reflect the broader point of this article: buyers should focus on brands that solve practical household challenges rather than simply increase cooling capacity.

A Better Way to Compare Brands

Instead of asking which company builds the “best” room air conditioner, consumers may find it more useful to compare brands using a consistent set of criteria. A simple framework makes that comparison easier to apply.

Consider questions such as:

Does the product fit the room size?

Does the installation work with your living situation?

Does the design address common usability issues?

Does it include technology that improves everyday comfort?

Are important claims supported by independent sources?

Looking at brands through these practical considerations often leads to more informed purchasing decisions than relying solely on popularity or advertising.

Final Thoughts

The room air conditioner market continues to evolve as manufacturers compete on more than cooling capacity alone. The result is a market where efficiency, thoughtful engineering, smart-home integration, and independently verifiable product leadership all matter more than they once did.

Efficiency, thoughtful engineering, smart-home integration, and independently verifiable product leadership have become increasingly important factors in how consumers evaluate brands.

Rather than searching for a universal winner, buyers in 2026 are likely to make better decisions by identifying which products solve the problems that matter most in their own homes. In that context, choosing a room air conditioner brand becomes less about the unit’s logo and more about the experience the product is designed to deliver. The clearest takeaway is simple: choose the brand that best fits your room, your needs, and your daily use.

Product performance, energy usage, noise levels, cooling coverage, smart-feature functionality, and user experience may vary depending on product specifications, installation, room characteristics, environmental conditions, and individual usage patterns. Consumers should review product specifications and claim disclosures before purchase from midea.com .

Why Emotional Resilience Is Becoming Retail’s Must Valuable Skill

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Retail Insider
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Various skills are required to succeed in the retail industry, particularly when handling customer-facing roles. Previous generations always felt that the most valuable skill for a retail employee was the ability to talk face-to-face with someone and provide them with good customer service. It revolved more around some of the “traditional” skills you see in a job interview, but the retail industry of today faces more challenges than ever, and this has led to the emergence of a specific skill that should now be at the forefront of every retailer’s mind: emotional resilience. 

What is Emotional Resilience?

Most people have heard of the concept of emotional intelligence, but emotional resilience is slightly different. According to one of the experts on this topic, Dr Jodie Lowinger, emotional resilience refers to a person’s ability to adapt to emotionally demanding situations while being able to function effectively. 

Importantly, this does not mean that someone is immune to being affected by stressful situations at work. The critical aspect of emotional resilience is that you’re able to process these situations and push through them without developing any long-lasting mental health issues. 

In a retail environment, it’s easy to see how someone’s emotional resilience can be tested. All it takes is one angry or unhappy customer screaming at you to create a very stressful situation. Someone without emotional resilience may take this interaction and see the following results: 

  • They lash out at the customer because they can’t take it anymore
  • They handle the situation well but then break down afterwards, and it impacts the rest of their day

An emotionally resilient person can deal with this horrible interaction, acknowledge that it was stressful and awful to deal with, but then recover from it without letting the situation impact their day or their performance at work. 

Why Emotional Resilience Matters in Retail

Emotional resilience can be a valuable skill in all aspects of life, but it is particularly important in the retail sector for several reasons. To begin, retail is one of the main industries that involves a lot of face-to-face or one-on-one interactions. This means that customer interactions are bound to be more stressful automatically – but there’s one key piece of research that underpins why emotional resilience is more important now than ever. 

Customer Care Measurement & Consulting released its latest National Customer Rage Survey towards the end of last year (2025), and it found two damning statistics: 

  • 77% of consumers experienced a problem with a product or service in the past 12 months
  • 64% of those who reported an issue said they felt “rage” – and 50% of these consumers stated that they raised their voice

For retail workers, this means two things: customers are more frequently complaining about products/services, and they’re also getting angrier while they do it. Being a retail worker now means you have to prepare for the fact that you might get screamed at, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. 

If you are unable to deal with frequent conflicts, then you are unlikely to be able to do your job. Moreover, there are consequences that happen when employees don’t have the emotional resilience to deal with angry or upset customers. 

The Consequences of No Emotional Resilience

Retailers with a team of emotionally resilient workers tend to see more success than those who lack this skill. Why? Because the inability to stay resilient in the face of emotionally demanding situations can lead to the following: 

  • Losing customers: Someone who can’t deal with an angry customer and may lash out at them will result in that customer leaving and never returning. Even worse, that customer may post negative reviews online that convince other customers to leave – and prospective ones to stay away. It can all stem from someone being unable to keep their cool in the face of adversity. Is it fair to the employee? No, but that’s why emotional resilience is such a valuable skill. 
  • Losing employees: What’s more likely to happen in these situations is that the employee simply deals with the barrage of abuse they get from a customer until the conflict is resolved as well as possible. While this may not result in negative reviews, it could well result in the employee having an emotional breakdown. They can’t handle the stress anymore, and they decide to leave. This can happen more often than you realise, leading to high employee turnover for your retail business. Turnover costs money and destabilises a business, which is yet another reason that emotionally resilient employees are worth their weight in gold. 

It is, essentially, a double-edged sword for retail companies. Poor levels of emotional resilience can cost money and reduce profits, either from bad customer service creating negative reviews or employees quitting because they can’t handle the pressure. 

How To Develop Emotional Resilience in a Retail Team

Hiring people who display the key signs of emotional resilience will be the best approach, but this is also a skill that anyone can learn and develop. For retail teams, it’s normally a case of: 

  • Talking openly about stress and providing key stress management ideas to employees
  • Learning how to regulate emotions in high-pressure situations
  • Improving shift management and encouraging regular breaks

The most important thing is to make it clear that your retail employees shouldn’t try to suppress their stress or emotions. It’s all about learning how to regulate them during conflicts and then finding ways to deal with them after. That’s why breaks are so important for a retail team: improve scheduling so staff can take more frequent breaks, especially during busy periods, allowing them time to relax and cool down. If you can create a supportive work environment, then that also helps, as everyone can look after one another. 

Emotional resilience isn’t about keeping your emotions inside and pretending that you’re not bothered by highly stressful situations. That’s incredibly unhealthy and will lead to burnout and long-term mental health concerns. Instead, it has become the most valuable skill in retail because it enables workers to deal with conflicts and push on through difficult situations without letting the stress get to them. 

Emily Fernandez and Evolve Med Spa Grow With Precision

By
Retail Insider
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A company can get bigger without becoming more memorable. Evolve Med Spa has tried to do the opposite, building a brand that clients recognize through the experience itself as much as the name on the door. Emily Fernandez has guided that work as co-founder and VP of operations, helping the company grow from one location in Hoboken to 14 locations across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

That kind of growth matters more in a field where people are often seeking medical aesthetics, medical spa treatments, aesthetic medicine, clinical skincare, and non-surgical rejuvenation with a high level of expectation already in place.

Evolve Med Spa Built a Regional Name From One Local Start

The business opened in 2020, a year that demanded unusual resilience from any company built around in-person treatment. Evolve Med Spa formed an early bond with clients in Hoboken, NJ and that local support gave the brand real momentum. One location soon became the start of a much wider regional presence.

That expansion held together through a leadership team that kept operations close to the client experience. Each new location carried the same expectations around communication, order, and care. Growth moved forward with a clear sense of continuity from the first office onward.

That discipline has become part of what clients now associate with the brand. Emily helped build that structure alongside Dr. Oz Fernandez, co-founder and medical director, and Austin Jacobus, co-founder and VP of clinical.

Their roles gave the company a clear internal balance. Operations, medical direction, and clinical education all moved together, which gave Evolve Med Spa a steadier foundation as new locations opened. In an industry where growth can stretch systems thin, that alignment became part of the company’s signature.

Emily Fernandez, Austin Jacobus and Dr. Oz Ferneandez Helped Turn Consistency Into a Growth Strategy

Consistency can sound simple until a company starts scaling. A second center asks for stronger communication. A fifth center raises the stakes even higher. By the time a brand reaches 14 locations, every weak point becomes easier to spot. Fernandez helped guide Evolve Med Spa through that pressure by treating growth as an operational question as much as a branding one.

That discipline has helped the company hold onto a recognizable identity across its footprint. Clients may arrive for dermal fillers, neurotoxin treatments, or microneedling, but they’re also stepping into a company culture built around client-centered experience, clinical expertise, and professional skincare protocols.

Recognition Followed the Company’s Expansion

The company’s rise has drawn attention across several markets. Evolve Med Spa has collected repeated honors for Best Med Spa, along with category wins tied to fillers, injectables, and facials from The Hoboken Girl and The Montclair Girl. It has also earned Best of New Jersey, Best of Bridgewater, and other regional territories connected to its footprint.

A two-page regional feature in the May 2026 issue of Vogue added another layer of visibility. That kind of placement gave the brand a high-profile editorial signal, though it also reflected something the company had already been building for years: a name associated with strong standards, local trust, and a clear point of view about equality.

Evolve Med Spa Keeps Its Eye on the Long Game

Fernandez has described the company’s larger vision in terms of growth without dilution, and that goal runs through the full story of Evolve Med Spa. The brand began with one office and a close connection to its first clients. Today it stands as a 14-location company with a broader reach and an even bigger test in front of it: carrying the same care, standards, and sense of purpose into each new chapter.

That’s what gives the company’s story its pull. Evolve Med Spa has grown quickly, though its strongest message lives in how carefully it has handled its growth. For Emily Fernandez, that discipline has become a defining part of the brand itself.

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