In this episode of The Orita Podcast, Aaron Schwartz sits down with Ivory Razor, Director of CRM at BARK, for a deep dive into what modern retention really looks like when you stop thinking in channels and start thinking in systems.

Ivory has built across fashion, subscription, ecommerce, marketplace, and now pet, with stops at Calvin Klein, Dressbarn, Gwynnie Bee, littleBits, Scentbird, Resident, Angie, and BARK. That range gives her a rare perspective: great CRM isn’t just about email or SMS. It’s about understanding the full customer journey, the data behind it, and the business case for every move you make.

Together, they discuss:

• Ivory’s path from fashion marketing into CRM, and how curiosity shaped every career move

• What she learned moving across DTC, subscription, ecommerce, marketplace, and consumer brands

• Why the best retention leaders think about the full system, not just one campaign

• The “Infinity Stones” of CRM: project management, creativity, analytics, and cross-functional fluency

• Why data literacy is a true superpower for retention marketers and how it changes your influence across the org

• How to think about acquisition and retention together so you’re not just filling a leaky bucket

• The danger of over-segmentation vs. sending in broad slabs and how to find the middle ground

• How to prioritize CRM work using impact, confidence, and efficiency instead of opinions

• What platform choice really means across Iterable, Klaviyo, Attentive, and Postscript

• Where AI can actually help CRM teams today, and why RCS could become a meaningful new channel for the right brands

This one is packed with practical frameworks for CRM leaders, retention marketers, and operators trying to drive real business outcomes, not just campaign metrics. If you want a smarter way to think about retention, Ivory brings the playbook.

👥 Meet the guest

Ivory Razor, CRM leader at BARK

🎙 Hosted by

Aaron Schwartz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Orita.ai

🎧 Chapters

[09:59] Retention Isn’t a Channel Problem. It’s a Systems Problem

[16:51] The Smartest Retention Teams Know Why Customers Show Up

[22:36] How Great CRM Leaders Handle Pressure From Every Side

[23:03] Why Data Is the Real Superpower in Retention

[26:17] The Retention Playbook: What Actually Moves the Needle

[27:01] The Biggest Retention Mistakes Brands Still Make

[31:04] Easy CRM Wins: How to Reuse What Already Works

[33:44] Which AI Tools Are Worth It for CRM Teams?

[39:20] RCS Is Coming Fast. Here’s Why It Matters

🌐 Check out Orita.ai for more episodes of The Orita Podcast, where we sit down with the most interesting operators, marketers, and founders in e-commerce to talk about what’s working right now. Hosted by the Orita team. Orita uses machine learning to help brands send smarter, more profitable marketing, by figuring out who actually wants to hear from you and when.

🚀 Get your free email audit from Orita, turn segments into superpowers: https://orita.ai

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple

📩 Subscribe for more founder‑grade retention intel