H&M’s Subculture Collabs
H&M’s pivot toward ongoing partnerships with niche designers and independent collectives marks a fundamental shift in its retail strategy: it’s sustained cultural relevance over short-term noise. While legacy luxury houses often struggle with agility and genuine relatability, independent creators hold the cultural trust that big brands crave.
The Latest Retail Industry Insights and Analysis
Why Brand Clarity Matters
Brand clarity improves the customer experience because it removes any friction the customer consciously notices. Clarity defines space and place,
Ralph Lauren: The Ultimate Belonger Brand
Ralph Lauren is one of the few luxury brands that has made belonging (aspirational and authentic) an art. Its long-standing
A Point of View: The Heart of a Retailer’s Brand
The garden of retailing is littered with examples of retailers that once had a singular successful point of view but
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Our weekly podcast with Shelley E. Kohan, & guests. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
Experience
Why Brand Clarity Matters
Brand clarity improves the customer experience because it removes any friction the customer consciously notices. Clarity defines space and place,
Ralph Lauren: The Ultimate Belonger Brand
Ralph Lauren is one of the few luxury brands that has made belonging (aspirational and authentic) an art. Its long-standing
The Slow Burn in Retail
The thing about slow burns is that they are usually unnoticeable until it’s too late. Think of a forest fire.
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Opinion
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
How does a business leader who may have just breathed a sigh of post-Covid-19 relief in early 2026, only to
What Now? What to Do
Tariff-driven cost inflation is likely here to stay, and now, with an ongoing Iranian war, potentially explosive expense inflation is
Tariff Chaos and the Widening Gyre
How does a business leader who may have just breathed a sigh of post-Covid-19 relief in early 2026, only to
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The Retail Unwrapped Podcast
Retail insights on-the-go, with Shelley E. Kohan. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
From Our Partners
Placer’s 10 Brands to Watch + 3 Surprises
Check out Placer.ai’s latest enlightening report on the 10 Top Brands to Watch in 2025 when it comes to retail
How LoveShackFancy and WeWoreWhat Are Crushing Consumer Engagement
Watch and learn LoveShackFancy and WeWoreWhat are building engagement and social media strategies that matter to today’s younger consumer.
Technology
When AI Amplifies Retail Dysfunction
New systems cannot replace bad processes and a misaligned culture to compete for success. When owning a process matters more
Gaming AI Search
Join Shelley and Heather Holmes, Founder of Publicity for Good, as they unpack how brands need to think like their
The AI-Empowered Store
Join Shelley and Stephanie Cegielski, Vice President of Public Relations and Industry Education at ICSC as they dig into the
Management
JCPenney: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 7. 18.26
Like many people, we want JCPenney to succeed; there are some good pros there and they have been working hard
Kimberly Shenk, CEO, Novi: Service Before Self
Kimberly Shenk has never taken the expected path. A data scientist and former Air Force captain, she has carried the
Operations
EU’s Backlash Against Asia
Asia’s infatuation with Western expansion has hit a few speed bumps. EU legislators and watchdogs have put guardrails in place
Target: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 7.4.26
We like many of the things the new CEO over there at Target, Michael Fiddelke, is doing to try to
Russian Retail Is Tanking
Vacancy rates in shopping malls could rise to nearly 10 percent over the remainder of the year as Russia’s ill-conceived