How Barnes & Noble Made a Comeback
The Barnes & Noble strategy of deferring to local taste over stock-wide uniformity and treating stores as community hubs rather than depots of inventory stands in stark contrast to Amazon’s homogenized and algorithmically curated marketplace.
The Latest Retail Industry Insights and Analysis
Retailing During Wartime
Retail, which has always been a canary in the coal mine with regard to the behavior of our overall economy,
Why Chanel and A$AP Rocky Reignite Luxury
Even well-off Gen Zs don’t have the once-promising career prospects as their millennial predecessors—and let’s be real, it’s hard to
Is Saudi Arabia the New Luxury Hotspot?
The Saudi luxury consumer is values-led and socially attuned: they invest in quality, heritage, and prestige, but they also look
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Retail Unwrapped
Our weekly podcast with Shelley E. Kohan, & guests. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
Experience
Korean Brands Are Moving into a Mall Near You
What distinguishes Korea’s retail expansion from China’s is not just aesthetics, but strategy. Chinese platforms have often relied on price
The Olympics Is a Runway Grab
Athletes have always been role models. Veteran skier Lindsay Vonn has been a Rolex brand ambassador since 2009. But recently,
Eyewear Outperforms Luxury Categories
Successful eyewear rivals the versatility of today’s designer handbag collections. Customers blend moods, styles, and personal expression throughout their everyday
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Opinion
Retailers Should Be Wary of Trade School Grads
There is a disturbing disconnect between the classroom and performance on a retail sales floor. This is an industry-wide problem.
Retail in 2026 Faces Political Headwinds — But Not a Freefall
If I were sitting in the CEO chair at a major retailer — whether a mass merchant like Macy’s or
Retailers Should Be Wary of Trade School Grads
There is a disturbing disconnect between the classroom and performance on a retail sales floor. This is an industry-wide problem.
Retail in 2026 Faces Political Headwinds — But Not a Freefall
If I were sitting in the CEO chair at a major retailer — whether a mass merchant like Macy’s or
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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
Think You’re in Control Shopping for Groceries? Wrong!
Every scan of your card, every clipped coupon, every “substitute” you accept when something’s out of stock is recorded. You’re
Intelligent Retail: Mastering Agentic AI
At best, Agentic AI is a system’s ultimate thinking tool. Enabling a retail metachannel, Agentic learns from itself, tests and
The Overwhelm Era: Tech-Obsessed Brands Alienate Overstimulated Shoppers
Retailers say they’re digitally transforming to capture next gen shoppers’ loyalty. That’s because self-serving studies from digital solution providers have
Management
Richard Baker: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 2.27.26
OK, play it again one more time. At first, I thought I was reading the satirical Onion when I saw
Southdale Center Turns 70; Then What?
Repositioning malls from single-purpose points of transaction into dynamic community forums promoting human interaction is the sustainable reinvention of irrelevant
Operations
Is Saudi Arabia the New Luxury Hotspot?
The Saudi luxury consumer is values-led and socially attuned: they invest in quality, heritage, and prestige, but they also look
Kohls: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 2.21.26
The idea of full price retailers setting aside a dedicated promotional area in their stores goes back at least to
A Store Is Not a Fulfillment Center
Retail is in a moment of transition. It is missing something fundamental: a systems thinking approach to making decisions with