Retail is in a moment of transition. It is missing something fundamental: a systems thinking approach to making decisions with the operational infrastructure to support them. Asynchronous decision-making is not only a hidden cost, but it can also overwhelm a store masquerading as. Fulfillment center.
A Store Is Not a Fulfillment Center Read More »
There’s something in the air: Ambient scent marketing continues its steady ascent. Think of scent as a logo in the air—another way to communicate your brand message. It’s powerful and more memorable than something you can see and touch.
Is Your Brand Scented? Read More »
They say the third time is supposed to be charmed but in this case it’s more like three strikes and you’re out.
Eddie Bauer: The Robin Report Miss of the Week, 2.14.2026 Read More »
Join Shelley and Katie Thomas from the Kearney Consumer Institute as they challenge conventional wisdom about the economy that’s leading retailers to misclassify customers and fail on pricing, assortment, and messaging.
Gaming the K-Shaped Economy Read More »
The uber luxury market is the only one poised for genuine, sustainable, profitable growth. It’s time to forget about the ‘aspirational’ consumer, lusting after high-end, name-checked logos and settling for an over-packaged bottle of a marquee brand’s fragrance. Forget too, the quaint notion of ‘masstige,’ because life changes at the macro-level while marketers change at the micro-level.
A New Formula for Luxury Marketing Read More »
There is a disturbing disconnect between the classroom and performance on a retail sales floor. This is an industry-wide problem. If you ask any local retail manager, they’ll probably tell you they’re retraining new hires from scratch while eating the costs of avoidable returns. To be blunt, what retailers fail to realize is that the counter is only as good as the training behind it.
Retailers Should Be Wary of Trade School Grads Read More »
Melissa Gonzalez didn’t plan to revolutionize retail. The Principal and founder of MG2 and author of The Purpose Pivot, left her Wall Street career for a more creative path, leveraging her analytical talent, risk management ability and affinity with consumer passion. Her career has been defined by clarity in the midst of chaos, by understanding the bigger picture.
The Only Female Leader in the Room Becomes a Disruptive Tech CEO Read More »
It doesn’t get any more experiential than Netflix’s store format, which takes participatory adventures, hospitality and the ubiquitous gift shop to levels unmatched by anything this side of Florida theme parks.
Is Netflix House the Next Big Retail Thing? Read More »
Take that Amazon and Google and all the rest of you entitled Magnificent Seven: You’ve got a new trillionaire member, and it’s not another tech bro AI and agentic wannabe.
Walmart: The Robin Report Retail Hit of the Week, 2.7.2026 Read More »
Join Shelley and Liza Amlani, principal and founder of Retail Strategy Group and co-author of The Material Life, as they discuss why design innovation is typically mismatched with process innovation in the fashion supply chain, and what the consequences are.
Why Materials Should Lead Design Read More »
