Retail insights at the intersection of now and next. Unfiltered. Unbiased
Join Shelley and Jason Brenner, Senior Vice President Digital Portfolio at FedEx as they delve into the fascinating world of returns logistics and how the process has evolved. Jason says consumer familiarity with ‘no box, no label’ returns jumped from 37 percent to 48 percent in just one year.
If higher-income households in large metro markets are driving the e-grocery surge, what happens with everyone else? What happens to the budget-constrained families in smaller markets who can’t justify the premium? What happens to the traditional grocers who built their entire business model around serving those customers?
Amazon’s new giant store is its latest shot at figuring out physical retailing. After all the wrong turns the online giant has taken, one has to ask if this new format is just another mismanaged dead-end.
The creep-out trend is driven by a greater aesthetic shift away from the pursuit of perfection, which smacks of AI’s veneer. Next gens are moving away from the dated and increasingly unattainable, idealized “filtered look” towards Uncanny Valley, reflecting the dystopian elements of today’s economic and political landscape.
What is unquestionable is the deep ambition of Asian retailers to create a significant physical footprint in the U.S. and Europe, bolstered by their breakneck expansion rates to date, proving that they can do it just because they’ve done it.
Will somebody at Lululemon please put up a sign in the product development department that says, “No more see-through pants! Stupid.”
Shelley caught up with five more innovators at NRF 2026 to get their takes on the retail industry and an outlook for this year. Their conversations ranged from the connected store and talent development to geolocation analytics and the need for personalization.
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans reset the playing field for supermarkets, creating significant opportunities for retailers to lead on health, but also real risks if promotions and advertising simply chase short term sales instead of long term trust.
Gen Z is a politically bifurcated demographic of stressed-out, risk-averse consumers facing career stagnation and uncertainty in 2026. It’s hard to sell the American Dream to a demographic for whom it feels unattainable.
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