The thing about slow burns is that they are usually unnoticeable until it’s too late. Think of a forest fire. In context of retail, we are veering toward a commodity culture, a marketplace of imitation marketing and product development, and an increasingly transactional mentality.
The Slow Burn in Retail Read More »
Another grocery chain, another acquisition. Now that Kroger has bought Giant Eagle, is it a smart consolidation, or a company desperately spending money it doesn’t have?
Kroger’s Consolidation Polycrisis Read More »
The current retailer enthusiasm surrounding dynamic pricing (think Amazon, airfares, and supermarkets) assumes the consumer behaves as a rational negotiator who will calmly accept a price based on a real-time willingness to pay. In reality, consumers do not experience retail that way; they behave more like hunters than negotiators.
Dynamic Pricing: Retail’s Poison Pill Read More »
A business built around a single geography, a single distribution channel and a single supply chain scenario is not lean. It’s exposed. That is the lesson Iran teaches retail.
Signal or Noise? The Grey Swan Problem No One Wants to Solve Read More »
The paradox of best practices matters because retail is moving through a period of intense imitation. The same technologies are being bought. The same consultants are being hired. The same dashboards are being reviewed. The same phrases show up in earnings calls, conference panels, and strategic plans. The industry is not short on answers; it is short on better questions. Think of it as best practices ambiguity.
Why Retail Imitation Can Derail Trust Read More »
Join Shelley and Larry Mentzer, COO of Century 21 NYC as they tell the story of the courage it takes to learn from mistakes and protect a legacy. They discuss second acts, managing a balance sheet, competing in physical retail and the dramatic shift in shopper behavior.
The Comeback of Century 21 NYC Read More »
For years, the primary role of the store was clear; it was a place to transact. Product was displayed, customers selected what they needed, and the exchange was completed efficiently and typically impersonally. Often, you didn’t even have to speak. Today, that role is changing.
The Return to Stores Is About Connection Read More »
Join Shelley and Dominick Miserandino, CEO of RTMNexus, as they challenge the current conversation with what employees really want to hear: You are part of the journey and we’re going to help you with the AI that we’re implementing.
How to Be Human in the AI Era Read More »
The transformation economy can flourish by spending less time focused on the headline invoking win and more time spent getting the everyday things right. And that in and of itself would be transformational.
Beyond Experience: Real Transformation Read More »
Foresight is a critical tool right now. Our assumption is that a future, serious economic shock sits firmly within the zone of plausibility. Should an employment collapse materialize, the organizations that will thrive in the 2030s are those that lean into the new economic reality, rather than those waiting for a return to a normal that will never materialize.
Retail in 2028: A Foresight Report Read More »
