Curate or Get Curated
Retailers that continue to compete primarily on product breadth risk becoming background noise. Availability doesn’t equate to value. Curation isn’t a niche strategy reserved for luxury brands or personal shoppers. It is becoming table stakes for relevance in a crowded, fatigued marketplace.
The Latest Retail Industry Insights and Analysis
What’s TikTok Shop’s Future?
TikTok Shop harnesses the power of interest-driven impulse shopping through entertainment, rather than consumer necessity, like Amazon. Using “shoppertainment” to
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
Listen Up
Retail Unwrapped
Our weekly podcast with Shelley E. Kohan, & guests. Available on your favorite podcast platforms.
Experience
Creeping Out Customers Is the New Normal
The creep-out trend is driven by a greater aesthetic shift away from the pursuit of perfection, which smacks of AI’s
The State of Gen Z in 2026: The Checked-Out Generation
Gen Z is a politically bifurcated demographic of stressed-out, risk-averse consumers facing career stagnation and uncertainty in 2026. It’s hard
A Store Is Not a Strategy
How do retailers replace transactions with emotional connection? And the answer is: Retailers need to figure out how to bridge
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Opinion
When the Checkout Aisle Becomes a Ballot Box
Political leaders pull retailers into their orbit because brands are visible and relatable in a way that institutions and policies
Off the Shelf with Phil Lempert: Oreo & Reese’s – Really, Another Oreo?
What I’m seeing in the snack aisle right now is absolutely fascinating and really weird. Two of America’s biggest snack
When the Checkout Aisle Becomes a Ballot Box
Political leaders pull retailers into their orbit because brands are visible and relatable in a way that institutions and policies
Off the Shelf with Phil Lempert: Oreo & Reese’s – Really, Another Oreo?
What I’m seeing in the snack aisle right now is absolutely fascinating and really weird. Two of America’s biggest snack
New Episodes Weekly
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
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
You’ll Need a Video Game Strategy for Next Gens
The key to tapping into gaming communities is authenticity — the most successful brand activations don’t just show a potential
Management
How Melissa Gonzalez Went from Wall Street to Retail Visionary
Melissa Gonzalez didn’t plan to revolutionize retail. The Principal and founder of MG2 and author of The Purpose Pivot, left
Why Chief Storytellers Are a Bad Idea
Effective retailing demands that we enable people to find, believe, and share their own stories. And to do so enthusiastically,
Operations
What’s TikTok Shop’s Future?
TikTok Shop harnesses the power of interest-driven impulse shopping through entertainment, rather than consumer necessity, like Amazon. Using “shoppertainment” to
If You’re Not Watching Grocery, You’ll Miss the Future of Retail
If higher-income households in large metro markets are driving the e-grocery surge, what happens with everyone else? What happens to
It’s Walmart 4,606, Amazon 1
Amazon’s new giant store is its latest shot at figuring out physical retailing. After all the wrong turns the online