We kicked off 2019 at NRF in New York City where we met with retailers and brands eager to understand the challenges they’re up against.  We saw new retail concepts like The Reserve Roastery by Starbucks, carefully curated online-offline retailer Huckberry and got caught taking selfies in the Glossier flagship (admittedly it’s really hard to resist).

The best part was meeting and speaking with you: retailers, store managers, brands and tech providers who are all forging ahead into 2019 navigating the retail landscape that is changing at rapid speeds.

Here is a collection of our top content and articles we like from the month of January.

[READ] Is Surveillance The Future of Service?

Doug’s latest piece for Business of Fashion explores the price we pay for personalization. As consumer expectations shift and physical stores become a lot more like digital stores, Doug asks if personalized service and recommendations are worth having our physical presence tracked.

[LISTEN] Conversational Commerce Podcast

Doug sat down with Retail Dive’s Corrine Ruff to chat about the 8 key trends retailers and brands should be aware of for 2019.

[READ] A Note to Millennials: It’s Not Your Fault

What came from a discussion on training with Liz Thompson, Chief People Officer with Southeastern Grocers, turned into a note to millennials.

Other Content We Like

[LISTEN] Stella McCartney Warns Everything is at Stake 

At Retail Prophet, we believe we are at an inflection point with the environment and it is becoming crucial that as the largest offending brands and retailers take responsibility.

While at Business of Fashion’s annual gathering VOICES, Doug heard Stella McCartney speak where she discussed her hard stance on environmental issues and her work to lead sustainability in fashion through her charitable initiatives.

[READ] Did a Publisher Just Build The Future of Retail?

We at Retail Prophet believe the store is media, and media (literally in this case) is the store.

Author Mike Mallazzo paints a picture of his serendipitous discovery of the I Found It At The Strategist pop-up in New York City and it captures the essence of what good retail experiences should look and feel like.

[READ] Thinx is Planning A Physical Retail Strategy for 2020

Thinx, a direct-to-consumer brand that makes period-proof underwear, is carefully planning their foray into physical retail. Using pop-ups, the brand plans to gather insights and test how their brand manifests in the physical world.