retail trends

January 9, 2011

Reconstructing Retail: 2011 and Beyond

By Doug Stephens Unfortunately, the future isn’t as simple as the headlines might have us believe.  It can’t be neatly summed up in the words recession […]
September 30, 2010

Speaking of the Future…

By Doug Stephens I had the pleasure  of being a guest on the Competitive Futures podcast series.  Competitive Futures, based in St. Louis was founded by […]
September 13, 2010

Who Needs Retail Anyway?

By Doug Stephens If we’ve learned anything from the advent of online social networks, it’s that ordinary people can be quickly organized around a common idea, […]
August 11, 2010

What if it all STARTS with the purchase?

Traditional marketing theory tells us that the purchase is the successful outcome of consumer-directed messages that create awareness which begets interest, desire, and action. But what happens when that is wrong?
August 2, 2010

The Problem With What You Do Best

By Doug Stephens One of the first lessons I was taught in marketing was that when times were tough and sales were hard to come by, […]
February 17, 2010

The Future Hates Mediocrity

By Doug Stephens I was reminded recently of a really good book I read several years ago called Going Shopping by Ann Satterthwaite, a city planner […]
December 11, 2009

Luxury Retailers Hit the Panic Button

By Doug Stephens As the recession drags on, it’s become clear that few in the retail sector are being spared its wrath. In separate stories this […]
September 30, 2009

The Courage to Let Go

Real and lasting change can only take place when we let go of our long-held beliefs and paradigms. But this is easier said than done and in fact, in many cases the very people who are responsible for leading change are the least willing to let go of the past.