If our data is currency, who is the bank?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

If our data is currency, who's the bank? It's a question that every brand and retailer should be giving serious thought to. Those who don't may soon find…

The future of retail: Death of a salesman

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Like most people, at least a half-dozen times a day I consult Google for answers. Some of what I search for is trivial, "bet-settling" sort of stuff but there…

Ten trends to watch for in 2014

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

2013 was another year of incredible change in the retail industry. From economics and demographics to media and technology, disruption came at retailers from…

Why Amazon is droning on about new delivery methods

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Analysts and consumers alike are becoming increasingly accustomed to Amazon's announcements of bold and daring new projects. Most recently it was the Jeff…

Shared interests: The rise of collaborative consumption

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Believe it or not, the average power drill is used for a total of 15 minutes over the course of its lifetime. And that’s not unusual. Our cars, many household…

The end of the beginning of e-commerce

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Global e-commerce is set to top 1.2 trillion dollars this year. And if that doesn’t seem astonishing, then consider that the figure represents a 19 percent…

The loyalty lie

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Loyalty is an increasingly fleeting thing. In fact, the average Gen Y mother now defines "brand loyalty" as a window of allegiance lasting 6-12 months before…

The problem with mobile advertising isn't mobile. It's advertising.

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

In a recent article for Adweek David Gianatasio asked the question, “Why Does Mobile Advertising Stink?” And it’s a great question, because it really does. And…

The future of the retail store

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Retail is dead! At least, that’s how Marc Andreessen sees it. The entrepreneur and tech investor was recently quoted saying that all physical retail stores…

What if Best Buy charged admission?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

O.K., suspend your disbelief just for a moment and hear me out…

The Retail Revival has begun!

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Cookies and the key to success in retail

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

For the holidays I took my friends, clients and business colleagues cookies. I bought them from a small coffee house and bakery in Toronto called Le Gourmand …

Is this the end of marketing?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Imagine a world without marketing. No really… imagine a world where no one tries to sell you anything. Not because they don’t want to but because attempting…

There's no room for revolutionaries on Wall Street

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Several months ago, JC Penney CEO Ron Johnson and his newly formed executive team made some significant changes to the pricing and promotional structure for…

Understanding retail's 'third shelf'

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

There have always been two "shelves" in retail. The first can be found in the retail store and is where the product is most often evaluated and ultimately…

What Amazon's move into luxury apparel really means

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Internet retail behemoth Amazon has turned a dangerous eye toward the luxury apparel market. Long regarded as more of a clearinghouse for commodity items…

Why 'Tweets for Treats' must die

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

It was only a matter of time before marketers developed a work-around to avoid the heavy lifting of great social media. Companies like Amex and now retailers…

Why consumer confidence deserves much less attention

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

To say things have changed since 1967 is an understatement. Much of the technology we take for granted today was merely science fiction then. National…

Is Klout the new credit score?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

Celebrities have long been known to receive special treatment. The best seats in the house, front of the line access to the hippest clubs and healthy discounts…

Marketing in a post-text world

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

As you read this post, you are digesting a form of content that represents a quickly diminishing proportion of the total web content you consume each day. The…