Resurrecting Retail

Founder of the global advisory firm Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens is one of the world’s foremost retail industry futurists, thought leaders and business influencers. His intellectual work and creativity have shaped the strategies of many of the world’s best-known retailers, agencies and brands, including IKEA, Walmart, Estée Lauder, BMW and Google. Prior to founding Retail Prophet, Doug spent over 20 years in the retail industry, holding senior international roles including the leadership of one of New York City’s most historic retail chains. He is the author of The Retail Revival: Re-Imagining Business for the New Age of Consumerism (2013) and the international bestseller Reengineering Retail: The Future of Selling in a Post-Digital World (2017), which has now been translated into four languages. Doug is also a featured columnist for The Business of Fashion and sits on multiple academic and corporate advisory boards, including the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retail & Services at St. Mary’s University. His unique perspectives on retailing, business and consumer behavior have been featured in many of the world’s leading publications and media outlets including The New York Times, BBC, Wired, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company.

"Prophetic, inspiring and entertaining. Paints a clear picture of the post COVID world we are entering and how retailers must adapt to thrive.”—Ian McMilan, Global Retail Marketing Lead, Nike“A vivid and meticulously researched picture of the post-COVID landscape and a strategic roadmap for retailers across all categories.”—Christina Fontana, Head of Fashion and Luxury for Tmall, US and Europe“Clears the fog around a post-pandemic retail landscape, and shines a spotlight on resilient retailers who will find a way to thrive within it.”—Harley Finkelstein, president, Shopify“Presents retailers and landlords with a comprehensive view into the future of our industry, offering practical advice about how we can not just survive, but thrive in a post-pandemic world.”—Mark C. Toro, Chairman, North American Properties "In a time of massive upheaval in retail, Doug Stephens not only astutely identifies the core issues retailers now face, but provides a set of answers, directions, and key retail archetypes from which to learn. If you want to resurrect your retailing for a new era, then pay attention to his conclusion: 'Every company is an experience company.'”—B. Joseph Pine II, co-author of The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money