Remarkable Retail, updated edition

In most retail categories, digital channels are now central to the consumer’s journey, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t also shopping in stores; they’re just using them differently, often browsing in one channel and buying in the other. The line between digital and physical stores has been virtually erased; The customer is the channel. Retailers who resist this fact are doomed to perish. The future belongs to those who find new ways to create a remarkable, harmonized customer experience at every touchpoint.

Although we saw some high-profile retail brands become casualties of the pandemic, it turns out many of those had underlying conditions, while retailers who had already embarked upon the road to remarkable not only survived but actually emerged in better health than before. Packed with illuminating case studies from some of modern retail’s biggest success stories, quick pivots and impressive rebounds, Remarkable Retail presents eight essential strategies for visionary leaders who are prepared to reimagine their way of doing business. A remarkable retailer is digitally enabled, human centered, harmonized, mobile, personal, connected, memorable, and radical.

In an age where consumers have short attention spans, myriad options, and a digitally integrated relationship with every brand, Remarkable Retail is your indispensable guide to creating a powerful retail experience that keeps your customers coming back for more.

Steve Dennis

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker on retail innovation. As a senior executive at two Fortune 500 retailers and as a consultant, Steve has worked with dozens of brands to reignite and accelerate their growth. He is a Forbes senior contributor, has been named a top global retail influencer by multiple organizations, and his commentary on the future of shopping is regularly featured in the media and on the Remarkable Retail podcast, which he hosts. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

“Required reading for anyone who runs a store, shops, or who lives in a town that depends on stores for community, excitement, or taxes. The book is clear, clean, well-written, actionable, true, appropriately witty, fun to read, and well done. Steve Dennis knows exactly what’s happening in retail today and tomorrow, and he’s eager to share his wisdom.”

Seth Godin, author of This Is Marketing

“Remarkable Retail provides great perspective on what is driving today’s retail winners and losers. But more importantly, Dennis lays out a roadmap for companies to use to navigate today’s rapidly changing environment.”

Steve Sadove, former chair and CEO, Saks Inc.

“Skip that online course at Wharton and just buy this book. A smart, articulate, battle-scarred retail veteran pours a graduate course on the past, present, and future of consumption into one very readable summary.”

Paco Underhill, CEO, Envirosell Inc., and author of Why We Buy, Call of the Mall, and What Women Want

“Remarkable Retail conveys a deep understanding of the challenges facing the US retail middle ground while so many rivals—and not just Amazon—have thrived. Steve Dennis convincingly lays out how retailers can find a way back through a ‘journey to remarkable.’ A definite must-read for the retail enthusiast.”

Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder, Coresight Research