This article was published on The Robin Report website on August 16, 2020.

When distinguishing between unremarkable and remarkable retail, it usually comes down to “I know it when I see it,” famously said by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when he tried to articulate the difference between constitutionally protected pornography and obscenity.

That same intuitive filter is how the shopper, not to mention retail professionals, recognize remarkable retail. The many intersecting components that transform mundane retail into a truly remarkable experience can be quantified. The key is to look at remarkable retail as a series of data points that become an evidence-based playbook for change.

Steve Dennis, author of Remarkable Retail: How to Win and Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption (LifeTree Media, 2020) is a remarkable man in his own right, uniquely qualified to deconstruct the essential elements of what makes retail work.

A Harvard MBA, Dennis held senior executive positions at Neiman Marcus and Sears, when they were still major players, not the shells they are today. He then went on to found Sageberry Consulting.

Dennis’ rallying cry is: “Physical retail isn’t dead. Boring retail is.” He explains, “Despite clickbait headlines warning of a ‘retail apocalypse,’ many brick-and-mortar stores are posting strong growth and profits, while digitally-native brands are now rapidly opening brick-and-mortar locations in droves. But an epic revolution is occurring and what worked before no longer does.”