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Steve Dennis
President & Founder/Senior Contributor at SageBerry Consulting/Forbes
DALLAS, United States
Steve Dennis is a consultant, keynote speaker and author focused on retail growth and innovation. He has been named a top global retail influencer by multiple organizations and his thoughts on the future of shopping are regularly shared in his role as a Forbes Senior Contributor.
During a 30 year career as a senior executive at two Fortune 500 retailers–and more recently as a strategic advisor–Steve has worked with dozens of retail, consumer, luxury and social impact brands to inspire, catalyze and design their journey to remarkable results.
As a sought-out keynote speaker, Steve has delivered talks on six continents, sharing his unique perspective on what it takes to reignite customer growth in a world of constant change and shifting consumer preferences.
He has contributed commentary to Bloomberg/Business Week, the BBC, CNBC, CNN, the Harvard Business Review and the Wall Street Journal, among many others.
Steve is currently the President of SageBerry Consulting. Prior to founding SageBerry, he was the chief strategy officer and SVP, multichannel marketing for the Neiman Marcus Group.
Steve received his MBA from Harvard and a BA from Tufts University.
His bestselling book, "Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption", was recently released in an expanded 2nd edition revised for the post-COVID economy and featuring a new Foreword by Sucharita Kodali and endorsements from Seth Godin, Scott Galloway, Brian Solis and former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly.
Macy’s And Kohl’s Keep Running To Stand Still
Forbes
June 01, 2023
Without radical action the collapse of the unremarkable middle will continue. A timid transformation will not save Macy's and Kohl's from a slow slide into oblivion.
My Bold Retail Predictions for 2023
LinkedIn
February 05, 2023
So damn the humility and full speed ahead as I bring forth the first batch of my dozen educated guesses on what will shape the future of retail this year, plus three bonus long-shot prognostications. We also discussed them in more depth on a two-part episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast. Listen to part 1 here and/or part 2 here.
Retail Moves From “The Great Acceleration” To “The Great Rebalancing.”
LinkedIn
June 24, 2022
During the early part of the pandemic, it became popular to say that we had experienced 10 years of e-commerce growth in only 10 weeks. While that was rather obviously not close to being true, the idea of a “great acceleration” in just about all things retail made its way into the popular vernacular. Moreover, many media outlets and retail pundits declared that some trends—most notably grocery home delivery—were permanent sea changes. As it turns out, not so much.
Store Expansion May Not Be A Slam Dunk for Struggling Digitally Native Brands
LinkedIn
May 24, 2022
Warby Parker’s disappointing earnings report is just more evidence of what I call the profitless prosperity of disruptor brands. They join a growing list of retail innovators that are posting strongly growing revenues while their profits continue to worsen. Given that Warby is among the biggest and most mature DNVB’s (digitally native vertical brands) one would expect profit margins to be improving, rather than headed in the opposite direction.
Wayfair’s Earnings Miss Portends More Trouble For ‘Disruptor’ Brands
LinkedIn
May 12, 2022
Despite a red-hot home furnishings market, the supposed great acceleration of e-commerce (mostly not true), and a cumulative investment of many billions of dollars in infrastructure and marketing over 20 years, the company managed to post a 14% sales decrease for the quarter, a significant operating loss, burn through over $300 million in cash and bid adieu to both its chief financial officer and several million “active customers.”
A Good Reason To Call Out Bulls***
LinkedIn
April 21, 2022
As much as I kind of hate the notion of a personal brand, I suppose that if I did the Niche-Voice-Story thing, “provocative” and “denier of BS” might make the list.
The Myth Of The Great E-Commerce Acceleration
Import from forbes.com
April 19, 2022
One of the most pervasive retail industry narratives is the belief that e-commerce growth has been massively accelerated by the pandemic. It turns out it's not true.
What We Often Get Wrong About E-Commerce—And Why It Matters
Import from forbes.com
March 31, 2022
Like many things, it’s generally important to follow the money. Which is why how something is ordered is interesting, but understanding how demand is generated and ultimately fulfilled is essential.
Is Kohl’s New Strategy Merely A Slightly Better Version Of Mediocre?
Import from forbes.com
March 14, 2022
At another level, the plan risks being decidedly incremental—what I often call “a slightly better version of mediocre”—rather than moving them boldly toward becoming truly remarkable.
The ‘Profitless Prosperity’ Of Retail Disruptor Brands
Import from forbes.com
March 09, 2022
At one level, it is admirable that Wayfair, Casper and others have reset the consumer expectations bar on what certain types of products should cost, thereby propelling their ability to steal share from industry incumbents. But I could sell a lot of $20 bills for only $15.
The Stores Strike Back Again. Again.
Import from forbes.com
February 23, 2022
While the popular “retail apocalypse” narrative conveniently ignored the fact that thousands of stores were opening every year and that sales rung up in brick-and-mortar locations have had positive growth every year since 2009, something far more interesting began to happen.
What We Get So Very Wrong About Amazon’s Retail Profitability
Import from forbes.com
February 07, 2022
While we can see that AWS is a huge and growing cash cow, even on a relatively simplistic segment analysis basis, it’s pretty likely that North American Retail is generating plenty of cash.
10 No-Holds-Barred Predictions For Retail In 2022
Import from forbes.com
January 21, 2022
Predicting the future in the dynamic world of retail—particularly in the throes of a lingering pandemic—may be a fool’s errand. Nevertheless, I am at again.
The 6 New Forces Of The Covid Retail Economy
Forbes
March 17, 2021
As the pace of vaccinations increases, there is a sense that the worst of Covid-19’s impact will soon be behind us. Yet any notion of being in a truly post-pandemic world, even in a best-case virus mitigation and economic recovery scenario, won’t be fully realized for some time. Many of the changes brought about by the crisis will continue rippling through society (more broadly) and the retail ecosystem (more particularly).
9 Provocative Retail Predictions for 2021
Forbes
February 02, 2021
With so much uncertainty and volatility in the economy, it may be foolhardy to go out on a limb with any predictions. My crystal ball has certainly been faulty more than a few times. Nevertheless, I throw caution to the wind with my (mostly) educated guesses on what will turn out to be noteworthy in the VUCA world of retail this year.
Saks.com Spin-Out: Genius Move or Opportunistic Folly?
Forbes
January 25, 2021
If we have learned anything from the past two decades of retail disruption, it’s that notions of separate physical and digital shopping behavior are increasingly distinctions without a difference. The lines are blurring. Digital drives brick and mortar and vice versa. Indeed, the customer is the channel and retailers with a more harmonized and remarkable retail experience generally outperform those that have failed to break down silos. Having worked in this area—as a C-suite executive at two large retailers and subsequently as a consultant and analyst—for more than 20 years, I can confidently say this goes against what we know shoppers want, what drives operational efficiency and what is central to growing customer lifetime value.
Macy’s Must Learn That Bailing Doesn’t Fix The Hole
Forbes
January 07, 2021
Earlier this week, as part of a previously disclosed three-year store closure plan, Macy’s M +4.2% announced it would shutter an additional 45 locations this year. Like most of its moderate department store brethren, Macy’s has gone from being a highly productive, traffic-driving mall anchor tenant to a long-suffering, chronic underperformer. During the past five years, when the stock market has nearly doubled, Macy’s has lost about three quarters of its value.
Has Amazon Hit A Wall?
Import from forbes.com
July 30, 2019
While most companies would kill for what counts as "bad" growth rates at Amazon— and one quarter does not amount to a trend—pay attention when growth trends slow and margins start to compress.
What We Get Wrong Every Year About Amazon Prime Day
Import from forbes.com
July 14, 2019
You don't need to know any so-called retail prophets to be certain that the volume will be massive and that sales will be up considerably over last year.
With The RealReal's Blockbuster IPO, Is 'Recommerce' Retail's Next Big Thing?
Import from forbes.com
July 01, 2019
The luxury reseller raised $300 million in its initial public offering and saw its shares soar nearly 45% before settling in at at a market capitalization of $2.4 billion. Recommerce brands are garnering lots of attention, but what does the future hold?
Remarkable Retail: How to Win and Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption
LifeTree
April 13, 2021
Physical retail isn’t dead—but boring retail is! Remarkable Retail equips the savvy retailer with eight essential strategies to bounce back from the covid-19 downturn and thrive in the years to come.
Digital technology has profoundly altered the competitive landscape for retailers. Although the shutdown of 2020 didn’t cause this trend, it has dramatically accelerated it, collapsing retailers’ transformation timeline into a matter of months, not years. In Remarkable Retail, industry thought leader Steve Dennis argues that it’s no longer enough merely to offer convenience, decent prices, or an okay shopping experience. Even very good is no longer good enough. To win and keep customers today, retailers must be nothing short of remarkable.
Tags: Customer Experience, Digital Disruption, Retail
REMARKABLE RETAIL: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption
Lifetree Media
April 14, 2020
Despite the clickbait headlines that warn of a “retail apocalypse,” many brick and mortar retail brands are enjoying strong growth and profits. Others, however, are destined to become obsolete because they offer merely convenience, decent prices, or an okay shopping experience. In Remarkable Retail, industry thought leader Steve Dennis argues that retailers can no longer count on scarcity to drive sales, or settle for providing indifferent in-store experiences, because customers live online and have a wealth of choice and information at their fingertips.
Tags: Customer Experience, Digital Transformation, Retail
1 Founder
SageBerry Consulting
SageBerry Consulting
March 04, 2008
SageBerry Consulting provides strategic advisory services to the retail, fashion and luxury industries. With a focus on digital innovation, customer-centricity and omni-channel growth, SageBerry has worked..
Top Retail Influencers
Rethink Retail
January 03, 2022
This list is comprised of retail experts, consultants, analysts, academics, journalists, and thought leaders who are making an impact in retail in 2022.
Steve Dennis Speaker Reel
Steve Dennis
April 02, 2022
Steve Dennis is the go-to, tell-it-like-it-is expert on retail for national media outlets, an in-demand speaker and consultant.
Steve has been named a top 5 global retail influencer by multiple organizations.
His new book--REMARKABLE RETAIL: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption"--is now available for pre-order at Amazon and other leading book sellers
"Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be" with Steven Pressfield
REMARKABLE RETAIL
September 13, 2022
We're back with Part 2 of our provocative interview with Steven Pressfield, acclaimed screenplay writer (The Legend of Bagger Vance, among others) and bestselling author of fiction (A Man at Arms, Gates of Fire), as well as several ground-breaking non-fiction works on unlocking our creative potential, including the classic The War of Art, which has sold over 1 million copies worldwide
Slaying the Dragon of "Resistance" with Steven Pressfield
REMARKABLE RETAIL
September 06, 2022
Our guest this week is Steven Pressfield, acclaimed screenplay writer (The Legend of Bagger Vance, among others), bestselling fiction author (A Man at Arms, Gates of Fire) and, as you'll learn, a "servant to the Muse." But he's joining us to discuss his breakthrough efforts to help people walk through their fear to create and deliver their best work.
The Store As Brand Hub with Target SVP Nancy King
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April 19, 2022
Our guest this week is Nancy King, SVP, Product Engineering at Target who shares the remarkable story of her company's journey to omni-channel--or is it harmonized?--leadership. This episode provides a deep-dive, insider's perspective on how Target has embraced the blur of modern retail and put the
No Cake For You!: Celebrating Remarkable Retail's Birthday with special guest Sucharita Kodali
Import from wordpress feed
April 12, 2022
“I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations. If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of you
No Cake For You!: Celebrating Remarkable Retail's Birthday with special guest Sucharita Kodali
Remarkable Retail
April 11, 2022
On the 1st anniversary of the release of the revised and expanded 2nd edition of Steve's best-selling book Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption--which confusingly is also the 2nd anniversary of the 1st edition's release--we celebrate its success and impact with our very special guest Forrester Research VP & Principal Analyst Sucharita Kodali. Sucharita is not only one of retail's top thought leaders, but she was our very first guest on the podcast back in September of 2022 and she graciously wrote the Foreword to Remarkable Retail's 2nd edition.
Stepping Out in Style with Crocs President Michelle Poole
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April 05, 2022
Our guest this week is Michelle Poole, President of Crocs. As Crocs celebrates its 20th anniversary we dig into the remarkable growth story behind the increasingly iconic footwear company. We address head-on the polarizing (or is it fundamentally under-estimated?) nature of the brand and how Michell
Live from Las Vegas: Shoptalk 2022 Recap
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April 01, 2022
We're live and in-person together for the first time since we launched the Remarkable Retail podcast for this special bonus episode.Steve and Michael sit down together in the Vegas Podcasting Studio (i.e. Michael's hotel room!) on the third and final day of the Shoptalk 2022 show in Las Vegas and di
Rethink Retail's Top Influencers (Part 2): The Outlook for Retail in 2022.
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March 29, 2022
This episode we welcome our fellow "Rethink Retail Top Influencers" Cate Trotter, Hitha Herzog, and Rob Garf. Julia Raymond Hare and Gabriella Bock also join us to explain what the Rethink Retail's list is all about. But first we take on the news of the week, including what to make of Nike's
Rethink Retail's Top Influencers (Part 1): What's New & Next in Remarkable Retail
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March 22, 2022
This episode we welcome our fellow "Rethink Retail Top Influencers" Nikki Baird, Ricardo Belmar, and Alicia Esposito. Julia Raymond Hare and Gabriella Bock also join us to explain what the Rethink Retail's list is all about. But first we take on the news of the week, including the continuing "pro
Crafting a Compelling Omnichannel Strategy with guest Richard Armour, SVP eCommerce for Michaels Stores
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March 15, 2022
Richard Armour is a deeply experienced omni-channel retail executive having cut his teeth at Travelocity and Gamestop. Now he is helping drive the digital transformation for Michaels Stores, one of North America's largest provider of arts, crafts, framing, and more for makers and do-it-yourself home
The Great DTC v. Wholesale Debate with guest Simeon Siegel
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March 08, 2022
This episode we welcome Simeon Siegel, the retail rockstar analyst from BMO for a provocative discussion on whether going direct-to-consumer is all it's cracked up to be. In a Masterclass on retail growth strategies, we first clean up some of the often confusing nomenclature, then discuss whether wh
Why Does It Take A Crisis for Retailer's to Innovate?
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March 01, 2022
"The future is already here--it's just not very evenly distributed."- William Gibson In this episode we delve into why unremarkable retailers often struggle to make the changes they must until essentially being forced to, as well as what it takes to embrace a true culture of experimentation.Among t
The Stores Strike Back Again. Again.
Import from wordpress feed
February 22, 2022
“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”- Mark TwainTurns out physical retail isn't dead. In fact, brick & mortar retail seems to be undergoing a renaissance of sorts.In this episode we go sans guest, and delve into how a few savvy retailers (e.g Target) started seeing their stores a
The Citizenry Founders Talk Passion and Purpose
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February 15, 2022
We love lifting up emerging remarkable retailers that may not have (yet) hit our audience's radar screen. So this episode we welcome Rachel Bentley and Carly Nance, the co-founders of The Citizenry, the fast-growing, thoughtfully designed, ethically crafted, home furnishing company. We dig into the
Blow It Up? It's Time for "The Great Reconfiguration"
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February 08, 2022
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”- Henry Ford Is it possible that you are not changing as dramatically and profoundly as you should? Is it possible that many of the strategies that have brought you success may actually prevent future success? Is i
Remarkable Retail Gets Active with Vuori's CEO Joe Kudla
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February 01, 2022
This episode we welcome Joe Kudla, CEO and Founder of Vuori, the fast-growing Southern California-inspired activewear brand. Joe's journey is a fascinating one that anyone in retail and branding will enjoy and can learn from. We discuss the origin story of the company and discover how two big pivots
10 No-Holds-Barred Retail Predictions for 2022
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January 25, 2022
We go sans guest this week to unpack Steve's 2022 Retail Predictions, previewed in his recent Forbes article.We cover a lot of ground including future of certain unremarkable retailers, what's next for Amazon, the importance of understanding 'buying' vs. 'shopping' and more. We also unveil "The Grea
Ulta's Remarkable Growth Story featuring Dave Kimbell, CEO
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January 18, 2022
Our new season kick-off episode features an illuminating interview with Ulta CEO Dave Kimbell. Ulta has become one of the most remarkable growth stories in all of retail, growing from a small regional player to an $8 billion powerhouse with more than 1,300 stores and an expanding presence within Tar
Shift Happens: Get Ready for Season 4!
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January 11, 2022
This is Steve Dennis, trusted strategic advisor, keynote speaker and author of Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption.If the last two years has taught us anything it’s this: Shift Happens. But becoming and staying remarkable is not about predicting the future. It
Season Finale with Special Guest Scott Galloway
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December 21, 2021
We wrap up Season 3 with the inimitable, irrepressible and always provocative Scott Galloway. For those who have yet to jump on the Big Dawg train, Scott is a Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern, author of 3 best-selling books, podcast host, and the founder of Section4, where he teaches Strategy and
Fulfillment is More Than a Feeling: Featuring Fabric Co-founder & CEO Elram Goren
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December 14, 2021
As the battle for convenience continues to escalate the supply chain is becoming far more hybrid in nature and retailers are challenged to able to create a flexible--and profitable--solution for last-mile delivery.To unpack the evolution of the space and the exploding world of micro-fulfillment we'r
What's New & Next For Luxury Retail, with Karen Katz, Steve Sadove and Oliver Chen
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December 07, 2021
This week we've got a blockbuster panel featuring three of the most experienced and insightful veterans of the luxury world: Karen Katz (former President & CEO of the Neiman Marcus Group, Steve Sadove (former Chairman and CEO of Saks) and Oliver Chen (Managing director and senior equity research ana
Perch CEO Chris Bell Clearcuts His Way Through the Amazon Jungle
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November 30, 2021
We're joined by Chris Bell, CEO & Founder of Perch, one of the fastest growing and most acquisitive companies offering a platform to e-commerce brands leveraging "Fulfilled by Amazon" and other third party marketplaces. We learn how the model works, why the business model is attracting so much inves
The Profitless Prosperity of Disruptor Brands
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November 23, 2021
For more than a decade, digitally-native, vertically integrated brands (Warby Parker, Allbirds, et al)--as well as other innovative direct-to-consumer (companies (from Wayfair to Rent-the-Runway to Poshmark)--have sucked up a lot of attention in the industry and attracted many billions of venture ca
Everything You Wanted to Know About Private Brand (But Were Afraid To Ask!)
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November 16, 2021
Why are private branding strategies becoming increasingly important to the retail industry? We unpack this question in detail, first clarifying some often confusing terminology, while also making the important distinction between "private labels" and "private brands." Mostly we center the important
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Macy’s And Kohl’s Keep Running To Stand Still
My Bold Retail Predictions for 2023
Retail Moves From “The Great Acceleration” To “The Great Rebalancing.”
Store Expansion May Not Be A Slam Dunk for Struggling Digitally Native Brands
Wayfair’s Earnings Miss Portends More Trouble For ‘Disruptor’ Brands
A Good Reason To Call Out Bulls***
The Myth Of The Great E-Commerce Acceleration
What We Often Get Wrong About E-Commerce—And Why It Matters
After Earnings Whiff, Maybe Warby Parker Can Learn Something From Old-School DTC Brands
Is Kohl’s New Strategy Merely A Slightly Better Version Of Mediocre?
The ‘Profitless Prosperity’ Of Retail Disruptor Brands
Amazon’s Surprise Store Closings Are Much Ado About Nothing. Here’s Why.
The Stores Strike Back Again. Again.
What We Get So Very Wrong About Amazon’s Retail Profitability
10 No-Holds-Barred Predictions For Retail In 2022
The 6 New Forces Of The Covid Retail Economy
9 Provocative Retail Predictions for 2021
Saks.com Spin-Out: Genius Move or Opportunistic Folly?
Macy’s Must Learn That Bailing Doesn’t Fix The Hole
Retail Predictions For 2019: A Midyear Status Report
Has Amazon Hit A Wall?
The Toys Are Back In Town: A Reimagined Toys ‘R’ Us Returns
Here We Go Again. Can Barneys Survive In Luxury's New World?
What We Get Wrong Every Year About Amazon Prime Day
With The RealReal's Blockbuster IPO, Is 'Recommerce' Retail's Next Big Thing?
Remarkable Retail: How to Win and Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption
REMARKABLE RETAIL: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digital Disruption
SageBerry Consulting
Top Retail Influencers
"Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be" with Steven Pressfield
Slaying the Dragon of "Resistance" with Steven Pressfield
The Store As Brand Hub with Target SVP Nancy King
No Cake For You!: Celebrating Remarkable Retail's Birthday with special guest Sucharita Kodali
No Cake For You!: Celebrating Remarkable Retail's Birthday with special guest Sucharita Kodali
Ulta's Remarkable Growth Story featuring Dave Kimbell, CEO
Shift Happens: Get Ready for Season 4!
