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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?
Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption
amazon
March 12, 2024
This book takes leaders on a courageous journey of self-reflection, personal accountability, and growth, exposing the ways in which our ego defects, blind spots, confirmation bias, and defense mechanisms get in the way of the progress we need to make
Tags: Digital Transformation, Digital Disruption, Innovation
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
A Baker's Dozen of Provocative Predictions for Retail in 2024
Import from wordpress feed
January 30, 2024
Once again it's time for Steve's annual retail predictions--and this list doesn't just go to eleven it goes to thirteen!Steve's provocative prognostications include "the bifurcation of just about everything," the culling of the unicorn herd, thoughts on the future of Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Nordstr
Remarkable On Purpose with Patagonia's Angela Clark
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January 23, 2024
Angela Clark, Patagonia's VP of Digital--and one of retail's most celebrated and experienced e-commerce leaders--joins us to discuss driving digital transformation and how purpose is integral to Patagonia's strategy. She drops a ton of wisdom gleaned from her roles at multiple brands on the leading
BONUS EPISODE: Rounding Out NRF Big Show Global Insights with Kate Ancketill, Founder CEO, of GDR Creative Intelligence, and Alberto Serrentino, Founder Varese Retail
Import from wordpress feed
January 19, 2024
We have a special bonus episode for you today; hot on the heels of the NRF Big Show, we reached out to two Retail Experts who graced the stage in New York, all the way from the U.K. and Brazil to get a more global take on the significant trends and the year in retail ahead, from London, Kate Ancket
Generative AI and the Next Wave of Retail Disruption with Carrie Tharp, VP Strategic Industries at Google Cloud
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January 16, 2024
We're back with Season 8 and kick it off with one of the industry's leading thought leaders--Carrie Tharp, VP Strategic Industries at Google Cloud. With her past experience in senior leadership at Fossil Group, Neiman Marcus, and Travelocity, and current board roles at the National Retail Federation
Leap to Higher Ground: Get Ready for Season 8 of the Remarkable Retail Podcast
Import from wordpress feed
January 09, 2024
Did you know that 2024 is a leap year? Are you prepared to make the leaps you must to win the epic battle between being remarkable or risking irrelevance as the pace of change accelerates, as the bar for performance gets raised higher and higher? As increasingly Fortune favors the bold, are you read
Season Finale: Ira Kalish, Deloitte's Chief Global Economist Looks Ahead to 2024
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December 26, 2023
We mark the close of our seventh season with a return visit from Ira Kalish, Deloitte's Chief Global economist, who helps us look back at how 2023 unfolded and gives us a glimpse into the macro-economic outlook for the year ahead. In a wide ranging conversation we delve into the possibility for a so
Does Steve Make The Grade?: 2023 Predictions Recap (Part 2)
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December 19, 2023
As we reach the penultimate episode of Season 7, it's time to grade Steve on his annual predictions. In the second installment of a two-part episode, Michael takes out his virtual chalkboard to assess the final batch of Steve's prognostications, which include a year of trading down, a tale of two ci
Does Steve Make The Grade: 2023 Predictions Recap (Part 1)
Import from wordpress feed
December 12, 2023
We're all about accountability on the Remarkable Retail podcast, so as we get close to wrapping up Season 7, it's time to grade Steve on his annual predictions. In part one of a two-part episode, Michael takes out his virtual chalkboard as we assess the first batch of Steve's prognostications on a d
"You Can Pay Me Now or You Can Pay Me Later" with Afterpay's Co-Founder Nick Molnar
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December 05, 2023
This episode we welcome Nick Molnar, co-founder of AfterPay, the pioneering buy now pay later (BNPL) company acquired by Block (formerly Square) in 2021. At a time when BNPL is capturing headlines due to its rapid growth this holiday season, we engage in a wide-ranging conversation with one the sect
You Can't Spell Retail Without "AI" featuring Michael Affronti, SVP/General Manager Commerce Cloud at Salesforce
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November 28, 2023
This episode we welcome Michael Affronti, the SVP & General Manager of the Commerce Cloud business at Salesforce for a fascinating look at the rapidly evolving world of generative AI. In an expansive, yet highly practical, discussion Michael helps us separate the hope from the hype and "chalks the f
Stepping Out in Style with Crocs President Michelle Poole (E)
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November 21, 2023
Welcome to a special encore episode featuring Michelle Poole, President of Crocs. 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 Michelle has turned tha
Cutting Through the Retail Technology Clutter with Brendan Witcher, VP & Principal Analyst, Forrester
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November 14, 2023
We welcome Brendan Witcher, Forrestor's VP & Principal Analyst back to the pod to get his always insightful and provocative perspectives on retailer's priorities for 2024. He helps us separate the real from the imagined with a preview of his upcoming report on where retailers are placing their bets
What's Next for Consumers with Kristina Roger's, EY's Global Consumer Lead
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November 07, 2023
Joining us this week is Kristina Rogers, EY's Global Consumer Lead. We leverage Kristina's vast experience working with retailers and consumer brands around the world to get her perspectives on which consumer behaviors are most critical to understand and respond to. We discuss which Covid behaviors
Exclusive Preview of Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption
Import from wordpress feed
October 31, 2023
This week we get a glimpse into Steve's forthcoming new book, now available for pre-order just about everywhere books are sold.With Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption Steve goes beyond retail and provides a unique take on why so many strategic transformations fail acr
The Remarkable House of Brands That Is LVMH with Anish Melwani, Chairman & CEO, North America
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October 24, 2023
Our guest this week is Anish Melwani, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, North America. LVMH is the home to 75 distinguished Houses rooted in six different sectors and includes some of the most iconic global luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany, Bulgari, Sephora, and many more.We explo
An Elfing Remarkable Growth Story with Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty
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October 17, 2023
Our guest this week is Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, the fast-growing cosmetics company that has made a name for itself with high quality, inexpensive beauty products. Laurie helps us understand the origin of the brand and some of the keys to its remarkable success. We dig into h
Grocery Retail and the Accelerating Pace of Disruption with Lindsey Mazza and Stewart Samuel
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October 10, 2023
Our final episode recorded live at GroceryShop in the Vantage podcast studio features two of the world's leading experts on all things retail: Lindsey Mazza, Global Retail Lead at CapGemini and Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures at IGD. In a wide ranging conversation we delve into the impo
The 1:1 Future is Now: Barbara Connors, VP of Strategy & Acceleration at 84.51°/Kroger
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October 03, 2023
Joining us for our second episode recorded live in the Vantage remote podcast studio at Groceryshop is Barbara Connors, Vice President of Strategy & Acceleration at 84.51° Kroger's retail data science, insights and media company. We start out big picture with Barbara's view of how consumer pref
Live from GroceryShop: Three Top VC's Dish on the Future of Retail Tech
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September 26, 2023
Our third anniversary episode features the first of three episodes recorded live at GroceryShop in the Vantage podcast studio. We welcome three rock star venture capitalists--Ashley Hartman (Bluestein Ventures), Matt Nichols (Commerce Ventures), and Kevin Parakkattu (Plug and Play) --who share their
Ways to Be Remarkable: Edit to Amplify
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September 19, 2023
On this episode we debut a new segment, designed to recommend specific paths and actions to become truly remarkable. Leveraging material from Steve's best-selling book, consulting work, and keynote speaking, we go deep on a concept first popularized by Nike CEO Mark Parker. At its core, "editing to
Remarkably Local: Our Interview with Canadian Tire CEO Greg Hicks
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September 12, 2023
Joining us for a wide-ranging interview on how a more than 100 year old retailer stays relevant is Greg Hicks, CEO of Canadian Tire. We start with some history, tracing the evolution of one of North America's most successful retailers from its modest beginnings as a tire shop to today's diverse port
Retail's Escalating Commitment to a Failing Course of Action
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September 05, 2023
The retail graveyard is already filled with brands that failed to transform for the new age of retail and many household names (JC Penney, Gap, Macy's, and more) are edging ever closer to the precipice. Despite the profound shifts in retail during the past decades, these iconic brands continue to fa
The Profitless Prosperity of Disruptor Brands (E)
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August 29, 2023
Welcome to a special encore episode of the podcast, where we open up the back catalogue and share some of our favourite and most popular episodes that are worth a second (or perhaps your first) listen.Today, we bring you our update and perspectives on The Profitless Prosperity of Disruptor Brands wi
The Beauty of Innovation with Ophelia Ceradini, former VP, Digital Technology & Innovation Group at Estée Lauder
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August 22, 2023
Joining us for our final episode recorded live at last month's Lead Innovation Summit is Ophelia Ceradini, recently departed VP, Digital Technology & Innovation Group at Estée Lauder Companies Online. In a wide-ranging interview we go inside Estee Lauder's innovation process, digging into what inpu
Honey, I Shrunk The Store: Retailers Go Smaller to Grow Bigger (E)
Import from wordpress feed
August 15, 2023
Welcome to a special encore episode of the podcast, where we open up the back catalogue and share some of our favourite and most popular episodes that are worth a second (or perhaps your first) listen. Today we bring you our update and perspectives on small format stores for big retail brands. We
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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?
Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption
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
A Baker's Dozen of Provocative Predictions for Retail in 2024
Remarkable On Purpose with Patagonia's Angela Clark
