Earlier this month, I visited Amazon Go and Starbucks Roastery. They’re at opposite ends of the technology/human spectrum.

“The living room is the new dressing room.” - Miki Berardelli, Kidbox CEO

I heard this shortly after telling someone that home is a shopping channel. If a fashion retailer doesn’t have a home strategy, it may be multichannel but I don't think I can say it’s omnichannel.

A number of companies are jumping in to build more distinct CPG brands and subscription programs and to prevent such categories from being forever solidified as commodities. Here are three I'm personally using and loving.

This is the first part in a series I’ll use to explore retail (likely offline, but could be online) that emphasizes product discovery over - or in ways equal to - immediate sales.

If you’ve followed Ron Johnson from Target to Apple to in-and-out of JC Penney, you know his latest effort is as Founder/CEO of Enjoy. All in all, I see Enjoy-type service being a competitive advantage for brands that use it. It’s hard to beat this level of - free - personal service that came at 1 PM on a Sunday following my order at 11 PM Saturday night.

On Friday, I visited the Dyson Demo store. I had read about it and, while I'm not in the market for a vacuum cleaner, what's the point of a retail store anymore if it's not a helpful experience with some form of product trial?*

In the past week, I read two articles that left me thinking about the purpose of physical retail stores

With links to inspiration and #GoodNewsRetail I like.

Based on personal experience, I recommend GiftNow for consumers and retailers alike.

Four brands took an Instagram marketing tactic that’s become stale and created a cross-brand customer experience in Soho

How big a role does brand play in people’s decisions about where to work out? Regardless of its significance now, I think its importance will increase as fitness companies continue to define and amplify their brands.

Looking at stores I’ve visited recently (here and here) and what’s next on my list (future visits coming via Instagram Stories) and paying close attention to my daily inclinations, I have two main thoughts.

Someone visiting town for the holidays asked me what retail to see while in New York. I could go on and on (and on) but here's what came to mind first. Please comment or tweet and tell me what you'd add! 

By now, we know Alibaba's 11.11 Global Shopping Festival broke all sales records this year. But there are two lesser-discussed parts of 11.11 that are reflective of Alibaba's broader strategy and the company's - and China's - growing influence on global brands.

The best thing about Amazon making shopping boring is that stores - at the least the good ones - are being reborn as shopping experiences. And not just shopping, but education and community, as shown at ADAY in the thumbnail image.

Walmart and Nike both have taken dramatic action recently, but only one company's tale is being told as that of disruption.

As Amazon closes in on estimates it will account for half of all online retail sales by 2021, networks that forge alliances among non-Amazon players have sprung up. I'm really curious how many more there will be and the extent to which Amazon-indoctrinated consumers will adopt them.

At the Brit + Co #CreateGood pop-up in Soho, worlds converge as the media company for women advertises its own platform, while bringing other brands to life inside its "5-day experience of all things good". Truth be told, #CreateGood uses these brands to round out Brit + Co IRL by providing visitors with sustenance and entertainment.

I attended TAP 2017 last week and I'm excited about how Button is addressing the gap between affiliate marketing effectiveness on desktop vs. on mobile.

Let's make retail connections. Have an opening? Looking for a job? I know of roles and candidates.