Slow down. The businesses that are thriving are the ones that have resisted the pressure to be everything to everyone, all at once. Know who you are, know your customer, and go deep rather than wide. Relationships built over time are what sustain you, not the transaction or the trend. — Lori Hirshleifer
Retailers that solely focus on efficiency are missing the point. It’s good to embrace technology, but not for the sole purpose of efficiency. Retailers should eliminate friction when it burdens the consumer, while still prioritizing the discovery and moments of delight that make shopping enjoyable. — Neil Blumenthal, co-founder, Warby Parker
There’s just so much in life today that’s automated and impersonal, so I think that the industry’s greatest strength is that the industry can offer the human touch. I think that we all still crave human connection. –– Jeffrey Kalinsky, founder, Jeffrey
US retail needs to hire more visionary executives. People like Richard Dickson reinventing the Gap is an example of what’s still possible. The industry also needs to support more independent designers so that every store doesn’t have the same collections. — Fern Mallis
Invest in retailer jobs
In recent years, especially post-Covid, the retail industry has struggled to attract and retain talent. A career in retail isn’t considered as desirable as it once was, despite being one of the largest sectors in the US with a clear trajectory for advancement. A store manager is a business owner: they are leading a team, building client relationships, engaging with their community, and managing a P&L. It is this level of autonomy, agility, and creativity that will define the next chapter of American retail. — Pierre-Yves Roussel, CEO, Tory Burch
Not enough people think of retail as a long-term career, even though it’s one of the top employers in the country. The industry needs more people who can blend creativity and technology to optimize operations and create experiences that inspire customers. That’s why institutions like the Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School play such an important role in cultivating the talent and leadership for the future. — Neil Blumenthal
I’m not sure we have the definitive answer for how to do this across the industry, but we’d love to bring back the idea of retail as a viable long-term career. It’s an awesome and honorable profession. Somewhere along the way, over the past few decades, it’s become a placeholder… something you do on the way to a ‘real’ career. But that perception — and we’d call it a mistaken one — has more to do with how the industry has structured itself than with the work itself. — Ann Mashburn, designer and founder
At its best, retail is relationship work. The best sales associates build trust with you. They’re less like closers and more like counselors, with a deep knowledge of their customers’ lives, wardrobes, and needs. That kind of work is a true skill and it deserves more honor than we give it in conversation today. If the industry invests in the people doing this work — training, longevity, building cultures where relationships matter as much as sales volume — better customer service will follow naturally. And if you provide better customer service, you’ll get more people interested in joining in. It’s a cycle. It’s almost like retail recruitment needs a PR campaign. We don’t have all the answers, but we’d like to be a part of elevating the profession again. — Sid Mashburn
