News Room

Influencing consumer decisions is a priority for retailers, and in this quickly growing digital age it’s becoming more important to understand how and where to target them. Already, consumers’ every click is being tracked to see what products they like and dislike. And yes, that means even you're being followed. So how do retailers track and use that information to increase sales?

A mantra is posted everywhere at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Kenosha, Wis.:  

Work hard. Have fun. Make history. 

Indeed, employees at the distribution hub 65 miles north of Chicago appear to be working hard—certainly maintaining a brisk pace—as they pick and pack orders near wheeled robots and display screens. A network of conveyor belts whisks sealed boxes toward cargo bays, where a worker hand-fits the boxes into trailers.

Popular stores such as Macy’s, Old Navy, Gap, Kohl’s, and American Apparel have closed hundreds of stores in the past few years. Given the rapid rate of store closures, the future of physical retail is in question. How can brick and mortar stores compete with online retailers like Amazon?

Richard Larson had to confront himself. He spoke of a moment when he literally looked into the mirror — "that's it," he thought. It was time to read what he wrote.