Consumerism Is Back In A Whole New Way: Doug Stephens On The Retail Revival
"I think [we are living in] unquestionably the most exciting time in business, certainly in consumerism...I think in history," retail speaker Doug Stephens explained in a keynote speech. Radical changes are happening in economics, demographics, and in media and technology, he says. These changes—and what they mean for those in the retail and sales industries specifically—are outlined in his new book, The Retail Revival: Reimagining Business for the New Age of Consumerism. The book is now available for pre-order, and will be officially launched on March 1st.
Rapid change is often hard to wrap our heads around. "We're conditioned to be skeptical, I think," says Stephens. "We're trying to rationalize change, we're trying to put change into a context that makes it tolerable." The sheer speed at which the world is changing can be overwhelming and we tend to be resistant to change until we can better understand it. That's why it takes a while for new technological breakthroughs and ideas to permeate into mass society. When technology penetrates into the mass market, it then becomes socially interesting—but the companies who are aware of these technologies before they become mainstream are the ones who have a head start. That's why you have to look beyond what is popular now—and be able to forecast what will become popular in the future.
That's where Stephens comes in. In his new book, he documents the massive shifts we have seen in industry over the past several decades, and explains how companies can be more innovative in the future. We are in the midst of a unique revival of the retail sector, he argues, that is poised to completely redefine the way we think about the industry as a whole. Using his experience working with some of the biggest companies in the world, Stephens presents key insights in his keynotes that lay out where we've been in the past, how things have drastically changed today, and how dramatically things are set to change in the future.
Rapid change is often hard to wrap our heads around. "We're conditioned to be skeptical, I think," says Stephens. "We're trying to rationalize change, we're trying to put change into a context that makes it tolerable." The sheer speed at which the world is changing can be overwhelming and we tend to be resistant to change until we can better understand it. That's why it takes a while for new technological breakthroughs and ideas to permeate into mass society. When technology penetrates into the mass market, it then becomes socially interesting—but the companies who are aware of these technologies before they become mainstream are the ones who have a head start. That's why you have to look beyond what is popular now—and be able to forecast what will become popular in the future.
That's where Stephens comes in. In his new book, he documents the massive shifts we have seen in industry over the past several decades, and explains how companies can be more innovative in the future. We are in the midst of a unique revival of the retail sector, he argues, that is poised to completely redefine the way we think about the industry as a whole. Using his experience working with some of the biggest companies in the world, Stephens presents key insights in his keynotes that lay out where we've been in the past, how things have drastically changed today, and how dramatically things are set to change in the future.
