Blythe Jack, partner at TSG Consumer Group, joins Shopcast to talk about the psychology of the consumer and how it affects retailers. What is a 'fear-based society' and what does it mean for what consumers are searching for? There is a linkage to psychological needs and how it's manifesting in the market - these needs drive consumer behavior, and how they spend their money. There are certain sectors that are booming due to these needs and trends towards health, mindfulness and self-care for the consumer. However, there are also other sectors such as the pet industry that are being affected. Michael Dart and Blythe Jack take a deep dive into the consumer behavior behind these trends, on this episode of Shopcast. We want to hear from you! Please send us an email at [email protected] for feedback or topic requests.

Michael Dart welcomes Don Unser, Retail Group President of NPD Group and Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Advisor of the NPD Group to discuss the current state of retail after this holiday season, and political climate. Which companies are surviving, and even thriving today? Three key takeaways are discussed: Online threats are still causing a lot of anxiety for retailers and investor community, the data potentially points to lack of confidence in long-term consumer spending; there's been a boom but household debt is at all-time highs, and finally, political uncertainty and potential global trade wars, which would have a big impact on the consumer and where they'd be spending money. Which sectors still have high growth potential, and which demographics are expected to increase spend in the near term? For feedback or to reach out, email [email protected]

Join Michael Dart as he interviews Brian Nightengale, Senior Vice President, Community & Specialty Pharmacy of AmerisourceBergen and President of Good Neighbor Pharmacy. They discuss healthcare and retail pharmacy trends and challenges as consumers shift from interacting with pharmacies only when diagnosed with treatment options to someone who is taking more ownership of their well-being. They also discuss the concept of pill-phobic, the phenomenon of consumers disliking taking medicine when diagnosed (being identified as not well), but the same people are very willing to go online and buy products on recommendations from family and friends to improve overall well-being.

Michael Dart welcomes Steve Bratspies, Chief Merchandising Officer of Walmart and A.T. Kearney alum to Shopcast to discuss how retailers are adapting to the changes in customer demands. For example, purchasing through mobile devices, and how retailers are leveraging technology to enhance the experience and bring more customers into stores. Steve speaks on how Walmart is changing the customer experience to bring more customers into physical stores, like grocery pick-up which is expanding to 2,000 by the end of 2018. How does this affect retailers’ business models? Questions or feedback? We'd like to know your thoughts - email us at [email protected].

Michael Dart welcomes author and acclaimed Wharton professor of retail, Barbara Kahn, to discuss how leading companies like Walmart, Warby Parker, Sephora and fast fashion have grown their customer base in the past few turbulent years. How has Warby Parker been able to grow and open stores, and Sephora drawn customers away from department stores when other retailers have begun to fail? Read more in Kahn's The Shopping Revolution. Questions, suggestions, comments? Email us at [email protected], we welcome your feedback!

Gerald Rittenberg, former CEO and Executive Chairman of Party City and Dana Telsey, CEO and Chief Research Officer of Telsey Advisory Group join Michael Dart on this episode of Shopcast. They discussed the creation of Party City and building the brand, as well as investing and building businesses and what drives success while investing in retail today. Suggestions or questions? Contact [email protected] as we welcome your feedback!

Lauren Hirsch, CNBC Reporter on retail and Pam Danziger, author, luxury retail expert, and contributor to Forbes join host Michael Dart to discuss hot topics in retail and current events. Have ideas, questions, topics or guests you'd like to see on Shopcast? Email [email protected]! We love feedback.

Hot topics on this episode include e-Commerce’s impact on retail especially for digitally native brands, Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods and what their influence on their platform means for suppliers. Michael Dart welcomes Charlie Cole, Chief Digital Officer of TUMI and Global Chief eCommerce Officer for Samsonite Corp and A.T. Kearney principal Bahige El-Rayes to discuss e-commerce, and global mergers and acquisitions.

Michael Dart and his guest, Robin Lewis, CEO of The Robin Report, discuss strategies of a few retailers and their current performances. They go through the outlooks of big traditional retailers, and what they need to be considering in the landscape now. Michael also goes into Amazon's retail business and where they can expand.

In this episode of Shopcast, Michael Dart is joined by David Jaffe, CEO of Ascena Retail, the parent company of brands such as Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and Maurice's. The topics for today include how brands create a platform and negotiate shared services in customer acquisition, and the future of stores.

Michael Dart welcomes the Chief Executive Officer of Rubicon Organics, Jesse McConnell. Rubicon Organics is an industry leader in the North American Organic Cannabis Market. Tune in to hear the conversation around regulations and growth in the industry, the business divide in medicinal and recreational types and branding of their product. Later, A.T. Kearney partner and consumer industries expert Dave Donnan joins the conversation too.