Hyper Adoption and Hyper Abandonment…Augmented and Virtual Reality…Conversational Commerce…Artificial Intelligence…Block chain…the Internet of Things…chatbots: The list of disruptive forces converging on retail is indeed long. And while there are certainly days when this era of constant and rapid change can be intimidating, on most days at Aptos we think it’s an extremely exciting time to be in retail. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to play a small – but not insignificant – role in helping to determine the future of retail.
We take very seriously our opportunity to be a part of the future of this incredible industry, and as such, our industry experts, client representatives and thought leaders spend a lot of time observing, analyzing and documenting experiences, trends and technologies that they believe have the potential to help define the future of retail.
Their forecasts and projections are typically presented as blog posts, eBooks, podcasts, white papers, and videos, many of which are collected here to make it easy for you to understand – and perhaps take advantage of – our collective point of view on how the future of retail will take shape…in the not too distant future.

– Infographic –
Wondering what the future holds for Blockchain, and how that future intersects with retail? Check out our Playbook of Blockchain Possibilities in Retail for examples of blockchain applications that we think have a chance of scoring with retailers, and how quickly they might cross the goal line.

– eBook –
The future of retail will, without question, be shaped by retailers that best adapt to shifting shopper expectations for meaningful experiences in the store. In this eBook, 7 retail experts share strategic advice as well as tactical tips and best practices for creating the store experience of the future.

– Podcast –
Doug Stephens, aka “The Retail Prophet,” sat down with Aptos for an engaging, interactive and insightful conversation. During this 25-minute interview, Doug shares his opinions on brand sustainability and the unconventional strategies he believes retail brands must adopt in order to have staying power in the near – and long-term future.

– eBook –
As customer expectations evolve (and escalate), most experts believe that pop-up shops will play a major role in the future of retail. This insightful and informative eBook looks at the current state of the pop-up industry and recommends new approaches for taking your store to the experience.

– Checklist –
For those seriously considering adding pop-up shops to their experience strategy, Melissa Gonzalez, founder and Chief Pop-Up Architect at The Lionesque Group, recommends 10 things retails should consider before investing in pop-ups.

– Blog –
Aptos Vice President Peter Charness reports on the hot topics discussed during a pair of lively panel discussion during our Thinking Retail Symposiums earlier this year. Executives from REI, Moncler, AW Lab, Finish Line, Urban Outfitters, Boston Retail Partners and Columbus Consulting joined the expert panels. In this informative post, Peter summarizes what he found to be the most pressing and impactful trends and strategies discussed across both panels.

– Podcast –
During this enlightening episode of The Retail Experience Project podcast series, Laura Davis-Taylor, Co-founder and Principal Consultant of The High Street Collective, discusses how digital strategy, emotional currency and internal alignment will light your path to the optimized CX of the future. Laura references real examples from 20 years of designing and consulting on retail experiences for some of the world’s most cutting-edge and successful retailers and brands.

– eBook –
Explore the rapidly-arriving future of conversational commerce in this well-researched report full of opinions and insight, including the opinions of Jeff Roster of IHL and Paula Rosenblum of Retail Systems Research. Jeff and Paula share their opinions and critiques of our point of view in the margins of our latest eBook, produced in a compelling format inspired by J J Abrams’ novel ‘S.’

– Video –
London Telegraph Business Reporter Alastair Greener sits down with Aptos Executives Ian Rawlins and Richard Willis to discuss how a unified view of the customer is a critical step to successfully meeting shopper expectations in the not-too-distant future of retail.