Blow It Up? It's Time for "The Great Reconfiguration"

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”

- Henry Ford

Is it possible that you are not changing as dramatically and profoundly as you should? Is it possible that many of the strategies that have brought you success may actually prevent future success? Is it possible that you aren't moving nearly fast enough?

In this provocative episode we take on the question of whether retail brands need to embark on a radical rethinking of their operating model, eschewing one-size-fits-all models in favor a hybrid, platform approach to delivering customer value. Is it time for a blank-sheet approach to business strategy? How do we embrace creative destruction and an un-bundling and re-bundling of the component pieces of our strategy to create a remarkable growth strategy? Is Nike's reconceptualization of their strategy a great example of brands we might emulate? How should we respond to change that is more exponential than linear? We take on all this and more.

But first we open up with retail stories that caught our attention this week, most notably Amazon's earnings and the big reveal on their massive advertising business. We also dip into how retail looks to be rebalancing, the race for Peloton and press releases that might have been better left unsent.

Jason Goldberg's Forbes article: Amazon Reveals Its Most Profitable Business.

Photo by Matthew Lancaster on Unsplash

Steve's articles:

What We Get So Very Wrong About Amazon's Retail Profitability

The New Era of Hybridization Creates Unparalleled Opportunities.

Always Be Testing.

Steve's 2022 Retail Predictions.

About Us

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks , The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext! You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets: Your code is "REMARKABLE" . See you in the Big Apple!

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.