Retail's 10 Most Influential
Technology after technology continue to be introduced as retailers push the innovation envelope, but who is setting the agenda? In their look at retail's most innovative Vend ranks the industry insiders with the greatest influence on retail. The list of the top influencers is packed with the retail journalists, bloggers, analysts and consultants that are helping shape the future of the industry. Here is a quick look at the top 10 retail influencers according to Vend. The individual names have been linked to Twitter for easy access to their profiles: 1. Nicole Reyhle. Reyhle is the founder, publisher and editor of Retail Minded Magazine. The publication's Partner Program reaches over 150,000 retailers nationwide per issue, connecting with retailers on subject matters that include in-store operations, employee management, online retail, trade show resources, marketing matters, merchandising tips, and more. In addition, Reyhle is a contributor to Forbes and author of Retail 101. 2. Bob Phibbs. Phibbs is the CEO of the Retail Doctor and a professional speaker on retail sales, training and marketing. He is a frequent source on marketing and branding for MSNBC, Fox and others. His clients include some of the largest retail brands in the world including Bernina, Hunter Douglas, Lego, Omega timepieces, Hearts on Fire diamonds, Husqvarna, Tommy Bahama, Vera Bradley and Yamaha.
3. Shep Hyken. He is the CEO of Customer Service Training and a customer service expert and keynote speaker. Hyken works with companies who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. He is a National Speakers Association Hall of Fame member for lifetime achievement in the professional speaking industry. 4. George Anderson. Anderson is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of RetailWire. He is the face of the media brand and is routinely quoted in MarketWatch Radio, Dow Jones Newswires, Arkansas Business, Wall Street Journal Radio and other media outlets.
5. Clare Rayner. Rayner is a retail expert, consumer champion, High Street campaigner, professional speaker, non-exec Director, author and columnist. She is a frequent press contributor, having been quoted in/written for Daily Mail, Guardian, Sun, Mirror, Retail Week and a range of other publications. She has written two books: "The Retail Champion: 10-Steps to Retail Success" and "How to Sell to Retailers: The Secrets of Getting Your Products to Market." 6. Doug Stephens. Stephens is the founder and president of Retail Prophet, a specialty advisory services company to the retail industry. He is a leading retail industry futurist and an in-demand retail speaker. His clients include Citibank, Air Miles, Intel, WestJet, Ace Hardware, Razorfish, and Target.
7. Glynn Davis. Davis is the founder of Retailinsider.com. He is a business writer who primarily covers the retail industry along with pubs and beer. Retailinsider.com is a free-to-subscribe blog/website that "takes a look behind the obvious on the high street, online and in the city."
8. Fiona Briggs. Briggs is the editor of the retail news portal Retail Times. She is a retail business journalist with over 20 years of experience.
9. Neil Saunders. Saunders is the managing director of Conlumino, a retail research agency and consulting firm, focusing on all aspects of retailing and consumer behavior.
10. Annette Franz. Gleneicki. Gleneicki is a retail blogger whose position is that the customer experience is an ever-evolving journey. When companies think about the big picture, the entire customer journey, they show their desire to build trusted, not transactional, relationships.
