Column: ‘The new retail strategy: think like a brand, act like a publisher’

June 24, 2025

If you want to survive today, you have to be more than a retailer. You have to think like a brand, act like a retailer and work like a publisher. Sounds complicated? Don’t worry, I will explain it to you step by step.

Think like a brand: more than selling

The retail world has been turned upside down. Classic models no longer suffice in a market where customers expect more than just a good price or fast delivery. So how can things be done better?

Say you buy a T-shirt from Patagonia. Not just any T-shirt, but a Patagonia. Why do you choose Patagonia and not a cheaper alternative from an unknown brand? Simple: Patagonia’s values fit you, so the brand says something about who you are or want to be.

This is exactly what retailers need to understand today: customers don’t buy products, they buy meaning. They want brands that connect to their lives, their dreams, their moments of joy or sorrow. Think of a first day of school, a new job, a birthday party – those micro-moments are golden opportunities to build an emotional connection.

Retailers who focus only on price, rotation, stock or square footage are missing the point. The future lies with brands that link emotion and experience with data and technology. Who know how to elicit a smile, even on a return. Or can make consumers genuinely enthusiastic about connected washing machines, as Coolblue ‘end boss’ Pieter Zwart can.

Act like a retailer: fast, smart and strategic

OK, emotion is important – but let’s face it: without strong retail performance, you won’t make it. Trust comes not only from a nice story, but also from hard numbers: is the delivery on time? Is the price right? Is the service top notch?

So retail remains rock-solid top sport. Think fast testing, fast winning, fast failing – and above all: learning from it. The best retailers carry out small experiments every day: a new shelf layout, a different promotion, a different opening sentence on the website. They measure, learn, adjust. And they do so at lightning speed.

According to a report by EY, there are six major growth opportunities for retailers. One is rethinking retail space: a shop is no longer just a place to sell, but a service hub, an event space, a media stage. Today, the old “moment of truth” – the moment when the customer decides – has become the “moment of trust”. You have to earn that trust every day.

Retail is media: your customer is your channel

Retailers often think: media, that’s something for newspapers, TV or influencers. But that idea is outdated. Retail has become media itself. Think of your website, your receipt, your shop, your newsletter, your app – every contact moment is an opportunity to tell a story, deepen a customer relationship, or even sell ads.

New revenue models like retail media can make all the difference: advertisers want to pay to be visible on your channel – when you have the customer’s attention. Look at Amazon or Walmart Connect: they have turned their platforms into advertising networks. They don’t just sell products, they sell visibility. Brands pay them to be at the top of search results, to be highlighted, to have personalised advertising. And that is no longer an afterthought, it is core business.

What successful retailers understand is this: people are media. Customers share experiences, like, tag, write reviews. And these are all powerful signals, provided you listen. By combining creative strategies with commercial data, retailers can predict what works, when, for whom.

So the question is no longer: how do I sell more? But: how do I tell a story that people want to follow and share? At our retailhunt in Seoul, we got great examples at Gentle Monster and Ader Error. They use their shops as media. Millions of selfies spread by people tell their story.

Act like a publisher: connect, surprise, earn

Want to play along in tomorrow’s retail? Then you need to think like a publisher. Like a newspaper or magazine does: with editorial planning, thematic content, seasonal campaigns and, above all, relevance.

A publisher knows: if you lose readers, you lose your raison d’être. The same applies to retailers: no engagement, no sales. That requires systems that support both creative and commercial agility, translating insights from customer data into campaigns, content and conversion.

The shop of tomorrow is a place where inspiration, information and transaction come together. A showroom for products, a stage for stories, a platform for interaction. And that applies not only physically, but certainly also digitally. Whether you sell shampoo, socks or smartphones: your customer wants to understand what you mean to him. Not only today, but also tomorrow.

Conclusion: the new retailer is a hybrid player

Whoever operates retail today as they did ten years ago will be irrelevant tomorrow. The old structure – separate departments for marketing, sales and IT – no longer works. Everything is connected: brand strategy, customer data, shopping experience, content, technology. The future of retail lies in connection. Between emotion and performance. Between creativity and commerce. Between brand and people.

So, dear retailer: think like a brand – because your customer is looking for meaning. Act like a retailer – because speed and reliability remain crucial. But above all: act like a publisher – because the best retailers of tomorrow are storytellers who know and touch their audience. They form a ‘heart connection’.

Want to learn more? Book award-winning author Jorg Snoeck, known as the “Captain of Retail”, as a keynote speaker for your next event.