Analyst Corner
2026 Retail Intelligence Briefing: Trends, Tech, and Tactical Readiness
Which technologies moved the needle in 2025 and which ones are poised for the greatest growth in 2026. That is the subject of our latest webinar. This includes a first…
Adapt or be Outpaced: Tech Imperative for Retail’s Mid-Market
The mid-market retail sector stands at a critical inflection point. While the largest retailers double down on technologyinvestments - spending nearly twice their revenue percentage compared to just a few…
Top 5 Things I Learned at Zebra Zone 2025
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Zebra's Zone conference and their inaugural Frontline AI Summit in Nashville (my home town). Thankfully I missed the chaos at the…
Retail Inventory Crisis Persists Despite $172 Billion in Improvements
The global retail industry continues to hemorrhage $1.73 trillion annually due to the cost of out-of-stocks and overstocks according to IHL Group. "The next decade will see technology advancements that…
OnDemand – Who’s Winning, Who’s Failing, What’s Working
IHL has been tracking retail inventory distortion and the true cost of retail out-of-stocks and overstocks for 19 years. Inventory distortion worldwide is a critical issue that continues to plague…
How DICK’S Sporting Goods Closes the Retail Execution Gap
The difference between successful retailers and those that struggle has never been greater. IHL recently concluded a webinar with DICK'S Sporting Goods and Zebra Technologies on how the sporting goods…
The Great Retail Data Divide
I've been tracking retail data for over 33 years, and for the last two years we have seen a major disconnect between government survey methodology and actual transaction reality. The…
AI Resilience – What Defines the Most Successful Companies in the Future
Right now we are in the early stages of AI investment. The Mag 7 are the initial beneficiaries and the hyperscalers and software companies are the biggest spenders as we…
We’re Not Ready for This
Wayne and Garth had us laughing out loud to their famous skit from Wayne’s World that made it to SNL. That brings back some great memories. But when it comes…
“Retail Apocalypse”: A Look Back
Never let a good tagline get in the way of the truth If you believed the headlines of 2016-2017, we shouldn't be here. The Oxford English Dictionary refers to the…