Elevating Frontline Retail Strategy for 2026

People have been declaring “the store is dead” for years. They were wrong. What’s actually dying is lazy retail. Stop leading from the top down. In this episode of Rethink Retail, experts Linda Johansen, David Polinchock, and Paula Angelucci reveal why a successful frontline retail strategy starts on the shop floor. Key Takeaways: - Respect the Peak: Move corporate planning to Mondays to protect high traffic weekends for the customer. - Authentic Connections: Why "Welcome in" fails and how to build genuine trust with savvy shoppers. - The AI Unlock: Using generative tools to provide real time expertise to store associates. Incentivized Loyalty: Closing the gap between in store service and online conversions.