The retail industry moves at the speed of light. From chatter about the dismal future of malls to the panic of the pandemic to thousands of stores opening and reopening in 2022, retail changes seemingly every day.
It’s no surprise if, as a retailer, you’re feeling some media burnout. However, don’t give up completely. Keeping up with news helps you identify new retail trends to grow your business and your profit margins.
We researched, read, and subscribed to dozens of retail publications and retail newsletters in order to compile this list. Bookmark these retail news channels and feel confident that you’re covering your bases.
Here’s our pick of the 13 best retail publications to read and the top nine retail newsletters worth a sign-up.
13 retail publications to follow
To stay up to date with the latest retail news, insights, and trends, read these 13 retail publications.
- Retail Bum
- Retail Dive
- Insider Retail
- Forbes Retail
- Modern Retail
- OmniTalk
- Business of Fashion
- Retail TouchPoints (RTP)
- National Retail Federation (NRF)
- Practical Ecommerce
- RetailWire
- McKinsey & Company Retail Insights
- Bonus: Shopify Retail News & Trends
1. Retail Bum
Online publication Retail Bum focuses on predicting trends and the next big moves in fashion, beauty, and retail. It publishes content on performing in-depth market research to uncover data-driven insights surrounding consumers’ changing shopping habits and retailers’ reactions to them.
For example, in its Trends section, Retail Bum covers stories like US retailers opening twice as many stores as they closed in 2021.
Its Today’s News section is updated multiple times per day to keep readers in the loop with important ecommerce and retail updates.
2. Retail Dive
Retail Dive shares retail news and journalistic analysis of trends impacting the present and future of retail.
Designed to be consumed on the go, Retail Dive has a mobile-optimized website, a daily email newsletter, and an app. The emphasis is on well-researched business journalism, and the publication covers topics like:
- Retail tech
- Payment technology
- Omnichannel retail
- Store operations
- Brick-and-mortar retail
- Ecommerce marketing
Its deep dives explore topics like buy now, pay later losses, while retail thought leaders such as Michael Simoncic write opinion pieces on hot topics including returns as a growth strategy.
To get a look behind the curtain at the newsroom, the podcast Backroom features Retail Dive editors and retail experts discussing everything trending in retail.
3. Insider Retail
Insider (previously known as Business Insider) is synonymous with up-to-date business and financial insights. Its Retail section is a go-to center for the latest information on direct-to-consumer trends, supply chain issues, and ecommerce shifts.
Increasingly, Insider Retail includes video content throughout its articles––giving you another option for consuming insights.
While some content is free to read, most of the site is behind a paywall––monthly subscriptions start at $12.95 following a trial.
4. Forbes Retail
Forbes’ Retail section covers trending retail stories with a spotlight on finance. There’s plenty of coverage on topics like stock market selloffs, supply chain issues, the impact of inflation, startup acquisitions, and retail real estate.
Its editor’s picks section is helpful for taking a quick glance at essential daily reads.
Like Insider, most of the content is behind a paywall. You can read up to four pieces for free each month before having to sign up for a monthly subscription of $6.99.
5. Modern Retail
Created in 2019 by Digiday Media, Modern Retail covers the evolving retail landscape. This publication provides specific retail brand stories like inflation cutting into Walmart’s profit margins, how an online grocer uses shoppable receipts to increase sales, and a retailer’s shift to suburban brick-and-mortar expansion.
Its featured collections organize stories into four categories:
- DTC Era
- Retail Revolution
- Store of the Future
- Amazon Effect
Additionally, Modern Retail Index follows a research framework that analyzes and ranks major retailers across ecommerce, ease of fulfillment, and financial momentum decisions––helpful for data-driven insights into the current state of retail.
You’ll need a subscription priced at $129 every three months for full access to Modern Retail’s content.
6. OmniTalk
OmniTalk stands out for its original approach. Instead of regular business journalism, its retail blog is written by retailers. Founded in 2017 by retailers Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton, the blog is designed to tell the truth and is written by “real people with real experience in the business.”
Chris and Anne write the majority of the articles, with contributions from guest retail authors. The duo also regularly produces podcasts; their popular Women’s Retail Collective podcast interviews high-performing women retailers.
7. Business of Fashion
For fashion retail insights and news, look no further than The Business of Fashion. The site is a combination of razor-sharp fashion retail analysis, business advice, career-building tools, and insightful future fashion predictions.
Original case studies and reports analyze industry challenges like fashion’s supply chain issues and the future of fashion resale. Journalists mix news with actionable takeaways, for example, sharing how to compete with Chinese fashion giant Shein. Memberships start at $19.50 per month.
8. Retail TouchPoints
Retail TouchPoints (RTP) produces content aimed at helping retailers optimize customer experience across all channels. Each month, RTP publishes special reports exploring the latest industry trends, like mobile-first marketing, buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS), personalized retail experiences, and omnichannel alignment.
Several times a year, it releases benchmark surveys and data-backed reports looking at topics like store design and social responsibility.
9. National Retail Federation (NRF)
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the largest global retail trade association, so it’s a top place to get leading retail insights. Put its Retail Insights and Trends section on your radar for podcasts, videos, and original data. Get up to date with retail-related policy issues with the On the Hill section.
The NRF event calendar features some of the world’s top retail conferences and summits, while the Resources section includes stories on top retailers, information about retail laws, and original NRF research. The Retail’s Impact section is helpful for US retailers looking to understand more about retail’s influence in any one of the 50 states.
10. Practical Ecommerce
Launched as a monthly printed magazine in 2005, Practical Ecommerce is now an online retail publication aimed at helping merchants improve their online businesses.
It publishes a helpful twice-monthly rundown of new services like checkout tools, freight logistics, and online currencies. The site is also a solid source for recent retail acquisitions.
Practical Ecommerce also publishes charts, showcasing data on trending topics like NFTs or AI in retail.
11. RetailWire
RetailWire is an online retail discussion forum combined with a retail news outlet. Each morning, the editors publish noteworthy retail topics, chosen by the RetailWire BrainTrust panel of industry experts. These topics then stimulate debate among the readership, where retailers are encouraged to share opinions and advice in virtual round-table discussions.
Anything from whether retailers should charge extra for returns to the impact of supply chain issues on smaller retailers is up for discussion. Additional sections on the site include Retail News, where you can find original articles; interviews with BrainTrust members; and a Resources area that includes webinars, reports, and whitepapers.
12. McKinsey & Company Retail Insights
If you’re looking for global retail news, insights, and trends, McKinsey & Company’s Retail Insights section is a great place to start. You can find articles about consumer behavior, fashion, technology, and much more. You can also sign up to get notified via email each time new articles have been published.
13. Bonus: Shopify Retail News & Trends
Shopify is at the front line of all things brick-and-mortar and omnichannel retail. Every story, how-to article, roundup post, and trend analysis published on the Shopify Retail blog is inspired by real merchants we chat with regularly.
9 retail newsletters to subscribe to
- Retail Radar
- Retail Brew
- Future Commerce
- EcommerceBytes
- Retail Dive
- NRF Smartbrief
- Workweek by Nik Sharma
- Sarah’s Retail Diary
- Ecommerce CEO
To get the latest retail news, expert insights, tips, commentary, and strategies delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for these retail newsletters.
1. Retail Radar
Retail Radar is Shopify’s monthly round-up of retail stories, tips, and how-to’s, specifically curated for brick-and-mortar retailers. A Retail School section features how-to guides and explainers, designed to level up your retail knowledge.
The Fresh Inspiration section showcases retail trends and features tips from other retail store owners to help you take your store to new heights. Finally, a Tools of the Trade section shows you how to use Shopify’s powerful features in everyday scenarios.
As a bonus, there’s often a downloadable guide designed to help you complete daily tasks at your brick-and-mortar business, like opening and closing your store.
2. Retail Brew
Monday through Friday, Retail Brew lands in inboxes, full of the day’s most essential retail news. The newsletter covers key retail talking points from CBD to D2C and the future of crypto in retail. Part of the Morning Brew family of newsletters, it shares the same style of on-pulse reporting and sharp analysis written in a witty tone. A subscription is free, and it only takes five minutes to read.
3. Future Commerce
Branded as retail and ecommerce insights for risk-takers, Future Commerce delivers newsletters, podcasts, and original research to subscribers’ inboxes three times per week. Most of its content aims to give business owners and managers the tools you need to optimize your retail and DTC businesses. Look for in-depth op-eds analyzing subjects like the meeting of ecommerce metrics and branding.
4. EcommerceBytes
Veteran retail expert Ina Steiner has been writing EcommerceBytes since 1999, so you know she’s seen a lot in the world of retail and ecommerce. She shares insights into subjects like Amazon’s generous returns policy and deep dives into how inflation is impacting online and offline pricing.
5. Retail Dive
Retail Dive curates a whole group of retail newsletters, so when you sign up, determine whether you want weekly updates on retail marketing, tech, operations, or DTC. There’s also a Daily Dive newsletter that lands in inboxes daily Monday through Friday, covering retail tech, ecommerce, marketing, and in-store operations.
6. NRF Smartbrief
Designed for anyone working in retail, NRF Smartbrief is a free daily retail newsletter covering the latest news and industry information. It covers the day’s top stories and retail trends, and features an Industry Watch section that analyzes topics like changing shopper trends.
7. Workweek by Nik Sharma
Nik Sharma, a.k.a. the DTC Guy, curates a weekly Sunday newsletter covering DTC trends, tips, tactics, learnings, and strategies. The CEO of Sharma Brands, he’s known for building popular brands like Hint Water, Caraway, and Judy. Each week he dives into a lesson or strategy from his week of work at Sharma Brands. He also features case studies from successfully launching and scaling brands, as well as software and tools designed to help retailers.
8. Sarah’s Retail Diary
Retailer Sarah Shapiro shares a weekly fashion-themed retail diary with her subscribers. She discusses trending topics like the return of Abercrombie & Fitch, denim data and trends, and classic Mall Brands working on revivals. For those who want to dig deeper, there are links to her favorite retail resources, as well as her articles of the week.
9. Ecommerce CEO
Ecommerce CEO shares hype-free ecommerce guides and tips with those looking to learn the ins and outs of ecommerce. If you’ve got questions about what to sell online, how to get traffic and sales, or how to manage fulfillment, Ecommerce CEO is a great read.
Make time for these retail publications and newsletters
Bookmark these retail publications and retail newsletters for inspiration and insights as you grow your retail business. Time block at least one hour every morning to browse the latest articles and stories to help you learn more about managing and growing a successful retail business.
For the latest in brick-and-mortar retail insights, advice, tips, tricks, and stories, subscribe to Retail Radar.
Additional research and content from Alexis Damen.
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