We are pleased to announce the winners of The Robin Report 2020 Retail Radicals. We have worked in collaboration with SAP on our second annual awards program that focuses on identifying radical thinkers and doers (innovators and entrepreneurial leaders) exclusively in the legacy (brick-and-mortar) sectors of the retail industry. These radicals are clearly driving the major transformations within their respective retail brands. We celebrate traditional, legacy radicals because they face challenges that are much larger and more complex than those of the legion of tech-driven startups who are so often celebrated.
Our 2020 Radicals program has evolved into a data-based and qualitative awards platform. We identified metrics for outperforming retail brands across various sectors in the industry which were measured through a systematic quantifiable analysis. Qualitative factors supporting the data were researched across publicly accessible reports covering their major innovations, including breakthrough technology strategies. The combination of these quantitative and qualitative metrics frame this year’s awards and support The Robin Report Index: 2020.
Like all strategic transformations, it requires enlightened leadership, major capital commitment, dedicated resources, innovative initiatives and extreme focus matched with a high-level of financial discipline to achieve success in terms of revenue growth and profitability.
“The 2020 Retail Radical Award winners represent some of the most transformative companies in the world. These winning companies are on the cutting edge of experience management, earning loyal customers by removing complexity, resolving technical debt and driving nimble and efficient experiences.” said Matt Laukaitis, SVP and General Manager of SAP’s Consumer Industries. “The analysis proves that these brands are executing at the top of their game, delivering measurable outcomes for customers, stakeholders and partners that far outpace the competition. Congratulations to these well-deserved recipients.”
The Winners
As a result of our analysis, Target, Levi, Nike, VF Corp., and Ulta are the 2020 Retail Radicals winners. Each represents a discrete sector of the retail industry. Based on all of the strategic initiatives and innovations, these companies have implemented capital investments in technology, resources and infrastructure focused on elevating the physical store experience and accelerating the integration of their digital experience with the physical store experience while out-pacing their competitive peers in delivering the outperforming financial metrics.
Like all strategic transformations, it requires enlightened leadership, major capital commitment, dedicated resources, innovative initiatives and extreme focus matched with a high level of financial discipline to achieve success in terms of revenue growth and profitability. These factors define each of the five Retail Radicals of 2020. We believe the five Retail Radicals have reached an inflection point activating a successful transformation that will accelerate a sustainable profitable growth curve going forward.
Robin Report Retail Radicals Featured as Thought Leaders
Over the coming year, our 2020 Radicals will be celebrated in The Robin Report including in-depth reports on the “star” radical thinkers and doers and team leaders who have been major drivers in innovation and contributors to each company’s outperformance. We will also feature Retail Radicals at The Robin Report Spring 2020 Executive Forum to be held at the SAP Innovation Lab on May 19 as well as at the Columbia Business School retail forum in August.
Again, this is a program unique to traditional retailing which is in the process of transforming itself to meet the demands of today’s digitally savvy customers of all ages. We believe that the innovators in traditional retail will be the forerunners that shape the sustainable future of retail.
