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About
Home
Editions
Archive
Top Shelf
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Made to Measure
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About
Home
Editions
Archive
Top Shelf
Press
Made to Measure
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Shelf Life | Vol. 35 – New Year, New Rules: What NRF 2026 Made Impossible to Ignore
Jackie Swanson 1/18/26 Jackie Swanson 1/18/26

Shelf Life | Vol. 35 – New Year, New Rules: What NRF 2026 Made Impossible to Ignore

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Shelf Life | Vol. 34 – Five Topics We Couldn’t Avoid in 2025 and the 2026 Hot Topics We Can’t Ignore
Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 12/30/25 Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 12/30/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 34 – Five Topics We Couldn’t Avoid in 2025 and the 2026 Hot Topics We Can’t Ignore

The five stories that defined 2025 — and the five 2026 will turn on.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 33 – In the Control Tower: How AI Is Rewriting Retail
AI in Retail, Transformation Jackie Swanson 12/17/25 AI in Retail, Transformation Jackie Swanson 12/17/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 33 – In the Control Tower: How AI Is Rewriting Retail

Retail's new control tower runs on AI — and not everyone gets clearance.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 32 – On the 12th Week of Q4, My CFO Gave to Me… A Budget to Spend Wisely
Leadership Jackie Swanson 12/9/25 Leadership Jackie Swanson 12/9/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 32 – On the 12th Week of Q4, My CFO Gave to Me… A Budget to Spend Wisely

A CFO carol for Q4 — what to spend on and what to cut.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 31 – The Weather Outside Is… Fine?: Why Retail Needs a Cost Forecast for 2026
Jackie Swanson 12/4/25 Jackie Swanson 12/4/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 31 – The Weather Outside Is… Fine?: Why Retail Needs a Cost Forecast for 2026

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Shelf Life | Vol. 30 – Gravy, Gratitude, and Generative AI: The Future of Black Friday
AI in Retail, Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 11/26/25 AI in Retail, Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 11/26/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 30 – Gravy, Gratitude, and Generative AI: The Future of Black Friday

The first Thanksgiving where GenAI was on the table — and what it changed.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 29 — "The Hallucination Effect": Why AI Only Works When the Operating Model Works
AI in Retail, Transformation Jackie Swanson 11/19/25 AI in Retail, Transformation Jackie Swanson 11/19/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 29 — "The Hallucination Effect": Why AI Only Works When the Operating Model Works

The reason your AI rollout is hallucinating isn't the model — it's the org around it.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 28 – Clause and Effect: The Contract Between Brands and Belief
Brand Strategy Jackie Swanson 11/13/25 Brand Strategy Jackie Swanson 11/13/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 28 – Clause and Effect: The Contract Between Brands and Belief

Brand trust isn't earned — it's contracted. And consumers are reading the fine print.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 27 – Trick, Treat or Trend: What Halloween Trends Reveal About Retail
Consumer Behavior, Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 11/2/25 Consumer Behavior, Retail Trends Jackie Swanson 11/2/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 27 – Trick, Treat or Trend: What Halloween Trends Reveal About Retail

What costume aisle data tells you about Q4 demand.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 26 – Made it Out of the Group Chat: How Consumer Chatter Becomes Corporate Strategy
Consumer Behavior, Brand Strategy Jackie Swanson 10/14/25 Consumer Behavior, Brand Strategy Jackie Swanson 10/14/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 26 – Made it Out of the Group Chat: How Consumer Chatter Becomes Corporate Strategy

How smart brands turn group-chat noise into actual strategy.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 25 - The Human Machine: Why the Future Runs on People
Leadership, Transformation Jackie Swanson 10/10/25 Leadership, Transformation Jackie Swanson 10/10/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 25 - The Human Machine: Why the Future Runs on People

Why the future of work runs on people — even when AI takes the keyboard.

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Shelf Life | Vol. 24 - Pattern Recognition: Rewriting Brand Codes for a Changed Market
Jackie Swanson 9/12/25 Jackie Swanson 9/12/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 24 - Pattern Recognition: Rewriting Brand Codes for a Changed Market

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Shelf Life | Vol. 23 - Love Story: How Love Went Viral
Jackie Swanson 8/27/25 Jackie Swanson 8/27/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 23 - Love Story: How Love Went Viral

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Shelf Life | Vol. 22 –The Tipping Point: How Market Convergence Is Redefining Winners and Losers
Jackie Swanson 8/20/25 Jackie Swanson 8/20/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 22 –The Tipping Point: How Market Convergence Is Redefining Winners and Losers

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Shelf Life | Vol. 21 – On the Runway: Q4 Cleared for Takeoff
Jackie Swanson 8/17/25 Jackie Swanson 8/17/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 21 – On the Runway: Q4 Cleared for Takeoff

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Shelf Life | Vol. 20 – Pure Gene-ius: Why Brand DNA Matters More Than Neutrality
Jackie Swanson 8/8/25 Jackie Swanson 8/8/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 20 – Pure Gene-ius: Why Brand DNA Matters More Than Neutrality

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Shelf Life | Vol. 19 – The New School of Merchandising: AI, Speed, and the End of the Line Plan
Jackie Swanson 7/30/25 Jackie Swanson 7/30/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 19 – The New School of Merchandising: AI, Speed, and the End of the Line Plan

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Shelf Life | Vol. 18 – Viva La Viral: How Scandal Became Strategy
Jackie Swanson 7/23/25 Jackie Swanson 7/23/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 18 – Viva La Viral: How Scandal Became Strategy

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Shelf Life | Vol. 17 – The Monster at the End of this Bot: The Agentic AI Risk Retail Isn’t Ready For
Jackie Swanson 7/18/25 Jackie Swanson 7/18/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 17 – The Monster at the End of this Bot: The Agentic AI Risk Retail Isn’t Ready For

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Shelf Life | Vol. 16 – It’s All About the Benjamins: Inside Amazon’s Billion-Dollar Behavioral Lab
Jackie Swanson 7/10/25 Jackie Swanson 7/10/25

Shelf Life | Vol. 16 – It’s All About the Benjamins: Inside Amazon’s Billion-Dollar Behavioral Lab

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