Brian Solis
Head of Global Innovation, ServiceNow | Digital Analyst & Anthropologist | Bestselling Author of Mindshift | Thinkers50 Ranked
Doug Stephens
Founder & CEO of Retail Prophet | One of the World's Foremost Retail & Consumer Futurists | International Bestselling Author of Four Books on the Future of Commerce
Doug Stephens is one of the world's foremost retail futurists, known as 'the futurist that futurists follow.' As founder and CEO of the advisory firm Retail Prophet, he has shaped the strategies of global brands from Nike and IKEA to Louis Vuitton and Coca-Cola. An international bestselling author of four books on the future of retail and business, he gives audiences a bold, evidence-based vision of how commerce is being reinvented.
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Doug Stephens biography
Futurist speaker Doug Stephens is one of the world’s foremost retail and consumer futurists, so influential among his peers that he has been called “the futurist that futurists follow.” As the founder and CEO of the global advisory firm Retail Prophet, he has spent his career forecasting how technology, economics, demographics, and shifting consumer behavior are reshaping the way the world shops, and helping the biggest brands prepare for what comes next.
Stephens’s intellectual work has shaped the strategies of some of the most recognized companies on earth, including Nike, IKEA, Louis Vuitton, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Walmart, Google, Estée Lauder, and BMW. Before founding Retail Prophet, he spent more than twenty years inside the retail industry in senior international roles, including leading one of New York City’s most historic retail chains. That rare combination of operating experience and big-picture foresight is what makes his predictions both bold and grounded.
The Future of Retail and Business
Stephens is the international bestselling author of four books charting the transformation of commerce: The Retail Revival, Reengineering Retail (translated into multiple languages), Resurrecting Retail, and his latest, The Future of Competitive Advantage, which broadens his lens from retail to how any business can win in an age of uncertainty. A nationally syndicated retail columnist for CBC Radio and a contributor to the Business of Fashion, his perspectives are regularly featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and Fast Company, and he sits on corporate and academic advisory boards including the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retail.
As a speaker, Doug Stephens is visionary, provocative, and highly engaging, painting a vivid, credible picture of where commerce and consumer behavior are heading, and what leaders must do now to stay ahead. He speaks on the future of retail and the “store as media,” the evolution of consumer behavior and experience, disruption and reinvention, and how brands can build lasting competitive advantage. Audiences leave with a sharper view of the future and a practical roadmap for thriving in it.
Doug Stephens Speaking Videos
The Future of Retail | Doug Stephens | #BoFVOICES 2017
Doug Stephens Retail Keynote at Dx3 2016
Doug Stephens Keynote Topics
In his signature keynote, Doug Stephens takes audiences on a compelling tour of the forces reshaping retail and commerce, from AI and automation to shifting demographics and the collapse of old business models. Drawing on decades of forecasting for the world’s biggest brands, he explains what is really changing, what is hype, and how retailers and brands can position themselves to win. Bold, credible, and genuinely eye-opening, it is an essential briefing for anyone whose business depends on how, and why, people buy.
One of Doug Stephens’s most influential ideas is that the role of the physical store has fundamentally flipped: in a digital world, the store is no longer a place of distribution but a powerful medium, a stage for experience, brand, and connection. In this keynote he unpacks what that means for retailers and brands, and how the most forward-thinking companies are turning physical space into their most valuable marketing channel. A provocative, practical talk on the future of experience and customer engagement.
Why we buy, how we decide, and what we expect from brands are all being rewritten. Doug Stephens helps audiences understand the deep shifts in consumer behavior, driven by technology, economics, demographics, and changing values, and what they mean for how companies market, sell, and serve. Rich with data and real-world examples, this keynote gives marketing and business leaders a clear read on the evolving consumer and how to stay relevant to them.
Drawing on his latest book, The Future of Competitive Advantage, Doug Stephens widens the lens from retail to business as a whole. In a world of relentless disruption, he argues, the old sources of advantage are eroding, and leaders need a new blueprint. He shows how companies can build durable advantage through experience, brand, agility, and foresight, and how to turn uncertainty into opportunity. A strategic, forward-looking keynote for leaders in any industry facing constant change.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Doug Stephens
Why Doug Stephens?
Booking Doug Stephens brings audiences one of the world’s most respected retail and consumer futurists, a thinker so influential he is called “the futurist that futurists follow.” As founder of Retail Prophet, he has shaped the strategies of brands from Nike and IKEA to Louis Vuitton and Google, and he pairs twenty years of real retail operating experience with genuinely visionary foresight. Provocative, credible, and highly engaging, he gives audiences a clear, bold picture of where commerce is heading and a practical roadmap to get there. He is an ideal choice for events on the future of retail, consumer behavior, customer experience, marketing, and disruption. To bring Doug Stephens to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Doug Stephens?
Doug Stephens is a Canadian retail and consumer futurist, author, and business advisor, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on the future of commerce. He is the founder and CEO of Retail Prophet, a global advisory firm whose work has influenced the strategies of brands including Nike, IKEA, Louis Vuitton, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Walmart, and Google. Before founding the firm, he spent more than two decades in the retail industry in senior international roles. He is the international bestselling author of four books, The Retail Revival (2013), Reengineering Retail (2017), Resurrecting Retail (2021), and The Future of Competitive Advantage (2026), is a nationally syndicated retail columnist for CBC Radio, and is regularly featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and Fast Company.
What are Doug Stephens’s key ideas about the future of retail?
Doug Stephens is best known for a set of provocative, influential ideas about where commerce is heading. The most famous is “the store as media”: his argument that in a digital age, the physical store’s primary job is no longer distribution (we can buy anything online) but experience, that the store has become a powerful medium, like a form of advertising, whose value lies in how it engages customers and builds brand. He also argues that “every company is an experience company,” that as products and prices become commoditized, the experience a brand delivers becomes its true battleground. Across his books he tracks how technology, economics, demographics, and changing consumer values are dismantling old retail models and creating new ones, and in his most recent work, The Future of Competitive Advantage, he broadens this thinking beyond retail to how any business can build durable advantage in an era of constant disruption. His throughline is consistent: the future belongs to companies bold enough to reinvent how they create value for customers.
What topics does futurist speaker Doug Stephens cover?
Doug Stephens speaks on the future of retail and commerce, the “store as media” and the future of physical experience, the evolution of consumer behavior, and building competitive advantage in an age of uncertainty. His keynotes suit events on the future, retail and e-commerce, customer experience, marketing, and business strategy, for corporate and brand audiences. To book Doug Stephens as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Doug Stephens as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Doug Stephens as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Doug Stephens's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Doug Stephens or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Doug Stephens speaking fee?
Doug Stephens speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Doug Stephens to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Doug Stephens.
How can I contact Doug Stephens?
We only work with Doug Stephens on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Doug Stephens and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Doug Stephens speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Doug Stephens for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Doug Stephens for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Doug Stephens is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Doug Stephens for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
