Staying on top of today’s ever-evolving retail market can be exhausting and overwhelming. How can you understand and meet your customers’ needs when they always seem to be changing?

When it comes to keeping up with the changing retail landscape, Twitter is a prime place to stay informed. But to make the most of this tool, you need to follow the right people.

That’s why we put together a list of 15 global retail influencers to follow. These industry thought leaders never fail to share key consumer trends and retail insights that will help you stay one step ahead of the competition.  

Karl McKeever, Founder & Managing Director of Visual Thinking |@karlmckeever

Karl is a UK-based retail expert trusted by brands worldwide. Besides his role at retail agency Visual Thinking, he’s also a keynote speaker and columnist writer. Follow Karl for insights on how to deliver better in-store experiences and improve your retail performance in today’s competitive market.

Sarah Halzack, Retail Columnist for Bloomberg Opinion | @sarahhalzack

Sarah covers the consumer and retail industries for Bloomberg Opinion, and was previously a national retail reporter for the Washington Post. She shares insights on major retailers and consumer trends, like this article on the importance of physical stores.

Natalie Berg, Retail Analyst and Founder of NBK Retail |@Natalie_Berg

Natalie is a retail analyst, author, and strategist with deep industry expertise. She’s published research on a number of retail topics including customer experience, e-commerce, and the convergence of physical and digital retail.

She tweets about global retail trends and the future of the high street—check out her insights on John Lewis.

Neil Saunders, Managing Director of GlobalData Retail | @NeilRetail

As a retail analyst and consultant, Neil helps the world’s leading retailers make informed business decisions through an in-depth understanding of the market and where it’s heading.

Follow him for industry news and to discover how retailers worldwide are improving their CX.

George MacDonald, Executive Editor of Retail Week | @GeorgeMacD

George is in charge of both the online and print content for Retail Week—the UK’s leading provider of retail industry news, market reports, and data. He writes blogs and a weekly City column. Follow him for insights on the future of the high street, retail trends, and shopping predictions.

Andrew Busby, Founder and CEO of Retail Reflections | @andrewbusby

Andrew is known as one of the UK’s most influential retail analysts. He’s a former retailer and is now also a keynote speaker, regular columnist for Retail Week, and a member of the Retail Week Prospect Advisory Board.

He speaks and writes about customer experience, technology, and consumer psychology, and shares articles on how shopping is changing (like this post on the future of retail).

Bryan Roberts, Global Insights Director at TCC Global | @BryanRoberts72

With over 20 years of experience in the retail research and insights industry, Bryan has worked for some of the world’s largest retailers. Through TCC Global, he helps retailers create marketing programs designed to engage shoppers and grow sales.

Bryan is a regular contributor to several industry publications including Retail Week and HuffPost UK. Follow him for tweets on retail issues and trends—as well as burgers and football.

Claire Bailey, Founder of the Retail Champion | @CBRetailExpert

Claire is one of the UK’s most respected retail experts. As a mentor, consultant, analyst, and trainer, she’s helped thousands of retailers develop strategies to improve their business.

Claire is also a regular broadcast media contributor, conference speaker, and the author of two best-selling business books. She tweets about retail, the high street, and consumer matters.

Bob Phibbs, CEO of The Retail Doctor | @TheRetailDoctor

Bob is an internationally recognized expert retail consultant and leading business mentor. He has helped thousands of companies across industries grow their business and stay ahead of their competitors.

He shares actionable insights like how to improve store sales and better manage employees. And his website and blog have been named “Best On The Planet For Retail” in both 2017 and 2018 by Feedbuzz.

Shep Hyken, CEO of Shepard Presentations | @Hyken

Shep is a customer service and experience expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Since founding Shepard Presentations in 1983, he has worked with hundreds of companies that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

Barbara Thau, Business Reporter | @bthau

Barbara is a business reporter specializing in the retail sector and consumer economy. With over a decade of experience, she covers consumer news, company profiles, and industry analysis pieces.

She writes the Minding the Store column in Forbes, and her work has been featured in a range of other media outlets like CNBC, Fortune, and the New York Daily News.

Chris H. Petersen, CEO of Integrated Marketing Solutions | @chrishpetersen

Chris is a strategic consultant who specializes in retail, leadership, marketing, and measurement. For over three decades, he’s worked with the world’s top retailers and brands to help them thrive in today’s omnichannel marketplace. He shares industry news and fascinating articles (like this one on how retailers can stay competitive in 2040).

Maureen Hinton, Global Retail Research Director at Global Data Plc | @maureen_retail

Heading up a team of global analysts, Maureen helps companies understand the global retail landscape, and develop profitable business strategies. She speaks at retail events both in the UK and abroad, and is a contributing writer on all things retail for several publications.  

Nicole Reyhle, Founder of Retail Minded | @RetailMinded

Nicole is a retail thought leader who supports companies both in and out of their stores through her company Retail Minded. She has written for Forbes, Entrepreneur, and many other leading business resources. Follow her for expert advice to improve both your e-commerce and brick and mortar stores.

Andrea Wasserman, Founder of Captain Customer and VP, Retail Experience at Verizon | @andreawass

With a background in stores, e-commerce, and marketing, Andrea is a consumer sector leader and entrepreneur obsessed with retail. She tweets about CX, brand, and leadership. You can also subscribe to her semi-weekly newsletter, which counts senior leaders at top retailers among its subscribers.

Looking for more retail insights? Sign up for our 5-day training course “5 Days to Happier Retail Customers” and learn how to improve your in-store experience in just one week.

Sign up for the 5-day training course here

HappyOrNot