Our first stop is North Carolina, where today, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, along with North Carolina Retail Merchants Association President and General Counsel Andy Ellen, will reveal the first video compilation of our time spent in the state. North Carolina is an important arena for the retail industry for a few reasons. First, the retail industry is the largest private employer in the state, second only to state government. Additionally, more than 60 retail brands have headquarters or distribution centers across the state and 30 of North Carolina’s top employers are retailers.

As part of our time in the state, I talked with Tim Belk, chairman and CEO of Belk, about what North Carolina has meant to the brand. Belk has been a fixture in the state since 1888, growing from one store to 300 across the South – and nothing is more important to the company than their core values and giving back to the community that helped them start their business.

Belk noted, “Being involved in our communities – it’s one of our six core values. It started with my grandfather and its part of our DNA today. My grandfather believed that if you get involved in a community and help it grow, then your business will benefit in the process.”

As a flagship brand for retail in North Carolina, Tim Belk helped us introduce our first Retail Across America series. Watch the intro below, or view the full series at thisisretail.org/northcarolina.

More men are tuned in to the latest fashion and trends. Since 2006, the share of male consumers who say that the newest trends and styles are important to them has nearly doubled. And the brands and labels of clothing are a more important factor for male shoppers than in years past.

Feelings About Fashion

Charts from the NRF Foundation’s Retail Insight Center. To access this data and more research please visit the Retail Insight Center.

As men heighten their interest in the latest style, they increase their spending as well. In 2012, about two-thirds (65 percent) of spending on men’s sportcoats and tailored jackets is attributed to male consumers – up from 61 percent of spending the year prior.

Menswear and online shopping is trending, and it’s no surprise that brands who build their business models off this trend are thriving. Take Indochino for example – the online menswear company uses a tailored (pun-intended) algorithm to ensure the perfect fit for custom suiting. They’ve been so successful that the brand has ventured into the brick-and-mortar space through Traveling Tailor pop-up shops in targeted metro areas.

It’s obvious that this Vancouver-based retailer is at the cutting edge of these trends. Take a behind-the-scenes look to see how Indochino’s approach to custom suits is driving a new era in men’s shopping.

Generating excitement about retail careers. When we announced the launch of the campaign at last year’s Global Retailing Conference, Xandria Leopold, a retail consumer sciences student at the University of Arizona, shared with the Arizona Daily Star that she was excited about the campaign because, “it makes me proud of retail.”

Retailers on Capitol Hill during NRF’s 2013 Washington Leadership Conference

Impacting Capitol Hill perceptions of the industry. In May of last year, our annual fly-in offered our members a chance to tell lawmakers what retail meant to them and the results were pretty powerful.

Showcasing retail’s impact on communities. As thousands of retail loss prevention employees gathered for our yearly conference last June, we asked them to share stories of how their companies and teams support the communities they serve. The responses were so overwhelming that NRF even donated $1,000 to support “Strokes for Strokes.”  At the same time, I had the opportunity to talk with Boston Police Department Night Commander William Gross about the immediate assistance area retailers provided in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy. His story was awe-inspiring.

Explaining the full impact of policy decisions on Main Street. In October, Congress decided it was time to take a break from work.  Our members were able to use This is Retail to share their thoughts on the real effect the government shutdown had back home. As Andrew Brewer, owner of Onion River Sports in Montpelier, Vt., pointed out, “When you’re far enough removed from real life, from what’s really happening on Main Street America and you’re trying to solve these huge problems, you forget the real effect it has on people.”

Uncovering stories from brands large and small. Take a look behind the scenes at some who have helped reveal some of the more “invisible” jobs in retail – ones those outside the industry might never know existed.   

Nordstrom Vice President of Customer Experience Fanya Chandler

In conjunction with the release of our This is Retail behind-the-scenes look at Nordstrom’s Customer Experience Center, we asked Fanya Chandler, vice president of customer experience, a few questions about what she’s learned from recent initiatives, what success looks like as they try new concepts, and what her team will be dreaming up next.

Tell us about your career in retail. How did you clinch the title of Nordstrom’s customer experience guru?

I wouldn’t call myself a guru. I would call myself fortunate to have spent the last 22 years in roles — from selling to managing stores to supporting our Personal Stylist program – that allowed me to be close to our customers and reinforce the importance of staying connected to how they define service.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about customer preferences and behavior through your time at the Customer Experience Center?

More important than any surprises is the invaluable feedback we get when we bring our customers and salespeople through the CEC. Every time they weigh in on a new concept, it reminds us how much customers expect to be able to shop on their own terms, and how differently each of them defines service.

“Innovation” might be a buzz word, but it’s also big business. Retailers like Nordstrom and Walmart are investing in innovation labs to spark fresh thinking in their organizations, while some companies encourage employees to spend time on side projects to spur creativity and tap into personal passions. But in the business world, an idea doesn’t have much of an impact until it’s executed, so how do you bring your big ideas to life?

At Retail’s BIG Show in January, Nathan Martin from Pittsburgh innovation studio Deeplocal discussed his team’s creative process with Nick Parish of Contagious Communications. Deeplocal is uniquely suited to the discussion. The team has created a number of buzz-worthy projects, each marked by a whimsical, physical and unexpected element — a mind-powered bike for Toyota, the first telerobotic first pitch in baseball for Google or the Chalkbot they did for the Nike during the Tour de France a few years back. Take a look and you’ll see what we mean.

So to follow up from the show in January, we wanted to share a few tips from Martin to give you the nudge you need to develop and execute your big ideas.

• Get your idea out into the world. This is the first step, and sometimes the hardest hump to get over. Share and act on it quickly before you over-think it on your own. In Martin’s world, delightfully uncommon ideas are executed in a matter of weeks, so there’s no turning back on them. This leads us to the second tip.
• It’s good to be challenged. It takes courage to put your ideas out there, but it’s ultimately challenges that make your organization stronger. Once it’s out there in the world, others will collaborate and your creation will grow and change. Don’t fight it, but rather look at it as a chance to see opportunities and things you may have missed.
• Be honest about your idea. You might think it’s brilliant, but tell your idea to someone who hasn’t heard anything about it. “Eventually I call my dad and explain it to him. It’s a great litmus test. If he doesn’t get it, we have to work on it some more,” Martin said.

When it comes to generating great ideas, remember these things:

• Everyone is creative. A great project team isn’t just made up of typical creatives. Bring in outsiders.
• Rethink the brainstorm. Brainstorming isn’t about throwing clever people in a room. Martin described Deeplocal’s process as gathering a team (anyone who has perspective on the problem regardless of their role), then focusing on recording assets, information or trends that are relevant to the problem.
• Let people come up with ideas in their own way. Genius may not strike in a meeting. After group collaboration, Martin’s team goes off on their own to get the creative juices flowing however it works for each of them — in the shower or on a morning run.
• Great ideas are about the experience – not the technology.  This little nugget was also echoed by Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and Square CEO, at his BIG Show keynote presentation.

Whether you’ve got ideas about how to better your department, improve your bottom line, enhance your customer experience or even revolutionize the way the whole world thinks about commerce, keep these things in mind, and you’ll be on your way. And let us know how your BIG Show-inspired idea turns out.

Here are five things you need to know about the Dream BIG scholarship program:

1. The scholarship ISN’T for students. It’s for you.
If you work in retail, you can apply for this scholarship program. You can work in a corporate office, own your own store, work in a distribution center, a store, from your own home or a satellite office. As long as you are employed by a retailer, full-time or part-time, this scholarship is for you. Any level, any position – sales associate, senior director, loss prevention manager, pharmacist, designer, marketing coordinator – just to name a few. Start your application here.

2. It’s competitive.
The applications we got last year were seriously impressive. To apply for Dream BIG you have to submit three essays about your retail career aspirations, why you love retail and your biggest inspiration. You also need a letter of recommendation from someone who works in the retail industry and knows you well. Pulling together a great application takes time. The judges are looking for passion, originality and high quality writing. But if you’re lucky enough to be selected as a recipient you’ll be in great company. Our recipients from 2013 were the brightest and best out of hundreds of applications. You can hear from some of them in this video:

3. It’s a full ride.
We’re not giving you some money toward a degree – we’re giving you a full-tuition scholarship for a bachelor’s or master’s program (including an MBA) with the University of Phoenix. And because of the flexibility of the University of Phoenix programs, you can continue to work and live at home while you study.

4. It’s judged by retail leaders.
CEOs of retail companies and other industry leaders are going to read your essays and find out what your retail career aspirations are and why you love retail. They know their stuff. They’re looking for people they might hire one day, people who have passion and enthusiasm for the industry they love too. This is your opportunity to shine and make a seriously good impression. No pressure.

Hackers don’t discriminate. In its 2013 data breach investigations report, Verizon analyzed more than 47,000 security incidents that took place during the prior year. Virtually every part of the economy was hit in some way: 37 percent of data breaches happened at financial institutions; 24 percent at retail establishments; 20 percent at manufacturing, transportation and utility companies; and 20 percent at information and professional services firms.

Retailers have taken the increasing number of payment card incidents very seriously, making significant investments in data protection, focusing on security training for their software developers, and educating their employees. As thieves continue to hone their craft, retailers are continuously updating policies, procedures and equipment to further mitigate risk.

But the fight against cyber criminals can’t be won alone. In addition to Monday’s testimony before Congress, Duncan appeared Tuesday on Bloomberg TV. Watch Duncan explain the economics of these security breaches and call for a united front – from policymakers to the technology that supports all points of transaction – to ensure that steps are taken to prevent future breaches.

 Who’s who

Retail’s BIG Show 2014 attendees make their way to the keynotes. This year’s event saw record attendance.

• 30,000 registrants
• 86 countries represented
• 1,652 people from Brazil, the most-represented foreign country. Canada was the second largest group (1,124).
• 242 people in the largest single international delegation, again from Brazil
• 278 speakers
• 1 former U.S. President

Calories in

• 9,600 Krispy Kreme doughnuts served
• 923 gallons of coffee or 14,768 cups of coffee served
• 75,000-plus bottles of water served

Calories out

• 15,400 chairs
• 200 miles walked by just five members of NRF’s logistics team
• 10 miles per day: the average mileage for an NRF logistics team member
• 6 city blocks and one-third of a mile: the length of the Javits Convention Center from end to end

Show floor stats

• 555 exhibiting companies
• 205,000 net square feet of already sold for next year’s show

More knowledge more power

• 8,600 mobile app downloads
• 113 educational sessions
• 100 hours of content

Lost and (sometimes) found

• 5 credit cards (unclaimed cards are shredded)
• 4 cell phones
• 4 driver’s licenses
• 2 backpacks
• 1 wedding band (Note: If it’s yours, call Javits Security at (212) 216-2196!)

Retail’s BIG Show has grown quickly over the last few years. And every year after the event, our team wonders how we could possibly pull off a bigger and better show. But I’m proud to say that every year we have succeeded. It’s inspiring to see how the BIG Show brings innovators together, sparks partnerships and helps jump start the year for retailers. It’s an honor to serve this great industry at this annual event and throughout the year.

So what could be better in 2015?  

New in 2015

• 1 additional EXPO day (open on Sunday)
• 17,500 additional square feet of EXPO hall space
• 1 retail industry gala

Watch the video below for a two-minute look at this year’s show. Congratulations to our team, attendees, sponsors and exhibitors on a great BIG Show. We’ll see you next year.

Social media put play calling in the viewers’ hands. This year, H&M and Doritos took to crowd sourcing, enabling fans to choose which ad they wanted to see during the Super Bowl. Countless others used 30-second teaser campaigns and “behind the scenes” footage to create fanfare. For many, it turned in to a month-long challenge for brands to get out in front of the big game and build up social currency. Mike Sheldon, CEO of ad agency Deustch, summed it up best, telling Fast Company, “Social media has made every consumer a publisher.”

Unveiling an ad early is not a strategy that was embraced by all. While the window for an ad to go viral is smaller after the game – just a few days rather than weeks leading up to the game – there are plenty of brands that were quite comfortable keeping quiet until game day. But sometimes an audible can be the best play to call: After seeing the brilliant tweet pulled off on the fly by Oreo during last year’s unexpected Super Bowl blackout, you can bet companies were prepared for anything at this weekend’s game.

Since all commercials can’t be evaluated through the same lens, I broke my choices down into these categories: brand connection, social factor, humor and Main Street/Made in America.

Brand connection

Each of these commercials tugged at my heart-strings. Budweiser’s Puppy Love was one of the most talked-about ads released before the Super Bowl, but even after watching it I was still caught up in the “best buds” moment.  Cheerios’ “Gracie,” the first Super Bowl appearance for the brand and only the second appearance for parent company General Mills, captured an adorable family moment and was a fantastic promotion for their Family Breakfast Project. Chevy’s tribute to cancer survivors and pledge to contribute up to $1 million to the American Cancer Society in honor of World Cancer Day was the best philanthropic message I saw last night. The most empowering ad of the night went to Microsoft, whose commercial presented the brand in a heartwarmingly innovative light.

The safest cards are encrypted with PIN and chip technology, which is widely used in Europe. Unlike signatures, PINs can be encrypted, so that even if the data is grabbed, as it was in the most recent case, the encrypted PIN serves as an additional layer of security to help protect consumers. But in America, most cards are issued with signatures and magnetic strips, making customer information vulnerable to criminals. Hackers are using 21st century technology to take advantage of 20th century cards. As long as cards are issued with signature and magnetic strips, theft will occur. According to Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach report, 37 percent of breaches affected financial institutions, up from the previous year’s report. Less than a quarter of data breaches occurred in retail environments and restaurants in the same period, a decline from 2012.

During Retail’s BIG Show, Shay and NRF Board Chairman Stephen Sadove addressed recent fraud committed against retailers and their customers on CNBC. They emphasized that retailers are prepared to put additional resources behind preventing data theft. Shay and Sadove aren’t alone. Costco co-founder Jim Senegal, HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman and Macy’s Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren have all said that these incidents are a wake-up call to take further steps to prevent future cyber attacks – their customers and their businesses are at stake.

The question remains: is the financial industry ready to do the right thing by their customers as well?