CANADIAN RETAILER Spring 2014 BLOCKING AND TAC ING TACKL Rick Padulo has created some of the most revolutionary ad campaigns that the retail industry has ever seen, achieving his success through an intimate understanding of the business. PAGE 36 PAGE 6 FEATURES CONSUMER RESEARCH 14 UNDERSTANDING THE CHANNELS product How is today's consumer conducting research and where are they finding the information that they're looking for? What's influencing their purchases? What are they considering when making their purchase decisions? Find out what NPD Group uncovered when speaking to today's Canadian consumer. OMNICHANNEL RETAIL FLOW 16 REVERSAL OF is king, and in today's omnichanThe consumer nel environment retailers across the country are innovating to meet their needs and preferences. To do so, many retailers have made the development of an omnichannel operations strategy the top priority for 2014. MYSTORE: RETAILER'S GUIDE 27 AT HOME ONLINE Travel in a time machine to 1998 and log onto the "Internet" and what will you find? The answer is an online retail landscape ruled by purely online retailers and a few big boxes. Life is different today, and the reasons for independent retailers to start selling online are too many to count. MYSTORE: INDIE PROFILE 32 A SPACE TO GROW The biggest opportunities for independent retailers are online. And for those willing to develop the skills needed to sell online, they have the opportunity to turn the store into a brand appreciated by customers far away from home as well as by those right across the street. RETAIL MARKETING ROUNDTABLE SERIES 2014 22 OMNICHANNEL RETAIL-EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME Canada's top retailers came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to today's retail omnichannel environment. Find out what they had to say about the channels, the consumer, the technologies and the most effective ways to leverage them all to engage, communicate and sell. 36 BLOCKING AND TACKLING WITH A CANADIAN MARKETING LEGEND Rick Padulo knows his business. He knows how to sell things and how to make his clients money. The Canadian marketing legend recently sat down with Canadian Retailer to discuss his career, his achievements and the future of retail marketing. DEPARTMENTS 4 PUBLISHER'S DESK 8 RETAIL CURRENTS 12 RETAIL: AT ISSUE 49 ADVERTISER'S INDEX 50 RETAIL QUICK TIPS COVER Photo by Banko Media www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer | spring 2014 | canadian retailer | 3http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer