This week from Doing Business in Bentonville, leaders across retail, supply chain and brand strategy shared fresh perspectives on how to win in today’s volatile, omnichannel environment. The focus was video marketing’s rise, authentic storytelling as a loyalty driver and how supply chain teams are adopting startup thinking to stay ahead.
Video & Storytelling as Core Growth Drivers
Retail marketers are prioritizing video as the foundation – not the afterthought – of campaign planning. With generative AI simplifying creation and measurement, brands are rethinking media budgets to go where engagement is highest: short-form, personalized video content.
Meanwhile, at Retail Innovation Week, executives explained how authenticity in brand narratives helps cut through digital clutter. From sustainability stories to founder-driven missions, emotional resonance is becoming as measurable as reach.
Resilient Supply Chains Start with People, Not Just Tech
Supply chain agility remains a hot topic, and two recent features showed that it takes more than automation. It also takes aligning startup methodologies with enterprise scale. Innovation isn’t just about new tools – it’s about empowering teams to test and scale smarter, faster.
Similarly, the Port of New York and New Jersey is a case study in long-term resilience. Officials cited tight coordination between public and private sectors as critical in maintaining throughput during geopolitical and public health disruptions.
Brand Expansion, Mission-Driven Models & Sustainable Design
Retailers are also diversifying growth channels and rethinking product portfolios. Gap Inc. is leveraging underdeveloped categories like beauty across Old Navy, Gap and Athleta to open up new revenue streams and better compete with specialty retailers.
Across multiple sessions at Retail Innovation Week, leaders echoed the mantra “no margin, no mission.” One highlighted how top brands are using real-time analytics to align purpose with performance, proving that financial discipline and impact storytelling can coexist.
Finally, the CEO of Dropps challenged the industry to bake sustainability into the earliest stages of product development, from ingredient sourcing to packaging and delivery.
Bentonville and Beyond
The conversations happening this week underscore Bentonville’s growing role as a hub for omnichannel innovation. Whether through tech-driven marketing, supply chain reinvention or values-aligned brand leadership, Doing Business in Bentonville continues to spotlight the companies and thinkers pushing retail into its next era.
