Retail Consulting Partners

What Retail Consulting Partners does

Retail Consulting Partners (RCP) is a Boston-headquartered, privately-held retail management consulting firm that has operated for more than 25 years and is led by four Managing Partners: Brian Brunk, John Eagles, Ryan Grogman, and Perry Kramer. The firm is 100% dedicated to the retail industry and serves Tier 1 enterprise retailers across North America (United States and Canada) with a stated base of 300+ completed projects and an 85% repeat client rate. Every consultant is required to have prior retail operating experience, which the firm positions as its primary differentiator versus generalist consultancies.

RCP delivers three core service pillars - Retail Strategy, Solution Selection (RFI/RFP-driven vendor evaluation), and Solution Implementation (project delivery) - supported by 15 specialized practice areas covering Store Systems, Unified Commerce, Retail Mobility, Retail AI Enablement, Retail Payments, Workforce Management, E-Commerce, Order Management, Supply Chain, Merchandising & ERP, Self-Service/Self-Checkout, Customer Journey Mapping, Financial Systems, Restaurants & Food Service, and Organizational Change Management. Proprietary methodologies include the READY Adoption Enablement Model (a 5-phase organizational change management framework) and a 6-Step Application Rationalization Methodology. The firm also publishes an annual Customer Engagement, Unified Commerce & POS Report now in its 26th edition, surveying 100+ retailers.

The business model is project-based or retainer professional services revenue, with vendor-agnostic positioning across the retail technology marketplace. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is driven by direct enterprise field sales, thought leadership content (webinars, research reports, blog articles), and industry recognition including The Silicon Review's 50 Fastest Growing Companies (2023) and CIO Review's Most Promising Customer Experience Management Services Company (2022). In 2026, RCP expanded its service portfolio into AI-focused offerings including the Retail AI Enablement Framework, Agentic Commerce Framework, and the Agentic AI JumpStart Program.

Name

Retail Consulting Partners

Legal name

Retail Consulting Partners

Website

https://retailconsultingpartners.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retail Consulting Partners is a Boston-based retail management consulting firm serving Tier 1 North American retailers with strategy, technology selection, and implementation services across 15 specialized practice areas, backed by 25+ years of operating history and proprietary methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ERP, CRM & Enterprise Applications Consulting (BPAHAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Retail consulting
• Retail transformation
• Unified commerce
• Retail technology
• Retail strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Management Consulting Services: RCP generates revenue through professional consulting services including strategy engagements, solution selection projects, and implementation support. Revenue is project-based or retainer arrangements with retail clients seeking transformation services. Services span strategic consulting, vendor assessment, and project delivery.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Retail Consulting Partners (RCP) is a retail management consulting firm that delivers strategy, solution selection, and implementation services exclusively to Tier 1 retailers. Its portfolio spans three core service pillars—Retail Strategy (AI-driven transformation roadmaps), Solution Selection (RFI/RFP-led technology evaluation), and Solution Implementation (project delivery and post-go-live support)—underpinned by proprietary methodologies such as the READY Adoption Enablement Model and the Retail AI Enablement Framework, and supported by 15 specialized practice areas covering store systems, unified commerce, mobility, payments, workforce management, and more.

Product overview

Retail Consulting Partners (RCP) is a retail management consulting firm offering a portfolio of advisory and implementation services rather than a single software product. The core service offering spans three main pillars: Retail Strategy (AI-driven transformation roadmaps), Solution Selection (RFI/RFP-driven vendor evaluation), and Solution Implementation (project delivery with AI-powered optimization). Supporting these are proprietary methodologies including the READY Adoption Enablement Model (5-phase OCM framework) and the Agentic AI JumpStart Program (3-day workshop). RCP maintains 15 specialized practice areas covering Store Systems, Unified Commerce, Retail Mobility, Retail AI Enablement, Retail Payments, Workforce Management, E-Commerce, Order Management, Supply Chain, Merchandising & ERP, Self-Service/Self-Checkout, Customer Journey Mapping, Financial Systems, Restaurants & Food Service, and Organizational Change Management. The firm also publishes annual research through its Customer Engagement, Unified Commerce & POS Report (now in its 26th edition).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Strategy Strategic consulting service helping retailers define their vision and roadmap for the future, integrating AI-driven strategies for long-term growth and competitive advantage. Covers AI-Enabled Digital Transformation Roadmap, Omnichannel Strategy, Customer Experience Design, and Market Analysis & Competitive Positioning.
• Solution Selection Technology selection consulting that guides retailers through the RFI/RFP process to identify the right-fit technology, prioritizing AI-enabled platforms for long-term scalability and ROI. Includes AI-Forward Marketplace Assessment, Differentiating Requirements Gathering, Vendor Evaluation, Implementation Planning, and Total Cost of Ownership Analysis.
• Solution Implementation Project delivery service ensuring new solutions—from core systems to AI-powered tools—are implemented on time, on budget, and with minimal disruption. Includes Project Management, Solution Architecture, Business Process Analysis, Change Management, Quality Assurance & Testing, and AI-Powered Post-Implementation Support & Optimization.
• READY Adoption Enablement Model Proprietary 5-phase organizational change management framework (Recognize, Engage, Activate, Drive, Yield) delivered as a structured yet flexible consulting methodology for stakeholder engagement, training, and sustained change adoption during retail technology transformations.
• Agentic AI JumpStart Program 3-day intensive workshop designed to accelerate Agentic AI adoption among retailers, covering technical landscape assessment, functional requirements identification, and roadmap development as the entry point of a 4-phase Agentic Commerce adoption approach.
• Retail AI Enablement Framework Comprehensive AI enablement framework covering the entire retail value chain across six pillars: Customer Experience & Personalization, Pricing & Margin Optimization, Inventory & Supply Chain Optimization, Store Operations & Loss Prevention, Merchandising & Product Strategy, and Generative AI.
• Annual Customer Engagement, Unified Commerce & POS Report Annual benchmarking survey research report exploring strategic bets, AI utilization, and technology plans among over 100 North American retailers, now in its 26th edition. Functions as an industry research product supporting RCP's thought-leadership positioning and client engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7% in-store revenue lift achieved for Tier 1 specialty retailer through customer engagement platform implementation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Accenture: Global systems integrator with one of the largest retail industry practices, offering strategy, technology implementation, and AI services across the full retail value chain. Competes for Tier 1 transformation RFPs at greater scale.
• Deloitte Digital: Big 4 consulting arm with a dedicated retail and consumer products practice spanning strategy, technology, and AI transformation. Overlaps with RCP on enterprise retail digital and unified commerce engagements.
• Tata Consultancy Services (Retail): Global IT services firm with a sizeable retail vertical offering technology implementation, application services, and AI transformation to enterprise retailers at global scale.
• Capgemini Invent (Retail): Global consulting and technology services brand with a dedicated retail and consumer products practice delivering digital transformation, customer experience, and AI enablement engagements to enterprise retailers.
• McKinsey & Company (Retail Practice): Global strategy consultancy with a prominent retail and omnichannel practice serving Tier 1 retailers on strategy and large-scale transformation roadmaps, often competing with RCP at the strategy stage.

Direct peers

• Slalom Consulting: Mid-sized consulting firm with a dedicated retail and consumer goods practice offering strategy, technology selection, and transformation services to Tier 1 retailers.
• IHL Group: Retail research and consulting firm specializing in retail technology disruption and store operations benchmarking. Comparable as a specialist retail advisory serving enterprise vendors and retailers.
• West Monroe: Mid-market consulting firm with strong retail and consumer products practices delivering technology-enabled transformation, including ERP/CRM and customer experience work analogous to RCP's offerings.
• RSR Research: Retail-only research and advisory firm producing annual benchmark reports and serving enterprise retailers with strategy and technology assessment services, closely overlapping RCP's research-driven GTM.
• BRP Consulting: Retail-focused IT consulting firm previously led by RCP Managing Partner Brian Brunk. Directly comparable as a boutique retail management and technology consulting practice serving enterprise retailers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retail-consulting-partners
• Xx.com/RetailRCP

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retail Consulting Partners