What Retail Prophet does

Retail Prophet is a privately held retail industry consultancy and thought leadership firm founded in 2009 by Doug Stephens. The firm does not develop or sell technology products; its core offering is intellectual property — futures research, trend analysis, strategic advisory frameworks, and keynote presentations — sold as professional services rather than as a software platform.

The firm's revenue is generated through three primary streams: (i) keynote speaking engagements booked directly or via talent agents for corporate events and industry conferences such as the National Retail Federation's annual conference; (ii) bespoke strategic advisory and consulting engagements with enterprise brands, delivered on a project or retainer basis; and (iii) book sales through standard retail channels (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Waterstones) and corporate bulk programs via Porchlight Books. Doug Stephens is the author of three internationally bestselling titles — The Retail Revival, Resurrecting Retail, and The Future of Competitive Advantage — which constitute a durable content moat alongside a regularly published blog (2009–2026), a Substack newsletter (@dougstephensretailprophet), a podcast, and YouTube content. The firm is Canadian-based with a North American operational base but sells services globally.

Retail Prophet's go-to-market is relationship-based and content-driven. Doug Stephens' personal brand — supported by recurring earned media in The New York Times, BBC, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company, plus a nationally syndicated CBC Radio column and a Business of Fashion column — generates inbound demand for speaking and advisory work. The client roster includes global enterprises across retail, technology, automotive, beverages, financial services, luxury goods, and beauty (Walmart, BMW, Google, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, LVMH, Kering, IKEA, Citibank, eBay, L'Oréal, AB InBev, Home Depot). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are quoted per keynote or per advisory mandate, varying by client size, audience, customization, and travel. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional ownership.

Name

Retail Prophet

Legal name

Retail Prophet

Website

http://www.retailprophet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Retail Prophet is a Canadian-based retail industry consultancy founded in 2009 by Doug Stephens, offering keynote speaking, strategic advisory, and published thought leadership to global enterprise brands and conference organizers. Its intellectual brand spans bestselling books, podcasts, a blog, and a Substack newsletter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Speaking / Keynote Presentations: Doug Stephens is booked as a keynote speaker for corporate events, industry conferences, and executive retreats. This is a primary revenue stream, with fees charged per engagement for customized presentations on retail futurism, competitive strategy, and emerging consumer trends.
2. Advisory Services / Consulting: Retail Prophet provides strategic advisory services to some of the world's most respected brands, including bespoke strategy consulting, workshops, and executive briefings. Revenue is generated on a project or retainer basis.
3. Book Sales / Publishing: Doug Stephens is the author of three internationally bestselling books on the future of retail and competitive advantage. Book sales (print, ebook, audiobook) generate revenue directly through retail channels (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo) and corporate bulk purchasing. The company also offers corporate and bulk discount programs through Porchlight Books.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retail Prophet is a retail industry consultancy that sells keynote speaking engagements and bespoke strategic advisory services to enterprise retailers, brands, and consumer companies. The firm also publishes books, a podcast, and a blog authored by founder Doug Stephens, delivering thought leadership on retail futures, consumer behavior, competitive strategy, AI, and sustainability. Revenue is generated through per-engagement speaking fees and project or retainer-based advisory contracts.

Product overview

Retail Prophet is a retail industry consultancy offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include speaking engagements by founder Doug Stephens (one of the world's most sought-after retail speakers), strategic advisory services for major brands, authored books on retail futurism, podcasts, and blog/news content. These services are positioned as intellectual work and consulting rather than a technology platform with modules or integrated products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Speaking Services Keynote speaking engagements delivered by Doug Stephens to corporate events, industry conferences, and executive retreats. Topics include retail futurism, competitive strategy, AI, consumer behavior, and emerging macro trends. Each engagement is customized to the audience and is one of Retail Prophet's primary revenue streams.
• Advisory Services
• Books by Doug Stephens Three internationally bestselling books on the future of retail and competitive advantage, including 'The Retail Revival,' 'Resurrecting Retail,' and 'The Future of Competitive Advantage: A Business Plan to Save Your Customers, Your Company and Democracy.' Distributed through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Waterstones, and a corporate bulk discount program through Porchlight Books.
• Retail Prophet Podcast Podcast series featuring Doug Stephens in conversation with industry leaders on retail futurism, consumer behavior, and macro forces shaping commerce. Episodes are also hosted on the firm's YouTube channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three internationally bestselling books published (The Retail Revival, Resurrecting Retail, The Future of Competitive Advantage)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IHL Group: IHL Group is a retail and hospitality technology research firm producing subscription research and advisory for retail executives. Overlap with Retail Prophet lies in the same buyer (retail CIOs/CMOs/strategy leaders) and the same professional services revenue model.
• Customer Growth Partners: Customer Growth Partners is a retail-focused research and advisory firm founded by Craig Johnson. It sells proprietary retail forecasts, benchmarking, and strategic advisory to retail executives — directly comparable to Retail Prophet's advisory work and speaking engagements.
• Coresight Research: Coresight Research is a retail and technology research firm with subscription reports, advisory, and event-driven thought leadership for retail investors and operators. Same buyer profile and research-driven services model as Retail Prophet.
• The Robin Report: The Robin Report is a retail industry research and thought-leadership platform founded by retail futurist Robin Lewis. It directly parallels Retail Prophet in operating as a personal-brand-driven retail intelligence subscription and advisory business targeting the same enterprise retail audience.
• Fung Global Retail: Fung Global Retail is the retail research arm of the Li & Fung trading group, providing retail industry intelligence and advisory. Comparable to Retail Prophet in producing trend research and serving global retail executives with strategic foresight.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company (Retail Practice): Bain & Company runs a top-tier global retail and consumer products practice serving the same enterprise buyer as Retail Prophet. Its scale, case libraries, and benchmark data dwarf the boutique Retail Prophet model.
• BCG (Retail Practice): BCG's retail and luxury practices advise many of the same Walmart/Coca-Cola/LVMH-class clients. Comparable only at the buyer level, as BCG is a systemized incumbent versus Retail Prophet's personal-brand model.
• McKinsey & Company (Retail Practice): McKinsey's retail practice provides strategic advisory to many of the same Fortune 500 retail and consumer brands that Retail Prophet serves. It is a much broader incumbent with deep institutional infrastructure, not a niche futurist firm.
• Forrester Research (Retail Practice): Forrester's retail and e-commerce research practice provides subscription research and advisory to retail executives. Comparable in audience and research-led advisory model, though Forrester is a scaled incumbent with a multi-analyst team.
• Gartner (Retail Industry Advisory): Gartner produces retail industry research, advisory, and executive briefings for retail CIOs and supply chain leaders. Overlaps with Retail Prophet in selling strategic foresight to enterprise retail buyers, but via a recurring subscription model at massive scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/retailprophet
• Facebookfacebook.com/retail-prophet-205910849445964

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Prophet