Everybody in retail knows that their success depends on understanding the customer. And understanding the customer starts with understanding their demographics. But with businesses enthralled by big data, demographics looks old fashioned and irrelevant. But guess what? Demographics is the biggest data of all. For retailers, demographics was and still is destiny.

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A system that remembers customers’ preferences, can understand speech and text and that learns the more it’s used—that’s the magic of machine learning. Machine learning is used to understand customers, drive personalization, streamline processes and create convenient and memorable customer experiences. Machine learning’s many applications make it a powerful tool in creating amazing customer experiences. Here are 20 examples of machine learning in action.

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From supply chains to marketing, weather-related changes have impacted how retailers do business. Retail has both played a part in the perpetuation of climate change and absorbed its impact. Supply chain and sourcing have already changed due to weather patterns, and according to at least one estimate, the apparel industry releases half a million tons of microfibers into the ocean per year. But, there is a current of revolution on the horizon, with companies caving to consumer pressure to improve processes and prove that they are adopting sustainable practices, and retailers are in a good position to make decisions that could put the larger consumer goods industry on a more environmentally sustainable path.

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Customer experience is a constant evolution. What was inventive five years ago could be commonplace today. The best customer experiences innovate to stay ahead of new technology and trends. Finding creative new ideas can build lasting connections with customers. Here are 10 fresh examples of CX innovation from brands that aren’t afraid to think outside the box to serve customers.

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In today's retail landscape, the fight for customers is fiercer than ever. Loyalty programs may be the oldest marketing trick in the book, but they remain one of the most effective for getting consumers to stick with a company. Companies in industries from books to beauty products offer alluring perks and rewards for loyal customers. Several retailers offer loyalty programs offering customers perks and rewards for their continued shopping. We compiled 18 of the best loyalty programs in retail, comprising industries from books to clothing and beauty products. The loyalty programs offer customers free items, exclusive deals, and discounts on future purchases.

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While the so-called “retail apocalypse” is undeniably wreaking havoc in the shopping industry, not all physical retailers are floundering. The IHL Group gave MONEY a list of retailers that are actually adding new stores in the U.S. in 2019. Below, we’re highlighting the top 10 retailers with big expansion plans in the works: Each company says it will add 50 or more new stores this year. What has enabled these stores to thrive despite the gloomy, ultra-competitive state of the physical retail world? And how can these retailers justify expanding at a time when Amazon seems to be gobbling up more and more of our shopping dollars each day?

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Technology can be a huge boost to customer experience. But it can also leave a bad taste in customers’ mouths. Brands need to be constantly evolving with new technology and evaluating their approach to make sure the technology is effective and strategic. This week brought stories of technology being used in all aspects of customer experience, from robots reaching customers to customers sharing their experiences online. These stories show that technology can connect customers and create convenient experiences, but it can also lead to problems like a lack of human connection and data security. To ensure technology is used properly, brands should regularly re-evaluate their approach.

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Retailers like Target, as well as Walmart and Nordstrom, are rewriting the rulebooks of merchandising in order to accommodate trendy digitally native brands that were, in most cases, launched without wholesale margins in their business structures. Nordstrom’s gm of merchandising has said the company “threw out the old playbook” in order to orchestrate inventory buys with brands like Greats and Reformation, Walmart is so bullish on DTC brands that it’s acquiring a suite of them under Andy Dunn, the founder of Bonobos and now Walmart E-commerce’s head of digital brands. At Target, the best way to understand how these new DTC retail deals are playing out is to look to its health and beauty category.

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Companies from Nordstrom to J. Crew have invested in loyalty programs. Some removed barriers, others added them, but the changes all said something about the strategy. In the past year, the space was reshaped when a slew of retailers reinvented, upgraded and dropped loyalty programs. The multi-retailer Plenti program shut down in July after Macy's and several other important participants bailed. And several retailers have tweaked or added internal loyalty programs. Program changes have ranged from department stores, including Macy's, Nordstrom and Kohl's, to big-box and specialty retailers like Target, DSW and Lululemon. While some of the changes are likely just the result of natural investment in that part of the business, retailers also face pressure from higher shopper expectations.

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These days in brick-and-mortar retail circles, it seems all anyone can talk about is experiential retail. Immersive, interactive, technology-enhanced — these are all adjectives that get tossed around when executives are talking about what the store of the future needs to look and feel like. What does experiential retail really mean? For some it may be a swimming pool full of sprinkles or meditation pods. As design becomes a more intentional factor of the store experience, it's changing consumer expectations, especially for younger generations. As Doug Stephens, CEO of Retail Prophet, recently put it, "Millennials don’t suffer from shortened attention spans. Rather, they simply have a much higher sensitivity to things that are boring." But in reality, how many stores are actually as experiential as these out-of-the-box ideas? In a country with roughly 22.5 square feet of retail space per capita (more than any other country), the answer is: not many.

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