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As many around the country celebrate Earth Day this week, it's a good time to think about sustainability and how businesses can make a difference. NRF Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Scot Case discusses what makes a sustainable brand and what retailers can do to ensure progress and communicate transparently with consumers.   Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

Many of us who work in corporate environments haven't touched our business attire in a year. As we work from home, stretchy pants have become the new business casual. Today's guest is Brian Kennedy, Vice President of Operations at Ministry of Supply, an apparel brand that specializes in reengineering business attire for the modern professional. We talk with Brian about how Ministry of Supply shifted gears during the pandemic, what the last year has been like for business, and what's ahead for the cutting-edge brand. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

The past several months have been a whirlwind of growth and change for the retail industry, including in how people pay for things. Today we’re talking about buy now, pay later with Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna, which partners with thousands of retailers in the United States and across the globe to offer new payment options. He offers his unique take on the retail landscape and what he's seeing for the future of retail. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

NRF's annual consumer survey for Easter showed Americans would drop $21.6 billion during Easter this year. As we examine the data and take a closer look at what's driving holiday spending and the consumers' pulse, progress continues on vaccinating millions across the country. Katherine Cullen, NRF Senior Director of Industry & Consumer Insights, shares what we need to know about the upcoming holiday. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

Susan Reda and Jill Dvorak from NRF's Content and Retail Strategies team discuss the retail trends popping up around remote work, including how retailers keep their teams engaged and how leadership is taking on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

As we've seen over the past several years, the retailers that adapt and evolve with consumer behavior have thrived, even in challenging times. But what about the mall? Jill Renslow, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Mall of America, shares her perspective on how the mall was faring during a pandemic and what the future holds for both the Mall of America and malls across the country. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

The National Retail Federation recently published its annual retail sales forecast for 2021, projecting that retail sales will grow between 6.5 and 8.2 percent, to more than $4.3 trillion in 2021. In this episode, NRF’s Chief Economist, Jack Kleinhenz, shares what goes into the forecasting process and what is likely to impact consumer spending this year. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

Best Buy Chief Inclusion, Diversity, and Talent Officer Mark Irvin is working hard to build and maintain an inclusive work environment for the 125,000 employees that work at Best Buy. In this episode, he talks about his path to the role and the retailer's approach to attracting, retaining, and growing a diverse talent pool. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

While most people aren't crowding the bar these days, Jomaree Pinkard knows that the pandemic doesn't have to stop you from savoring a delicious cocktail. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hella Cocktail Co., which makes cocktail mixers and bitters that are sold online and through partner retail stores across the United States, and even offered on Delta Airlines flights. Prior to the pandemic at least half of Hella Cocktail’s business came from the foodservice and hospitality industry. Leaning into the values of their company helped them focus on where to grow the company in a sustainable way. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

After being frustrated that most sunscreens leave a white residue behind, today's guest set out to create a better option, especially for people of color. Katonya Breaux is the founder of Unsun Cosmetics, which makes clean mineral sunscreen that blends into any skin tone. And it's also one of the businesses selected for the NRF Foundation and Qurate Retail Group's Small Business Spotlight, which features entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds across the HSN, QVC, and Zulily platforms. She shares her founding story, and how her business has managed to thrive during the pandemic.   Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

In a year unlike any other, how have the behaviors of consumers changed around holidays? Katherine Cullen of NRF's Research Team shares some insights about what consumers are planning to do for Valentine’s Day this year. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

Farmgirl Flowers CEO Christina Stembel shares how she built her business from the ground up, created growth in a challenging year, and inspired countless Instagram-worthy moments and memories for customers. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

After a truly tense election, and a chaotic and unruly start to 2021 in the nation's capital, the country remains divided as ever. But nevertheless, there is work to be done. A new administration means new retail policy priorities for 2021, and David French, NRF's Senior Vice President of Government Relations, who was recently recognized as one of the top lobbyists by “The Hill,” knows all about what to expect. He’s going to share what matters most for retailers and how NRF plans to work to make progress for the industry in the coming year.   Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

As we see social responsibility and sustainability rising to the top of mind for consumers, people are looking for a meaningful connection to the brands they support. Today, we're speaking with Ron Kinghorn, PwC’s US Consumer Markets Advisory Leader, about ESG investing and how ESG can be used as a core competitive differentiator. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

NRF’s virtual event, NRF 2021 Retail's Big Show—Chapter One, starts January 12. NRF's Vice President of Content and Retail Strategy, Jill Dvorak chats with the team about what we're hearing from retail leaders across the country and why this is going to be a Big Show like no one has ever seen before. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

NRF’s Susan Reda discusses which trends coming out of 2020 will gain momentum in 2021 and what the year ahead holds for retail. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

The retail industry was challenged from every direction in 2020, but retail is resilient. National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay discusses what shaped the industry this past year and looks ahead at the challenges and the opportunities for retail going forward. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

As the world of retail is transforming at a rate faster than we've ever seen, the National Retail Federation's virtual event, NRF 2021 Retail's Big Show Chapter 1, will provide the talks, tech, and talent of tomorrow to propel the retail industry forward. This year, COVID-19 taught us that the customer experience of the future requires connection, personalization, and most importantly, safety. Suitsupply Founder and CEO Fokke de Jong is speaking at NRF 2021 about reinventing the shopper journey to meet customers where and how they want to shop, and he joins this episode to offer a preview of their new in-store safe shopping and virtual pre-shopping options. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

The National Retail Federation's flagship event is going virtual this year. At NRF 2021, Retail's Big Show Chapter One, innovative brands big and small will come together — virtually — to celebrate the best in retail and move forward with focus. Mitch Joel is an expert in reimagining what's next. This January at NRF 2021, he'll be discussing the growth of e-commerce and what lies ahead for the fully digitized consumer.  Mitch is an entrepreneur, author, digital expert, and the founder of Six Pixels Group, an advisory, investing, and content company focused on brands and commerce. He's been named one of the top 100 marketers in the world and was awarded the highly prestigious Canada's Top 40 Under 40 award. He joins the Retail Gets Real podcast to share a glimpse into his Big Show session and talk about how retailers are rethinking many commonly-held beliefs about what works in commerce today. Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.

Tom Litchford, Head of Worldwide Retail at Amazon Web Services, joins us to talk about why the cloud is a strategic investment that helps retailers innovate, recover revenue, and cut costs while protecting themselves from future unexpected events and disruptions.   Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.