Retail Guru Tony D’Onofrio on Retail Tech, Empowered Consumers

MarketScale recently attended NRF 2020, the retail industry’s biggest annual show, to get a feel for where the industry is headed and sit down with some of retail’s biggest names.

Retail influencer and consultant Tony D’Onofrio joined MarketScale’s Geoff Short for a discussion on some overarching themes in the retail industry as a new decade dawns.

D’Onofrio identified artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and retailer immersion in technology as key items he hoped were high points at NRF, providing a look into the mind of one of the industry’s biggest names.

Regarding technology, D’Onofrio said consumer smartphone adoption has drastically altered the retail landscape, adding that consumers are often as educated or more educated regarding a retailer’s offerings than employees, themselves.

This “empowered consumer,” D’Onofrio said, expects retailers to respond to digital conversations and needs at a satisfactory level.

Short and D’Onofrio also discussed the difference between concepts, ideas and actionable and implementable tech, what makes tech worth it for retailers, consumer-centric technology, challenges facing retail entering the next decade, and more.

To keep up with everything going on in the retail industry, stay tuned to MarketScale’s retail publication here.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

StudentSafe
Understanding Raptor StudentSafe
April 28, 2026

In this episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso speaks with Chris Noell, Chief Product Officer at Raptor Technologies, and Will Durgin, Director of Student Well-Being, about the vision behind StudentSafe and how it helps schools move from reactive responses to proactive student support. Together, they emphasize that safer schools depend on giving staff…

Read More
school safety
Going Slow to Go Fast in School Safety Leadership
April 28, 2026

In this episode of the Principles of Change podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies, host Dr. Amy Grosso talks with Tim Dykes, Assistant Principal for Culture and Climate at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. The conversation highlights how strong relationships, student voice, and steady long-term leadership can help schools build environments where people feel…

Read More
career
Closing the Education-to-Employment Gap: The Rise of the Career Center as Campus Infrastructure
April 28, 2026

Higher education is under mounting pressure to prove its value. As student debt, shifting demographics, and employer expectations reshape the landscape, institutions are being forced to rethink how they prepare students for life after graduation. At the same time, new data shows a sharp rise in internship-to-full-time hiring, with recent cohorts converting at their…

Read More
leadership
Called to Lead: Joel Allison on Faith, Risk, and the Future of Healthcare Leadership
April 27, 2026

Healthcare leadership is being redefined in real time. With the rise of AI, mounting financial pressures, and workforce burnout, executives today are operating in an environment of continuous disruption and uncertainty. In fact, industry leaders now rank workforce shortages and digital transformation among their top concerns—forcing a new kind of leadership that blends decisiveness…

Read More