Recent studies are showing differences in how millennial parents gather information about products and services, how they define and seek “adventure,” how loyal they are to brands, how much they value convenience and how willing they are to adopt new technologies and retail models.

How does a brand make the leap from customer loyalty to advocacy — or even evangelism? Do the many brands vying for shoppers’ affection make it harder? Or is it easier because we live in a connected world where social media opens the door for more frequent and widespread interaction?

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

In a world of gloom and doom about the future of shopping centers, Westfield London is boldly looking into the future. Westfield’s Destination 2028, which showcases how retail stores will look in a decade, has a futuristic look designed by a retail specialist, a fashion technology innovator, a futurologist and experimental physiologists.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

Tennis star Serena Williams is a household name as one of the world’s top athletes. Off the court, she’s hit the success equivalent of a Grand Slam, scoring up big wins as a businesswoman with a new clothing line, advocate, mother and competitor. Williams will offer “game-set-match” business advice on September 14 at NRF’s Shop.org conference in Las Vegas.

Online retailer Brandless carries everything from applesauce to knives for no more than $3, yet all of its products are sustainably manufactured. On this episode of NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast, co-founder and CEO Tina Sharkey talks about how Brandless is “scaling kindness” through its product sourcing, manufacturing and charitable giving.

A selection of companies representing the newest retail technologies from around the globe will participate in the Innovation Lab at NRF’s Shop.org conference September 12-14 in Las Vegas. NRF provides a preview of companies to watch.

Rock star Gene Simmons has launched a premium soda line, and 7-Eleven Inc. will get an exclusive first taste of one of the five flavors launching this month. The line, called MoneyBag Sodas, is made in cooperation with Rock Steady Sodas Inc. Several retail chains, including Wegmans Food Markets, Tops Friendly Markets and Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop, will also carry the new sodas.

RangeMe, the award-winning online platform that streamlines new product discovery for retailers and suppliers, has partnered with Thrive Market, the online retailer that is disrupting the organic and non-GMO market, and becoming the destination for consumers seeking out these brands.

Buffalo Wild Wings announced a new partnership with DraftKings for a custom game that is exclusively available in all Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants this 2018 football season.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, known for craveable menu items and impossible to ignore flavors, are reimagining breakfast with the launch of Froot Loops Mini Donuts. In partnership with Kellogg’s, Froot Loops Mini Donuts are adding a fresh spin on the iconic breakfast favorite by bringing a pop of color and a hint of '90s nostalgia to consumers nationwide.

Manolo Blahnik, the legendary shoe brand, reports a significant boost in productivity and efficiency since implementing Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution.

Dunkin’ Donuts announced that ordering via Amazon’s voice-activated digital assistant Alexa is now available. The new integration of Alexa means DD Perks Rewards members can place a mobile order via voice on an Alexa-enabled device and skip the line to pick up. In addition, customers who have a DD Perks account and an Amazon account can link them together in the Alexa app, with all ordering and payments happening within Dunkin’ Donuts’ mobile platform.

Through a partnership with San Diego-based startup Aira, Wegmans Food Markets now offers the Aira Supermarket Network, a platform that delivers real-time visual descriptions to blind customers or those with low vision, thus enabling customers to shop independently. Wegmans is the first supermarket in the United States to adopt the technology.

American Eagle is expanding its bricks-and-mortar footprint, with plans for 50 to 80 new Aerie locations alone, including in new markets.

Epson laser projection technology is helping to elevate the shopping environment at a new Wilson Sporting Goods retail store in a New York suburb. All of it Now, a creative design agency in San Francisco, leveraged Epson laser technology, including its LightScene EV-105 accent lighting projector, in Wilson's high-traffic store venue to empower a creative shopping experience.

Shipt, a leading online marketplace, and Target Corporation announced they will begin same-day delivery of more than 55,000 groceries, essentials, home, electronics, toys and other products to Billings and Bozeman, Mont., residents beginning September 6.

DoorDash is now delivering orders for Burger King restaurants.

Diane von Furstenberg is leveraging machine-learning technology to create in-the-moment experiences ― serving the right message, offer or product in the right place and at the right time, increasing brand engagement and customer loyalty. The luxury apparel manufacturer and retailer partnered with Qubit to provide its customers with this next-gen experience.

Koupon Media, a leading mobile offer platform and the largest promotion network in small format retail, and Paytronix, a leading provider of reward program solutions, have teamed up to unlock the $182b in CPG products in c-stores. C-store retailers that use Paytronix technology can enhance their rewards programs by leveraging Koupon’s mobile offer capabilities and by incorporating its robust database of CPG-funded offers.