Jeff Green: The one thing that separates Amazon from traditional retailers is the data collection, mining and analyzing they have done on their customers. This allows them to enter the brick-and-mortar arena with a leg up on traditional retailers. Because they have in-depth data on their customers (and they have SO many customers) they can micro-merchandise any store to the demographics and lifestyles of any given submarket, based on the Amazon buying habits of that given area.

You have to look at the Amazon bookstore and grocery concepts separately because they are so very different. Let's start with the bookstore concept. The problem the big box bookstores continue to have (or in the case of Borders, had), is that their boxes are too large. Amazon has come up with a store prototype that is about one-fourth the size of a typical Barnes & Noble. This is a much better alternative in an era where so much of the sales of books and music are transacted online. Further, and as mentioned above, Amazon has specific data on the customer who purchases books from Amazon online. This allows the retailer to curate an individual store assortment based on the online purchases of the customer in that given area. That is their single point of differentiation from Barnes & Noble.

On the grocery side, it is a little early to get an idea of how the format may be merchandised going forward. With just a test store operating, I believe it will be awhile, if ever, before they perfect this prototype to the point of being able to roll it out nationally.

GlobeSt.com: Which are the retailers that are succeeding in the increasingly more digital shopping landscape?

Green: The concepts that are performing the best in this digital shopping landscape are the online retailers that have chosen to enter the brick-and-mortar space. Typically, these retailers have chosen the coasts for their first stores. However, Dallas has been one of the first markets they have entered when getting away from the coasts. This is due to the strong and diverse economy and strong population growth of affluent households in the DFW market. Great examples include Warby Parker and Bonobos stores that have opened in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood.

GlobeSt.com: What are Nordstrom and TJMaxx doing right when so many others are closing stores?

Green: The sectors that appear to be the most viable in this competitive environment are value and upscale formats. Value formats like TJ Maxx are continuing to expand. Examples include Home Goods (which is also rolling out a new lower cost format in the near future), Marshalls, Ross (and their discount subsidiary ddDiscount) and Nordstrom Rack, all of whom appeal to a broad demographic.

On the other end of the barbell, you have the service-oriented upscale retailers who are thriving, though with a much smaller share of the US market. This is the Nordstrom example, as well as the many successful high-end retailers located in the upscale centers of Dallas, including Highland Park Village and NorthPark Mall.

GlobeSt.com: What types of experiential stores are really pulling out all of the stops to be relevant?

Green: Apple and Microsoft stores are still the bellwether for creating the retail experience. However, Best Buy has done great job of creating these experiences by bringing in store-within-a-store concepts such as Samsung, Apple and Pacific Appliance. Also, the kitchen retailer Sur La Table has done a great job of offering a wide variety of cooking classes in their stores, which has also created a successful customer experience component to the store.

GlobeSt.com: It seems that retail will fit into four categories in the future: convenience (i.e. grocery and drugstore), experiential, perhaps some clothing and online. Does that coincide with what you are seeing?

Green: Yes, entertainment concepts like theaters, restaurants, bowling, etc. fit into the experiential category.

GlobeSt.com: Is the mall too far gone to resuscitate?

Green: The strongest performing malls and lifestyle centers, such as the DFW centers of Southlake Town Square, NorthPark, Stonebrier Mall, Legacy in Plano and Highland Park Village will continue their relevance and dominance. Other less successful centers will struggle with a questionable future, including such centers as Richardson Square Mall, Firewheel Town Center and Vista Ridge Mall.

DALLAS—With the recent flurry of big-box stores closing, it might be assumed that brick-and-mortar is shrinking. However, there are retailers that are adapting and shifting with the industry to create more mindful shopping experiences for consumers. These are the retailers fighting, and in some cases thriving, in this increasingly more digital shopping landscape.

For example, there are more online retailers moving into brick-and-mortar by the day, such as Warby Parker, Bonobos and Birchbox. Those retailers have successfully created online experiences for consumers that are leaving a lasting impression and encouraging brand loyalty that translates to successful physical stores. Additionally, discount retailers such as TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack have reported positive earnings during the last year and are planning to open hundreds of stores in the next year.

Jeff Green, president and CEO of Jeff Green Partners, recently discussed retail experiences for in-store customers, big-box retailers and the future of the retail industry in this exclusive Q&A.

GlobeSt.com: Amazon is also opening physical sites such as grocery and bookstores. What effect will those have on retailers?

Jeff Green: The one thing that separates Amazon from traditional retailers is the data collection, mining and analyzing they have done on their customers. This allows them to enter the brick-and-mortar arena with a leg up on traditional retailers. Because they have in-depth data on their customers (and they have SO many customers) they can micro-merchandise any store to the demographics and lifestyles of any given submarket, based on the Amazon buying habits of that given area.

You have to look at the Amazon bookstore and grocery concepts separately because they are so very different. Let's start with the bookstore concept. The problem the big box bookstores continue to have (or in the case of Borders, had), is that their boxes are too large. Amazon has come up with a store prototype that is about one-fourth the size of a typical Barnes & Noble. This is a much better alternative in an era where so much of the sales of books and music are transacted online. Further, and as mentioned above, Amazon has specific data on the customer who purchases books from Amazon online. This allows the retailer to curate an individual store assortment based on the online purchases of the customer in that given area. That is their single point of differentiation from Barnes & Noble.

On the grocery side, it is a little early to get an idea of how the format may be merchandised going forward. With just a test store operating, I believe it will be awhile, if ever, before they perfect this prototype to the point of being able to roll it out nationally.

GlobeSt.com: Which are the retailers that are succeeding in the increasingly more digital shopping landscape?

Green: The concepts that are performing the best in this digital shopping landscape are the online retailers that have chosen to enter the brick-and-mortar space. Typically, these retailers have chosen the coasts for their first stores. However, Dallas has been one of the first markets they have entered when getting away from the coasts. This is due to the strong and diverse economy and strong population growth of affluent households in the DFW market. Great examples include Warby Parker and Bonobos stores that have opened in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood.

GlobeSt.com: What are Nordstrom and TJMaxx doing right when so many others are closing stores?

Green: The sectors that appear to be the most viable in this competitive environment are value and upscale formats. Value formats like TJ Maxx are continuing to expand. Examples include Home Goods (which is also rolling out a new lower cost format in the near future), Marshalls, Ross (and their discount subsidiary ddDiscount) and Nordstrom Rack, all of whom appeal to a broad demographic.

On the other end of the barbell, you have the service-oriented upscale retailers who are thriving, though with a much smaller share of the US market. This is the Nordstrom example, as well as the many successful high-end retailers located in the upscale centers of Dallas, including Highland Park Village and NorthPark Mall.

GlobeSt.com: What types of experiential stores are really pulling out all of the stops to be relevant?

Green: Apple and Microsoft stores are still the bellwether for creating the retail experience. However, Best Buy has done great job of creating these experiences by bringing in store-within-a-store concepts such as Samsung, Apple and Pacific Appliance. Also, the kitchen retailer Sur La Table has done a great job of offering a wide variety of cooking classes in their stores, which has also created a successful customer experience component to the store.

GlobeSt.com: It seems that retail will fit into four categories in the future: convenience (i.e. grocery and drugstore), experiential, perhaps some clothing and online. Does that coincide with what you are seeing?

Green: Yes, entertainment concepts like theaters, restaurants, bowling, etc. fit into the experiential category.

GlobeSt.com: Is the mall too far gone to resuscitate?

Green: The strongest performing malls and lifestyle centers, such as the DFW centers of Southlake Town Square, NorthPark, Stonebrier Mall, Legacy in Plano and Highland Park Village will continue their relevance and dominance. Other less successful centers will struggle with a questionable future, including such centers as Richardson Square Mall, Firewheel Town Center and Vista Ridge Mall.