This week we go sans guest to unpack an increasingly important strategic and executional distinction which Steve first dug into in a 2018 Forbes article and then subsequently developed in his best-selling book. Understanding the critical difference between "buying", which is more about addressing a need quickly and efficiently, and "shopping" which is inherently more solutions based and involves more of an emotional connection, can go a long way to informing both our underlying business design and go-to-market strategy, as well as how we evolve the customer experience and targeted marketing programs. We start with a bit of a history lesson, discussing how convenience has evolved and how the growth of e-commerce and new, disruptive store formats have reshaped the competitive landscape and led to increasing bifurcation of outcomes. Then we discuss what it all means for our future strategic choices.But first we open up with the retail news that caught our attention this week, including what to make of staggeringly high inflation rates, the potential implications of the just released US monthly sales report, and whether we should really care about Amazon Prime Day(s) anymore. We also hear a bit about Michael's trip to the Netherlands and his battles dealing with the big Canadian internet outage of 2022. Photo by Karsten Winegeart on UnsplashSpecial thanks to our presenting sponsor, MarketDial!About MarketDialMarketDial helps brick-and-mortar retailers conduct in-store testing on their innovative initiatives – preventing poor decisions, empowering great decisions. About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!