Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of The NPD Group, Inc., is a nationally-known expert on consumer behavior and the retail industry. He has followed retail trends for more than 30 years, at NPD, as the head of leading fashion and apparel companies, as well as at major retailers. As part of his work at NPD, Marshal leads many top firms in long-range and strategic planning sessions. He often utilizes motivational presentations to help launch corporate goals and kick-off meetings. Marshal recently published his second book, Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your Products and Ignore the Rest.
In addition to his duties at NPD, Marshal is a guest professor at North Carolina State University, School of Textiles. There he is introducing students and faculty to techniques for analyzing and applying data. Recently, Marshal has been a guest lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Technology and at the Wharton School of Business. On November 2, 2009, Marshal was named to the Footwear News Power 100 list for the second time in three years.
Marshal is also a regular contributor to many major media outlets. He is frequently quoted in publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Women’s Wear Daily. Additionally, he appears on various television news programs including “Today,” “Good Morning America,” and “CBS Sunday Morning,” and is a regular guest on Bloomberg TV and Fox Business News. He is also a sought-after speaker at key industry events such as MAGIC and Sourcing at MAGIC, The WSA Show, The Fairchild CEO Summits, The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Annual Convention, and The American Apparel and Footwear Association’s (AAFA) Annual Convention.
Since joining NPD in 1999, Marshal has held a variety of positions analyzing and interpreting NPD’s uniquely combined consumer and point-of-sale tracking services for the apparel and footwear industries. His career began in the training program at Bloomingdale’s, where he worked his way up to merchandise manager. From there, he became president of WilliWear and subsequently president of Stanley Blacker. He was also founder, owner, and president of Motive Marketing Group.
To reach Marshal Cohen for commentary, please contact Beth Boyle at 516-625-4603 or beth.boyle@npd.com
