Book excerpt: If you're taking your first steps into the fast-paced world of retail, then merchandiser, store designer, retailer and educator Dimitri Koumbis is the ideal guide. In An Introduction to Fashion Retailing, he'll walk you through everything from the history of retail design, to the intricacies of consumer behavior, fast fashion and corporate social responsibility. You'll also learn professional techniques through detailed case studies of international retailers, including LVMH, Estée Lauder and ASOS. This revised edition includes expanded coverage of omnichannel retail approaches, retail KPIs as well as an outline of future retail trends in brick and mortar, e-commerce and technology. There's also a whole new chapter introducing visual merchandising, expanding on the importance of the store's overall design and visual representation of products.