That’s it for this report on the top retail trends set to impact the industry in the next few years. RFID tags can track merchandise within the store and enable an easier checkout process for customers. Other retailers are reimagining the entire self-checkout process in order to lessen frustration among customers. Their research shows that retail executives face pressure from customers, board members, and regulators. Search interest in “data privacy tools” has increased more than 5,000% in recent years.
Key trends and challenges including consumer behavior, technology innovation, supply chain, workforce trends and policy Some executives stepping into the CEO role in early 2026 include Kruti Patel Goyal, Etsy’s current president and chief growth officer, who will become CEO effective Jan. 1, 2026. Still, there’s a sense that boards are looking for different skill sets including expertise in delivering faster margin improvements, greater pricing prowess and deeper tech chops. That makes retail the top industry for CEO turnover in 2025 — and that predates the CEO announcement at Walmart and word that Calvin McDonald is stepping down at Lululemon.
Three-quarters believed that those agentic technologies present serious security vulnerabilities. Understandably, retailers are skeptical of the technology; only 19% of respondents to the above-mentioned Gartner’s study expressed trust in the ability of the vendors to tackle the hallucination issue. With a lack of data governance standards, agentic technologies are the wild west.
Pipelines are building, but clearing is harder
- Retailers are navigating ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty, while rising consumer focus on health and wellbeing is fuelling demand for wellness, preventative, and functional products.
- And Gen Alpha is characterized as the first generation to be fully raised in a world of advanced technology with a more global perspective, and a penchant for sustainability, inclusivity and social impact.
- Experts foresee these agents driving even more product discovery and purchases in the coming months, with Forrester research predicting that one-quarter of shoppers will use specialty retail chatbots in 2026.
- Progressive web apps and one-tap authentication have reduced the gap between desktop and mobile checkout rates.
As the TikTok user base skews older, the platform’s overall dynamic has shifted the focus of some content to now include more lifestyle and https://janpero.info/pick-your-retail-merchant-service-providers-carefully/ parenting posts. Both cohorts expect seamless omnichannel experiences — but integrating physical and digital touchpoints at the level these generations demand is an endless quest to keep up. And Gen Alpha is characterized as the first generation to be fully raised in a world of advanced technology with a more global perspective, and a penchant for sustainability, inclusivity and social impact. It’s easy to identify Gen Z as digital natives who are socially conscious, diverse and inclusive. The company beefed up its same-day delivery and curbside pick-up network, integrating with social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop, and launched “endless aisle” tech in stores, letting customers order online-only items from in-store kiosks.
- AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) make it possible for physical stores to offer automated product recommendations, digital payment options, and personalized shopping experiences.
- As a result, the US ecommerce market spreads economic benefits beyond legacy tech hubs, setting a foundation for broader adoption of advanced retail technologies nationwide.
- Some 44% of online shoppers spend at least three minutes locating desired items, underscoring the friction inherent in keyword-based search.
- He also leads our Future of Consumer industry research that charts the key forces and trends impacting consumers and hence the industries and businesses that serve them.
- But retailers will have to focus on more than just affordability to win over customers in this environment.
By using this data with artificial intelligence and machine learning systems, businesses can better understand the buying habits of their customers and better oversee their inventory management. Modern Point of Sale systems are evolving to support more popular payment methods, cloud-based systems and omnichannel experiences. However, you need to start planning for when you need to make that upgrade before your competition gets too far ahead in the race and before your customers lose faith in your brand.
- Whether those gains have kept pace with inflation varies by segment — and that calculation is one of the sharper analytical questions in the full report.
- Other practical applications include machine learning systems that optimize pricing and inventory levels in real time.
- Every pickup visit becomes a sales opportunity, as many customers make unplanned purchases during their store visit, increasing the average ticket size.
- For instance, AI can be used for data analysis to develop a 360-degree view of customers’ finances, which enables personalized savings and investment advice tailored to individual needs.
Meanwhile, the e-commerce segment is classified as Growth — the only retail NAICS code on this page to earn that designation. The sector’s lifecycle classification is Decline based on verified federal employment trajectory data (Census CBP, 2023). It anchors the broader retail landscape even as adjacent segments contract. The supermarket and grocery segment alone accounts for nearly a trillion dollars in projected 2026 revenues, sourced and cited from verified federal Economic Census data (Census Economic Census, 2022). US retail industry trends in 2026 reflect a sector under structural pressure and selective growth.
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With Walmart+, customers get free home deliveries as early as 6 a.m. In March 2024, Walmart announced they’d start making deliveries to customers’ homes as early as 6 a.m. Nearly 70% of customers say the speed of delivery is an important factor when it comes to buying products online. Another major way in which retailers are utilizing AI is to increase operational efficiency.
Mid-size grocers, department stores, and convenience chains like Primark, Currys, and 7-Eleven are all implementing technologies like ESLs, smart carts, and AI cameras. This is likely due to a surge in AI and automation budgets. Beyond automation, retail media networks, enterprise orchestration, autonomous supply chains, and reexamining reverse logistics are other major trends. It’s amazing how quickly https://labrys.ru/sk/room/what-height-should-be-the-desk-for-the-child-how-to-choose-and-configure-a-growing-desk/ brand-new technologies can embed themselves into an industry and become a must-have! Many technologies that were innovative at one point have become mainstream. Retailers need to offer what their customers want, while SaaS providers need to make sure their clients are succeeding in that mission.
A similar figure (96 percent) expects industry revenues to grow, while 81 percent foresee margin increases.1 The question now is whether retail and CPG brands can realize the richer, more complex operating models that AI, among other technologies, makes possible. The industry is leaving behind an era of experimentation, defined by Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilots, proofs of concept and pockets of innovation, and entering a new phase with operational excellence at the core of the enterprise. Marketplaces held 64.63% share in 2025, social-commerce platforms are growing fastest at 20.96% CAGR, mobile accounted for 71.55% of transactions, and connected TV is the fastest-rising device segment at 17.22% CAGR through 2031. Marketplaces are enhancing seller tools and fee structures to improve selection and service guarantees. Social commerce platforms are improving trust and safety measures to expand cross-border offerings and reduce fraud.
Consumers will soon start seeing buy buttons embedded directly in various Google experiences like search, AI mode in Chrome, and in Gemini conversations. Businesses need to build and optimize content to secure their visibility to AI tools and ensure their products will be offered by AI assistants. This trend pushes businesses to invest more in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or AISEO, as it’s sometimes labelled. The number of customers who shop with AI assistants is rising. These tools integrate well with existing POS systems before those businesses are ready to scale up. SaaS tools are much more accessible for smaller businesses.