IGD has predicted that 2019’s global retail trends will include data, sustainability, seamless shopping experience and a surge in shopping opportunities to be available anywhere, anytime.
The top five trends, are:
- Data: which will dictate the way business operate and will prove to be a vital tool when it comes to understanding customer behaviour.
- Sustainability: customers are becoming increasingly environmentally aware and retailers are looking to cater to this and make positive, tangible contributions.
- Seamless stores: there will be a bigger digital presence in stores to enhance the shopping experience, making it faster and easier to shop than ever before.
- Health and wellness: shoppers are predicted to become more health conscious and retailers will be right there next to them, supporting them in looking and feeling good.
- Anywhere, anytime: there will be more opportunity to shop on the go as online shopping becomes more social, instantaneous, and convenient.
“In 2019 we’ll see retailers think increasingly about making every moment shoppable. A recent innovation was easyJet making it possible for Instagram users to find and book holidays to new destinations, simply by clicking on a photo they have seen,” said IGD head of insight, innovation and futures, Toby Pickard. “Whether through targeted marketing or simple ways to make purchasing more seamless, shopping is becoming not just more convenient but more instant as well.”
However, “2019’s biggest trend of all is likely to be the continuation of rapid and radical change in the food and grocery industry,” added Pickard. “We have already seen a significant pivot towards innovative new technology, and there is no sign of this letting up next year. Shoppers’ expectations have changed, and the retail and grocery sectors are working to meet those expectations in every area of business.”
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