Retail Trends
Retail is continuously evolving as consumers expect a seamless blend of physical and digital experiences. Read our insights and advice for staying a step ahead.
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Insights
Blog
Apparel And Footwear Brands Must Own Their Destinies To Survive
In the midst of disruption, the brands that will thrive are those that actively seize control of how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy their products.
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Word On The Retail Street: What To Watch In 2026
Retail is in a tough spot: economic pressure, rapid tech change, and customers who are harder to read than ever. After dozens of conversations with executives, fresh consumer data, and time on the floor at events such as NRF, CES, and vendor showcases, here are my three takeaways for retail in 2026 on the consumer environment, Google search, and agentic AI solutions.
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When Things Go Wrong With A Commerce Task, Many Consumers Will Blame The Answer Engine
We asked consumers in the US, the UK, and Canada who they would hold responsible for issues when they use an answer engine to complete commerce-related tasks. Consumers might take personal responsibility for some issues (such as feeling that their prompts hadn’t been targeted enough) or might even hold the brand they ordered from responsible. […]
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Power Couple OpenAI + Amazon May Have Just Won Consumer Agentic Commerce
As the Shopify-OpenAI partnership appears to be ending, a new alliance may be set to dominate. Learn how it could unfold and what the implications may be.
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What It Means That The Leader In “Agentic Commerce” Just Pulled Back
OpenAI has nixed its instant-checkout functionality, which enabled shoppers to complete their orders directly in ChatGPT. Read what this shift means for merchants.
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Vendor Specialization Is In The Spotlight In Forrester’s B2B And B2C Commerce Landscape
Both of these things are true: The commerce solutions market continues to evolve, and more vendors that once specialized in B2B or B2C use cases now exclusively cover the other model, as well. Some vendors still provide deep specialization — sometimes exclusively — in one model or the other. As we continue to witness the […]
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US Tech Forecast 2026 For Retail: Make Every Tech Dollar Count
With planned budget increases aimed at modernizing infrastructure and adopting AI at scale, retail leaders must ensure that every investment improves profitability, business resilience, and customer value.
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E-Commerce Will Drive Half Of Europe-5 Retail Sales Growth By 2030
Across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, e-commerce is growing and is set to transform retail to capture 21% of total retail sales by 2030.
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US Retail In 2030: E-Commerce Expands, Stores Still Matter
Forrester’s US Retail E-Commerce Forecast, 2025 To 2030 reveals steady growth across total retail, online sales, and store-based spending. Learn more about the key trends and where to find more detailed data and insights.
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Manage The Emerging Costs Of Agentic Commerce By Taking A Cue From Drop-Shipping Strategy
The costs of selling in answer engines — like many things related to agentic commerce — are not entirely clear. Understand the steps to crafting a strategy to integrate agentic commerce into your business operations.
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Agentic Commerce’s Success Centers On Overcoming Key Frontiers In Consumer Trust
Google has entered the agentic commerce race and is now racing against OpenAI for advantage. Yet consumer trust still lags.
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NRF Big Show Innovators Showcase 2026: Retail Tech To Watch
Read this blog for a look into NRF’s 2026 Innovators Showcase to better understand what’s next in retail technology transformation.
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Semantic Shelf: The Dynamics Of Commerce Across Answer Engines
Black Friday and Cyber Monday shed light on how answer engine use affects shopping. Brands need to get ready.
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Top 10 Ways To Avoid Earning Coal In Your Stocking (For Commerce Search And Product Discovery)
Make sure you’re adding convenience and joy to your customers’ lives — not more holiday shopping stress. Read our advice for avoiding the e-commerce faux pas that can quickly sour customers’ experience on your site.
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Black Friday And Cyber Monday: Spending Breaks Records And Exceeds Expectations
Tap into the insights from Forrester’s annual review of 116 brands during 2025’s record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
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Tidings Of Comfort And Trust: Holiday-Season Security That Bolsters Your Brand
Make safe, reliable digital experiences as part of the value you deliver — and help keep customers coming back yearround.
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Site Search’s Seasonal Shift: The Toolkit To Adapt To Customer Holiday Behaviors And Needs
What shoppers need from their favorite retailers changes during the holiday season. Learn how to optimize your site search accordingly.
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Predictions 2026: Retail’s Flight To Profitability
The retail landscape is entering a period of profound transformation, where profitability will no longer be optional but instead essential for survival. The combination of persistent high interest rates and technological disruption will create a challenging environment across all retail sectors — from low-margin categories such as grocery to high-margin ones like apparel.
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Predictions 2026: The “Agentic Commerce” Race — And Some Potential Regrets — In Digital Commerce
Digital leaders get a sneak peek into what's coming in the year ahead by reading three of our predictions for digital commerce in 2026.
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Retailers: Holiday 2025 Is Here!
Retailers: Jump into the 2025 holiday season with Forrester’s holiday planning insights and key takeaways in this blog.
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