2018 is nearly upon us, and the season for making predictions about what the new year will hold is well underway. We’ve taken a look at a bunch of the commentary and summarised the trends. Good news! Retail won’t die in 2018, but brands are going to have to work harder than ever to survive the Amazon onslaught. Here are some of the big plays we expect to see from retail in 2018.

1. plexure.com
1.https://www.disruptordaily.com/bringing-customer-retargeting-solutions-brick-mortar-retail-stores/
2.https://www.vendhq.com/nz/2018-retail-trends-predictions
3.https://blog.demandware.com/retail-intelligence/salesforce-predicts-retail-2018
4.https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-realities-retail-2018-oliver-guy/
https://martechtoday.com/4-ways-retailer-brand-relationships-will-change-2018-207827
https://mi9retail.com/top-retail-predictions-2018/
https://apparelmag.com/abi-research-says-expect-these-retail-trends-2018
http://www.netimperative.com/2017/09/5-predictions-future-retail/
https://ivend.com/4-retail-technology-trends-predictions-to-watch-for-in-2018/
https://www.channelsight.com/blog/2018-future-forward-predicting-the-top-9-retail-trends-for-2018/
https://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/igd-makes-retail-trend-predictions-2018-05-12-2017/
http://www.annexcloud.com/blog/2017/11/29/2018-retail-predictions/
https://sqream.com/big-data-in-retail-top-4-trends-for-2018/
https://www.sld.com/blog/food-service/five-new-predictions-for-grocery-retail-market-in-2018/
http://customerthink.com/2018-retail-trends/
https://www.business2community.com/consumer-marketing/2018-predictions-brick-mortar-retail-01962249
https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2017/7/pop-up
http://ketnergroup.com/look-ahead-2018-retail-ad-tech-predictions/
RETAIL AS AN EXPERIENCE
ANALYZING BIG DATA IS AN
EVEN BIGGER DEAL
Creating a single 360 customer view becomes critically important. Use
of customer data to generate actionable insights gives rise to more
analytics tools with prescriptive, contextual and cognitive ability.
THINGS GET EVEN
MORE PERSONAL
True personalization becomes more important
for physical retailers. Marketing will combine
location, purchase intent, and a focus on
delivering customers value in the moment.
RENEWED
SERVICE FOCUS
Stores will put more resources into clientelling
& value-add services. We’ll see retailers doing
more with staff training, connected devices,
extra mile services including curated
collections and personal shoppers.
IoT
More retailers
connect more
devices to catch
more customer
data and
improve in-store
experiences.
AR VR
Stores will use
more immersive
tech for product
exposure,
interactions and
entertainment.
THE TECH
GAP CLOSES
Retailers catch up to
customers, doing more
with digital and meeting
them where they live.
SOCIAL
COMMERCE
More retail brands
connecting with
customers online, and
making store
experiences shareable.
OMNICHANNEL
The slow death of channel
marketing continues. Most
retailers will collect and use
customer data across mobile,
ecommerce and instore retail
for consistency.
MOBILE FIRST
Mobile becomes the #1
way for retailers to
connect to customers.
CONVERSATIONAL
COMMERCE
Chatbots, voice search and
self-service hit an all-time high.
DYNAMIC
PRICING
Prices follow the rest of
the marketing mix;
personalized to time,
location and customer.
CLOSER
SUPPLIER
RELATIONSHIPS
Retailers work closely with
suppliers for increased
reliability, speed of inventory
replenishment and fulfilment.
LOYALTY
Next-gen loyalty will
grow in popularity as a
way to keep valuable
customers close.
HYPERLOCAL
FOCUS
Increased use of geolocation
makes focusing on serving
local communities & offering
local products easier
2018 is nearly upon us, and the season for making
predictions about what the new year will hold is
well underway. We’ve taken a look at a bunch of the
commentary and summarised the trends. Good
news! Retail won’t die in 2018, but brands are going
to have to work harder than ever to survive the
Amazon onslaught. Here are some of the big plays
we expect to see from retail in 2018.
Many brands will unfortunately continue to underinvest in
training their store associates; these brands will fall further
behind their peers who do invest and put AI-powered
mobile apps in associates’ hands to empower them to
engage with shoppers in compelling new ways. 3
Shopping will become more fun.
Expect brands to use their physical
presence to greater advantage. 1
RETAIL 2018:
PREDICTIONS &
PROPHESIES
Still
Not
Dead
OWNING THE LAST MILE
Order fulfilment, logistics and delivery become key differentiators.
2-day delivery is now the norm, so retailers will need to have systems
for filling orders quickly - and accurately.
The number one prediction by far!
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/it-s-shopping-time-illustration_813368.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/warehouse-operations-workers-and-robots_1310861.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/clerk-taking-credit-card-payment-from-pretty-woman_1310992.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/boy-background-with-virtual-image_1020415.htm
Data’s role in retail decision-making will grow, especially as
technologies like Big Data and machine learning continue
to mature. Forward-thinking retailers will keep exploring
ways to collect and leverage data in their sales, marketing,
customer service, and operations. 2
Retailers will renew their focus on the store experience,
making stores destinations designed to engage
customers, not just sell stuff.
What has
happened?
Descriptive
What does the data
tell us?
Predictive
What result could we
get if we take this
action?
What could
happen?
Ask again later
Contextual
If we want this result - in
this specific situation,
given this context and
these variables - what
action should we take?
What should we do
in this situation?
Prescriptive
If we want this
result, what action
should we take?
What should
we do?
Cognitive
Based on all
this data, tell us
the right thing
to do right now.
Tell us what to
do at this time
KEEPING UP IN THE
AGE OF AMAZON
Amazon will continue to expand into every area of retail. It
will be disrupter, competitor, and growth opportunity for
retailers who find ways to use it as a distribution channel.
Consumers expect retailers to have full knowledge of
every prior interaction across all channels – but few
manage to satisfy this expectation. Winning retailers
recognise the fact that channels are going away. 4
Awesome, see you
in store!
How many loyalty
points do I have?
Yes please! :D
You have enough
points for 20% off
your next purchase.
Would you like to
use that today?
We’ll give you half
your points back!
20%
OFF!
Refs & resources