Retail Trends Predicted for 2016

What trends will have the biggest impact on the U.S. retail environment in 2016?

Interactions, provider of retail service and experiential marketing for retailers and brands, made the following predictions: 

1. Improved Transparency and Distribution: There will be “less bad, more good,” meaning more products will be introduced with less sugar, less salt, fewer GMOs, fewer words you can’t pronounce, and so on.

2. Closing the Digital Divide: The digital shift in retail will continue, leaving brick-and-mortar retailers needing to find better ways to compete effectively in the digital space.

3. Retailers Take More Control of Shelves: Decisions about which items to carry and where to place items on shelves will be more driven by analytics than by brand bias.

4. Beacons Go Mainstream: Beacons will increasingly be the accepted form of digital communication with shoppers.

5. Delivering the Unexpected: More entertainment will take place in stores. Live music, wine tastings, specialty food sampling, and live chef events will become more common as retailers incorporate more of a social environment into their stores.