Top 10 Retail Trends for Australia in 2019

1. Omnichannel retail provides a frictionless experience between online and in-store shopping
81% of consumers begin their product search online (SupplyChainBrain)

2. Immersive technology (VR, AR, MR) drives increased use of omnichannel retail
The VR and AR market will be worth more than US$162 billion by 2020 (Deloitte)

3. AI streamlines, optimises and transforms retail marketing strategies
88% of Australian retailers expect AI marketing to reinvent the industry (Forrester)

4. Internet of Things (IoT) devices provide data to support AI and analytics
70% of retail decision-makers are ready to improve customer experience with IoT

5. Hyper-personalisation enhances the customer experience and boosts loyalty
57% of consumers will share personal data in exchange for rewards (SalesForce)

6. Market fragmentation squeezes middle-of-the-road retailers out of the market

7. New skills are needed for business growth and managing disruption
Finding high-quality talent will be the top challenge for HR leaders in 2019 (XpertHR)

8. Staff use AI and predictive analytics to enhance and augment the customer experience
67% of workers believe they must develop their skills to work with intelligent machines (Accenture)

9. Retailers use geo-location and mobile tracking to increase spend and improve customer experience
Frequent mobile shoppers spend 25% more in stores (Google)

10. Advanced point-of-sale technology reduces friction in the in-store experience
87% of retailers will use mobile POS devices by 2021 (Zebra)

2019