The Big Retail Industry Trends for 2021

Last year we saw how Covid-19 disrupted consumption patterns across the retail sector. As we enter into the second year of the pandemic, what are the five biggest trends retail companies and the industry as a whole should be on the lookout for in 2021? Let’s explore, using online data gathered in our recent report
on the biggest consumer trends in retail for 2021.

Five huge retail trends for 2021

Trend #1: The rise of contactless shopping technology

Retailers continue to innovate by integrating new technologies to help make the shopping experience smoother and, more importantly, safe for consumers in 2021. 

Since in-store shopping has been very limited for the last year, figuring out how to provide a seamless experience online became top of mind for most retail companies. Which of these innovations were most successful, and what could we see more of in 2021? 

Last year many companies were praised for offering AI- and AR-powered retail tech to provide a way for consumers to try on clothes, accessories, and even makeup virtually. At the same time, ever since the pandemic was declared, the search interest for ‘virtual try on’ grew rapidly. There is ongoing strong demand for this type of retail technology.

Touch-free tech is also important for payment, with e-wallets slowly but surely taking over cash and credit card payments. But some consumers have expressed concern over the extra steps they have to take in the case of Apple Pay, which still requires them to enter a PIN when paying in stores if a transaction exceeds a certain amount. For the record, that amount in the US is 50 USD.