Retail Futures
2026 Outlook
This report explores the profound psychological shifts reshaping how we shop, connect, and belong. In an era defined by AI, automation, and burnout, consumers are craving something real: texture over polish, friction over ease, community over consumption.
Through three defining lenses: the Humanity Premium, the Convenience Paradox, and the Rise of the Fourth Space, we explore how meaning, discovery, and belonging are becoming the new currencies of value.