Consumer Trends


  • Two people with shopping bags, walking down the street on a snowy day.
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    vgajic via Getty Images
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    The holidays should be OK for retailers that try hard enough

    Sustaining robust sales growth into Q4 will mean sharp vendor negotiations — and a keen understanding of the customer, analysts say.

    By Sept. 17, 2025
  • An escalator in a shopping mall during the Christmas and holiday season.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    Holiday retail sales projected to grow 4%, below 10-year average

    While in-store sales are expected to grow 2.75% from last year, e-commerce sales growth is slowing, according to a recent report from Bain & Company.

    By Howard Ruben • Sept. 17, 2025
  • Trendline

    Digital innovation and technology trends in retail

    Generative AI and TikTok Shop have replaced the metaverse and NFTs as the hot topics of the day — here’s a look at how brands are using them.

    By Retail Dive staff
  • Journeys' "Life on Loud" brand platform imagery
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    Courtesy of Journeys
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    Journeys remixes ’90s hit for debut of ‘Life on Loud’ brand platform

    A reimagining of New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” includes a music video nodding to renewed interest in mall culture among Gen Z.

    By Jessica Hammers • Sept. 17, 2025
  • People stand in line with a sign directing them where to stand for seeking jobs
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Consumer confidence falls on dimming outlook for labor market

    “After months of a frozen job market with little hiring outside of healthcare, people now see more industries turning to layoffs,” Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long said.

    By Jim Tyson • Sept. 15, 2025
  • The entrance to Foot Locker's store of the future
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    Bryan Wassel/Retail Dive
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: Walmart to launch in South Africa and Mary Dillon exits Foot Locker

    The big-box retailer will reveal opening dates in October, while the former CEO and other executives departed the sportswear company.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Sept. 12, 2025
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    hynci via Getty Images
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    Inflation speeds up to 2.9%, fastest pace in 2025, as job market slows

    The CPI data showed that the highest U.S. tariffs since the 1930s are pushing up prices across the economy.

    By Jim Tyson • Sept. 12, 2025
  • A woman browses an ecommerce site in front of a Christmas tree.
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    sturti via Getty Images
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    Gen Z pullback could send holiday sales down 5%: PwC

    Older generations are cutting back a bit or even spending more, but these younger consumers’ budgets are down nearly a quarter, the firm found.

    By Sept. 11, 2025
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    Leon Neal / Staff via Getty Images
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    More than half of consumers are wary of AI-powered search: Gartner

    While consumers admit artificial intelligence is impacting how they search for products and services, 61% wish they could turn off AI summaries.

    By Aaron Baar • Sept. 11, 2025
  • An escalator in a shopping mall during the Christmas and holiday season.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    Holiday sales could grow up to 3.4%: Deloitte

    The firm predicts that sales between November and January could reach $1.62 trillion, with e-commerce sales projected to grow up to 9%.

    By Howard Ruben • Sept. 10, 2025
  • The exterior of a DSW Shoe Warehouse store with a blue sky
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    Nate Delesline III/Retail Dive
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    Designer Brands continues to withhold guidance as Q2 sales, profits decline

    The footwear retailer, which relies on a strong back-to-school season, emphasized sequential gains but said the macro environment remains tough.

    By Sept. 9, 2025
  • A person browses an aisle of toys.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Consumer sentiment declines as price sensitivity persists

    Consumers are tightening their purse strings and prioritizing essentials while cutting back on discretionary goods.

    By Kristen Doerer • Sept. 8, 2025
  • "For lease" signs in empty store windows trimmed in light green paint.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Unemployment ticks up as tariff-related uncertainty slows hiring

    This could be a one-two punch to the U.S. economy, with retail bankruptcies and store closures adding to the woes.

    By Sept. 8, 2025
  • An entrance to a clothing store.
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Lululemon CEO: ‘We have become too predictable’

    The retailer, facing stalled growth in the U.S., is overhauling its design and development process as it looks to bring in more newness, faster.

    By Sept. 5, 2025
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    Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
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    Ulta targets wellness growth as consumers spend on beauty

    The retailer’s latest performance demonstrates consumer resilience in the category, though analysts poked at the company’s operating margin expectations.

    By Sept. 5, 2025
  • The outside of a Gap store
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    daboost via Getty Images
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    Gap Inc. bets big on beauty, accessories

    At the Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson called these high-margin “sleeper categories” that its customers want.

    By Sept. 4, 2025
  • A close up of a man's hand holding a phone displaying a conversation with a chatbot.
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    ArtMarie via Getty Images
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    Worldpay rewires for bot shoppers

    The processor aims to prepare its merchant clients for the opportunities and risks of AI-driven agentic shopping.

    By Lynne Marek • Sept. 3, 2025
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    Joe Raedle/Staff via Getty Images
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    Consumers want AI guardrails, but few business leaders have policies in place

    More than one-quarter of customer experience leaders say their organization is ready to deploy agentic AI, despite having no governance policy in place, Genesys found.

    By Michael Brady • Sept. 3, 2025
  • Exterior of Dollar General store in York, Pennsylvania
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    Sam Silverstein/Retail Dive
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    Dollar General revenue grows, but tariffs begin impacting prices

    The retailer, which noted shrink improvements helped Q2 gross profit, reported growth with consumers across income brackets.

    By Aug. 28, 2025
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    Podcast

    The Backroom: Bankruptcy court is in session

    Debtwire’s global head of legal, Sarah Foss, and Retail Dive Senior Reporter Daphne Howland discuss retailer bankruptcies – in 2025 and beyond.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Aug. 28, 2025
  • Cosmetic and beauty products
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    Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
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    Mass beauty outpaces prestige in the first half of 2025

    Fragrance was the fastest-growing category in the mass channel, with dollar sales up 17%.

    By Howard Ruben • Aug. 27, 2025
  • A customer holds a box in her hands in an aisle of toys at a big box retailer.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Consumer confidence dips on anxiety about jobs, income

    The average 12-month expectation for inflation jumped to 6.2% this month from 5.7% in July, the Conference Board found in a consumer survey.

    By Jim Tyson • Aug. 27, 2025
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    ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by DHL

    Rethinking eCommerce returns as a value driver

    Transform eCommerce returns from costly headaches into profit opportunities with strategic supply chain solutions that enhance customer experience while protecting your bottom line.

    By Lars R. Dzedek, Global Head of Returns and Circularity at DHL Supply Chain • Aug. 25, 2025
  • A Home Depot storefront in Oxon Hill, Maryland on June 22, 2024.
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    Neal McNeil via Getty Images
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    Home Depot sales up nearly 5% in Q2, reaffirms full-year outlook

    The home improvement retailer notched a 1% comp sales gain, below analysts’ estimates, as consumers take on fewer large discretionary projects.

    By Aug. 19, 2025
  • A Hoka storefront in Los Angeles
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    Cara Salpini/Retail Dive
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    Active footwear a bright spot in the first half of the year

    Nevertheless, a Circana report found U.S. footwear sales fell 1% from January to June, with the fashion and outdoor categories leading the declines.

    By Aug. 19, 2025
  • Ulta shop-in-shop at Target
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    Courtesy of Target
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    Target and Ulta’s ‘conscious uncoupling’

    A shop-in-shop deal ends as both companies get back to retail basics. Analysts weigh in on the move while Bank of America downgraded Target.

    By Aug. 18, 2025