12 retail trends and predictions to watch for

Mobile will show no signs of slowing down next year and we anticipate smartphones and tablets to play bigger roles in the shopping journey. Expect to see more of the following: Loyalty apps Next year, more retailers will introduce mobile loyalty programs. Shoppers will no longer have to clutter up their wallets with physical cards. Mobile services Convenient services such as mobile ordering will be more prevalent. Bird On a Wire, an Auckland-based free-range rotisserie chicken joint, for instance, uses the solution to offer online and mobile ordering, and it’s worked out quite well for them. Mobile payment solutions The number of consumers adopting mobile wallets will increase in 2015, thanks to solutions offered by Google, Softcard, Apple, and most recently, CurrentC.

How will demographic trends in the UK affect the retail se | KPMG | UK 2/3rds of retail spending growth will come from shoppers aged 55 plusAgeing population will transform not only the face, but the role the high street plays in society With a rapidly ageing population and migration trends changing the ethnic makeup of our cities and towns, UK shopping habits too are beginning to evolve and reflect these wider demographic changes. The KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank (‘the RTT’) met in July to consider the implications of these demographic shifts for retailers. David McCorquodale, head of retail at KPMG explains: “The changing demographic profile of the UK is a major influence on consumer purchasing power, shopping behaviour and shopping preferences. Over the next ten years two-thirds of all retail spending growth will come from those aged 55 and over Vicky Redwood, Chief UK Economist at Capital Economics, believes that the main challenge facing retailers will be to adapt to the UK’s ageing population and get to grips with their specific tastes and demands.

Report: Retailers missing out on big opportunities with Baby Boomers New York -- Retailers in the United States are taking a huge risk by underestimating the buying power of the over-50 generation, according to a new report by the Fung Business Intelligence Centre. The study, “A Booming Opportunity: Profiling from a Graying America,” finds that the aging Baby Boomers will continue to be a growing consumer market for the next 20 years. "Just as they have at every other stage of their lives, Boomers are now redefining what it means to be old," said Deborah Weinswig, executive director-head of global retail and research at FBIC. "On the whole, they are healthier, richer and more active than previous generations of older Americans. Yet just 10% of U.S. marketing dollars target this demographic as preconceived notions of aging linger, according to the report. "A persistent myth about older adults is that they are baffled by high-tech devices and shun the digital world," the report noted.

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