Consumers are getting smarter, and retailers have to catch up, Kylie Quirke, MD at ReStore for Retail, believes. This year, she says, shoppers will demand evidence from the brands they engage with: “Proof of value, proof of relevance, and proof that the brand can deliver consistently.”
As a result, she predicts this year will be less about novelty and more about meeting expectations. “Omnichannel maturity will belong to retailers who treat stores as strategic assets, not just ‘distribution points,’ and invest in the operating system that helps teams execute.”
Quirke sees three major market shifts shaping retail strategies.
Value is being redefined (again). “‘Value’ isn’t just discounting. It’s quality, longevity, versatility, and confidence that the product will perform. Retailers that can clearly communicate why something is worth the price and back it up with consistency in execution will win.”
Convenience has become a baseline, not a differentiator. “Consumers don’t separate channels. They want the easiest path in that moment.” That means eliminating broken handovers such as poor stock accuracy, unreliable delivery promises, clunky returns, and inconsistent click-and-collect experiences. Shoppers also expect the in-store range to reflect what they see online.
Trust and authenticity are becoming measurable. “Consumers are more sceptical, more informed, and quicker to disengage. Brands that match their promise with reality through service, product integrity, and consistent standards across every store will build loyalty even in a competitive market.”
Tools that reduce training time, support multi-role teams, and help managers run better shifts will see faster adoption. “Adoption will be fastest where tech respects the pace and constraints of store life.” Workforce enablement technology must fit real store environments, she adds, as retailers are being forced to do more with the same or less labour. “Every inefficiency is now visible in the margin.”
AI becomes a workforce layer
Quirke predicts AI will stop being a feature and “start becoming a workforce layer this year,” particularly in online operations. However, she cautions that success will not depend on who deploys the most AI. “The retailers who benefit most won’t be the ones with the most AI, they’ll be the ones with the cleanest data, clearest operating rhythms, and strongest ability to execute consistently across teams.”
She also highlights the need to extend VIP-level service into digital channels. “Your top customers or VIPs that shop online need to be treated the same as when they walk into a store. Do you know who they are? How do you communicate with them when you never see them? How do you reward them?”
Quirke identifies three areas where AI will have the greatest impact.
Agentic AI will change how work gets done, not just how insights are presented. Think automated catalogue fixes, content generation at scale, competitor monitoring, exception-based reporting, and customer service actions that resolve end-to-end issues, not just respond to them.
Hyper-personalisation will move from recommendations to relevance. “Consumers don’t want creepy; they want useful. The winners will personalise AI-driven experiences based on context, such as location, intent, lifecycle, and availability.” However, trust, she adds, must remain central.
Retail operations will shift from reactive to predictive. “AI will help teams spot issues earlier, conversion drops, returns spikes relating to size and fit, low stock by location, and promotion fatigue – and recommend actions, rather than just highlighting problems.”
Innovating in-store
In-store innovation will focus on reducing friction and building confidence rather than adding gimmicks. Growth will come from stronger store fundamentals powered by data. Retailers that lift standards in availability, presentation, service and conversion will outperform, because execution remains the biggest lever in physical retail.
Quirke also expects wider adoption of clienteling and assisted selling tools that feel natural, not scripted, enabling staff to access product knowledge, customer preferences (with permission), and suitable alternatives when stock is unavailable.
Smarter fulfilment from stores will continue, with locations acting as micro distribution hubs. But margin gains will only materialise for retailers that master pick-and-pack accuracy and labour allocation.
Supply chain innovation
In the supply chain, predictive analytics will shift away from broad demand forecasting toward identifying exceptions that damage margins, including stock imbalances, supply disruptions, markdown risk, and service failures.
Quirke sees the biggest impact coming from improved inventory accuracy and location-level availability. Predictive tools that flag risk and recommend actions – such as transferring, replenishing, substituting, or reflowing stock – will allow earlier intervention.
“Ultimately, supply chain technology will be judged by one thing,” Quirke says. “Whether it improves on-shelf availability without inflating the cost to service your customer.”
