Let's hear about trends you're seeing in retail and eCommerce

Today in retail we are seeing many trends!

• Experience Economy: Customers no longer buy products, they experience them. Brand discovery starts everywhere and the traditional marketing funnel is dead. Customers expect brands to show up where they are, on the channels they want to interact with. This means seamless omnichannel journeys, personalized interactions, and genuine brand connections are critical. Generic marketing messaging simply doesn't cut it anymore. 
• Data is the New Currency, AI as the Engine: First-party data is more critical than ever, especially with evolving privacy regulations. The ability to collect, unify, and activate this data in real-time is a competitive differentiator. AI is moving beyond a buzzword to a practical tool for marketers, powering predictive analytics, content generation, and automated optimization. We are seeing more retailers leveraging AI for advanced customer data analysis and sentiment understanding.
• Connecting the Physical and Digital Customer Experience: Retailers must create fluid experiences between their online and offline channels. Weather it is BOPIS, in-store personalization, app connections or virtual try ons, customers expect to experience your brand consistently. 
• Shifting Channel Preferences: While email and SMS remain critical, emerging channels, like WhatsApp, RCS, and in-app messaging are gaining significant traction. Brands that effectively utilize a diverse channel mix see much higher retention and purchase rates. 

At the center of all of these trends however, is the need to focus on the customer experience especially with the noise over BFCM.