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Many consumers are already planning their back-to-school shopping needs. For retailers looking to stay relevant and win over customers, this article offers some shopping trends from Coresight Research and NRF to market wisely this season.

Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report found that despite economic uncertainty, the vast majority of small businesses are refusing to hit the brakes on marketing. Instead of cutting back, they’re doubling down.

Not all promotions are created equal. Some drive traffic, boost sales and create lasting customer engagement. Others quietly expire, like a clearance rack no one visits. The difference boils down to precision—specifically in timing, relevance and audience fit.

Many consumers are using their tax refunds to stabilize their finances, catch up on obligations or reset after months of elevated costs. In that context, BNPL is no longer just a checkout option. For many shoppers, BNPL has quietly moved into everyday money management.

From viral microtrends and in-store experiences to more intentional spending and immersive physical environments, retail in 2026 will reward operators who can move quickly without overcommitting. Agility, discipline and relevance will matter more than scale alone. In this article, we will discuss four trends retailers can’t afford to ignore.

In 2026, the retailers that outperform won’t simply negotiate better rates or add capacity. They will eliminate these hidden operational costs by rethinking how freight moves through the middle mile and by turning cross-docks into technology-enabled control points.

A record 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, according to the consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up more than 3 million total shoppers from the previous record of 183.4 million last year.

American Express released its latest Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition, which revealed that small businesses are accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, with 66% now using AI. This is a 10 point increase from the May 2025 Trendex.

AI-powered platform Brij released a new report, The AI Fluency Gap: The Hidden Retail Opportunity in Offline-to-Online Engagement, revealing a widening disconnect between retailers’ AI ambitions and their ability to unify and activate customer signals across channels.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping brands and retailers to reap the benefits of the retail media boom in a way that was not possible before. This article explains the different ways that retailers are benefitting from AI.