Ten Retail Trends To Watch In 2022

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 proved to be another atypical year for retailers. As we look into the coming year, don’t expect things to go back to normal just yet. 2022 will bring its own set of opportunities and challenges that will keep retailers on their toes as they try to balance customer demand against supply chain issues.

Here are ten trends we expect to continue or gain momentum in the next 12 months:

1. Supply Chain Disruptions. Problems in the supply chain have persisted since the pandemic started, causing logistical nightmares and product shortages. The issue impacts all industries and makes it especially difficult for retailers to stock inventory. Much of the problem revolves around shipping containers. Asian manufacturers are having trouble getting containers to ship their goods because many containers are stuck in ports worldwide. Large retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Home Depot are even chartering their freightliners to bypass supply chain issues. Disruptions are expected to continue throughout the year, so retailers should be planning inventory 12 months out. This will also affect IT decisions because component availability and logistics issues are causing implementation delays.