Retailers across Western Europe are pioneering the use of AI to boost digital sales, and new options for delivery and returns are emerging. Yet Europe’s main markets have been slow to embrace social commerce.

Consumer adoption of online grocery—led primarily by Amazon and Walmart—saw hockey-stick growth last year. As these two Goliaths vie for market control, conflicting reports have made it difficult to determine who has the momentum, and where consumers prefer to shop.

Most consumers want a product delivered the second they order it, and Amazon is betting on that behavior to drive more sales by offering free one-day shipping on Prime-eligible products. An October 2019 CivicScience survey found that a plurality of US internet users would rather order a low-cost item (less than $5) via Amazon than buy it in-store.

Historically, most marketers have equated search with general search engines—especially Google. But many of consumers’ most commercially oriented queries are entered directly on retail sites. And for the most part, that means Amazon.

Aptly named D2C brand Brandless, an online purveyor of minimalist grocery, wellness and home goods, has oriented its brand around the rise of digital-first shoppers who prefer products that include fewer, more natural ingredients. These shoppers have an evolving view of brands and don’t harbor any particular affinity for household names they grew up with.

The retail industry is transforming at both physical stores and in digital. This report examines 10 trends that will most shape retail in the year ahead.

With 2020 shaping up to be a chaotic year, these are the video trends marketers will need to pay attention to.

The ad tech world may feel targeted (pun intended) by privacy-related scrutiny in the press, but the fees earned by the ecosystem of partners that facilitate programmatic display transactions in the US were up almost 20% this year.

While our 2019 prediction of digital’s influence on the reinvention of brick-and-mortar has materialized, it may have also undersold Amazon’s omnipresence in the space. The 800-pound gorilla of retail will continue to cast a wide shadow.

As the use of smart-home technology increases, brands are experimenting with ways to use these connected IoT devices and systems—and the massive amounts of data that flows from them—in their marketing activities.

For brands and retailers in some categories, Amazon is a significant channel for ecommerce sales. And that often means paying for prime placement on Amazon properties, including in search results. We estimate Amazon will have earned 72% of its $9.85 billion in net US digital ad revenues from search ads in 2019.

eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Cindy Liu explores our latest US retail ecommerce figures and the winning impact of click-and-collect for brick-and-mortars.

eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum shares our recently revised subscription OTT forecast for Western Europe this year and into 2023.

In this year’s Key Digital Trends report, we identify what changes are coming to the digital media and technology landscape in 2020 and why they matter to marketers.

eMarketer global director of public relations Douglas Clark compares our in-store sales and retail ecommerce forecasts and talks Macy’s, Walmart and The Home Depot.

In a RetailMeNot survey, 68% of consumers said this year’s compressed holiday shopping season will affect their shopping and 15% said they’ll be more stressed about getting their shopping done on time.

eMarketer junior forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam explores our usage numbers for subscription OTT and the impact of increased mobile adoption and streaming services in India.

Advertisers are making significant investments in connected TV as the TV landscape becomes more fragmented.

Amazon’s ad business is booming, and more advertisers are spending—and spending more—on the platform. That means both prices and competition for ad slots are high.

eMarketer forecasting analyst Peter Vahle explores our recently revised US retail ecommerce sales outlook for Amazon and its one-day shipping successes.