The 2019 holiday season posted modest retail sales growth amid a strong consumer economy but challenging calendar. With more economic risks ahead, the 2020 season may be even more challenged for growth.

For Alexandra Waldman, launching Universal Standard was a no-brainer. She struggled to find clothes that fit her size-20 frame—even something as simple as a T-shirt that didn’t have a puppy or a "live, laugh, love" affirmation on it.

Strong growth in online sales over the 2019 holiday season propelled the UK retail sector past a milestone. Ecommerce represented 28.2% of all holiday retail sales, surpassing the 25% mark for the first time. Total retail sales for the season amounted to £99.26 billion ($132.33 billion).

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.

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.

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.

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.

As with video viewing, digital technology has taken a large role in teens’ shopping without altogether replacing older methods. We estimate that 61.8% of 14- to 17-year-olds in the US will be digital buyers next year. Though substantial, that’s lower than the penetration rates of all other age groups younger than 65.

Positive US macroeconomic conditions will contribute to the first-ever $1 trillion holiday season, but retailers facing a series of headwinds should pay attention to seven key trends that will determine their ultimate success.

Consumers’ desire for affordability and convenience has bolstered demand for online grocery. And as heavy hitters continue to roll out offerings—like Walmart's buy online pick up in-store (BOPUS) and "InHome Delivery" options, as well as Amazon's "Key for Garage" and same-day shipping—their respective double-digit growth speaks for itself.

eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum compares our estimates for brick-and-mortar and ecommerce sales for Western European markets amid an economic slowdown.

eMarketer recently spoke with Vadim Grinberg, vice president of consumer growth and insight at Dagne Dover, to discuss what the retailer has learned since opening up its pop-up location and how it feels about retail tech and handles cart abandonment.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands continue to disrupt the retail space. The companies use an array of tactics to attract business, from offering low prices to targeting shoppers who care about ethical consumption to simply providing a more convenient experience.

US ecommerce will continue to grow by double digits in 2019 amid a strong economic backdrop that is beginning to moderate compared with prior years.

This year, ecommerce is set to be 10.9% of total US retail spending—about one-eighth the size of retail brick-and-mortar. The general merchandise category will account for about 50% of total retail sales this year, and that number climbs to roughly 67% when you look at strictly online general merchandise sales.

In 2018, total worldwide app revenues grew 63% year over year, according to app commerce company Poq. Additionally, time spent in shopping apps grew 45% from two years prior, per data from App Annie.

More than four in five internet users worldwide said a quick and easy checkout was the most valued aspect of the shopping experience, making it the highest ranked response to a January 2019 survey from iVend Retail.

2018 was a banner year for US holiday retail sales across both brick-and-mortar and ecommerce. But with more economic uncertainty ahead, the 2019 holiday season is not shaping up to be quite as strong.

Walmart, which overtook Apple last year to become the third-largest US etailer, is widening the gap with Apple. Walmart’s ecommerce sales will grow nearly 33% this year to $27.81 billion.