Predictions by TNS Retail Forward and PricewaterhouseCoopers

1. The Downsizing of (Almost) Everything
Expect (almost) everything except mega-store chains and formats to downsize during the decade—products/packaging, retail chains, store footprints, living spaces.

2. The "Glocalization" of Retailing
For many big retailers, the next growth phase will be about segmentation and localization. Big retailers of the future will get there by operating multiple formats and multiple concepts, targeted to specific customer segments, in specific local markets, for specific end-use needs and occasions.

3. Breaking the 80/20 Rule
The future of retailing is selling less of more. With expanded access, consumers will buy less of what's "popular" and more of what "suits me." Retailers that can figure out how to deliver what niche markets are looking for will reap the profits.

4. The Unchaining of Retailing
We will see the demise of the cookie cutter specialty chain. The day of the 1,000-outlet specialty chain delivering the same homogenous, narrow and deep assortment everywhere, regardless of location, is over. Chain size will top out at lower store counts. Retailers will expect to achieve more of their growth from new concepts than from established concepts.

5. Global Consolidation of Big Box Retailers
Big box retailing doesn't go away in 2015, but expect to see even greater concentration of market share on a global scale. Those players that remain after consolidation will be stratified by price tier and lifestyle.

6. Share of Life Retailing
Retailers will define themselves by the customers they serve, rather than by the products they sell. Retailers will grow by positioning themselves as more than just purveyors of "stuff" but also as one-stop purveyors of lifestyles or need states. Service offers will help bring the brand experience to life.

7. The "Un-storing" of Retailing
It will get harder to answer the question "what's a store" — much less "what's in a store." Multi-channel will multiply — covering more than stores, catalogs and an online presence — and come to mean a bigger, broader brand presence.

8. The Rise of the Anchor Place
Like the store of the future, the shopping center of the future will be closer to the customer. We will see the demise of the anchor store as the main draw. The place becomes the destination. New generation lifestyle centers will offer the ultimate in simplification and convenience—a "pre-packaged total lifestyle experience" where busy consumers can shop, work, socialize, eat, be entertained, live.

9. Consumer as Co-creator
The line between maker and consumer will blur. Consumers will have almost limitless opportunity to get what they want by participating in the value chain as creator, co-creator, adapter, editor, re-mixer, and re-packager.

10. Exclusivity Escalates
Penetration of private brands and manufacturer exclusives will explode across virtually all categories as retailers require differentiation, versatility, newness, and return on inventory investment. Private brands will be key as retailers strive to satisfy niche opportunities, enable customization and keep pace with here today — gone today trend lifecycles.

11. Suppliers Defend Turf
In 2015, suppliers will live by two credos: "The best defense is good offense" — and — "If you can't beat them, join them". Supplier-retailer relationships will be increasingly collaborative but also increasingly competitive. Branded supplier-retailer partnerships will multiply but so will retailer private brands.

12. Power to the People
Tools and technology will change the balance of power in retailing, shifting the power to the people. Consumers will have almost perfect information access about products and pricing. It will be almost impossible for retailers and producers to maintain a significant difference in margins on widely distributed commodities, underscoring the importance of differentiation, innovation, and integrated lifestyle approaches to doing business.

13. New Technological Environment
Technology will pervade the living and shopping experiences of 2015. Most of the technology trends anticipated for 2015 are progressions of trends that are under way today; they will just be more ubiquitous tools and technology within reach wherever, whenever and for whatever purpose.

14. Value Chain Evolution
Today's value chain is designed for mass merchandising. The value chain of 2015 will need to support niche merchandising, down to the location, day part and customized individual unit. It will be defined by connectivity, early capture of true demand signals, total visibility, shared data, real-time information, real-time response, decentralization, and integrated shared logistics.

15. Triple Bottom Line Scorecard
Retailers and suppliers will need to become better global citizens. In 2015, the definition of corporate success will take into account environmental and social performance in addition to financial performance. Retailers and suppliers should expect to be measured against an expanded set of criteria—planet and people as well as profit.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded at https://www.retailforward.com/.

Sources: Green Street Advisors, Madison Marquette Market Research