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What’s Trending in Retail for 2026

Part I: Five market forces to focus on in the coming year.

Published

6 months ago

January 8, 2026

Look for Walmart to continue to “steamroll the competition,” in the coming year, the NRF predicts. Shown is the fashion department at a new-look Walmart Supercenter that opened in 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Walmart Inc.

For retailers, the focus for 2026 should be on knowing who you serve, what matters most to them and how to deliver a customer journey that meets their needs, writes Susan Reda, the National Retail Federation’s VP, Education Strategy, in a blog on the trade group’s web site.

“Part of the journey demands a keen understanding of the trends shaping the future of retail, along with a finger on the pulse of what’s likely to unfold in the coming months,” Reda notes.

Today, Shop! highlights the NRF’s five trends that will drive the retail industry in 2026 as compiled by Reda; tomorrow, we’ll offer a recap the federation’s top five predictions on what the coming year will hold for its sector.

Here are the NRF’s top five trends:

AI became omnipresent and omnipotent in 2025, and its effects will snowball in 2026.
Walmart has achieved its desired “everything, everywhere, all-at-once” status, and is expected to keep that momentum going.
Is the mall cool again? It sure seems that way.
GLP-1 obesity drugs are not only transforming waistlines; they are reshaping retail apparel, food and wellness.
Gen Z and its younger cohort Gen Alpha have officially become the most transformative generations for retailers.

Click here to read Reda’s blog, which provides drill-down into each of the quintet of trends highlighted above.

Tomorrow: Part II, in which the federation offers up its top 5 predictions for the year.