Retail Has Two-Pronged Future, Study Predicts

In the coming decade, routine runs for groceries and other stapes will become increasingly performed by agentic assistants, paving the way for a brick-and-mortar renaissance driven by discovery, play and community. That’s the main finding of a just-released study initiated by snack giant Mars Inc. in tandem with consumer researchers Kantar and Synthesis.

Together, the participants analyzed more than 180,000 global data signals – including stakeholder and expert interviews, channel and shopper publications, podcasts and global news – to pinpoint changing consumer demands that will redefine how people shop in the future.

What they found is “the ever-evolving shopper journey will be defined by a transformational duality in this next era:

• “Shopping will become a frictionless background service managed by agentic technology, freeing consumers to focus on what matters to them.
• “Physical stores and digital platforms will feel less like supermarkets, convenience stores or typical online shopping, and more like immersive playgrounds designed for discovery and entertainment.”

Mars is quick to note that this change will impact it, along with virtually everyone else who sells goods to consumers.

“We’re standing on the brink of a retail revolution , one where people may never have to manually shop for household staples again. For a category like snacking, this is both an opportunity and a strategic challenge,” said Neil Reynolds, Global Chief Customer Officer, Mars Snacking, whose products include Cheez-It, M&M’s, Pringles and Snickers. “We’ve invested in significant research to understand how the shopper journey will evolve, and this research gives us a clear roadmap. But here’s what’s equally clear: No single company can solve this alone. The only path forward is to work hand-in-hand with retail customers and all partners who are ready to lead this transformation to drive consumer satisfaction and long-term growth across the entire ecosystem.”

As retailers and brands navigate this new landscape, they face a dual challenge: integrating into the predictive fulfillment systems that will power consumers’ digital lives, while simultaneously transforming retail into connected, sensory-rich destinations that reward people for leaving their homes.

Understanding this new ecosystem is no longer just a competitive advantage — it is essential for future growth, the study concludes.

Click here for the full study, including a look at these three main characteristics that will define shopping in the future:

* It will be effortless, with AI-powered background restocking.

* It will be personal, with hyper-curated retail experiences.

* It will be experiential, with immersive retail destinations.