Beyond VR and tariffs: 4 Trends that will reshape retail in 2019

As retailers have been making last-ditch efforts to get consumers to open their wallets for the holidays, repeating Black Friday-type promotions, they have also been thinking ahead, to what’s coming in the new year. Among the many things on their minds are the wild cards that could pose risks to their business. For one, the sector is waiting to see what will happen with President Trump’s threat of higher tariffs on imports from China past a 90-day truce. Retailers are also paying close attention to the future of the U.S. Postal Service, and whether higher rates recommended recently by a Trump-mandated task force will eventually come to pass. That would signal even higher shipping costs for Amazon and other retailers because they count on the USPS to play the critical last-mile-delivery role in shipping many goods. Read more…