Following a year defined by tariff shifts and heavy investment in artificial intelligence, the retail focus now turns to practical execution in a changing consumer and competitive landscape. Retailers are actively repositioning, moving away from underperforming lines and reallocating resources to categories with stronger long-term potential.
AI remains central to retail strategy. Adoption is expanding beyond experimental tools to core functions like personalised search, pricing, and logistics. The 2025 holiday season saw a clear jump in AI-driven online activity, and retailers are responding with deeper investment. This year will be critical in proving return on that spend, with companies that embed AI into operations likely to outperform.
Fast fulfilment is becoming a clear competitive advantage. Amazon is leading with sub-30-minute delivery pilots, while Walmart is leveraging its broad footprint to offer flexible fulfilment from stores, clubs and distribution centres. Retailers that can match or exceed rising delivery expectations will strengthen customer loyalty and defend market share.
itim Group plc (LON:ITIM) is a SaaS-based technology company that enables store-based retailers to optimise their businesses to improve financial performance and effectively compete with online competitors. Itim adds retail value by helping multi-channel retailers optimise their business and their stores to improve financial performance and compete more effectively with the “Amazons”.
