Retail Rewired
Navigating a new consumer era
In a market shaped by emerging tech innovation and physical reinvention, the most successful retailers are those who still lead with empathy. Social commerce, brick-and-mortar, AI, and consumer behaviors aren’t just trends, but forces reshaping how brands compete. Winning in today’s market means moving beyond single-channel optimization or tech for tech’s sake. It requires building purposeful, personalized experiences across a channel-agnostic ecosystem. Get ahead with insights-packed trends and expert quotes.
01
Social commerce
Retail is no longer about channels, it’s channel agnostic. As brands shift to meet consumers where they are, blending authenticity, agility, and data-driven insights equals success.
02
Brick & mortar
From sensory experiences to community hubs, physical retail is being reimagined as a place to connect, discover, build loyalty, and create value beyond just the checkout.
03
Integration of AI
AI is powering smarter decisions and seamless experiences—but the true retail magic happens when it enhances, not replaces, the necessary human touch.
04
Consumer behavior
As spending habits evolve, brands that build ecosystems and connect with consumer communities will earn lasting relevance in the market and a loyal customer base.
Understanding your customers is key to designing meaningful experiences.
As these four components—social commerce, brick-and-mortar, AI integration, and consumer behavior—evolve and intersect, they redefine what it means to compete in retail. It’s no longer enough to optimize a single channel or introduce new technology as a strategy. Successful brands will thoughtfully weave both purpose and personalization into every touchpoint in a channel agnostic ecosystem.
At Smart Design, we’ve helped CPG and consumer brands earn shelf space, expand into new categories, and create seamless customer experiences. Our expertise turns retail disruption into strategic opportunities for growth.
Retail Rewired
Navigating a new consumer era
Report contributors
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Louis Filosa
Industrial Design Director at Smart Design
Louis brings a deep understanding of both the creative and commercial aspects of industrial design, with expertise spanning multiple industries including consumer products, luxury, home goods, and personal care. His work is grounded in a comprehensive design process that blends aesthetics with functionality to produce innovative, user-centered solutions. Adept at navigating complex design challenges, balancing client demands with user needs, and leveraging multidisciplinary collaboration—Louis creates impactful products across categories.
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Grace Mervin
Design Strategist at Smart Design
Grace is a design strategist and futurist who uses a thoughtful blend of research-driven insights and creative methods to tackle complex problems, transform uncertainty into opportunity, and bring ambitious ideas to life. She was adjunct faculty at Parsons School of Design, teaching in the Strategic Design BBA program. Grace holds an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design, and a BA in Astronomy from San Diego State.
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Henry Young
Data Manager at Smart Design
Henry is a Data Manager with a talent for shortening the cycle between data collection and model training. He has experience collaborating with machine learning engineers to build, automate, and test robust end-to-end data pipelines. Henry has applied this expertise to a model-driven IoT project for a stealth startup. He holds a degree in Statistics and Quantitative Modeling from Baruch College.
Who we spoke with
About Smart Design
Smart Design helps ambitious organizations build the future. We are an independently-owned strategic design company that humanizes products, services, and experiences through deep research, insights and design strategies. Powered by passion and purpose, we design to help people and businesses thrive.