Retail Viewpoint: Navigating Disruption And Economic Headwinds, What Will Shape Retail In 2024?

Every new year brings optimism, but retailers will need to couple it with a strong plan to fight off economic difficulties in 2024. With many input costs likely to go up and tightening consumer demand, retailers cannot simply rely on passing price increases onto customers—they will need to enhance productivity and bottom lines through additional efforts.

As we covered in our annual AlixPartners U.S. Holiday Outlook Survey, Singles' Day report, and EMEA Critical Consumer report, shoppers are spending less and trading down as inflationary pressures continue to stress purse strings. At the same time, retailers are confronting a vast array of new technological advances—especially around the implementation of AI and machine learning to improve business functions.