First things first, Happy New Year.  Paws up who had a great festive break? I hope everyone got plenty of treats!

It might be a bit miserable outside and we might be struggling to get back into our usual routines (I kept up my daily morning walkies so I am doing ok), but it looks like 2017 is set to be pretty fantastic for the retail industry.  According to Mary Portas, top dog in retail and branding, retailers need to adapt to personalisation or they risk being left behind, it’s all about the consumer experience.  Here are four retail trends I can see being unleashed as top of the shops this year.

Greater online presence
Online shopping has become a huge threat to the traditional retailer so it’s essential for all retailers, from small  independents to big corporate companies, to increase their online presence.  This will include an increasing the use of social media to drive online sales and utilising mobile friendly websites.

Interactive instore experiences
To combat online competition, retailers will need to provide a more interactive and personal experience, using approaches such as ‘try before you buy’ with products, investing in staff to make them product gurus, and offering features such as outfit planners, product information or discount vouchers via apps designed to be used in-store.

Contactless mobile payments
Ever had one of those days when you go shopping and realise you’ve forgotten your wallet?  Well fear not, it seems wallets are a thing of the past and your phone will be all you need.  2017 is set to be the year of the contactless mobile wallet, and to make this payment method more attractive you will receive incentives downloadable directly to your device.  Hot diggity dog!

‘Click & Collect’ your purchases
Merging online and offline shopping to create a hybrid shopping experience is still on the rise and the number of retailers taking advantage of the ‘Click and Collect’ service will continue to increase into 2017. It’s a quick, simple and effective process, and it makes shopping just that bit easier – you’d be barking mad not to try it out!

What are your retail trend predictions for 2017?