Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Understand the key forces reshaping the US mass retail landscape in 2026 and beyond.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • What growth is forecast for the sector, and which retail format is expected to lead in 2026?
  • How are macroeconomic pressures and evolving consumer behaviors shaping the challenges and opportunities for value-focused retailers?
  • What three themes are defining the strategic priorities for mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount retailers in the coming year?
  • Why is the influx of affluent shoppers into discount stores a potential game-changer for the sector?
  • How are scale, technology and private-label strategies positioning mass retailers to consolidate share and outpace sector specialists?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Walmart, Target, BJ’s Wholesale, Costco, Sam’s Club, Big Lots, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Five Below, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Amazon, Shein and  Temu.

Data in this report include: Forecasted year-over-year growth and sector size; retailer-reported category sales trends; store expansion plans; survey data on AI adoption in shopping.

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Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Discover the forces reshaping US department store retail in 2026.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How is the US department store market projected to grow in 2026, and what macro factors could influence consumer spending?
  • What are the key sector drivers and challenges?
  • Which trends are set to shape consumer behavior and retail strategies?
  • What surprising factors are influencing shoppers?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Amazon, The TJX Companies

Data in this report include: US department store market size and growth forecasts; category growth performance; consumer behavior trends; and shopper sentiment convenience.

Find our full selection of US Consumer Survey Insights reports and data graphics here.

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Reasons to Read

In October 2025, US retail sales (excluding gasoline and automobile sales) increased by 4.5%, a slight slowdown from the previous month. Using data from the US Census Bureau, we analyze US retail sales in October 2025, in total and by sector.

Data in this research report are:

  • Year-over-year changes in US total retail sales (excluding gasoline and automobiles), October 2024– October 2025
  • Year-over-year changes in retail sales by sector, September and October 2025
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Reasons to Read

Coresight Research attended and participated in the “AI at Scale: From Potential to Performance” event in December 2025, organized by IBM. Read this report to:

  • Understand the transformative potential of AI by 2030 and how IBM is leveraging generative and agentic AI to accelerate business capabilities.
  • Learn about IBM’s achievement in AI adoption and its significant impact on productivity, saving $4.5 billion annually.
  • Discover the challenges faced by physical stores in the age of agentic commerce and mobile search.

Companies mentioned in this report include: IBM, SAP

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Reasons to Read

Discover how tariffs and inflation driven shifts in sentiment and behavior are shaping the final weeks of the 2025 holiday shopping season.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • What are the latest signals are we seeing in holiday shopping behaviors and which retailers are winning holiday-season share?
  • Where are consumers shopping for holiday products and how are discount and convenience players performing?
  • What product categories are leading holiday purchases, and what role is inflation playing in consumer choices?
  • What product categories and from which retailer did consumers shop?

Data in this research report include: Holiday purchase rates; top retailers for holiday shopping and holiday categories.

Companies mentioned in this report include: Albertsons Companies, Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Dollar Tree, eBay, Etsy, Family Dollar, Five Below, Gamestop, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Kroger, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Old Navy, Ross Stores, Sam’s Cub, Sephora, Target, Temu, The TJX Companies, Ulta and Walmart.

Other relevant research:  

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Reasons to Read

Discover how US consumers are reacting to shifting economic conditions, inflation pressures and tariffs in the holiday season.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How is consumer sentiment diverging across income groups—and what does this mean for premium versus value retail performance.

Data in this research report include: Consumer sentiment by income and time; and retailer and category-level shopping data.

Other relevant research:  

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Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Discover the forces reshaping US drugstore retail in 2026.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How is the US drugstore and pharmacies market projected to grow in 2026, and what macro factors could influence consumer spending?
  • What are the key sector drivers and challenges?
  • Which trends are set to shape consumer behavior and retail strategies?
  • What surprising factors are influencing shoppers?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Walmart, CVS Health, Walgreens, Amazon, Kroger, Albertsons Companies

Data in this report include: US drugstore and pharmacies market size and growth forecasts; category growth performance; consumer behavior trends; and shopper sentiment convenience.

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Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Discover how science, AI and wellness are reshaping the future of US beauty retail in 2026.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How are AI technologies transforming both beauty product development and retail experiences across major players?
  • Why are science-backed ingredients and clinically validated formulations becoming central to innovation strategies?
  • In what ways is the aging US population driving long-term demand in skincare and related categories?
  • What’s behind the continued rise of fragrance, and how are retailers using it to capture Gen-Z and premium demand?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Ulta Beauty, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, e.l.f. Beauty, Coty, Bath & Body Works, Beiersdorf.

Data in this report include: growth forecasts for the US beauty sector; AI implementation in retail and product innovation; category growth trends in skincare, fragrance and wellness; consumer behavior across social commerce and omnichannel fulfillment.

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Reasons to Read

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How does AWS claim to instantly modernize legacy software across any language, codebase, or framework?
  • What are Frontier Agents, and why do they represent a leap forward in autonomous, scalable AI?
  • How do updates to Amazon and SageMaker platforms accelerate model customization and agent development?
  • What new AgentCore functions support quality control, memory retention, and regulatory compliance in AI agents?
  • In what ways is Amazon deploying agentic AI to transform business functions like product development, marketing, and supply chain?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Amazon and AWS

Data in this report include: transformation capabilities of legacy software; performance attributes of Frontier agents; platform enhancements for model fine-tuning and agent development; monitoring and memory functions of AgentCore; applications of agentic AI across business operations.

Other relevant research:

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Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Discover how value, health, and AI are reshaping the US grocery sector in 2026.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How are alternative grocery channels, like mass merchandisers and discount stores, impacting traditional grocers’ market share?
  • Why is private-label growth becoming a key driver of retailer success, enhancing margins and consumer loyalty?
  • How will AI, data and automation improve pricing, supply chain efficiency and labor scheduling for grocery retailers?
  • What’s the influence of health-driven consumer trends, such as the rise of GLP-1 medications, on grocery product demand?
  • How will ongoing tariff challenges affect grocery pricing and sourcing in 2026?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Amazon, Walmart, Aldi and Fresh Thyme.

Data in this report include: US grocery retail market size and growth forecasts, consumer behavior shifts due to inflation.

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Reasons to Read

Our 2026 Sector Outlook data graphics provide forward-looking data, insights and conclusions for US retail sectors. Across the series of 10 snapshots, we cover US retail (overall); apparel and footwear; beauty; consumer packaged goods (CPG); department stores; drugstores; grocery; home and home improvement; luxury; and mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and discount stores.

Discover how economic stability, evolving consumer behaviors, and technological innovations are reshaping the US retail and e-commerce sector in 2026.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other key questions:

  • How are shifts in consumer sentiment and economic conditions, such as a steady GDP growth, impacting retail consumption?
  • What role will e-commerce continue to play in the retail landscape, and how will online retail grow in share of total retail sales?
  • Why is AI-driven automation, data analytics and retail media becoming crucial to sustaining profitability in a competitive retail market?
  • How is the rise of GLP-1 medications influencing consumer behaviors in key sectors like food and apparel?
  • How will the changes in interest rates, housing markets and inflation affect discretionary spending in 2026?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Ahold Delhaize, Aldi, Danone, Dollar General, TJX Companies and Walmart

Data in this report include: US retail and e-commerce market growth forecasts, consumer behavior trends and sector performance projections.

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Reasons to Read

Welcome to Analyst Corner! Every Sunday, a member of the Coresight Research team shares insights on recent or upcoming research and their perspectives on the most compelling trends shaping retail.

This week, Charlie Poon, Analyst at Coresight Research, explores the true pace of agentic commerce—AI-driven shopping powered by intelligent agents—and presents three key consumer gauges that will determine how quickly this transformation takes hold.

We also spotlight our latest research from the past week.

  • For a deeper dive, premium subscribers should read our full report series on agentic commerce, including guidance for how retailers can make their products visible and shoppable in AI-driven ecosystems.

Other relevant research:

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Reasons to Read

Our Sector Focus data graphics feature the latest survey findings on US retail sectors and categories. Dive into the US off-price sector in this graphic.

Head to our US Consumer Survey Insights Databank for the full selection of data from our quarterly sector surveys.

Find our full selection of US Consumer Survey Insights reports and data graphics here.

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Reasons to Read

Explore the latest trends in the US consumer packaged goods (CPG) market, based on real-world sales data. In the latest four-week period, the beauty category continued to grow rapidly, continuing a trend seen through 2025.

Read this report to report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • How CPG e-commerce growth has moderated and how it compares to the prior quarter’s performance.
  • How growth rates are shaping up in CPG sectors—food & beverages, health & beauty, and general merchandise & homecare—in the holiday quarter.
  • Why the beauty category is maintaining its leadership in growth, with both online and total sales posting strong numbers.

Data in this report include: e-commerce vs. in-store sales growth by department; category-level performance within food, beauty, and general merchandise.

Other relevant research:

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Reasons to Read

Keep updated on the latest trends in the UK retail sector, where the number of new store openings is still outpacing closures in 2025.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

  • Which retailers have been responsible for the rise in openings and closures this week, and what factors are influencing these decisions?
  • How do the store openings and closures in 2025 compare to 2024, and what are the key trends driving the year‑on‑year changes?

Companies mentioned in this report include: Holland & Barrett, Home Bargains, Miniso and Watches of Switzerland

Data in this report include: weekly totals of UK store closures and openings for 2025 and 2024; retailer-level breakdowns of announced versus confirmed closures/openings.

Other relevant research:

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