Retail Insights

Featured publications

Article

Five trends that will define South Korean grocery in 2023
– The ability to respond quickly to evolving consumer preferences could separate market leaders from the pack.
Podcast

McKinsey on Consumer and Retail Podcast: Insights from experts on business and management
McKinsey experts discuss the latest trends and the most pressing challenges for leaders in the retail and consumer-goods industries.... Hear about the immediate and longer-term moves that matter most for business success. Topics covered include strategy, technology, marketing, operations, and organization.

Featured Insights

Report

Winning in China: Top priorities for global apparel and fashion brands
– Despite a challenging landscape, China remains one of the most attractive markets in the world for multinational companies that... can strike a balance between global and local.
Podcast

‘Let’s not just rely on data’: Holt Renfrew’s Anne Pitcher on the future of retail
– Retailers must become more consumer-centric, experiential, sustainable, and diverse than they’ve ever been, says the department... store veteran and former managing director of Selfridges.
Article

Eat, play, love: How Gen Z is shaping Korea’s grocery retailers
– Korea’s emerging Gen Z consumers want food that’s convenient, varied, and ethically and environmentally friendly.... Retailers should take note.
Article

How technology can elevate grocery stores in South Korea
– Grocers must reimagine physical stores to keep pace with consumer preferences. Technology will supply a critical boost in this... shift.
Article

South Korea’s next sales frontier: Retail media networks
– As consumer spending shifts online, many traditional retailers have been caught flat-footed. Retail media networks hold huge promise—but... retailers need to seize the opportunity.
Article

Using sustainability to transform food systems in South Korea
– Now is the time for grocers to develop strategic sustainability plans focused on value creation and think more broadly about the... role they can play in encouraging change across the full value chain.
Article

Generative AI: Unlocking the future of fashion
– While still nascent, generative AI has the potential to help fashion businesses become more productive, get to market faster,... and serve customers better. The time to explore the technology is now.
Commentary

Beyond retail: Why retailers should think ‘services’ and ‘ecosystems’
– For retailers, service businesses represent a tremendous growth opportunity—and a way to start building ecosystems that... satisfy more of consumers’ needs.
Article

How retailers in Europe can navigate rising inflation
– With inflation at record highs throughout Europe, retailers are under more pressure than ever. Those that act quickly and follow... a holistic playbook can be well positioned to thrive.
Article

Hitting the mark: Why markdowns matter more than ever
– Many US retailers are reducing prices to clear excess inventory. Smart markdown strategies will make a huge difference to their... bottom lines.
Report

Transforming the EU retail and wholesale sector
– To capitalize on change, companies must invest in sustainability, digitalization, and skills and talent.
Podcast

The state of grocery retail around the world
– A survey of more than 30,000 consumers and 100 grocery CEOs reveals the challenges—and opportunities—that grocery... retailers face today.
Article

How the apparel industry can ADAPT to inflation
– High inflation is a challenge, but ADAPTing an agile pricing strategy can help retailers and brands control costs, protect margins,... and retain customer loyalty.
Podcast

How Europe’s CPG leaders can navigate inflation
– With inflation persisting, consumer-packaged-goods manufacturers can’t rely on the strategies that got them through the... past two years. It’s time for a reset.
Article

Customer experience in Romania
– The latest Customer Experience Survey confirms that Romanian companies are still not differentiating from the perspective of experience... offered to their customers. But are leaders emerging?
Article

Reducing food loss: What grocery retailers and manufacturers can do
– An estimated $600 billion worth of food is lost during or just after harvest. Can manufacturers and grocers do anything about... it? Definitely—and it will be good for business, people, and the planet.
Article

How retailers can attract and retain frontline talent amid the Great Attrition
– Almost half of US frontline retail employees and two-thirds of frontline managers say they are thinking about leaving their jobs... in the next few months. What’s a retailer to do?
Article

Decarbonizing grocery
– Here’s how the grocery sector can protect the planet and position itself for green growth.
Article

The beauty battleground: The sprint to win on services
– Beauty companies looking to capitalize on fast-evolving trends should act on the growing convergence of brands that offer beauty... products and brands that offer services.
Podcast

Black beauty brands and consumers: Where do we go from here?
– Inequity is rife in the beauty industry, says a new McKinsey report. Ulta Beauty CEO Dave Kimbell and two of the report’s... authors discuss how to better support Black brands and serve Black consumers.
Article

Scaling textile recycling in Europe—turning waste into value
– Fiber-to-fiber recycling at scale could be achieved by 2030, creating a new and sustainable circular industry in Europe.
Article

E-commerce: At the center of profitable growth in consumer goods
– Winning North American consumer goods companies are fundamentally rethinking their capabilities and operating models to meet the... evolving needs of consumers and customers.
Podcast

How current global trends are disrupting the fashion industry
– Fashion suppliers and brands, like other companies, are facing significant economic and geopolitical challenges. Here’s... what they can do to adapt and thrive.
Podcast

Are personalized vitamins the future of wellness?
– Two fast-growing vitamin companies, HUM Nutrition and Vous Vitamin, are betting on personalization. Listen to their CEOs discuss... the biggest trends in consumer health and wellness.
Collection

The state of grocery retail
– As part of McKinsey’s ongoing coverage of the grocery industry, it publishes a range of reports and content on the factors... and developments shaping the grocery landscape. Our in-depth research and analysis of specific regions features deep dives into trending topics as well as interviews with leading executives.
Report

Navigating the headwinds: The State of Grocery Retail 2022: Europe
– Retailers must be prepared to take bold actions and keep investing in key areas such as online, new profit pools, analytics, sustainability,... and people.

Building resilience amid economic uncertainty

Join senior partners Ida Kristensen and Maria Martinez to discuss the concrete changes leaders can make now to not just survive the current inflationary environment, but thrive. Register to learn the actions executives take to strengthen their resilience and achieve next-level performance, now and into the future..
Register here

Related Collection

Collection

Generation Z

Understanding Gen Z can help retailers, marketers, and leaders seeking to build and maintain sustainable businesses that meet next-generation needs. Explore a special collection to gain insight on Generation Z, and what its rise means for work and society.

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More insights

Article

The changing face of grocery demand
– Consumers are increasingly seeking value, healthier products, and convenience. Retailers must be prepared to keep pace with these... evolving preferences.
Podcast

Retail growth: The big sprint towards customer obsession
– What does purposeful growth look like in the retail sector? Two former Nike executives share the company’s secret formula... for serving customers with its shift to digital, direct-to-consumer model, and sustainability.
Interactive - McKinsey Quarterly

Food plight
– Disruptions to the world’s food system are deepening the global food crisis. Efforts by the grocery industry and... consumers can help prevent a worsening scenario.
Article

Top priorities for dairy executives in 2023
– By focusing on growth, resilience, and sustainability, dairy processors have an opportunity to leverage momentum and engage consumers... and customers with a unified story.
Podcast

Skinny design: Smaller is better
– The ability to improve cost savings, sustainability, and consumer benefits has proven skinny design packaging to be a powerful... tool to maximize product volume and performance.
Article

Similar yet different: Meet today’s consumer of dairy and alternatives
– Five insights from McKinsey’s 2022 US Dairy Consumer Survey reveal how dairy consumption is changing.
Article

Great merchandising never goes out of fashion
– Fashion companies that adapt to shifts in the industry’s merchandising model can create a competitive advantage.
Article

Driving growth in consumer goods through programmatic M&A
– Companies that take a programmatic approach to M&A deals outperform their peers, but this strategy requires differentiated... capabilities and effective execution.
Article

For love of meat: Five trends in China that meat executives must grasp
– Serving China’s huge and growing meat market requires a deep understanding of its shifting meat consumption profile.
Article

Consumers care about sustainability—and back it up with their wallets
– A joint study from McKinsey and NielsenIQ examines sales growth for products that claim to be environmentally and socially responsible.
Article

Introducing the Australian Consumer Loyalty Survey
– Consumer-facing organizations in Australia can overcome declining consumer sentiment by investing in their loyalty programs.
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