Gitnux/Report 2026

Consumer and Retail Industry Statistics

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Consumer and Retail Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The consumer and retail industry at a glance

U.S. consumer and retail activity remains resilient: 2026 retail sales are forecast at $5.6 trillion, while e-commerce reached 17.1% of total retail sales in the second quarter.

$5.6T[56]
2026 retail sales forecast
4.4%[56]
2026 retail sales growth
16.1M[52]
Retail trade jobs, 2025
17.1%[95]
E-commerce share, Q2 2026
Market size
The National Retail Federation forecasts U.S. retail sales of $5.6 trillion in 2026, up 4.4% from 2025. Separately, U.S. retail and food-services sales reached $745.0 billion in September 2026, up 6.3% year over year.[56][95]
Forecast & CAGR
NRF's 2026 forecast implies 4.4% year-over-year retail-sales growth, compared with average annual growth of 3.6% over the preceding 10 years excluding the pandemic period. BLS projects retail-trade employment to decline 0.2% from 2025 to 2035, equivalent to roughly 27,500 fewer jobs.[56][52]
Market share & regions
E-commerce accounted for 17.1% of U.S. retail sales in the second quarter of 2026, with adjusted online sales of $340.2 billion. The Census Bureau reported total adjusted retail sales of $1,986.5 billion for the quarter.[95]
Segmentation
The Census Bureau's retail statistics cover merchandise categories including motor-vehicle and parts dealers, food and beverage retailers, general merchandise stores, gasoline stations, clothing and clothing-accessory stores, furniture and electronics retailers, building-material dealers, and nonstore retailers. Nonstore retailing is represented within the same retail-sales framework as store-based categories.[95][96]
Key players & concentration
The U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Financial Report tracks large retail corporations with assets of at least $50 million. These companies recorded seasonally adjusted sales of $1,171.1 billion in the second quarter of 2026 and after-tax profits of $112.3 billion.[95]
Pricing
The personal-consumption-expenditures price index increased 2.6% in 2025, while the core PCE price index excluding food and energy increased 2.8%. These measures indicate that consumer prices continued rising, although more slowly than during the peak inflation period.[97]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being supported by resilient household spending and expanding digital commerce: second-quarter 2026 e-commerce sales rose 12.2% year over year, compared with 6.7% growth in total retail sales. Key pressures include tariffs, price sensitivity, and structural employment pressure from online retailing; BLS projects retail-trade employment to fall 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.[95][52][56]
Consumer behavior & competition
Consumers are increasingly using online channels: e-commerce represented 17.1% of retail sales in the second quarter of 2026 and grew 12.2% year over year. Competition is also shaped by value-seeking behavior; NRF expects November–December 2026 holiday sales to grow 4.2% to $1.013 trillion.[95][56]
M&A
In May 2026, the Federal Trade Commission allowed 365 Retail Markets' $848 million acquisition of Cantaloupe to proceed only with a divestiture of Cantaloupe's Three Square Market business. The FTC said the transaction combined the two largest providers of micromarket kiosks and could otherwise reduce competition and increase prices.[98]
Regulation
The FTC's Unfair or Deceptive Fees rule requires covered sellers of live-event tickets and short-term lodging to disclose mandatory fees in the total upfront price. Government charges, shipping charges, and genuinely optional ancillary fees may be excluded initially but must be disclosed before payment.[98]
Latest news
The latest available retail indicators show September 2026 retail and food-services sales of $745.0 billion, up 0.8% from August and 6.3% from September 2025. NRF's October 2026 holiday forecast projects $1.013 trillion in November–December sales, up 4.2% year over year.[95][56]

02 Ranking

Top 8 Companies in the Consumer And Retail Industry

The leading companies in the consumer and retail industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

The Coca-Cola Company leads Gitnux's 2026 consumer and retail ranking with an Overall score of 9.2, with footprint across more than 200 countries and territories. Inditex is the highest-ranked fashion retailer at 9.0, driven by eight fashion brands, including Zara, across global markets.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in non-alcoholic beverages

    The Coca-Cola Company

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.2 · Non-alcoholic beverages

    Why we picked it: Its non-alcoholic beverage system spans more than 200 countries and territories, aligning with U.S. omnichannel retail trends.

    See in ranking ↓Visit coca-colacompany.com ↗

  2. Leader in fashion retail

    Inditex

    ES

    Ranked #2 · 9.0 · Fashion retail

    Why we picked it: Eight fashion brands including Zara operate across global markets, relevant to clothing and accessory category retail.

    See in ranking ↓Visit inditex.com ↗

  3. Leader in everyday care

    Procter & Gamble

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Everyday care

    Why we picked it: Everyday-care breadth supports durable demand within household, beauty, health and grooming retail categories.

    See in ranking ↓Visit pg.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 8 companies in the consumer and retail industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

The Coca-Cola Company

Non-alcoholic beverages · US

9.2
2

Inditex

Fashion retail · ES

9.0
3

Procter & Gamble

Everyday care · US

8.9
4

Unilever

Food and home care · GB

8.6
5

PepsiCo

Convenient foods · US

8.4
6

Nestlé

Food, beverages, nutrition and petcare · CH

8.3
7

NIKE

Athletic footwear, apparel and equipment · US

8.2
8

Danone

Dairy, plant-based, water and specialized nutrition · FR

7.6

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 8 companies in the consumer and retail industry. In Consumer And Retail Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-and-retail-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Share of U.S. retail sales by Census region

South holds the largest share at 36.4%.

South36.4%
West25%
Midwest20%
Northeast18.6%
source-verifieddata.census.gov

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Retail innovation spans AI experimentation and store automation, including 90% of retail executives experimenting with generative AI or scaling priority use cases in 2024.

AI in the consumer and retail industry

  • 90% of retail executives said they had begun experimenting with generative AI or scaling priority use cases in 2024.[1]
  • 38% of US consumers using AI used it to research and understand general topics in February 2026.[1]
  • 19% of US consumers using AI used it to discover or decide on brands, products, or services in February 2026.[1]
  • 64% of retail leaders reported generative-AI pilots augmenting internal value chains in 2024.[1]
  • 55% of US consumers used AI to learn about a product category or product features in 2026.[1]
  • 14% of AI users globally reported completing a purchase with an AI tool in December 2025.[1]

Automation in the consumer and retail industry

  • 57% of retail store tasks were projected to be automated by 2026 in the 2024 retail study.[2]
  • 43% of US retailers identified order tracking as their top automation in 2024.[3]
  • 47% of US retailers said automation improved the customer experience in 2024.[3]
  • 100% of US grocery retailers planned warehouse-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 33% of retail store tasks were automated in 2024, according to retailers surveyed by Incisiv and Verizon.[2]
  • 68.8% of US grocery retailers planned in-store-automation investment for 2025.[4]

Digital Transformation in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and consumer-goods companies, 70% of business functions had generative AI adopted or piloted in 2025.[5]
  • Among EU small and medium-sized enterprises, 71% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[6]
  • Among EU large businesses, 96% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU businesses, 74% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2024.[6]

Technology Adoption in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across US and European retailers, 66% had moved beyond exploration and testing of store-intelligence technologies in 2025.[7]
  • Across US and European retailers, 21% had fully scaled edge computing technologies in 2025.[7]
  • Across US and European retailers, 16% had fully scaled artificial intelligence in 2025.[7]
  • Across US and European retailers, 23% had fully scaled wireless communication technologies such as RFID or Bluetooth in 2025.[7]
  • Across US and European retailers, 27% had fully scaled cameras and sensors in 2025.[7]

Cloud Computing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU enterprises, 52.74% used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.69% used cloud-based office software in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 85.15% used cloud-based email in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 45.52% hosted enterprise databases in the cloud in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.53% used cloud-based file storage in 2025.[6]

Big Data in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail companies, 64% said their customer data was structured and accessible enough to support artificial-intelligence use cases in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises, 26.20% performed data analytics on transaction records such as sales and payment records in 2025.[6]
  • Across retail companies, 23% were using artificial intelligence in production to resolve customer identities or prepare customer data for marketing or analytics in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises, 33.02% performed data analytics using their own employees in 2025.[6]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Analytics adoption runs into data governance and quality issues: 33% cite data quality and consistency, and 57% cite data governance as significant challenges.

Business intelligence in the consumer and retail industry

  • 36% of retail and consumer respondents said forecasting and predictive analytics would most improve their organization’s observability practices in 2024.[9]
  • 33% of surveyed retailers cited data quality and consistency as a challenge for their analytics and business-intelligence platforms.[10]
  • 42% of surveyed retailers cited aligning business goals with analytics as a challenge for their analytics and business-intelligence platforms.[10]
  • 34% of surveyed retailers cited complexity and usability as a challenge for their analytics and business-intelligence platforms.[10]
  • 41% of surveyed retailers cited data security and privacy as a challenge for their analytics and business-intelligence platforms.[10]
  • 52% of retail respondents said they effectively secured insights from data in the 2024 KPMG Global Tech Report.[11]

Data analytics in the consumer and retail industry

  • 35.9% of grocery retailers reported access to one or two types of real-time data in 2024.[12]
  • 71% of consumer-packaged-goods leaders said they had adopted AI in at least one business function in 2024.[1]
  • 25.2% of grocery retailers reported access to three or more types of real-time data in 2024.[12]
  • 56% of consumer-packaged-goods leaders said they were regularly using generative AI in 2024.[1]
  • 38.9% of grocery retailers reported no access to any type of real-time data in a 2024 PYMNTS Intelligence survey.[12]
  • 19.7% of non-grocery retail businesses reported access to three or more types of real-time data in 2024.[12]

Data Quality in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and e-commerce, 48% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents rated their identity-resolution ability only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 29% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods not very effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 62% of respondents rated their data-management practices only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents identified data-quality controls as a significant challenge in 2024.[13]

Data Governance in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 96% of respondents said breaking down data silos was a significant challenge in 2025.[14]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 57% of respondents identified data governance as a significant challenge in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 31% of respondents cited the lack of a corporate data strategy and semantic layer as a key challenge in 2025.[10]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 35% of respondents cited inconsistent or incorrect answers to data questions as a governance-related blocker in 2025.[10]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 66% of respondents said their data-management capabilities were only somewhat unified in 2025.[14]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 53.5% of respondents said regulatory compliance was not a significant data challenge in 2025.[14]

KPIs in the consumer and retail industry

  • 88% of retail-media survey respondents ranked proof of sales lift and return on investment among their top three measurement priorities in 2024.[15]
  • 56% of retailers were reported to deliver campaign data immediately after campaign completion in a 2024 retail-media study.[15]
  • 78.0 out of 100 was the U.S. retail-trade customer-satisfaction score for 2023–2024, a core customer-experience KPI.[16]
  • 6.4% of gross sales were lost annually to in-store inefficiencies across key U.S. retail sectors in 2026.[17]
  • $196.4 billion was the estimated annual cost of in-store inefficiencies across key U.S. retail sectors in 2026.[17]
  • 23% of retailers were reported to share campaign data and analysis with advertisers in real time in a 2024 retail-media study.[15]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Price-led growth remains central, with 75% of global consumer-products sales growth in 2024 attributed to price increases rather than volume gains.

Growth in the consumer and retail industry

  • 75% of global consumer-products sales growth in 2024 was estimated to come from price increases rather than volume gains.[18]
  • 7.5% was global consumer-products retail sales growth in 2024, reaching an estimated $7.5 trillion.[18]
  • 9.8% was global consumer-products retail sales growth in 2022.[18]
  • 9.3% was global consumer-products retail sales growth in 2023.[18]
  • 4.5% was consumer-products sales growth in developed markets in 2024.[18]

Differentiation in the consumer and retail industry

  • 0.6% was the decline in U.S. national-brand unit sales in 2024.[19]
  • 2.3% was the increase in U.S. store-brand unit sales in 2024.[19]
  • 20.7% was the U.S. store-brand share of retail dollar sales in 2024.[19]
  • 23.1% was the U.S. store-brand share of retail unit sales in 2024.[19]
  • 36% was private label’s share of FMCG value sales in Western Europe in 2023 according to NIQ’s regional analysis.[15]
  • 19.4% was private label’s share of global FMCG value sales in 2023.[15]

Mergers and acquisitions in the consumer and retail industry

  • 140 global consumer-packaged-goods M&A transactions above $25 million were recorded in 2025.[1]
  • 783 U.S. consumer-and-retail M&A transactions were recorded in 2023.[20]
  • 1,406 U.S. consumer-and-retail M&A transactions were recorded in 2021.[20]
  • 928 U.S. consumer-and-retail M&A transactions were recorded in 2000.[20]
  • 653 strategic U.S. consumer-and-retail M&A transactions were recorded in 2024.[20]
  • 46 financial U.S. consumer-and-retail M&A transactions were recorded in 2024.[20]

Strategic partnerships in the consumer and retail industry

  • 46% of apparel supplier relationships were classified as transactional in 2019.[21]
  • 43% of apparel brands planned to work with fewer suppliers between 2024 and 2026.[21]
  • 80% or more of apparel brands had sustainability, transparency, and traceability prerequisites in supplier selection, supporting strategic supplier partnerships.[21]
  • 51% of apparel supplier relationships were classified as long-term relationships without volume commitments in 2023.[21]
  • 38% of apparel supplier relationships were classified as long-term strategic partnerships with volume commitments in 2023.[21]
  • 22% of apparel supplier relationships were long-term strategic partnerships with volume commitments in 2019.[21]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce pressure shows up as retention risk and turnover: 59% of U.S. frontline retail workers were considering quitting in 2024.

Hiring in the consumer and retail industry

  • 44% of US frontline retail workers surveyed in May 2023 were considering leaving their jobs within three to six months.[1]
  • 77% of US retail workers considering quitting in 2024 felt they had many other job opportunities.[22]
  • 2.2% of European retail jobs were vacant in the third quarter of 2023.[1]
  • Retail job vacancies in Europe were 29.4% higher in the third quarter of 2023 than before the pandemic.[1]
  • 59% of US frontline retail workers reported considering quitting in 2024.[22]

Employee retention in the consumer and retail industry

  • 17.1% was the US convenience-store manager turnover rate in the first half of 2025.[23]
  • 60.8% was the US convenience-store employee turnover rate in the first half of 2025.[23]
  • 39% of retail operators reported that employee turnover increased slightly or significantly over the prior 18 months in 2024.[24]
  • 70% of hourly retail workers expected to remain with their current organization for at least one year in 2024.[25]
  • 59% of US frontline retail workers considered quitting in 2024, compared with 37% in 2023.[22]

Remote Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 13.46% of full paid working days in 2024.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.02% of full paid working days in 2025.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.03% of full paid working days in 2023.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.09% of full paid working days in 2026.[26]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 15.14% of full paid working days in 2022.[26]

Hybrid Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.K. employers, 74% had hybrid working in place in 2025.[27]
  • Across U.K. employers, 23% used informal manager-employee arrangements for hybrid work in 2025.[27]
  • Across retail organizations globally, 42% used mandated office days as their hybrid-work model in 2025.[28]
  • Across U.K. employers, 65% required hybrid employees to attend the workplace a minimum number of days in 2025.[27]
  • Across U.K. employers, 42% had a formal hybrid-working policy in 2025.[27]

Upskilling in the consumer and retail industry

  • 52% of retail workers said their company was invested in them in a 2024 frontline-workforce survey.[29]
  • 40% of retail workers reported inadequate training in a 2024 frontline-workforce survey.[29]
  • 54% of employees received upskilling training in 2024, up from 50% in 2023, in a retail-relevant learning benchmark.[30]
  • 40% of frontline workers said more purposeful learning and development would make them stay another year in 2026.[29]

Employee Engagement in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail employees in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset, 70% were engaged in 2025 reporting.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 35% rated their personal well-being above average in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% reported one or more symptoms of burnout in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[31]
  • Across retail employees, 84% would recommend their company as a great place to work in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[31]
  • Across retail employees, 71% agreed their company contributed to their learning and development in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[31]

DEI in the consumer and retail industry

  • Over 10% of Sephora’s US assortment spend went to underrepresented suppliers in 2024.[32]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Online shopping continues to build trust and satisfaction: 77% of global online-retail consumers reported trusting online retailers in 2025.

Customer experience in the consumer and retail industry

  • 83% of global online-retail consumers said they would recommend their online-retail providers in 2025.[33]
  • 85% of global online-retail consumers reported satisfaction with their online-retail experiences in the 2025 study.[33]
  • 59% of global consumers expressed interest in AI applications while shopping in 2024.[34]
  • 55% of global consumers expressed interest in virtual assistants for retail shopping in 2024.[34]
  • 77% of global online-retail consumers trusted online retailers in 2025.[33]

Customer retention in the consumer and retail industry

  • 51% of fuel-retail customers shopping in a given month did not return during the year covered by Upside’s analysis.[35]
  • 59% was the average three-year retention rate among retail leaders using customer-movement strategies in Bluecore’s 2023 retailer data.[36]
  • 20% of fuel-retail loyalty members shopping in a given month did not return during the year covered by Upside’s analysis.[35]
  • 20% of U.S. consumers shopped with brands offering points or loyalty rewards in 2024.[37]
  • 64% of new fuel-retail customers shopping in their first month did not return during the year covered by Upside’s analysis.[35]

Customer acquisition in the consumer and retail industry

  • 67% of U.S. consumers had used social media to buy products during the previous 12 months in Adyen’s 2024 survey.[38]
  • 73% of U.S. consumers aged 18–34 had purchased through social media during the year covered by Cart.com’s 2024 report.[39]
  • 80% of U.S. retailers reported revenue growth after enabling social commerce in Adyen’s 2024 survey.[38]
  • 13% of Gen X U.S. social-commerce shoppers were first-time buyers in Adyen’s 2024 survey.[38]
  • 20% of millennial U.S. social-commerce shoppers were first-time buyers in Adyen’s 2024 survey.[38]

Customer loyalty in the consumer and retail industry

  • 39.5% of surveyed U.S. consumers reported spending more with a brand or retailer after joining its loyalty program in March 2024.[40]
  • 36% of consumers said they were less loyal to stores and brands in R.R. Donnelley’s 2024 retail survey.[37]
  • 65% of retail executives identified loyalty as a differentiator for outperforming companies in Deloitte’s 2024 outlook.[41]
  • 61% higher average brand trust was reported by retail loyalty-program members than nonmembers in research cited by Deloitte.[42]
  • 57% of consumers were more likely to shop with advertisers providing personalized loyalty offers or discounts in 2024.[37]

Lead generation in the consumer and retail industry

  • 58% of consumers said they often discovered products through social media in Cart.com’s 2024 retail-consumer research.[39]
  • 46% of Gen Z consumers discovered products through social media in Capgemini’s 2024 consumer tracker.[43]
  • 35% of U.S. CPG digital-advertising spending was allocated to toiletries and cosmetics in eMarketer’s 2024 forecast.[44]
  • 44% of Millennials discovered products through social media in Capgemini’s 2024 consumer tracker.[43]
  • 42% of consumers said social media influenced their purchasing decisions in Cart.com’s 2024 retail-consumer research.[39]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing in the consumer and retail industry

  • 20% growth was forecast for U.S. retail media advertising in 2025.[45]
  • 4.3% growth was forecast for the total U.S. advertising market in 2025.[45]
  • 65% of global marketers expected retail media networks to play a larger role in their media mix in 2025.[45]
  • 71% of marketers using retail media networks reported that sales conversion remained their biggest goal in 2024.[46]
  • 57% of retail-media-network users allocated 10%–39% of their marketing budgets to retail media in 2024.[46]

Digital marketing in the consumer and retail industry

  • 69.3% of U.S. CPG digital-advertising budgets were projected to go to mobile advertising in 2024.[44]
  • 15.1% year-over-year growth was projected for U.S. CPG social-network advertising spending in 2024.[47]
  • 57.9% of U.S. CPG digital-advertising budgets were projected to go to display advertising in 2024.[44]
  • $19.53 billion was projected U.S. CPG search-advertising spending in 2024.[47]
  • 16.6% growth was projected for U.S. CPG digital-advertising spending in 2024.[44]

Branding in the consumer and retail industry

  • 2.9 percentage points was the decline in trust scores for U.S. big-box stores during the 2024 inflation period.[48]
  • 43% of U.S. consumers said they were likely to treat themselves by upgrading to a premium-brand product in NIQ research reported in 2025.[49]
  • 49% of U.S. consumers said they were buying more private-label products than ever in NIQ research reported in 2025.[49]
  • 56% of U.S. Gen Z consumers said they were likely to upgrade to a premium-brand product in NIQ research reported in 2025.[49]
  • 4.1% was U.S. private-label sales growth over the 52 weeks ending February 22, 2025.[49]

Social media in the consumer and retail industry

  • 42% of consumers said social media affected their purchasing decisions in Cart.com’s 2024 retail-consumer report.[39]
  • 58% of consumers often discovered products through social media in Cart.com’s 2024 retail-consumer report.[39]
  • 73% of consumers aged 18–34 had purchased through social media during the previous year in Cart.com’s 2024 report.[39]
  • 50% of shoppers had purchased through social media during the previous year in Cart.com’s 2024 report.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of brands investing in creator marketing reported sales as an impact of creator activity in 2026, compared with 60% citing brand sentiment and 58% citing awareness.[50]
  • 78% of surveyed brands reported growing creator-marketing budgets in 2025, up from 36% reporting budget growth in 2024.[50]
  • 80% of brands investing in creator marketing increased creator budgets in 2026, while 25% raised creator spending by more than 10%.[50]
  • 58% of brands integrated retail media networks and creator marketing platforms by amplifying creator-generated content on retail media channels in 2025.[50]
  • 91% of brands investing in creator marketing ran an always-on component in 2026, including 62% with hybrid programs and 29% with fully continuous programs.[50]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

In-store execution costs remain material, with 5.5% of gross sales lost on average to in-store inefficiencies among surveyed U.S. retailers in 2025.

Process optimization in the consumer and retail industry

  • 42% of CPG teams planned to increase operations-technology budgets in 2026, with an average planned increase of 16%.[51]
  • 44% of surveyed CPG operations teams described their operating posture as primarily reactive in 2026.[51]
  • 39% of U.S. retailers ranked promotion-execution errors among their five biggest store challenges in 2025.[7]
  • 66% of surveyed U.S. and European retailers had begun implementing store-intelligence technologies in 2025.[7]
  • 37% of U.S. retailers ranked product-pricing errors among their five biggest store challenges in 2025.[7]

Operational efficiency in the consumer and retail industry

  • 2.9% was the increase in U.S. retail labor productivity in 2025.[52]
  • 1.2% was the decrease in hours worked in U.S. retail trade in 2024.[52]
  • 1.8% was the decrease in U.S. retail unit labor costs in 2024.[52]
  • 81% of surveyed U.S. retailers reported losing at least 5% of operating margin to in-store inefficiencies in 2025.[7]
  • 5.5% of gross sales were lost on average to in-store inefficiencies among surveyed U.S. retailers in 2025.[7]

Quality management in the consumer and retail industry

  • 1.92% of products in a U.S. retail-grocery study were downsized through shrinkflation.[53]
  • $103 billion in fraudulent returns and claims was estimated for U.S. retailers in 2024.[54]
  • 18% of delayed CPG product launches in 2026 cited quality control and compliance as the delay stage.[51]
  • 13.7% of U.S. retail returns were associated with fraud and abuse in 2024.[55]
  • 16.9% of U.S. retail sales were estimated to be returned in 2024, creating a major quality and service-management burden.[56]

Supply chain in the consumer and retail industry

  • 33% of delayed CPG product launches in 2026 identified logistics and freight as the biggest delay stage.[51]
  • 29% of surveyed CPG operations leaders lacked confidence that their infrastructure could scale if revenue doubled within 12 months in 2026.[51]
  • 56% of surveyed retailers prioritized inventory-optimization tools in 2025.[57]
  • 20% of delayed CPG product launches in 2026 identified raw-material sourcing as the biggest delay stage.[51]
  • 32% of surveyed CPG operations leaders said they would be caught off guard by an immediate tariff or freight-cost spike in 2026.[51]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. apparel imports, China’s share fell from 30% in 2019 to 21% in 2023, while other Asian suppliers’ share rose from 30% to 35%.[1]
  • 74% of retailers surveyed sourced internationally, including 71% of small companies and 84% of larger companies, in 2024.[58]
  • 72% of retail organizations with $100 million–$150 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[59]
  • 76% of retail organizations with $150 million–$200 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[59]
  • 57% of retail organizations with $50 million–$100 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[59]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing actions respond to inflation and tariffs, with 67% of consumer-goods organizations planning further pricing adjustments in response to tariffs in 2025.

Pricing strategy in the consumer and retail industry

  • 29% of surveyed organizations expected price increases of 6% to 15% during the six months after KPMG's 2025 survey.[11]
  • 42% of surveyed organizations expected price increases of up to 5% during the six months after KPMG's 2025 survey.[11]
  • 43% of surveyed organizations changed prices to increase margins in 2025.[11]
  • 67% of surveyed consumer-goods organizations planned further pricing adjustments in response to tariffs in 2025.[11]
  • 47% of surveyed organizations changed prices to reach margin neutrality or breakeven in 2025.[11]

Cost reduction in the consumer and retail industry

  • 3.1 percentage points was the reduction in U.S. retail compensation as a percentage of output between 2000 and 2023.[52]
  • 42% of CPG teams planned to increase operations-technology budgets in 2026, averaging a 16% increase to support efficiency and cost control.[51]
  • 7.5 days per month were spent by CPG operations teams on tasks they believed could be automated in 2026.[51]
  • 42% of surveyed U.S. retailers identified shrink as the largest contributor to store inefficiency in 2025.[7]
  • 39% of CPG operations workdays were spent on manual data entry in 2026, representing a documented automation opportunity.[51]

Profitability in the consumer and retail industry

  • Up to 40% of retail promotions generated negative or negligible return on investment after cannibalization, pull-forward and execution costs in 2026.[60]
  • $890 billion in U.S. retail sales were projected to be returned in 2024.[56]
  • 7.6% was productivity growth in U.S. clothing stores in 2024, the highest among the ten largest four-digit retail industries by employment.[52]
  • 4.1% was the maximum modeled increase in firm profits from incorporating online-adoption effects into offline pricing strategies in a retail study.[61]

Financial planning in the consumer and retail industry

  • 29% of surveyed CPG operations leaders were not confident that their infrastructure could scale if revenue doubled within 12 months in 2026.[51]
  • 47% of surveyed organizations planned pricing changes to reach margin neutrality or breakeven in 2025.[11]
  • 70% of consumer-products executives viewed precision analytics as a way to optimize marketing-investment return in 2025.[42]
  • 44% of surveyed CPG operations teams described their operations posture as primarily reactive in 2026.[51]
  • 43% of surveyed organizations planned pricing changes to increase margins in 2025.[11]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Returns and customer service performance shape operational load: 16.9% of U.S. retail sales were expected to be returned in 2024.

Product development in the consumer and retail industry

  • 76% of consumer-products companies surveyed planned to use AI to identify new product innovation and growth opportunities in 2026.[42]
  • 92% of consumer-products companies surveyed planned to deploy AI agents or autonomous systems in key functions within the following 12 months.[42]
  • 78% of consumer-products executives expected their organization’s investment in AI technologies to increase in 2026.[42]
  • 36% of consumer brands were testing artificial intelligence in their new-product-development efforts in 2024.[62]
  • More than 75% of food and beverage manufacturers expected to increase spending on new product development in 2024.[62]

Product lifecycle in the consumer and retail industry

  • 26% of respondents in an OECD survey had purchased their most recent electronic device second-hand or refurbished in 2024.[63]
  • 16.9% of U.S. retail sales were expected to be returned in 2024, sending products back into inspection, refurbishment, resale or disposal processes.[56]
  • Nearly 12 months was the typical duration of the ongoing-production stage in surveyed product-development projects in 2024.[64]
  • 66% of product developers said AI would have little or no impact on product development over the following five years in a 2024 survey.[64]
  • Three to four months was the approximate duration of each of the other three product-development stages in surveyed projects in 2024.[64]

After-sales in the consumer and retail industry

  • 78.0 was the 2023–2024 American Customer Satisfaction Index score for U.S. retail trade, up 4% year over year.[16]
  • 56% of U.S. consumers reported that their customer-service issue was resolved on the first contact in 2024.[65]
  • 63% of global consumers were satisfied with their overall contact-center experience in 2024.[33]
  • 62% of global consumers said their customer-service issue was resolved during their first contact in 2024.[33]
  • 55% of global consumers were satisfied with the waiting time during their most recent contact-center experience in 2024.[33]

Value proposition in the consumer and retail industry

  • 35% of U.S. consumers ranked personalized deals and promotions among their top three meanings of value for money in 2024.[66]
  • 40% of U.S. consumers surveyed by Deloitte in 2025 qualified as value-seeking consumers based on cost-conscious, deal-driven or convenience-sacrificing behaviors.[42]
  • 43% of surveyed retail brand leaders identified product quality as their company’s unique value proposition.[67]
  • 74% of U.S. consumers ranked product quality among their top three meanings of value for money in OC&C’s 2024 retail survey.[66]
  • Between 10% and 40% of consumers’ perceptions of a brand’s value were attributed to factors beyond price in Deloitte’s 2025 analysis.[42]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability marketing stays measurable: 23.8% of the U.S. consumer packaged-goods market consisted of sustainability-marketed products in 2024.

Sustainability in the consumer and retail industry

  • 23.8% of the U.S. consumer packaged-goods market consisted of sustainability-marketed products in 2024.[68]
  • 44.9% of U.S. consumer packaged-goods market growth from 2013 to 2025 came from sustainability-marketed products.[69]
  • 42% of Germany’s fast-moving consumer-goods market consisted of sustainability-marketed products in 2024.[68]
  • 37% of the United Kingdom’s fast-moving consumer-goods market consisted of sustainability-marketed products in 2024.[68]
  • 25.4% of U.S. consumer packaged-goods market sales came from sustainability-marketed products in 2025.[69]

ESG in the consumer and retail industry

  • 28% was the average human-rights score for 101 retail companies in the 2024 Social Benchmark.[70]
  • 127 empirical studies of retail ESG performance were included in a systematic review covering 1988–2024.[71]
  • 98% of retail and wholesale value-chain emissions were classified as Scope 3 in a European study published in 2024.[72]
  • 44% of U.S. consumer companies reported using GRI frameworks in their sustainability reporting in 2024.[42]
  • 54% of consumer executives identified increased stakeholder trust as one of the top three outcomes of improved ESG reporting in 2024.[42]

Ethics in the consumer and retail industry

  • 26% of U.S. adults said they trusted artificial intelligence in retail settings in December 2025.[73]
  • 71% of European online shoppers worried about collection of personal data without consent in 2024.[74]
  • 61% of European consumers encountered misleading discounting online in the year preceding the 2025 Consumer Conditions Scoreboard.[74]
  • 66% of European consumers encountered fake reviews online in the year preceding the 2025 Consumer Conditions Scoreboard.[74]
  • 77% of consumers worldwide said companies should treat their employees ethically in 2024.[47]

CSR in the consumer and retail industry

  • 2.5% of the largest 900 retailers assessed by RetailX published a plan for reaching sustainability targets in 2024.[75]
  • 3.2% of the largest 900 retailers assessed by RetailX published sustainability targets on their websites in 2024.[75]
  • 1.5% of the largest 900 retailers assessed by RetailX had a CSR or sustainability team in 2024.[75]
  • 16% of confectionery retailers assessed by RetailX outlined sustainability goals and commitments online in 2024.[75]
  • 25% of confectionery retailers assessed by RetailX provided a supplier code of conduct or manual in 2024.[75]

Circular economy in the consumer and retail industry

  • 68% of retailers said they were prioritizing upgrades to returns capabilities within six months in 2024.[38]
  • 9.5 billion pounds of landfill waste were generated annually by retail returns in the United States according to a 2024 industry report.[76]
  • 40% of retailers agreed that improving the returns experience would increase customers’ long-term spending with their brand in 2024.[38]
  • 84% of consumers were more likely to shop with retailers offering box-free, label-free returns and immediate refunds in 2024.[38]
  • 4.5% of U.S. retailers assessed by RetailX provided mending or repair instructions online in 2024.[75]

Carbon footprint in the consumer and retail industry

  • 2% of retail and wholesale emissions were within companies’ direct operational control in the European value-chain study published in 2024.[72]
  • 31 million tonnes was the estimated CO₂ emissions from European wholesale in 2023.[63]
  • 98% of retail and wholesale emissions were Scope 3 emissions in the European value-chain study published in 2024.[72]
  • 16 million metric tons of carbon emissions were associated annually with U.S. retail returns in 2024.[76]
  • 35.7% was the decline in European retail CO₂ emissions between 2008 and 2023, from 28 million to 18 million tonnes.[63]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Supply chain scale and supplier concentration pressures persist, with retail SMEs’ import share falling from 45% to 40% as larger firms dominated procurement operations.

Globalization in the consumer and retail industry

  • 4.5% was consumer-products sales growth in developed markets in 2024, down from 7.7% in 2023.[18]
  • $35 trillion was the value of global trade in goods and services in 2025, with goods accounting for roughly three-quarters of the total worldwide.[88]
  • $6 trillion was the value of South-South trade in 2024, representing about one-quarter of global goods trade.[88]
  • Retail SMEs’ share of import value fell from 45% to 40% as larger firms increasingly dominated procurement operations across global supply chains.[63]
  • $163.863 billion was reported as global direct-selling retail sales in 2024, 0.4% above the 2019 level.[89]

Cultural adaptation in the consumer and retail industry

  • Almost 85% of European consumers said they were trading down when shopping, according to McKinsey consumer research.[1]
  • 10% of consumers considered global brands’ social-impact efforts genuine, while 40% viewed them as performative.[90]
  • 75% of U.S. consumers said they were trading down when shopping, increasing the importance of locally relevant value positioning.[1]
  • 36% of consumers said they had chosen not to buy from a brand that felt poorly adapted to their country, language, or culture.[90]

Supplier management in the consumer and retail industry

  • 65% of consumer-goods, food, and retail organizations were rationalizing their supplier base to improve oversight.[91]
  • 63% of retailers reported dealing with late supplier deliveries that disrupted inventory planning and profitability.[92]
  • £7.1 billion or more in supplier contracts had been cancelled by UK retailers during the 12 months covered by the survey.[87]
  • 27% was the reported increase in supplier compliance violations in 2024.[92]
  • 47% of food and beverage suppliers said they were struggling to maintain consistent quality during economic pressure.[92]

Stakeholder management in the consumer and retail industry

  • 12% of surveyed communications executives reported increased involvement with employee resource groups.[48]
  • 2,000 consumers and 302 UK retail-business executives participated in research on ethical and sustainable retail stakeholder expectations.[87]
  • 51% of surveyed retailers said sustainability had become more important to their business and stakeholders.[87]
  • 35% of surveyed communications executives said their organizations were involving more stakeholders in strategic conversations.[48]
  • 60% of consumers said companies have a responsibility to speak out on issues affecting their employees.[48]

Distribution channels in the consumer and retail industry

  • 51.51% of surveyed CPG-brand sales-channel volume came through Shopify in 2024.[93]
  • 4.11% of surveyed CPG-brand sales-channel volume came through Stripe in 2024.[93]
  • 7.04% of surveyed CPG-brand sales-channel volume came through PayPal in 2024.[93]
  • 22.38% of surveyed CPG-brand sales-channel volume came through Amazon in 2024.[93]
  • 2.7% was the quarter-over-quarter increase in U.S. retail e-commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2024.[94]

Key questions about the consumer and retail industry

What is the forecast U.S. retail market size for 2026?
U.S. retail sales are forecast at $5.6 trillion in 2026 by the National Retail Federation.
How fast is U.S. retail sales expected to grow in 2026?
NRF forecasts 2026 retail sales growth of 4.4% year over year.
Which companies lead the consumer and retail industry?
The Coca-Cola Company leads Gitnux's 2026 consumer and retail ranking with an Overall score of 9.2, with footprint across more than 200 countries and territories. Inditex is the highest-ranked fashion retailer at 9.0, driven by eight fashion brands, including Zara, across global markets.
How are retailers and consumers shifting with technology in 2024–2026?
In 2024, 90% of retail executives began experimenting with generative AI or scaling priority use cases; by 2026, 17.1% of retail sales came via e-commerce.
How is market structure tracked for large retailers in the U.S.?
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Financial Report tracks large retail corporations with assets of at least $50 million, reporting seasonally adjusted sales of $1,171.1 billion in Q2 2026.
What automation and data constraints show up in retail operations and analytics?
Retailers cite data quality and consistency (33%) and data security and privacy (41%) as challenges, while 33% of retail store tasks were automated in 2024 in a survey of retailers.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Consumer And Retail Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-and-retail-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Consumer And Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/consumer-and-retail-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Consumer And Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-and-retail-industry-statistics.

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