Gitnux/Report 2026

Consumer Retail Industry Statistics

41% of U.S. shoppers buy more at discount stores due to inflation in 2023—plus how e-commerce and mobile are changing what they choose next.
308Statistics
103Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
49mRead
November 10, 2026Updated
Consumer Retail Industry Statistics
Ryan TownsendWritten by Ryan Townsend·Edited by Katherine Brennan·Fact-checked by Nikolas Papadopoulos
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The consumer retail industry at a glance

U.S. consumer retail remains a large, expanding industry: September 2026 retail and food-services sales reached $745.0 billion, up 6.3% year over year.

$745.0B[95]
September 2026 monthly sales
4.4%[74]
2026 forecast growth
16.1M[27]
Retail trade jobs, 2025
17.1%[95]
E-commerce share, Q2 2026
Market size
U.S. retail and food-services sales totaled $745.0 billion in September 2026, measured on a seasonally adjusted basis and excluding price effects. Retail trade sales alone were up 6.2% from September 2025.[95]
Forecast & CAGR
The National Retail Federation forecasts 2026 U.S. retail sales of $5.6 trillion, representing 4.4% growth over 2025. NRF reports that average annual growth over the previous 10 years, excluding the pandemic period, was 3.6%.[74]
Market share & regions
The available headline data are national rather than regional. In the second quarter of 2026, e-commerce represented 17.1% of total U.S. retail sales, while total retail sales reached an estimated $1,986.5 billion for the quarter.[95]
Segmentation
September 2026 sales growth varied substantially by retail segment: electronics and appliance stores rose 9.4% year over year, nonstore retailers rose 8.2%, sporting goods and related stores rose 9.6%, and health and personal-care stores declined 1.2%.[95]
Pricing
Retail sales estimates are not adjusted for price changes. The personal consumption expenditures price index increased 2.6% in 2025, while the core PCE price index increased 2.8%, indicating that nominal retail growth includes both volume and price effects.[96]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Digital commerce continues to outpace total retail: second-quarter 2026 e-commerce sales increased 12.2% year over year versus 6.7% for total retail sales. NRF identifies tariffs and trade-policy uncertainty as risks that could weaken hiring, financial markets and consumer spending.[95][74]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. personal consumption expenditures increased 5.4% in current dollars in 2025 and 2.7% in chained dollars, showing continued consumer spending growth after accounting for inflation. Online channels represented 17.1% of retail sales in the second quarter of 2026, intensifying competition between digital and store-based retailers.[96][95]
M&A
The Federal Trade Commission finalized a consent order for 365 Retail Markets' $848 million acquisition of Cantaloupe in 2026. The order required divestiture of Three Square Market, a competing micromarket-kiosk provider, to Seaga Manufacturing.[97]
Regulation
The FTC's 2026 consent order in the 365 Retail Markets–Cantaloupe transaction required a divestiture to address competition concerns in micromarket kiosks and related software and services. The Annual Integrated Economic Survey also became the Census Bureau's successor framework for annual retail-trade data collection beginning with the 2023 survey year.[97][95]
Latest news
The latest available Census release reported September 2026 retail and food-services sales of $745.0 billion, up 0.8% from August and 6.3% from September 2025. The next advance monthly release was scheduled for November 17, 2026.[95]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Consumer Retail Industry

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

Updated November 9, 2026 · Next review December 9, 2026

Verdict

Schwarz Gruppe leads Gitnux's 2026 consumer retail ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with about 14,500 stores and 604,000 employees internationally. Walmart is the highest-ranked general merchandise retailer at 9.1, driven by fiscal 2025 revenue of $681 billion.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in grocery discount and hypermarkets

    Schwarz Gruppe

    DE

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Grocery discount and hypermarkets

    Why we picked it: It operates European discount grocery and hypermarket retail at large store and workforce scale.

    See in ranking ↓Visit gruppe.schwarz ↗

  2. Leader in general merchandise retail

    Walmart

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.1 · General merchandise retail

    Why we picked it: Its global general merchandise and grocery segment uses store and online channels to sell at scale.

    See in ranking ↓Visit walmart.com ↗

  3. Leader in membership warehouse retail

    Costco Wholesale

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Membership warehouse retail

    Why we picked it: Its membership warehouse retail model combines scale with workforce depth across global warehouses.

    See in ranking ↓Visit costco.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 10 companies in the consumer retail industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Schwarz Gruppe

Grocery discount and hypermarkets · DE

9.4
2

Walmart

General merchandise retail · US

9.1
3

Costco Wholesale

Membership warehouse retail · US

8.9
4

Amazon

Online and physical retail platforms · US

8.9
5

Inditex

Fashion and apparel retail · ES

8.6
6

The Home Depot

Home improvement retail · US

8.5
7

Ahold Delhaize

Food, grocery and pharmacy retail · NL

8.3
8

Carrefour

Multinational grocery and hypermarket retail · FR

7.9
9

Tesco

United Kingdom and European grocery retail · GB

7.5
10

Target

General merchandise and grocery retail · US

7.5

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 9, 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

Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the consumer retail industry. In Consumer Retail Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-retail-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

U.S. retail trade 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 firms show high AI assessment and scaling rates alongside automation and warehouse utilization metrics, including 71.4% of U.S. retailers reporting warehouse automation activity.

AI in the consumer retail industry

  • 74% of retailers increased their data-management investment alongside AI investment in the Salesforce survey.[1]
  • 89% of retail and consumer-goods respondents were assessing or actively using AI in 2024, up from 82% in 2023.[2]
  • 51% of U.S. consumers used at least one AI-powered tool to support shopping in the past month in 2026.[3]
  • 20% of U.S. consumers used AI-powered product recommendations for shopping in 2026.[3]
  • 83% of U.S. and Canadian retailers were scaling or exploring AI investments in 2024.[4]
  • 84% of retailers used AI in 2024, including 40% with fully implemented systems and 45% experimenting.[1]

Automation in the consumer retail industry

  • AI-enabled warehouse robotics was identified as an established retail use case in the 2024 U.S. retail report.[5]
  • 73.2% was the average peak warehouse-space utilization reported in 2024 by surveyed distribution centers serving retail.[6]
  • 71.4% of U.S. retailers reported warehouse automation activity in the 2024 Colliers retail survey.[5]
  • 78.5% was the average peak warehouse-space utilization reported by the same survey in the prior year.[6]
  • 24% of U.S. retailers were actively implementing AI in 2024, supporting automation of retail operations.[7]
  • 47% of surveyed distribution centers serviced retail stores in 2024, up from 28% in 2023.[6]

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

  • Among EU small and medium-sized enterprises, 71% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[8]
  • Among EU large businesses, 96% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[8]
  • Across retail and consumer-goods companies, 70% of business functions had generative AI adopted or piloted in 2025.[9]
  • Across EU businesses, 74% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2024.[8]

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

  • Across US and European retailers, 21% had fully scaled edge computing technologies in 2025.[10]
  • Across US and European retailers, 23% had fully scaled wireless communication technologies such as RFID or Bluetooth in 2025.[10]
  • Across US and European retailers, 16% had fully scaled artificial intelligence in 2025.[10]
  • Across US and European retailers, 66% had moved beyond exploration and testing of store-intelligence technologies in 2025.[10]
  • Across US and European retailers, 27% had fully scaled cameras and sensors in 2025.[10]

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

  • Across EU enterprises, 52.74% used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.53% used cloud-based file storage in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 85.15% used cloud-based email in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 45.52% hosted enterprise databases in the cloud in 2025.[8]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.69% used cloud-based office software in 2025.[8]

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

  • Across retail companies, 23% were using artificial intelligence in production to resolve customer identities or prepare customer data for marketing or analytics in 2025.[11]
  • Across EU enterprises, 33.02% performed data analytics using their own employees in 2025.[8]
  • Across retail companies, 64% said their customer data was structured and accessible enough to support artificial-intelligence use cases in 2025.[11]
  • Across EU enterprises, 26.20% performed data analytics on transaction records such as sales and payment records in 2025.[8]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Analytics adoption runs into governance, security, integration, and real-time personalization gaps; only fewer than 40% had real-time personalization capabilities to aggregate a single customer profile.

Business intelligence in the consumer retail industry

  • 27% of retailers identified data governance as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]
  • 30% of retailers identified a lack of skilled personnel as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]
  • 42% of retailers cited difficulty aligning business goals with analytics as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]
  • 41% of retailers identified data security and privacy as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]
  • 34% of retailers identified complexity and usability as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]
  • 23% of retailers identified data silos and data integration as a challenge for analytics and business-intelligence platforms in 2024.[12]

Data analytics in the consumer retail industry

  • 49% of surveyed U.S. retailers said store-intelligence technologies had a positive impact on price planning in 2024.[13]
  • 71% of U.S. retail decision-makers had invested in data- or AI-enabled content for personalization by August 2023.[14]
  • Fewer than 40% of retailers had real-time capabilities to personalize customer experiences or aggregate data into a single customer profile in Adobe’s 2024 survey.[15]
  • 62% of U.S. retailers investing in store-intelligence technologies were investing in advanced data-analytics solutions in 2024.[13]
  • 25% of retailers increased their use of generative-AI features during the 2024 holiday season compared with September and October 2024.[1]
  • 60% of U.S. retailers investing in store-intelligence technologies were investing in promotion and price-planning optimization in 2024.[13]

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

  • Across retail and e-commerce, 62% of respondents rated their data-management practices only somewhat effective in 2024.[16]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents identified data-quality controls as a significant challenge in 2024.[16]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents rated their identity-resolution ability only somewhat effective in 2024.[16]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 48% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods only somewhat effective in 2024.[16]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 29% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods not very effective in 2024.[16]

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

  • Across retail and e-commerce, 57% of respondents identified data governance as a significant challenge in 2024.[16]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 66% of respondents said their data-management capabilities were only somewhat unified in 2025.[17]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 96% of respondents said breaking down data silos was a significant challenge in 2025.[17]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 53.5% of respondents said regulatory compliance was not a significant data challenge in 2025.[17]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 35% of respondents cited inconsistent or incorrect answers to data questions as a governance-related blocker in 2025.[12]
  • 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.[12]

KPIs in the consumer retail industry

  • 52% of retailers rated department-specific KPIs as a high-value store-performance metric in 2024.[18]
  • 50% of retailers rated foot traffic and behavioral data such as dwell time and heat maps as high-value store-performance metrics in 2024.[18]
  • 68% of retailers rated customer conversion rates as a high-value store-performance metric in a 2024 retail survey.[18]
  • 49% of retailers rated year-over-year store sales as a high-value store-performance metric in 2024.[18]
  • 57% of retailers rated employee turnover as a high-value store-performance metric in a 2024 retail survey.[18]
  • 50% of retailers rated net promoter score as a high-value store-performance metric in 2024.[18]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Store-network and sales metrics point to ongoing expansion and refurbishment activity, alongside an uneven performance mix; e-commerce share continues rising as total retail growth stays moderate.

Growth in the consumer retail industry

  • 5.9% was Inditex store-sales growth in 2024.[19]
  • 2.0% was the increase in Inditex commercial space in 2024.[19]
  • 23 new stores were opened by Target in 2024.[20]
  • 3.6% was the average annual U.S. retail-sales growth rate during the ten years before the pandemic, according to NRF.[21]
  • 2.3% was the decrease in Inditex store count in 2024.[19]
  • 10.5% was Inditex sales growth at constant exchange rates in 2024.[19]

Differentiation in the consumer retail industry

  • €2.7 billion was Stradivarius sales in 2024, up 14.1% year over year.[19]
  • $264.2 billion was Walmart U.S. grocery sales in fiscal 2024.[22]
  • €27.8 billion was Zara and Zara Home sales in 2024.[19]
  • €2.9 billion was Bershka sales in 2024, up 11.8% year over year.[19]
  • €2.5 billion was Pull&Bear sales in 2024, up 4.6% year over year.[19]
  • €831 million was Oysho sales in 2024, up 11.8% year over year.[19]

Mergers and acquisitions in the consumer retail industry

  • More than 2,000 company-owned and franchised stores would be combined by the Arezzo&Co and Grupo Soma transaction.[23]
  • 936 non-food retail M&A deals were recorded globally in 2024.[24]
  • $18.3 billion was the value of Home Depot’s 2024 acquisition of SRS Distribution.[23]
  • 256 U.S. retail M&A deals were announced in the first quarter of 2024.[25]
  • $120.8 billion was the combined value of global food and non-food retail M&A deals in 2024.[24]
  • $22.3 billion was the value of U.S. retail M&A deals announced in the first quarter of 2024.[25]

Strategic partnerships in the consumer retail industry

  • $0.2 billion was the value of Qoo10’s 2024 acquisition of the Wish e-commerce platform to build a cross-border marketplace.[25]
  • 257 Inditex store openings were completed globally in 2024 as part of its market-expansion strategy.[19]
  • 386 Inditex store absorptions were completed during 2024 as part of network optimization.[19]
  • 5,563 Inditex stores operated across global markets in fiscal 2024 through a mix of company operations and market-entry arrangements.[19]
  • 121 Inditex store enlargements were included in its 2024 refurbishment program.[19]
  • 254 Inditex store refurbishments were completed in 2024 to strengthen its retail network.[19]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce dynamics remain a planning variable, with retail hiring activity averaging 1.5% of staff in the United States in 2026 and shift-worker Gen Z share reaching 45.6% in 2026.

Hiring in the consumer retail industry

  • Retail hiring activity averaged 1.5% of staff in the United States in 2026.[26]
  • 492,000 retail-trade jobs were added in the United States during October, November, and December 2024.[27]
  • 602,000 seasonal retail jobs were added in the United States during the 2021 holiday season.[27]
  • Store-operations roles accounted for more than half of open retail jobs in the 2026 IHL hiring-demand index.[28]
  • Retail was the quickest industry for hiring in SmartRecruiters’ 2025 benchmark, with a median time-to-hire of 25 days.[29]

Employee retention in the consumer retail industry

  • 15% of retail employees felt valued by senior leadership in the 2024 WorkProud study.[30]
  • 17.1% was manager turnover in U.S. convenience stores during the first half of 2025.[31]
  • 60.5% was the reported turnover rate for retail and wholesale in 2024, according to the cited industry analysis.[32]
  • 39% of retail store-operations survey respondents said employee turnover had increased slightly or significantly over the prior 18 months in 2024.[33]
  • 39% of retail store-operations survey respondents said employee turnover had stayed the same over the prior 18 months in 2024.[33]

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

  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.03% of full paid working days in 2023.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 13.46% of full paid working days in 2024.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.02% of full paid working days in 2025.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.09% of full paid working days in 2026.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 15.14% of full paid working days in 2022.[34]

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

  • Across retail organizations globally, 55% of employees worked from the office five days per week in 2025.[35]
  • Across U.K. employers, 74% had hybrid working in place in 2025.[36]
  • Across U.K. employers, 23% used informal manager-employee arrangements for hybrid work in 2025.[36]
  • Across U.K. employers, 65% required hybrid employees to attend the workplace a minimum number of days in 2025.[36]
  • Across U.K. employers, 42% had a formal hybrid-working policy in 2025.[36]

Upskilling in the consumer retail industry

  • 20 job openings were projected for every one net new employee in 12 U.S. skilled-trades categories from 2022 to 2032, affecting retailers’ technical workforce needs.[37]
  • The 2024 Quinyx U.S. retail frontline survey reported retention as a leading concern for retail leaders after the Great Resignation.[38]
  • 43.4% of U.S. retail shift workers were Gen Z in 2024, compared with 45.6% in 2026.[26]
  • 45.6% of U.S. retail shift workers were Gen Z in 2026, increasing the importance of digital and career-development training.[26]
  • Walmart identified growth and digital capability as workforce-strategy priorities in its 2024 annual report.[39]

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

  • Across U.S. retail workers, 35% rated their personal well-being above average in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[40]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% were promoters of their organizations in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[40]
  • Across retail employees, 84% would recommend their company as a great place to work in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[40]
  • Across retail employees in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset, 70% were engaged in 2025 reporting.[40]
  • Across retail employees, 71% agreed their company contributed to their learning and development in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[40]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Channel competition is reflected in loyalty and switching behavior: 78% of U.S. consumers considered switching brands after one poor interaction in 2025.

Customer experience in the consumer retail industry

  • 62% of 116 retailers and brands adopted customer-experience and personalization best practices on average in 2025.[41]
  • 83% of global online-retail consumers would recommend their retailer in 2025.[42]
  • 78% of U.S. consumers considered switching brands after one poor interaction in 2025.[43]
  • 84% of global online-retail consumers reported satisfaction in 2025.[42]
  • 77% of global online-retail consumers reported satisfaction in 2024.[42]

Customer retention in the consumer retail industry

  • 36% of consumers agreed they were less loyal to stores and brands in 2024.[44]
  • 57% of U.S. consumers said stores need to offer more savings to retain their loyalty in 2024.[45]
  • 22% was the average three-year customer-retention rate for channel-led-growth retailers in 2023.[46]
  • 20% of consumers shopped with brands offering points or loyalty rewards in 2024.[44]
  • 59% was the average three-year customer-retention rate for customer-movement-focused retailers in 2023.[46]

Customer acquisition in the consumer retail industry

  • 39.5% of surveyed U.S. consumers reported spending more with a brand or retailer after joining its loyalty program in 2024.[47]
  • 58% of consumers often discovered products through social media in 2024.[48]
  • 50% of shoppers bought through social media during the year covered by the 2024 report.[48]
  • 42% of consumers said social media influenced their purchasing decisions in 2024.[48]
  • 64% of advertising buyers named customer acquisition as a top goal in 2025.[49]

Customer loyalty in the consumer retail industry

  • 57% of U.S. consumers prioritized saving money over loyalty in 2024.[45]
  • 65% of parents were more likely to shop with advertisers offering personalized loyalty rewards in 2024.[44]
  • 70% of millennial parents were more likely to shop with advertisers offering personalized loyalty rewards in 2024.[44]
  • 55% of U.S. shoppers remained loyal to the store they shopped at most often in 2024.[45]
  • 57% of consumers were more likely to shop with advertisers offering personalized loyalty rewards in 2024.[44]

Lead generation in the consumer retail industry

  • 73% of 18–34-year-old consumers purchased through social media during the year covered by the 2024 retail-consumer report.[48]
  • 22% of surveyed social-media shoppers used Pinterest in 2024.[50]
  • 58% of consumers often discovered retail products through social media in 2024.[48]
  • 56% of surveyed social-media shoppers used Instagram in 2024.[50]
  • 50% of shoppers purchased through social media during the year covered by the 2024 retail-consumer report.[48]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Retail media and personalization priorities show up in projected spend and AI recommendation focus, including $53.7 billion U.S. retail-media network advertising revenue in 2024.

Marketing in the consumer retail industry

  • 50% of retail executives prioritized AI-driven personalized product recommendations in 2024.[51]
  • Nearly 70% of global marketers said retail media was more important in their planning in 2024 than in 2023.[52]
  • 30% was the potential annual-spending increase associated with greater trust among existing retail-loyalty members in a consumer-industry case study cited in 2024.[51]
  • $33.86 billion was projected U.S. retail-media search-ad spending in 2024.[14]
  • $53.7 billion was U.S. retail-media-network advertising revenue in 2024.[53]

Digital marketing in the consumer retail industry

  • 11.4% was projected 2025 growth in U.S. connected-TV advertising spending.[49]
  • 14.3% was projected 2025 growth in U.S. social-media advertising spending.[49]
  • 42% of consumers said social media affected their purchasing decisions in 2024.[48]
  • 13.2% was projected 2025 growth in U.S. retail-media spending.[49]

Branding in the consumer retail industry

  • Bunnings’ brand value increased 14% to $4.1 billion in 2024.[54]
  • Amazon ranked first among global retail brands by brand value in 2024.[54]
  • Eight of the world’s ten largest retail brands experienced brand-value declines in 2024.[54]
  • 57% of consumers were more likely to shop with advertisers offering personalized brand rewards in 2024.[44]
  • Bunnings received an AAA brand-strength rating in 2024.[54]

Social media in the consumer retail industry

  • 42% of consumers said social media affected their purchase decisions in 2024.[48]
  • 54% of surveyed consumers were satisfied with their social-media purchases in 2024.[50]

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

  • 78% of surveyed brands reported growing creator-marketing budgets in 2025, up from 36% reporting budget growth in 2024.[55]
  • 80% of brands investing in creator marketing increased creator budgets in 2026, while 25% raised creator spending by more than 10%.[55]
  • 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.[55]
  • 58% of brands integrated retail media networks and creator marketing platforms by amplifying creator-generated content on retail media channels in 2025.[55]
  • 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.[55]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational investment trends include agentic AI pilots and inventory planning impacts, with 70% of retailers piloting or partially implementing agentic AI for operational use by late 2025.

Process optimization in the consumer retail industry

  • 30% of retailers planned to deploy agentic artificial intelligence in inventory management.[56]
  • 0.7% was the decrease in U.S. retail-trade unit labor costs in 2025.[27]
  • 53% of U.S. retail executives planned moderate-to-major mergers and acquisitions investments in 2025.[51]
  • 70% of retailers were piloting or had partially implemented agentic artificial intelligence for operational use by late 2025.[56]
  • 5.56% was the reported increase in European retail operational costs in 2024.[57]

Operational efficiency in the consumer retail industry

  • 85% of consumers considered consistent in-store and online pricing important in a retail purchase decision.[58]
  • 17% of retail and consumer-packaged-goods organizations were using or evaluating physical artificial intelligence.[59]
  • 64% of consumer-products executives said their organizations would focus more on decreasing costs in 2025 than previously.[51]
  • 91% of retail and consumer-packaged-goods organizations were actively using or assessing artificial intelligence.[59]
  • 2.5% was the growth in U.S. retail-trade output in 2025.[27]

Quality management in the consumer retail industry

  • 0.35% was the average annual recall rate for other over-the-counter drug products during fiscal years 2020–2024.[60]
  • 93% of manufacturers producing top U.S. retailer store-branded over-the-counter drug products also manufactured other over-the-counter products.[60]
  • Approximately 1,000 establishment inspections and surveillance activities were completed by the U.S. CPSC in fiscal year 2024.[61]
  • More than 58,000 products were removed from e-commerce platforms through U.S. CPSC compliance activity in fiscal year 2024.[61]
  • 73% of senior-level quality professionals reported experiencing a product recall during the previous five years.[62]

Supply chain in the consumer retail industry

  • 0.4% was the decrease in U.S. wholesale-trade unit labor costs in 2025.[27]
  • 53–57 days was the estimated global retail inventory level in 2024.[63]
  • 5% was the reduction in lost sales from stockouts reported by manufacturing small and medium-sized businesses in the year covered by the 2024 benchmark.[64]
  • 35% of small and medium-sized businesses planned excess inventory strategically but faced redundancy risk if stock did not move.[64]
  • 4.4% was the increase in U.S. wholesale-trade labor productivity in 2025, reflecting the upstream supply side serving retailers.[27]

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%.[65]
  • 72% of retail organizations with $100 million–$150 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[66]
  • 74% of retailers surveyed sourced internationally, including 71% of small companies and 84% of larger companies, in 2024.[67]
  • 57% of retail organizations with $50 million–$100 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[66]
  • 76% of retail organizations with $150 million–$200 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[66]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and shrink remain central budget exposures; U.S. retail shrink losses were $112.1 billion in 2022 alongside a 1.6% average shrink rate.

Pricing strategy in the consumer retail industry

  • 44% of consumers considered exclusive in-store prices or deals an important purchase driver.[58]
  • 85% of consumers considered consistent pricing across stores and online channels important or very important.[58]
  • 90% of consumers reported stocking up on groceries when they were on sale.[68]
  • 70% of consumers considered personalized coupons based on purchase history fair in Capgemini’s 2026 consumer survey.[69]
  • 80% of consumers considered volume-based discounts fair in Capgemini’s 2026 consumer survey.[69]

Cost reduction in the consumer retail industry

  • 64% of consumer-products executives said their organizations would focus more on decreasing costs in 2025 than in prior years.[51]
  • 4,070 store closures were announced by significant U.S. retailers in 2023.[21]
  • 5,890 new-store openings were announced by significant U.S. retailers in 2023.[21]
  • $112.1 billion in U.S. retail losses were attributed to shrink in 2022.[21]
  • 1.6% was the average U.S. retail shrink rate in fiscal year 2022.[21]

Profitability in the consumer retail industry

  • 44% of consumers identified exclusive in-store prices or deals as important purchase drivers.[58]
  • 45% of consumers identified exclusive pricing for loyalty members or frequent shoppers as important purchase drivers.[58]
  • 11% improvement in margins was associated with a 1% improvement in price in NIQ’s retail pricing analysis.[70]
  • 25.6% was LVMH’s operating profitability in the first half of 2024.[71]
  • 26.5% was LVMH’s operating profitability at the end of 2023.[71]

Financial planning in the consumer retail industry

  • 53–57 days was the estimated global retail inventory level in 2024, a working-capital planning indicator.[63]
  • $112.1 billion in U.S. retail shrink losses were recorded for 2022, a material planning exposure for loss-prevention budgets.[21]
  • 1% improvement in price was associated with an 11% improvement in margins in NIQ’s retail analysis.[70]
  • 0.7% was the decrease in U.S. retail-trade unit labor costs in 2025, supporting operating-budget planning.[27]
  • 70% of consumer-products executives viewed precision analytics as a way to optimize marketing-return decisions.[51]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Returns and fraud shape post-purchase cost and experience; $890 billion in U.S. retail merchandise was projected to be returned in 2024.

Product development in the consumer retail industry

  • 24% of consumer-products leaders said they were actively partnering with retailers on joint product innovation in 2025.[72]
  • $8.4 billion in first-year sales was generated by the 2024 New Product Pacesetters across food, beverage and nonfood consumer categories in the United States.[73]
  • 76% of consumer-products leaders said they were increasingly relying on AI and analytics to overcome innovation complexity and improve investment decisions in 2025.[72]
  • 45% of consumer-products leaders said they were investing directly to enhance AI and analytics capabilities for innovation in 2025.[72]
  • 65% of retail leaders said they depended on manufacturers to deliver new and interesting products that drive store traffic and engagement in 2025.[72]

Product lifecycle in the consumer retail industry

  • 76% of consumers said free returns were a key factor when deciding where to shop in 2024.[74]
  • 84% of consumers were more likely to shop with retailers offering box-free, label-free returns and immediate refunds.[74]
  • 93% of retailers reported that retail fraud and other exploitative return behavior was a significant business issue in 2024.[74]
  • $890 billion in U.S. retail merchandise was projected to be returned in 2024, creating a major reverse-logistics and disposition challenge.[21]
  • 67% of consumers said a negative return experience would discourage them from shopping with a retailer again in 2024.[74]

After-sales in the consumer retail industry

  • 84% of U.S. consumers were more likely to shop with a retailer offering box-free, label-free returns and immediate refunds in 2024.[74]
  • 93% of retailers considered fraud and other exploitative return behavior a significant issue for their business in 2024.[74]
  • 4.403 million after-sales-service complaints were received by China’s market-supervision departments in 2024.[75]
  • 67% of U.S. consumers said a negative returns experience would deter them from shopping with a retailer again in 2024.[74]
  • 16.9% of annual U.S. retail sales were estimated to be returned in 2024, making post-purchase service a material operating function.[21]

Value proposition in the consumer retail industry

  • 29% of U.S. consumers ranked loyalty and rewards among their top three meanings of value for money in retail in 2024.[7]
  • 47% of U.S. consumers ranked product longevity among their top three meanings of value for money in retail in 2024.[7]
  • 10% to 40% of consumer perceptions of a brand’s value came from factors other than price, according to Deloitte’s 2025 consumer research.[51]
  • 35% of U.S. consumers ranked personalized deals and promotions among their top three meanings of value for money in retail in 2024.[7]
  • 74% of U.S. consumers ranked product quality among their top three meanings of value for money in retail in 2024.[7]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Surplus food is quantified as a scale problem: 4.63 million tons of surplus food were generated by the U.S. retail sector in 2024.

Sustainability in the consumer retail industry

  • 4.63 million tons of surplus food were generated by the U.S. retail sector in 2024.[76]
  • 6.22 billion meals were estimated to go unsold or uneaten at the U.S. retail stage in 2024.[76]
  • $30.3 billion was the estimated value of surplus food generated by U.S. retailers in 2024.[76]
  • 1.12 trillion gallons of water were embedded in food lost at the U.S. retail stage in 2024.[76]

ESG in the consumer retail industry

  • 47.4% was Walmart’s reduction in emissions intensity from its FY2016 baseline in 2024.[39]
  • 24,700 supplier-disclosed facilities were active in Walmart’s responsible-sourcing system in FY2025.[39]
  • 18.1% was Walmart’s reduction in global Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its 2015 baseline in 2024.[39]
  • 13,300 third-party responsible-sourcing facility audit reports were assessed by Walmart in FY2025.[39]
  • 3.7% was Walmart’s year-over-year decline in emissions intensity in 2024.[39]

Ethics in the consumer retail industry

  • 98.2% of Walmart U.S. produce and fresh-floral sales were represented by suppliers participating in its Ethical Charter Implementation Program in FY2026.[39]
  • 1,163 cases related to allegations of supply-chain misconduct were opened by Walmart in FY2025.[39]
  • 93% of retailers said retail fraud and other exploitive behavior was a significant business issue in 2024.[21]
  • 12.3% of Walmart’s assessed responsible-sourcing audits received an orange rating in FY2025.[39]
  • 20 suppliers were stopped from doing business with Walmart because of serious standards violations during the preceding five years, reported in FY2025.[39]

CSR in the consumer retail industry

  • 79% of TJX’s global promotions were earned by women in fiscal 2024.[77]
  • 52% of Walmart’s global workforce was female in its FY2024 reporting.[77]
  • 77% of TJX’s global workforce was female in fiscal 2024.[77]
  • 2.1 million associates worked for Walmart worldwide in fiscal 2024.[78]
  • 51% of Walmart’s U.S. associates identified as people of color in fiscal 2024.[78]

Circular economy in the consumer retail industry

  • 15.1 million metric tons of CO2e were associated annually with surplus food from U.S. retail in 2024.[76]
  • 170,000 metric tons of methane emissions were generated annually by U.S. retail-sector surplus food in 2024.[76]
  • $8.98 billion was the estimated value of U.S. retail food sent to landfill in 2024.[76]
  • 1.39 million tons of U.S. retail food waste went to landfill in 2024.[76]
  • 225,000 tons of single-use packaging are used each day in U.S. grocery retail, according to a 2025 reuse study.[79]

Carbon footprint in the consumer retail industry

  • 3.5 million passenger cars’ annual emissions were equivalent to the carbon footprint of U.S. retail surplus food in 2024.[76]
  • 16 million metric tons of carbon emissions were associated with returned retail items in the United States in 2024.[80]
  • 170,000 metric tons of methane emissions were generated annually by surplus food in the U.S. retail sector in 2024.[76]
  • 15.1 million metric tons of CO2e were released annually from surplus food at the U.S. retail stage in 2024.[76]
  • 3.7% was Walmart’s year-over-year decrease in emissions intensity in 2024.[39]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border operations remain a key operating characteristic, with Inditex opening stores in 47 markets during 2024 and Walmart International net sales of $114.6 billion in fiscal 2024.

Globalization in the consumer retail industry

  • Inditex opened stores in 47 markets during 2024.[19]
  • 5,566 international Walmart units operated at the end of fiscal 2025.[78]
  • Inditex operated 5,563 stores worldwide at the end of fiscal 2024.[19]
  • $49.7 billion was Walmart International’s fiscal 2024 net sales from Mexico and Central America.[22]
  • $114.6 billion represented Walmart International’s net sales in fiscal 2024, equal to approximately 18% of consolidated sales.[22]

Cultural adaptation in the consumer retail industry

  • 34% of surveyed retailers agreed that personalization and localization were overblown in 2024.[89]
  • 21% of surveyed retailers strongly agreed that localization and personalization had future value but were not feasible immediately in 2024.[89]
  • 29% of surveyed retailers agreed that localization and personalization had future value but were not feasible immediately in 2024.[89]
  • 51% of surveyed retailers strongly agreed that personalized in-store content was viable with current technology in 2024.[89]
  • 43% of surveyed retailers agreed, but did not strongly agree, that product-assortment localization was viable with current technology in 2024.[89]

Supplier management in the consumer retail industry

  • 45% of retailers selected better service levels as the main reason for switching suppliers in the 2024 UK retail survey.[90]
  • More than 53,000 industry professionals participated in Advantage Group relationship research in 2025.[91]
  • $18.3 billion was spent by New Zealand’s major grocery retailers with suppliers in 2024.[92]
  • 10% of grocery suppliers accounted for 90% of wholesale grocery purchases by New Zealand’s major retailers in 2024.[92]
  • 30% of UK suppliers agreed that Amazon conducted supplier relationships in a fair and transparent manner in the 2023–24 survey.[93]

Stakeholder management in the consumer retail industry

  • 38% of Walmart’s global officers were women as of mid-fiscal 2024.[22]
  • 257 million social-media followers were reported by Inditex for fiscal 2024.[19]
  • 218 million active app users engaged with Inditex brands in fiscal 2024.[19]
  • Approximately 42% of Walmart’s U.S. management associates were people of color at mid-fiscal 2024.[22]
  • 52% of Walmart’s global associates were women as of fiscal 2024.[22]

Distribution channels in the consumer retail industry

  • 17.9% of total U.S. retail sales came from e-commerce in the fourth quarter of 2024.[94]
  • 8.1% was the year-over-year increase in U.S. retail e-commerce sales in 2024.[94]
  • $10.2 billion was Inditex online sales in 2024, representing 12.0% growth.[19]
  • $65.4 billion of Walmart U.S. sales came from e-commerce in fiscal 2024.[22]
  • 16.1% of total U.S. retail sales came from e-commerce in 2024.[94]

Key questions about the Consumer Retail Industry

What is the U.S. consumer retail market size in 2026?
U.S. retail and food-services sales reached $745.0 billion in September 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, excluding price effects.
How fast is the market expected to grow in 2026?
The National Retail Federation forecasts 2026 U.S. retail sales of $5.6 trillion, up 4.4% over 2025, with an average annual growth of 3.6% over the previous 10 years excluding the pandemic period.
Which companies lead the consumer retail industry?
Schwarz Gruppe leads Gitnux's 2026 consumer retail ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with about 14,500 stores and 604,000 employees internationally. Walmart is the highest-ranked general merchandise retailer at 9.1, driven by fiscal 2025 revenue of $681 billion.
How are technology shifts changing retail in 2026?
E-commerce gained share: second-quarter 2026 e-commerce sales rose 12.2% year over year versus 6.7% for total retail sales, and 17.1% of total U.S. retail sales came from e-commerce in Q2 2026.
What is the market structure and how concentrated is competition?
The latest headline data are national rather than regional, and the sector is also shaped by regulatory scrutiny of acquisitions such as the 365 Retail Markets $848 million purchase of Cantaloupe requiring a divestiture.
What other factor affects nominal sales growth in retail?
Retail sales estimates are not adjusted for price changes; the personal consumption expenditures price index increased 2.6% in 2025 and the core PCE price index increased 2.8%.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Consumer Retail Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-retail-industry-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Consumer Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/consumer-retail-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Consumer Retail Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumer-retail-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

103 sources cited across this report

  1. salesforce.com
  2. hkt-enterprise.com
  3. investors.nielseniq.com
  4. tgcs04.toshibacommerce.com
  5. colliers.com
  6. scmr.com
  7. occstrategy.com
  8. ec.europa.eu
  9. databricks.com
  10. 44417324.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  11. downloads.ctfassets.net
  12. assets.contentstack.io
  13. massmarketretailers.com
  14. emarketer.com
  15. business.adobe.com
  16. eco-cdn.iqpc.com
  17. informatica.com
  18. iorma.com
  19. inditex.com
  20. corporate.target.com
  21. nrf.com
  22. stock.walmart.com
  23. pwc.com
  24. assets.kpmg.com
  25. kpmg.com
  26. deputy.com
  27. bls.gov
  28. ihlservices.com
  29. smartrecruiters.com
  30. prnewswire.com
  31. convenience.org
  32. doi.org
  33. d5544430a84c15063ea9-24a29c251add4cb0f3d45e39c18c202f.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com
  34. fred.stlouisfed.org
  35. newsroom.cisco.com
  36. cipd.org
  37. apnews.com
  38. quinyx.com
  39. corporate.walmart.com
  40. seramount.com
  41. content.osf.digital
  42. qualtrics.com
  43. verint.com
  44. rrd.com
  45. investors.valassis.com
  46. s3.amazonaws.com
  47. coresight.com
  48. cart.com
  49. tvtechnology.com
  50. usertesting.com
  51. deloitte.com
  52. nielsen.com
  53. iab.com
  54. brandirectory.com
  55. spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu
  56. techradar.com
  57. 2029325.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net
  58. alixpartners.com
  59. itpro.com
  60. fda.gov
  61. cpsc.gov
  62. ul.com
  63. allianz.com
  64. netstock.com
  65. mckinsey.com
  66. radial.com
  67. cdn.asp.events
  68. hbr.org
  69. capgemini.com
  70. nielseniq.com
  71. lemonde.fr
  72. info.ey.com
  73. circana.com
  74. cdn.nrf.com
  75. gmteight.com
  76. refed.org
  77. tjx.com
  78. sec.gov
  79. closedloopcenter.com
  80. returnpro.com
  81. checkr.com
  82. wtwco.com
  83. fluentcommerce.com
  84. gov.uk
  85. levelblue.com
  86. lp.kaspersky.com
  87. cpl.thalesgroup.com
  88. sophos.com
  89. rsrresearch.com
  90. kbbreview.com
  91. advantagegroup.com
  92. comcom.govt.nz
  93. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
  94. www2.census.gov
  95. census.gov
  96. bea.gov
  97. ftc.gov
  98. gruppe.schwarz
  99. s201.q4cdn.com
  100. annualreport.inditex.com
  101. media.aholddelhaize.com
  102. carrefour.com
  103. tescoplc.com