Retail Insights

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Transparent shopping cart icon on a digital interface, symbolizing the intersection of AI, e-commerce, and next-generation consumer behavior.

The AI Consumer: Who’s Really Using GenAI and Why It Matters

From power users to AI skeptics, the new AI consumer landscape reveals strategic blind spots and urgent opportunities for brands, retailers, and tech leaders to close the trust gap and design for real behavior.
Four male speakers participating in a stage panel discussion in front of a blue RLC Global Forum backdrop.

How Marketplaces Are Transforming E-Commerce and Retail

The session “Global Threads: How Marketplaces Are Reweaving the Retail Fabric” explored how marketplaces are revolutionizing retail by expanding assortments, enhancing operational efficiency, and reshaping consumer shopping behaviors.
Futuristic glass retail building facade featuring luxury storefronts and a transparent oval entrance canopy at RLC Global Forum.

The Shift Toward Experiential Retail in Urban Spaces

Welcome to the age of experiential retail, where consumers are immersing, engaging, and Instagramming every moment. Oh, and lest we forget, shopping.
Illustration of a red lipstick next to an upward-trending bar graph, symbolizing the Lipstick Index and the beauty industry's performance during economic downturns and inflation.

Is the Lipstick Index Still Relevant in 2025?

In times of crisis, beauty has always outperformed. But is that still true in 2025? And how much longer can the Lipstick Index really hold?
Two women walk past a Louis Vuitton storefront at dusk, with a luxury car parked in front. The window display features Louis Vuitton’s iconic geometric monogram motifs and a central mannequin, reflecting the blend of heritage and digital innovation and capturing the challenge luxury brands face in balancing tradition with AI-driven transformation.

Can Luxury Brands Rebuild Trust in an AI-Driven Era?

As AI-generated content floods the digital landscape, luxury brands face a major moment: how can they protect authenticity and rebuild consumer trust?
Five panel discussion speakers seated on stage under a blue backdrop titled Stay Play Shop at RLC Global Forum with an audience seated in the foreground.

Stay, Play, Shop: The Rise of Integrated Retail Destinations

Integrated retail destinations are changing urban spaces by blending hospitality, entertainment, and smart technology to boost engagement and visitor retention.
Close-up of a shopper pushing a grocery cart filled with fresh produce down a supermarket aisle, highlighting evolving behavior, value-driven purchasing and new trends in grocery retail.

Dissecting the New Consumer Behavior in Grocery Retail

Rising prices, economic fatigue, and shifting consumer behavior are redrawing the grocery retail landscape. Here’s what’s changing and why it matters.
Young model in a shimmering dress stands backstage under stage lighting, evoking questions about material waste, innovation, and the environmental cost of fashion.

Is Fashion Losing the Battle for Sustainability in 2025?

Fashion’s sustainability playbook is wearing thin in 2025. Consumers are no longer impressed by pretentious words—they want proof. And it’s time for brands to rethink their approach.
A crowded indoor shopping arcade with classical architecture and a vaulted glass dome roof at RLC Global Forum.

The Rise of Cultural Retail: Stores as Community Spaces

Retail is changing. Across the globe, department stores, malls, and retail spaces are transforming into cultural hubs, reflecting the identities of the communities they serve, proving that the most valuable thing a store can sell today is a sense of belonging.
Panel on Urban Renaissance in retail with Craig Watson (JLL), Julie Alexander (Diriyah Company), David Wilkinson (Streem & Strom), Karl Schwitzke (Schwitzke Group), Lee Talbott (ROSHN Group), and Simon Mitchell (Sybarite) at the 2025 RLC Global Forum in Riyadh.

Retail as a Driver of Urban Transformation

Retail is driving urban transformation, prompting planners and retailers to integrate mixed-use developments, sustainable design, and experiential spaces that meet evolving consumer expectations.
Woman using interactive digital retail screen to browse personalized fashion options in a modern apparel store.

The Personalization Myth and Why Retail Keeps Getting It Wrong

Every brand talks about retail personalization. But most stores still feel like they’re built for everyone. And no one. Because the real divide isn’t digital vs. physical. it’s generational.
Person using a smartphone with an AI assistant interface displayed on the screen, sitting on a bed with a soft gray blanket.

Is ChatGPT the new frontier in online shopping?

As someone who considers “Add to cart” a lifestyle choice, I had to see what all the AI fuss is about.
Four panel discussion speakers sitting in armchair seats on a stage under a blue backdrop reading Rebuilding A Shared Future at RLC Global Forum.

The Business of Sustainability

Sustainability is now a key driver of growth, profitability, and brand reputation. Businesses, especially in retail and fashion, are integrating it into operations and supply chains, ensuring efforts deliver real impact beyond marketing.
Cenomi Centers and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield executives sign a landmark partnership agreement in Riyadh, marking a new era for retail and lifestyle development in Saudi Arabia

The Cenomi-URW Deal and The Future of Malls in Saudi Arabia

A decade-long strategic agreement signals confidence in the future of Saudi retail and urban evolution.
A woman holding a white shopping bag while looking at her smartphone on a city sidewalk at RLC Global Forum.

Shoppertainment: Retail’s Next Great Disruption

Traditional e-commerce is giving way to immersive, real-time, and culturally driven retail. From livestream shopping to TikTok-powered sales, this is the new retail frontier.