With the steep rise in volumes of counterfeit consumer goods entering the global marketplace, brands, retailers, and governments are facing new challenges.

The fashion industry contributes more to climate change than international air and sea travel and shipping combined, yet it has largely managed to slip under the climate-watch radar – until now. A confluence of the pandemic, climate change awareness and technological advances is bringing more sustainable fabrics to the market than ever before.

Along with tourism and the events industry, retail has been one of the most heavily affected sectors by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, despite the sudden hit, we anticipate that the retail sector will bounce back with a renewed focus on experience design and human connection.

Attitudes towards gender are changing. Consumers are no longer willing to buy into gender clichés that have been used to promote products and services for decades. To reflect this cultural shift, businesses are turning to gender-neutral design and advertisement.

Retail has become a digital experience, far more optimized, quick, and personalized. That's not to say that physical retail is disappearing - far from that. In this article, we look at the future of retail through technology, business and value chains, the service industry, values and social responsibility, and the global economy.

Physical retail shops still have the edge over their online competitors with regard to the overall experience. But with virtual reality technology finally taking off, a big part of this experience will be transferrable.

The banking industry hasn't been as disrupted as other industries by emerging technologies. Indeed, the bank where you open your first account is likely the same you'll stay with for the rest of your life. But a few interesting things have begun happening. First, open banking regulation will allow new services to emerge. Second, automation is changing the face of retail banking. And, third, new players and services are reshaping the payment landscape.

Fashion and technology don't always appear in the same sentence. But as artificial intelligence makes its way through different sectors, future fashion trends won't remain immune to its effects. Here's how AI may not only determine what you wear, but also pick out your clothes for you.

The growth of online retail sales, fast outpacing the growth of brick-and-mortar sales, has many wondering whether the future of retail resides online. But there are good reasons to think that retail stores will not go away anytime soon. So how will retail look like in the future?

Earlier this year, 7-Eleven opened its first fully-automated store. It is located in Seoul, South Korea, in the world's 5th largest building. For now, it's only open to employees of Lotte, owner of Korea Seven. But soon, fully-automated stores could open everywhere.

Virtual Reality will change the way many companies approach physical prototyping. With VR, companies will be able to design their products on a computer much like they do now, but after that, they get to skip a test and instead immediately visualize it as if it were right in front of them.