McKinsey on Consumer and Retail

As AI reshapes how consumers browse, shop, and buy, retailers must choose a mission for every location—and commit to it.

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Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson talks to McKinsey partner Pamela Brown about community co-creation, leadership lessons, and what’s next for Gen Z and for Pacsun.

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Agentic AI can automate routine work and improve merchandising decisions at scale. What does it take to translate potential into performance?

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Union Square Hospitality Group’s Chip Wade and John Ragan share their perspectives on customer experience, restaurant technology, and the future of dining.

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What are the trends shaping consumer sentiment and behavior in 2025—and what are the implications for brands and retailers?

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They’re concerned about inflation and looking for value, so US consumers are changing their shopping habits this holiday season. Here’s what that means for retailers and consumer goods companies.

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We asked 15,000 consumers and 100-plus executives for their perspectives on today’s beauty market. In this episode, we highlight the themes that emerged from our research.

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The authors of a new report, Sporting Goods 2025, explore key themes that will shape the market and highlight consumer trends that could represent paths to growth.

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The consumer goods industry, once an investor darling, has underperformed in recent years. Companies can prioritize six actions to simultaneously revive revenue growth and cut costs.

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The physical shopping experience matters more than ever, says Value Retail founder Scott Malkin, whose company owns some of the world’s best-performing luxury shopping destinations.

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Some consumer companies have simultaneously increased sales, cut costs, and reduced carbon emissions. Their secret? Paying closer attention to the design of their products and packaging.

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Retailers need a data-informed, collaborative, store-by-store approach to combat shrink. The payoff: higher profits and better customer experience.

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In search of the best deals, US consumers are spreading out their spending across several months this holiday season. Here’s what that means for retailers.

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The most successful retailers will be those that undergo a full reset—by harnessing new technology, creating ecosystems, engaging their workforce, and investing in private brands.

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Which sustainability attributes matter most at the point of sale? Do consumers pay attention to sustainability claims? A new report from McKinsey and NielsenIQ provides answers.

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What does purposeful growth look like in the retail sector? Christiana Shi and Stuart Hogue, former senior leaders at Nike, speak with McKinsey’s Brian Gregg about the company’s formula for serving customers—with a focus on digital transformation and the direct-to-consumer model.

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The department-store veteran explains how retailers can become more consumer-centric, experiential, sustainable, and diverse than they’ve ever been.

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https://podcasts.mckinsey.com:443/l?r=unknown&s=_unknown&i=6c633a313030303031633562336136756f3030326e32&he=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 Listen to the podcast (duration: 25:07) > A survey of 30,000+ consumers and 100+ grocery CEOs reveals the challenges—and opportunities—that grocery retailers face today.

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https://podcasts.mckinsey.com:443/l?r=unknown&s=_unknown&i=6c633a3130303030316335616b7434326b69386c6337&he=253246253246706f6463617374732e6d636b696e7365792e636f6d253246706f64636173742533467063253344636f6e737265745f727373253236707525334468747470732532353341253235324625323532467777772e6d636b696e7365792e636f6d25323532466173736574732532353246646f74636f6d25323532466d63722d706f646361737425323532466d63722d686f772d6575726f7065732d6370672d6c6561646572732d63616e2d6e617669676174652d696e666c6174696f6e2e6d7033253236706e253344486f772532424575726f7065253235453225323538302532353939732532424350472532426c65616465727325324263616e2532426e61766967617465253242696e666c6174696f6e Listen to the podcast (duration: 22:07) > With inflation persisting, consumer-packaged-goods manufacturers can’t rely on the strategies that got them through the past two years. It’s time for a reset.

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https://podcasts.mckinsey.com:443/l?r=unknown&s=_unknown&i=6c633a31303030303163353970746738316c70736230&he=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 Listen to the podcast (duration: 25:52) > New research reveals which aspects of the employee experience matter most to US frontline retail workers. Retailers must pay attention and act quickly, or risk losing more than half their store staff.

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