Omnichannel
Retailers tapping automation, customer retention strategies to battle economic challenges
November 7, 2025
Retailers, facing increasingly rocky economic headwinds, are finding new avenues for growth and experimenting with automation, marketplace diversification and customer retention initiatives.
Those are findings from the "2025 Retail Resilience Report," from Linnworks, a Connected CommerceOps platform. The report highlights not just the challenges, but the opportunities to adapt operations, diversify sales channels and become more efficient, according to a press release.
"Retailers are navigating a perfect storm of cost increases and changing customer expectations," Jon Bahl, CEO, Linnworks, said in the release. "Our Retail Resilience Report highlights not just the challenges, but the opportunities to adapt operations, diversify sales channels and become more efficient. We want to equip our customers with the insights and community to do just that."
Additional findings include:
- 85% of retailers have experienced increased business expenses over the past year, driven by inflation, supply chain disruptors and shifting consumer behavior. To address these challenges, many are automating back-end processes, optimizing inventory management and expanding into new marketplaces to diversify revenue streams.
- 44% of customers in the U.S. exhibit moderate adjustments and 26% show significant changes in purchasing habits, compared to U.K. businesses reporting 23% of customers making significant adjustments and 51% showing moderate changes. These shifts offer insight into how retailers can rethink assortment planning, promotional strategies and fulfillment experiences to better meet evolving customer expectations.
