The Online Retailer Conference has always been a marker in the calendar for where the industry is headed. This year made it clearer than ever that Australian retail is standing at the edge of a new era. Technology, global competition, and shifting consumer values are reshaping the game, and the pace is only accelerating.
This isn’t just a recap of the presentations and panels, it’s a reflection on the themes that will define the next chapter for retail in Australia and beyond, and what they mean for retailers looking to stay relevant.
AI moves from buzzword to backbone
AI was a hot topic not as a distant possibility, but as a capability most retailers are already assessing or adopting. From agentic AI systems to practical applications in customer service, forecasting, and supply chain efficiency, AI is moving from hype to habit.
The retailers getting ahead are those using AI to make better decisions faster. Whether it’s personalising offers in real time or automating back-office processes to free up teams for higher-value work.
Use Cases & Learnings:
- Customer Service: Chatbots and virtual assistants resolving common queries and freeing human agents for complex issues.
- Demand Forecasting: AI predicting inventory needs to reduce overstock and shortages.
- Personalisation Engines: Tailored product recommendations increasing basket size and repeat purchases.
- Automation: Image recognition tools to improve product content efficiency and accuracy.
- Search & Discovery: Considering the role of ChatGPT and other GPTs in shaping SEO and customer acquisition.
Next Steps: Build capability now. Start by mapping where AI can enhance processes, improve efficiency, or elevate customer experience. Pinpoint one high-impact “lighthouse” use case, deliver it quickly and scale. Applying AI in the right areas and building internal capability early will put you ahead of the curve, much like first movers in mobile adoption. Restive’s AI Transformation Framework and audit can help identify strategic opportunities and get projects moving.
Data & personalisation – but smarter
The customer data gold rush isn’t slowing, but the approach is changing. Best practice, as we’ve known it, is no longer enough. Every retailer needs a personalised data playbook – a tailored strategy for their business and customers, not a copy of the competition.
What a personalised data playbook includes:
- The most valuable data points for your business.
- How that data is enriched and connected to other insights.
- The actions triggered by specific customer behaviours.
- A clear view of the customer experiences and behaviours you want to drive, before building the solution around it.
Use Cases & Learnings:
- Loyalty data driving targeted offers by lifecycle stage.
- Predictive analytics timing messages for maximum conversion.
- Omnichannel experiences personalised across in-store and online touchpoints.
Next Steps: Start with the foundations, ensure you have or can build a fit-for-purpose Customer Data Platform (CDP). Avoid rushing into large, costly platforms; start light, prove value, then scale. Audit your data sources, identify gaps, and design initial use cases (e.g. real-time messaging or targeted advertising). This often requires event streaming architecture and a modern integration approach leveraging Amazon AWS or Google Cloud GCP. Restive advises on the best way to stand up a CDP and deliver personalisation that drives measurable results without overinvesting upfront.
Marketplaces and global disruption
Australia’s marketplace landscape is evolving fast. JB Hi-Fi, Bunnings, and Freedom are building their own marketplace presence, while Amazon and The Iconic continue to expand.
Then there’s the disruptor wave: Temu and Shein. Their speed, pricing power, and aggressive acquisition strategies are reshaping competition.
In 2024, online marketplaces accounted for 62% of global retail e-commerce sales, with over 80% of that volume from third-party sellers. Marketplace penetration among Australian shoppers is high; around 94% purchased from a marketplace in the past year, although e-commerce overall is still only 16.8% of total retail sales locally.
How to evaluate if a marketplace is right for you:
- Are your target customers active there?
- Does it complement or compete with your brand?
- Will you build your own or partner with an existing platform?
- How will reach, margin impact, and customer experience balance out?
Next Steps: Assess the opportunity, size of the prize, and design a realistic roadmap. Restive helps retailers navigate feasibility, select the right platform and approach, and optimise performance while protecting brand equity.
Price-conscious consumers & the rise of recommerce
The cost-of-living squeeze is changing buying behaviour. Price-conscious shoppers aren’t just chasing discounts – they’re looking for value.
Recommerce is a key response. In the US, the resale market grew 32% in 2021 and is expanding almost four times faster than e-commerce overall, projected to reach US$276 billion globally by 2028.
How to assess if recommerce fits:
- Does your category have active resale or refurbishment markets?
- Can you maintain quality control and trust?
- Will it expand your customer base without cannibalising your core sales?
Next Steps: Understand your customers, competitors, and category trends. Run a small-scale trial to test product acceptance and operational feasibility. Restive has deep expertise in customer research and can help identify the recommerce model that best balances commercial outcomes, sustainability, and brand positioning for your business.
Social shopping & the TikTok effect
If the aisles of yesterday were physical, today’s discovery happens on a scroll. TikTok Shop is a standout generating an estimated US$33 billion in global sales in 2024, with US$9 billion from the US in its first 16 months.
What TikTok Shop is: A built-in marketplace within TikTok, enabling brands and creators to sell directly through live streams, short videos, and a shopping tab. It merges discovery, entertainment, and checkout in one seamless experience.
While Australia’s launch date is unconfirmed, many expect it in the year ahead.
Next Steps: If you don’t already have a social commerce strategy, now is the time to start shaping one. Research global brands using TikTok Shop successfully, identify potential formats, and experiment early. Restive works with retailers to evaluate emerging channels and develop strategies that turn trends into sustainable growth revenue streams.
The end of “best practice”
One of the strongest threads at the conference was that best practice is dead. What worked last year for one retailer won’t necessarily work for another today.
The winners will be those who design strategies for their unique audience, proposition, and capabilities and make experimentation, testing, and agility core to how they operate.
We help retailers stay future-focused, embedding experimentation into strategy so innovation becomes part of business-as-usual. The aim is a pragmatic roadmap balancing quick wins with long-term, transformational goals.
Final thoughts – What’s next for Australian retail
The next 12–24 months will be defined by adaptability. The market is fragmenting, competition is intensifying, and technology is evolving faster than ever.
For retailers, the challenge is staying nimble without losing sight of fundamentals, understanding your customer, delivering value, and building trust.
Restive brings strategy and execution together, helping retailers integrate AI, activate their data, explore new marketplaces, and prepare for emerging trends like social commerce.
The goal: to navigate change with confidence and stay ahead of the market.The opportunities are there. The question is, who’s ready to move fast enough to take them?
We help retailers like Coles, JB Hi Fi, Super Retail Group and Bed Bath N’ Table navigate these trends and future-proof their offering to consumers. If you think we can help you, you can contact us here.
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