Brett Robbins

Five years ago mobile commerce was something that only venture capital firms were talking about. Big brands and big platforms hadn't made their move. Similarly, Facebook targeting didn't even creep onto the marketing agenda until three years to four years ago. Now Facebook is one of the most sophisticated channels for brands, with Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Tinder (swipe right for new shoes?) stepping up their own advertising offerings. At the same time, e-commerce has seen tremendous growth over the past four years, with the share of U.S. retail sales occurring online growing by 50 percent (from 4 percent to 6 percent). That growth rate is likely to accelerate as mobile device usage grows and consumers across the world gain comfort with e-commerce. Given this rapid expansion, predicting specifics of how people will shop in the 2020s is difficult. What channels will rise and flourish? Will retailers move to more of a subscription model? Will the world run on magic?