Gwen Morrison

The retail industry has seen a lot of change over the past five years. Amid a massive downturn in consumer spending and a growing e-commerce sector, some in the technology industry have forecast the complete collapse of brick-and-mortar retail. However, offline commerce still accounts for over 90 percent of consumer spending, and an explosion of new technologies seek to bring e-commerce tools to the local shopping experience. Retailers account for a large chunk of advertising spending in the U.S., so ad agencies are keeping a close eye on these developments.