In this week’s Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published on Total Retail, “The Future of Retail: Beyond the Pandemic,” authored by Jeff Orschell, retail and global account leader at EY Americas. The article discusses how retailers must adjust to the new normal to best serve the post-pandemic consumer. There’s now a critical element that U.S. consumers require more than ever: trust. Trust has become the most important motivating factor in consumers' paths to purchase.

That’s a huge opportunity for companies planning for the future. Offering transparency in new protocols, sourcing and supply chain may be the competitive advantage retailers and brands need to deliver the experience post-pandemic consumers demand. Regardless of the length of this pandemic, retailers and brands that can successfully pivot their operations to meet consumer needs around trust will be poised for success. To read the full article by Jeff Orschell, click here.