Between delivery bots, interactive screens and voice shopping, the retail landscape has no boundaries for innovation. While some of the trends we're seeing now will prove to be just trends, others will change the way consumers shop and push brands to radically rethink their customer experience. As 2019 comes to a close, it's critical to reflect on changing customer expectations as well as industry leaders who are raising the bar for everyone in the retail space. As the chief marketing officer of a software as a service (SaaS) platform for e-commerce product data, I've come across some leading trends that are likely to stick. For any marketer in the retail space, it's important to consider what these trends may mean.

By 2020, 70% of purchasing decisions will be based on the customer experience, according to research carried out by CISCO. To stay ahead of their competitors, businesses must invest in exceptional experiences that resonate with the brand and go beyond the expectations of customers. We take a look at four major factors. Conservations start with artificial intelligence Increasing numbers of first interactions are now handled by artificial intelligence, whether through triaging customers on the phone or via interactions with chatbots on Messenger. Gartner believes that 85% of consumer interactions will be non-human by 2020.