Top 40 Retail Trends in October

Innovative ideas and experimental promotional tactics were at the heart of the October 2021 retail trends. Whether it was customer-focused digital concierges or shoppable virtual concerts, it seemed that brands from every category were testing out new ways to make the shopping experiences more dynamic.

In particular, numerous companies began implementing "phygital" shopping experiences -- an exciting new retail trend that sees brands using technology to blend the digital and physical worlds. For example, e-commerce company JD.com launched a five-story shopping mall in Xi'an, China that allowed shoppers to browse products that they could then order online. The mall was decked out with interactive AR and VR-enabled experiences, encouraging shoppers to use their smartphones while in-store.

Another standout trend witnessed this month was the continued rise of live e-commerce in Asia. Uncle Bud's held a live shopping event on Tmall Global featuring NBA Legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson. Meanwhile, rural Chinese farmers took to Kuaishou -- a TikTok-like e-commerce app -- to begin hosting live streamed marketplace events.