The 2025 Retail Industry Outlook explores how technology, economic pressures, and changing consumer expectations are reshaping the global retail sector across digital and physical channels.
Retailers integrate AI, omnichannel platforms, and automated inventory systems to transform operations and enhance customer experiences across various touchpoints.
The report also explores innovative startups, investment trends, and firmographic insights that are shaping retail’s growth, competition, and digital transformation.
Executive Summary: Retail Industry Outlook 2025
- Industry Growth Overview: The retail industry grew by 0.2% last year, driven by over 254 000 companies and more than 9500 startups promoting innovation. It is projected to expand from USD 35.18 trillion in 2025 to USD 50.86 trillion by 2030, with a CAGR of 7.65% during this period.
- Manpower and Employment Growth: The retail sector employs over 34 million people globally. Last year, it added 1.7 million jobs across logistics, operations, and digital platforms, which reflects steady employment growth.
- Patents and Grants: The domain holds over 55 000 patents and 11 000+ grants, and is supported by more than 22 000 applicants. Moreover, patent activity grew annually by 4.9%, and it is led by contributions from the United States and China.
- Global Footprint: Major hubs include the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and Canada. Key city centers such as London, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, and Dubai play significant roles in supporting retail operations globally.
- Investment Landscape: Over 43 000 investors took part in 72 000 funding rounds to provide capital to more than 24 000 companies. The average investment per round was USD 70 million.
- Top Investors: Goldman Sachs, SoftBank, KKR, and more emerged as leading investors, contributing a combined investment exceeding USD 54 billion in the retail sector.
- Startup Ecosystem: Innovative startups such as Storefox.ai (AI speech analytics), Make Retail (omnichannel solutions), MUSE (in-store robotics), WindowGrin (AR storefronts), and Lendiron (BNPL gateway) demonstrate the sector’s entrepreneurial momentum and global outreach.
Methodology: How we created this Retail Industry Report
This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 7 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends as well as 150M patents, news articles and market reports. This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 7 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.
For this report, we focused on the evolution of retail over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:
- Total Companies working in the sector
- News Coverage and Annual Growth
- Market Maturity and Patents
- Global Search Volume & Growth
- Funding Activity and Top Countries
- Subtrends within retail
Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.
Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the retail market.
What Data is used to create this Retail Market Report?
Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the retail market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.
These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.
- News Coverage & Publications: The retail industry received over 146 000 news publications last year. This shows consistent media coverage across business and consumer platforms.
- Funding Rounds: With more than 72 000 funding rounds completed, the sector maintains investor interest in early-stage ventures and established retail businesses.
- Manpower: Retail employs over 34 million workers globally. Last year, it added 1.7 million jobs, which emphasizes its role in generating employment.
- Patents: The industry holds over 55 000 patents that focus on proprietary technologies in logistics, customer interaction, and operational efficiency.
- Grants: With over 11 000 grants awarded, retail attracts both public and private support for innovation, research, and infrastructure projects.
- Yearly Global Search Growth: Lastly, the global search interest in retail increased by 5.41% last year. It indicates growing public curiosity and shifts in consumer behavior across digital and physical platforms.
Explore the Data-driven Retail Market Outlook for 2025
Did you know mobile phones now lead global digital commerce visits and account for the largest portion of online orders? In the fourth quarter of 2024, smartphones drove about 78 percent of retail site traffic worldwide and generated 68 percent of online shopping orders.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the retail industry will grow from USD 35.18 trillion in 2025 to USD 50.86 trillion by 2030, with a projected CAGR of 7.65% during this period.
Credit: Mordor Intelligence
Moreover, the retail sector comprises over 9500 startups and 254 000 companies, achieving 0.2% growth last year and highlighting its maturity.
Global retail employment exceeds 34 million. Last year, 1.7 million new employees joined the workforce and supported the digital transformation, supply chain adjustments, and omnichannel operations.
The industry has registered over 55 000 patents and 11 000+ grants. It is a reflection of ongoing innovation in customer experience, logistics, inventory systems, and AI-enabled retail technologies.
Further, the key country hubs include the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and Canada. Prominent city hubs such as London, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, and Dubai significantly contribute to global retail operations.
A Snapshot of the Global Retail Market
The retail industry grew by 0.2% last year, maintaining a steady path amid changing consumer trends and supply chain challenges.
Besides, over 9 500 startups operate within the sector. These include more than 7900 early-stage ventures and over 11000 mergers and acquisitions.
Further, the industry recorded over 55 000 patents filed by more than 22 000 applicants. Also, the patent activity grew annually by 4.9%, highlighting continuous innovation.
The United States accounts for over 28 000 patent filings, followed by China with over 4900, which emphasizes their roles in advancing retail technology.
Explore the Funding Landscape of the Retail Market
The retail industry continues to attract significant investment, with an average of USD 70 million per funding round across the sector.
Over 43 000 investors have participated in 72 000 funding rounds to support innovation and operational growth within the industry.
Moreover, investments have benefited more than 24 000 companies, including early-stage ventures and established firms focused on technology upgrades or market expansion.
Who is Investing in the Retail Market?
The combined investment value by the top investors in the retail industry exceeds USD 54 billion, reflecting strong financial support for companies across all growth stages.
- Goldman Sachs invested USD 8.4 billion across 102 companies, including USD 60 million in CitiXsys, which offers iVend Retail solutions for omnichannel management.
- SoftBank allocated USD 6.9 billion to 57 companies.
- KKR funded 33 companies with USD 5.8 billion. It invested approximately USD 754 million in Reliance Retail for a 1.17% stake in 2020, followed by an additional USD 250 million to increase its stake to 1.42%.
- Tencent invested USD 5 billion into 40 companies, including USD 636 million for a 5% stake in Yonghui Superstore, which operates 600 locations across China.
- Bain Capital committed USD 4.9 billion to 26 companies. Its investments include acquiring Retail Zoo, the owner of brands like Boost Juice Bars and Salsa’s Fresh Mex Grill.
- Bank of America invested USD 4.7 billion in 24 companies.
- Tiger Global funded 94 companies with USD 4.7 billion.
- General Atlantic allocated USD 4.4 billion to 44 companies, including approximately USD 500 million for a 0.84% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures.
- Sequoia Capital supported 116 companies with USD 4.3 billion.
- Morgan Stanley invested USD 4.2 billion in 40 companies.
Top Retail Innovations & Trends
Discover the emerging trends in the retail market along with their firmographic details:
- Retail AI includes 290+ companies employing 19 200+ professionals. Last year, the sector added more than 4700 employees as businesses adopted personalization engines, predictive inventory tools, and customer service automation. With an annual growth rate of 36.6%, Retail AI influences strategic decisions and enhances consumer experiences across online and in-store platforms.
- In-store Analytics involves 180+ companies employing over 7000 workers. In the last year, 690+ new roles supported activities such as shopper behavior analysis, layout optimization, and real-time sales tracking. The annual trend growth rate of 11.25% reflects increasing demand for data-driven tools to improve store performance and customer engagement.
- Retail Robotics comprises over 55 companies employing 7900+ individuals. The sector added 770+ jobs last year, focusing on automating tasks like shelf scanning, inventory management, and customer assistance. With an annual growth rate of 12.58%, large retailers are adopting robotics to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs.
5 Top Examples from 9500+ Innovative Retail Startups
The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.
Storefox.ai provides AI-Powered Speech Analytics
Indian startup Storefox.ai offers an AI-powered conversation intelligence platform that analyzes in-store customer interactions to provide actionable insights for retail operations. The platform uses edge devices and proprietary AI agents to collect audio data from store environments and transforms real-time interactions into structured reports.
Through the Fox Insights module, the platform delivers weekly email summaries, identifies critical areas needing attention, and provides data-driven recommendations to enhance customer experience and profitability. Managers set alerts based on issue severity, evaluate the impact of new initiatives like payment gateways or promotions, and compare store-level performance using Fox Scores.
The platform enables centralized monitoring across multiple store locations via a single dashboard to offer operational visibility across cities and regions. Fox Search allows users to explore conversation trends, download reports, and access audio snippets to identify root causes of service issues. Storefox.ai enables CX and operations teams to prioritize actions, improve store performance, and reduce missed opportunities.
Make Retail builds Omnichannel Retail Solutions
Australian startup Make Retail provides Shopify POS omnichannel solutions that integrate in-store, online, and marketplace platforms into one system. It connects sales channels to synchronize inventory, customer data, and order workflows in real-time, and ensures smooth retail operations across various touchpoints.
The startup’s platform integrates with CRM tools to allow retailers to access customer preferences and purchase histories, which enables personalized in-store interactions. Its centralized order management simplifies processes from order placement to fulfillment, while real-time inventory tracking prevents stock inconsistencies and overselling.
The solution supports multiple payment methods, including cards and mobile wallets, and improves checkout efficiency. Through advanced reporting and analytics, retailers gain insights into sales performance and customer behavior, guiding operational decisions.
MUSE manufactures Store Robot
Japanese startup MUSE develops Armo, a modular robotics platform that automates in-store operations and supports retail staff to improve efficiency and customer service. The platform uses interchangeable expansion units for tasks like transporting goods from the backroom to shelves, scanning shelf conditions, and guiding shoppers to product locations.
Armo captures sales floor images and uploads them to the Eureka Platform, which analyzes data for issues such as out-of-stock items, shelf allocation errors, and pricing discrepancies. The platform provides visualizations to enable managers to monitor store conditions remotely and make informed inventory decisions. MUSE allows retailers to optimize operations, reduce labor needs, and enhance the shopping experience.
WindowGrin builds Interactive AR Screens
Hungarian startup WindowGrin creates an AI-powered augmented reality platform that transforms retail storefronts and digital signage into touch-free, interactive entertainment experiences. It uses facial gesture and head movement tracking to animate virtual characters, which enables users to interact with games and branded content without physical contact.
The platform integrates with existing digital signage hardware and connects to online marketing databases to display dynamic advertisements in standard formats. Retailers customize the experience by choosing character designs or requesting avatars and games tailored to their brand.
Lendiron makes a Buy Now Pay Later Gateway
Swiss startup Lendiron offers a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) gateway and core lending engine that allows merchants, service providers, and credit institutions to deliver branded financing solutions. It connects retailers to multiple credit partners through a unified BNPL platform, which allows seamless financing under the merchant’s brand while improving customer accessibility.
The platform improves BNPL conversions by leveraging various credit sources and generates additional profits through financing fees. Its modular core lending engine manages the full loan lifecycle, including customer onboarding, credit scoring, invoicing, and soft debt collection, within a cloud-based system.
Lendiron supports cross-border lending without currency restrictions and integrates with third-party services to customize financing options, such as installments, revolving credit, and varied loan maturities.
Gain Comprehensive Insights into Retail Trends, Startups, and Technologies
The retail industry is set to grow with the increased adoption of immersive commerce, sustainable supply chains, and personalized shopping experiences. Trends like virtual storefronts, blockchain-based inventory systems, and voice-enabled retail will influence the next phase of development.
Get in touch to explore 9500+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting retail companies.
