Last year, I outlined "The New Normal" of Retail which largely focused on increased mobile usage, small stores and more immediate shipping. I thought it would be worthwhile to outline 2015 prior to releasing 2016 predictions later this week:

eCommerce

2013: Strong eCommerce growth with flat store sales
2014: eCommerce growth strong enough to offset negative year over year store sales
2015: Many traditional retailers saw weak year over year sales as store sales losses were only partially offset by eCommerce sales

Mobile

2013: Mobile visitors account for 25% of traffic and 10% of sales
2014: Mobile visitors exceeding desktop visitors and contributing 30% of sales (contribution)
2015: Mobile visitors now exceed physical visits

Shipping

2013: "I'm not paying for shipping"
2014: "I want it now and I'm not paying for shipping"
2015: "I want it now and if I decide to pick it up at the store, I should have dedicated parking and no queue."

Fulfillment

2013: Big box retailers shipping from stores.
2014: Big box retailers shifting selling space and payroll to fulfillment space and payroll.
2015: Capital expenditures shift to distribution centers and outlet store openings.

eTail

2013: "All commerce is shifting to eCommerce"
2014: "When is this lease space available?"
2015: "Buying sales is expensive, time for layoffs."

Beacons

2013: "Tracking is an invasion of privacy"
2014: "The bridge of offline and online retail"
2015: "We are waiting until Google allows for app-less engagement."

Social

2013: Retailers sharing links on social media sites with off app/site transactions.
2014: Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Wanelo transactions happen in-app/site.
2015: No posts are "free," everything is sponsored.