Online mentions of ‘shrinkflation’ and AI in retail are way up

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Retail trends seem to change on a dime, and as with practically everything, social media and the internet in general seem to be the best way to work out what consumers are thinking about. Now, thanks to Brand Watch’s latest Retail Trends report, we have an idea of the top trends dominating the industry.

According to the report, cash-strapped consumers have had it with companies raising prices or skimping on quantity.

• Between October 15, 2023 and April 15, 2024, online mentions of the word “shrinkflation” were up 112% compared to the previous six months with lots of consumers citing examples of how shrinkflation affected their lives.

Convenience is huge for most shoppers, and AI-driven convenience is gaining more prominence.

• Mentions of the terms “AI and retail” were up 27% from the previous six months. To be exact, Brand Watch noted 262,000 mentions in total.

You know all those pesky shelves of products across stores that seem to be locked?

• Yeah, shoppers weren’t too crazy about in-store surveillance either, as the topic of AI and retail theft generated 56,000 negative mentions online.

Meanwhile, new security measures intended to prevent theft also led to some complaints.