veral intriguing consumer behaviors to watch out for in the year ahead. Here are three relevant trends retailers may want to tap into as 2024 draws to a close.  Healthspan plans Retailers that haven’t noticed the wellness wave washing over almost every sector of the industry in recent years may have been living under a rock. In a post-pandemic world, consumers have become increasingly educated about and interested in finding products, from supplements to superfoods, to live longer and, more importantly, healthier lives.  Euromonitor observed a bigger shift in the wellness market towards preventative, specialized solutions, like vitamins, in combination with reactive treatments. One interesting area of growth retailers can tap into is health tech – connected devices and apps that offer real-time insights that consumers can use to monitor and guide their behavior. Global sales of smart wearables are expected to record double-digit growth from 2024 to 2026, which could present opportunities for brand collaborations. For example, in 2024 Samsung partnered with German healthcare giant Bayer AG to study and better understand sleep disturbances caused by menopause, an area with impressive growth potential in the health retail industry.  Retailers can lean into this space in three ways, according to Euromonitor: Develop targeted self-care products and tailor solutions to address specific, life-stage concerns or unmet consumer needs. Use scientific evidence or proven results in your marketing materials to emphasize how formulations, devices or designs can support the consumer’s longevity. Partner with tech companies or diagnostic firms to offer personalized health assessments and real-time tracking solutions.  Filtered focus In an age of constant notifications and an ever-widening variety of choices, consumers have become overwhelmed in the search to find the products they are looking for to best suit their needs. It should also be noted that the influx of AI-generated content has added to a real sense of confusion as consumers try to sort out truthful information from fakes.  Euromonitor’s survey revealed that only 54 per cent of consumers bought from companies and brands they completely trusted in 2024.  Today, brands are in a race for consumer attention and should prioritize creating clearer communication and optimized user experiences to stand out in a crowded marketplace.  One way that companies can make consumers’ search more optimized is through a further integration of tech. Companies can leverage digital interactions, such as e-commerce browsing and checkouts, to analyze customer data for personalization. This information can then be used to improve search functionality with virtual shopping assistants or by optimizing filtering options in e-commerce stores.  For example, in 2024, retail giant Amazon launched Rufus, an AI-powered shopping assistant to help consumers navigate the retailer’s wide range of goods. With the virtual aid, shoppers can ask the chatbot for product comparisons and recommendations. Retailers can lean into this space in three ways, according to Euromonitor: Use clear, honest and relatable messaging, rather than overly complicated jargon, to communicate the unique benefits of your brand’s product and devices. Personalize touchpoints or interactions, such as through live streaming channels where possible to deliver relevant information and foster meaningful customer relationships. Optimize the user experience to streamline product discovery and remove friction from the shopping journey with the right tech integrations.  Speaking of tech integrations, the final trend in Euromonitor’s report is AI-ambivalence.  AI-ambivalent  Consumer expectations of the usefulness of generative AI are incredibly high, and so far, it hasn’t delivered. As a result, consumers have started to become fed up with the current limitations of this technology.  For instance, retailers’ use of generative AI has often led to the creation of inaccurate responses, infringements on copyright, plagiarization of work or the reinforcement of biases. Chatbot hallucinations, when a chatbot generates incorrect or misleading information that appears authentic, have also significantly contributed to the spread of misinformation, which can often alienate and irritate consumers.  Euromonitor cautioned that companies need to be careful about an overreliance on generative AI. While chatbots can support customer inquiries and serve as a first point of contact, human interactions remain critical for setting up a pleasant shopping experience. Instead, the research firm concluded that retailers should explore integrations of generative AI that benefit their audience base beyond consumer-facing interactions. For example, in the case of fraud protection in the financial services industry, generative AI can analyze transaction data to spot anomalies for quick scam detection.  To truly maintain the consumers’ trust, companies need to be more transparent and purposeful than ever in the actual applications of generative AI.  Retailers can lean into this space in three ways, according to Euromonitor: Be transparent about the use of generative AI across channels and content. Analyze consumer sentiment to information decisions about integrations or applications. Evaluate which touchpoints could leverage technologically based versus human expertise and learn how to find the right balance.