The future of retail isn’t all scary, according to futurist Cassandra Napoli.

Sure, consumers are facing an epidemic of loneliness, a “kindness crisis” and “a longing to be free from emotional responsibility,” Napoli, head of marketing and events insight at WGSN, said at NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show.

But there will be more fun, she said: By 2027, consumers and businesses will embrace the “concept of play as strategic pillar of well-being” and a tool for connection.

Napoli’s forecast for 2027 looked at global drivers that will shape consumers and the business landscape in the years ahead across six pillars — society, technology, environmental, political, industry and creativity.  She also offered examples of companies and products that are already anticipating consumer trends, including Pie Social, Gabb “dumb phones” and Nintendo.

By 2027, the focus of society and business will shift from isolation to interconnectedness and the recognition that individual needs are inseparable from the collective. There’s a growing desire for authentic human-to-human connections, Napoli said. “Sixty-six percent of ‘Zalphas’ — that’s essentially another name for tweens, age 9 to 14 — in 2024, in the U.S. and UK in particular, are saying that spending time with friends is their one real goal in life,” she said.

In response, businesses will design for community that goes beyond the individual — spaces that allow people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and build connection. The Pie Social app, for example, allows users to make real-life connections via activities and interests.

Retailers and brands will also come together to co-create and de-risk the future, like The Footwear Collective, which brings together major footwear industry players (Brooks Running, Crocs Inc., ECCO, New Balance, On, Reformation, Target and Vibram) “to drive a collaborative circular approach to footwear consumption.”

Technology will be one of the cures for the loneliness epidemic, Napoli said, but retailers and brands will need to understand its impact while balancing human wisdom with tech speed. “The AI revolution is here, and instead of fighting it, it’s about finding harmony with it,” she said. “Interestingly, 82% of consumers express a desire to learn more about AI, sort of underpinning this increased demand for transparency and education around its development.”

Napoli recommended that brands and retailers invest in customer support training to help associates navigate that anger and rage and answer questions truthfully, efficiently and quickly, while giving them the tools to really do so and protect their safety.

As global challenges and stressors grow, there’s an opportunity for retailers and brands to embrace play. “By 2027, the concept of play will evolve into a strategic pillar of well-being,” Napoli said. “Businesses must embrace play as a mindset for creating change. To thrive, products and experiences should foster unserious fun.”

Nintendo has figured out a way to gamify and reward everyday moments in a fun way; its new Alarmo clock features Super Mario and Zelda characters, along with motion sensors and sleep tracking to make waking up feel like the start of a great adventure.

Play is not just a source of fun, Napoli said, “but a tool for connection, for collaboration, for resilience in the face of a poly-crisis era. As we look toward 2027, play will expand further, becoming a driver for business success.”

Source: NRF blog posts