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This holiday season, mobile shoppers want help in a hurry — and retailers need to be ready to oblige if they want to win their business.

Amazon is on the hunt for a team to head up its newest business venture.    The online giant is launching a new start-up called “Amazon Live.” The division “builds interactive streaming experiences that create new shopping experiences for customers,” according to a posting on Amazon Jobs.   

New attitudes, behaviors and shopping preferences among Generation Z and Millennials are keeping retailers on their toes.    Emerging in-store technologies and positive social media feedback are top priorities among both Generation Z and Millennial consumers. This is according to retail advisory firm HRC Retail Advisory (HRC), which surveyed 1,350 participants in North America about their shopping experiences.  

For good reason, retailers in recent years have sought to understand the shopping habits and preferences of the millennial generation. The oldest millennials, born in or after 1980, are now well into their thirties – and have certainly reached maturity as consumers. It’s now time to shift the focus and look at the next generation behind these millennials to see if they differ from their digital-savvy counterparts.    

Move over millennials, Gen Z is snapping at your heels. And retailers should take note.    Retailers looking to capture share of wallet and brand loyalty from Gen Z – the most  digitally- and socially-engaged generation to date — need to step up their focus on new ways of engagement. But they also should pay attention to their physical stores.   

While supermarket shoppers engage with their primary grocer on one or more digital platforms, social media sites are not a priority.    This was according to the “U.S. Supermarket Shopper Digital Update,” a report from the Retail Feedback Group (RFG). The new study, an offshoot of RFG's “U.S. Supermarket Experience Study,” focuses specifically on the digital aspects of shopper engagement with supermarkets.   

According to a 2015 Nielsen study, two-thirds of consumers trust consumer opinions over company advertising and rely on peer review sites for insights and advice. However, these sites can cause huge headaches for well-intentioned retailers that incentivize consumers to post glowing reviews or find themselves on the wrong side of a revenge or competitor-sponsored post. When not conducted correctly, these efforts can harm brands and further consumer mistrust.   

Watch out millennials, Gen Z is coming on strong.   With Generation Z expected to comprise 40% of the North American population by 2020, retailers must address the needs of this generation and understand its purchasing power in households, according to a survey conducted by HRC Retail Advisory.