Advantage Solutions Releases Two Proprietary Studies Revealing What Will Shape Retail in 2027

What happened

Advantage Solutions released two proprietary studies, the 2026 Outlook Survey and 2026 Shopper Study, examining pressures and consumer behaviors expected to shape retail in 2027. The outlook survey found no manufacturers or retailers believe margin pressure, which means profit per sale pressure, has peaked.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

If no surveyed manufacturer or retailer thinks profit per sale pressure has peaked, companies may keep cutting costs and raising prices rather than assume relief is near. That can squeeze supplier revenue, strain cash available, and delay capital spending plans.

Analyst inference

The shopper study finding that shopping experience tops price as the driver of retailer choice suggests spending on stores and service could matter more than discounts. For investors, that shifts attention toward companies investing in customer experience rather than pure price competition.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. The outlook survey is based on 138 valid responses from manufacturers and retailers, so watch whether the full sample details show which groups expect profit per sale pressure to persist. Confirmed
2. Watch for follow-up studies or disclosures on whether manufacturers and retailers plan to change prices, staffing, or capital spending in response to the persistent profit per sale pressure. Proposed
3. Watch Advantage Solutions' own revenue and costs, since it sells research and retail services to brands and retailers whose pricing and spending decisions these findings describe. Analyst inference

Evidence

• globenewswire.com