Another year has come and gone, and big changes came to the retail industry.

Giants like Shopify and Amazon grew even bigger, while older retail models like department stores suffered. Meanwhile, online brands saw big growth but faced their own unique set of headwinds. And newcomers, like fast fashion mobile app Shein, became more of an everyday staple.

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, we decided to take a look back and dive into some of the most important issues we wrote about over the last twelve months. Reporters Maile McCann and Saqib Shah as well as managing editor Anna Hensel all dove into the topics they thought drove 2021's retail narratives.

These storylines give some insight into what’s ahead. Online strategies remain top of mind for companies both big and small. Meanwhile, people are discovering products in new ways.