NEW YORK CITY—Commoditized retail may have tougher sledding this year as consumers favor retailers with strong identities as well as nontraditional channels, says FGRT. The think tank sees e-commerce, technology and changing store formats all making further inroads into reshaping traditional retail.

“We see no letup in the splintering of consumer spending in 2018, as specialist retailers offering ever-more choice will continue to peel dollars away from midmarket behemoths,” writes Deborah Weinswig, FGRT managing director. She adds that this year, “we expect shoppers to continue to turn to new retailers, marketplaces and channels, while retailers look for further collaborations to future-proof their offerings.”

FGRT predicts that Internet-only retailers will capture an additional $45 billion in sales domestically this year. That siphoning away from traditional retailers will be augmented by increased consumer spending on apparel rental, beauty subscriptions, meal-kit services and apparel resale, thus adding approximately $2 billion more to the total.