What is the future of shopping?

Introducing the newest editorial series from Vogue Business, The Future of Shopping.

15 years ago, the future of shopping was the same as the future of everything else: online. Asos, Rent the Runway, Glossier — Net-a-Porter, Farfetch and Matches for those who could afford it — changed how we consumed fashion and beauty.

We witnessed the internet’s gold rush era; a time of free shipping, unlimited returns and influencer recommendations. Enter the words “restructure”, “layoffs” and “administration”, killing digital empires one by one.

The age of disruption is over, giving way to a time of uncertainty and confusion with consumers not knowing where to shop at all. And when we do shop, we rarely shop according to our values, as Maliha Shoaib notes. What we do know is that cheap can mean cheaply made, and fast can mean fast and loose.

As the e-commerce giants fall, Maghan McDowell explores how Web3 will shape online shopping. Meanwhile, Hilary Milnes ponders over whether good customer service might just be the ticket for bringing people back into brick-and-mortar stores.

Kirsty McGregor looks at the future of the high street, before investigating the latest e-commerce fiasco; namely Frasers Group putting Matches into administration a mere three months after buying it.

Lucy Maguire dives deep into TikTok Shop, and Madeleine Schulz surveys Vogue and GQ readers to gauge the next generation’s shopping habits. Spoiler alert: they’re embracing the algorithm.

Rachel Cernansky scours the world of sustainable fashion for the best practices brands can bring into the future. Luke Leitch interviews master of experimental retail Adrian Joffe on the eve of the DSM opening in Paris while getting a sneak peek of the site.

Elsewhere, Sujata Assomull forecasts that Indian luxury consumers are ready to start shopping locally, and Ashley Ogawa Clarke unpacks Japan’s gaisho phenomenon, which sees sales associates bringing entire stores to clients’ homes. To sum it all up, Christina Binkley argues that it’s about time retail entered its curation era.

So, what's next? Here, Vogue Business uncovers what’s next for the industry.