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The Natural List - Hot trends in retail: AI, Gen Z and the future of natural products
Discover the retail trends reshaping 2025, from AI's transformative power to Gen Z's surprising return to in-store shopping. Explore actionable insights on merchandising, storytelling and community-building in the natural products space.
23 Min View
New Hope Network
In this episode of The Natural List, co-host Jessica Rubino teams up with New Hope Network Senior Retail Reporter Douglas Brown to dive into the hot retail trends shaping 2025. Whether it’s strategic merchandising for plant-based and non-alcoholic products or leveraging storytelling to connect with consumers around regenerative agriculture, this episode offers actionable insights to help retailers stay ahead.
The discussion also explores generational shopping habits, including Gen Z’s interest in in-store experiences and the importance of community-building strategies among independent natural retailers. Watch now to learn about the transformative potential of AI in retail, key differentiators and trends in the independent retail landscape and how evolving consumer behaviors will redefine retail in the year ahead.
In this episode:
0:40 – Have you met senior retail reporter Douglas Brown?
1:45 – Douglas “brings the heat” to hot retail trends.
2:40 – What trends do retailers really want to know about?
6:25 – How independent natural retailers can maintain their edge in an omni-channel world.
10:15 – The importance of embracing innovation.
12:40 – Gen Z seeks in-person shopping experiences.
19:20 – Predictions for 2025.
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Our guests
Douglas Brown, Senior Retail Reporter
New Hope Network
Douglas Brown worked as a full-time journalist for daily newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years, including six years covering the White House and Capitol Hill and a decade writing about food and agriculture for The Denver Post. He now serves as New Hope Network's senior retail reporter, covering a broad range of industry sectors.
Your hosts
About Jessica Rubino
Jessica Rubino is a natural products industry expert and content strategist with more than 15 years experience in media, events and natural products. As New Hope Network’s vice president of content, Jessica oversees digital and print content, conference programming and branded content for CPGs, retailers, investors and service providers. Jessica is passionate about using innovation as a force for good and leveraging content to spark the changes we want to see in the world.
About Adrienne Smith
Adrienne Smith is the director of content for newhope.com and the editor-in-chief of Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine where she helps ideate and produce content for natural products retailers, brands and entrepreneurs. She also runs the NEXTY Awards, an annual program held in conjunction with Natural Products Expo West that recognizes emerging and established natural CPG brands for their innovation, inspiration and integrity.
Before coming to New Hope Network, Adrienne spent two decades writing about food and beverage products and trends for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Trade in Madrid, Spain, as well as for publications including the International Herald Tribune/New York Times and El País. A former restaurant owner, chef and sommelier, Adrienne is passionate about food in all its forms.
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The Natural ListAbout the Author
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