Retail’s real reset: Unlearning, rebuilding, and getting future-ready

At Retail Re:Mix Stories in February 2025, a panel of retail leaders took the stage in Dubai to unpack what transformation really looks like today, beyond the buzzwords.

Moderated by Dharmendra Mehta, Managing Director MEA at Fynd, the session featured sharp, unfiltered insights from Anmol Mundhra (Aster DM Healthcare), Aditya Singh (Splash Fashions – Landmark Group), and Vishesh Kumar (Fynd), leaders on the ground, navigating the contradictions and complexities of modern retail.

The takeaway was clear: the future of retail isn’t arriving. It’s already here, and most of us are still busy updating spreadsheets.

Behind the tech stacks and store redesigns, there’s a deeper shift underway. A mental one. One that’s pushing the industry to strip down, rewire, and rebuild from the inside out.

This isn’t just about surviving. It’s about staying relevant.

And the playbook? It’s being rewritten as we speak.

Unlearning is the real innovation

Let’s get one thing straight: the old retail rules don’t apply anymore. Consumers aren’t waiting for you to catch up. They’re already gone. They’ve seen five trends, been influenced six times, and switched platforms twice before your product even hits the shelf.

The pace has changed, but many retailers haven’t. They’re still forecasting using models made for a slower, more predictable market. What’s needed now is not another “best practice,” but a radical willingness to unlearn. Fast.

As Aditya Singh put it:

‍“Today, with so much competition in the market, the customer is spoiled for choices. Loyalty isn’t what it used to be. That makes data analytics more relevant than ever… but also, not so relevant.”‍

Standardization isn’t boring, it’s survival

From data conventions to tech stacks, everyone is finally waking up to the power of standardization. Think of it as the plumbing that keeps modern retail running smoothly. Without unified systems, your teams operate in silos, your decisions are misaligned, and your speed-to-market tanks.

Vishesh Kumar didn’t sugarcoat it:

‍“None of the systems are actually seamless and talking to each other. If you buy something online and want to collect it in-store—that kind of unified journey still feels out of reach.”

‍You can’t build agility on chaos. And no amount of AI will fix a broken foundation.

The discount dilemma is self-inflicted

Here’s a hard truth: consumers didn’t demand sales. We trained them to wait for them. And now, retailers are stuck in an endless cycle of markdowns, trading short-term spikes for long-term damage.

The challenge isn’t just reducing sale days. It’s about rebuilding trust in full-price value, and retraining consumers to see products as worth buying when they drop, not when they drop in price.

Fast fashion vs. fast relevance

With disruptors taking products from concept to shelf in under a month, legacy brands are facing an identity crisis: should they protect traditional strengths or adopt a speed-first model? The fear of becoming irrelevant is real, and the temptation to chase trends is strong.But relevance isn’t just about speed. It’s about clarity of purpose. About knowing who you are, who your customer is, and having the courage to move accordingly.

Sustainability is no longer optional (or superficial)

Forget the greenwashing. Real sustainability isn’t a marketing checkbox, it’s an operational necessity.

And it’s not just about EVs or recycled fabrics. It’s everything from order consolidation to warehouse design to reverse logistics.Yes, sustainability comes with a cost. But it also drives efficiency.

The smart retailers are seeing it not as an add-on, but as a business strategy in its own right.

Technology belongs in stores too

For years, tech was reserved for online. But the real transformation is now happening in physical retail. Think: smart mirrors that suggest outfits based on your body type and style preferences, RFID-enabled shelves, and seamless checkout flows that actually work.

The store of the future isn’t about screens everywhere. It’s about making physical retail feel as intuitive as digital.

The profitability squeeze is getting tighter

Rising rentals, longer payback periods, and increased competition are forcing retailers to rethink store footprints.‍

Anmol Mundhra laid it out plainly:‍

“With rising rentals… the payback period for opening a new store has changed significantly—from 12 to 24 months, to now 36 months and beyond. That churn—deciding which stores to shut and which to open at higher cost—is a key challenge we’re navigating.”

‍Do you expand with flagship experiences? Or double down on digital? Either way, profitability now requires smarter decision-making—not just about what to sell, but where, how fast, and at what cost.

The next generation is confusing (on purpose)

Everyone’s trying to figure out Gen Z. They talk about sustainability, then buy 10 dresses on a flash sale. They say they want fewer things, but their shopping carts suggest otherwise.It’s not about calling out contradictions. It’s about understanding that this generation isn’t linear, and retailers need to stop looking for clean patterns and start preparing for controlled chaos.

The bottom line: Retail is rewiring

This isn’t a gentle evolution. It’s a reset.The winners? They’re not the loudest or the biggest. They’re the most adaptive. The ones unlearning faster, standardizing smarter, building tech where it matters, and making peace with the messiness of modern consumption.Retail isn’t dying. It’s just finally catching up to the people it’s trying to serve.