Once known as the world's manufacturer, China has emerged as a destination for retailers from around the world to sell. A growing middle class with consumers willing to spend, Chinese retail sales grew 9.6 percent in 2016 and was on track to surpass that for 2017. Primarily fueled by e-commerce, retail is undergoing a big change and evolving in what is called O2O – online to offline. -Cathy Morrow Roberson, Founder/Head Analyst, Logistics Trends & Insights LLC

This just in: People are still shopping in physical stores.

If you want an explanation of why brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling today, industry observers say, look no further than Amazon. But there’s more to the picture than that.

As Amazon tightens its grip on the modern-day consumer, you have to wonder: Do traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have any future at all?

Amazon has culled its list of potential sites for its second headquarters from 238 bids across North America to just 20.