The next decade will bring even more disruption as digital transformation informs it all.

Improving the customer experience was the top-ranked priority of more than 14,000 marketers and ecommerce professionals surveyed by Econsultancy for its 2017 Digital Intelligence Briefing, and a key point of differentiation will involve focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Beacons have sometimes gotten a bad rap but with "always on" consumers, their ability to deliver personalized customer experiences in the moment makes them well worth experimentation.

Ecommerce has taken over so much of the retail landscape. Malls and stores are closing because Amazon is trouncing them. This can drive opportunity for small businesses because a lot of that real estate will be developed and occupied by independents.