Revenue optimism meets margin concerns: retailers struggle to achieve profitable growth

Berlin, 31 August 2026 – Retailers are cautiously optimistic about revenue growth, but remain under pressure to protect their margins. This is one of the findings of a survey commissioned by Unzer among 109 retailers in Germany. While 55% of respondents expect revenues to rise over the next 12 months, 62% anticipate a decline in their gross margins. 

Economic pressure remains high: 91% of respondents see rising prices as a major or fairly major challenge. 84% point to generally cautious consumer spending, while 83% cite customers’ high price sensitivity. For 72%, pressure on margins is a major or fairly major concern. 

“The findings reflect a situation that many mid-sized retailers know first-hand: revenue growth alone is not enough when costs are rising and margins are under pressure,” says Pascal Beij, Chief Commercial Officer at Unzer. “Retailers are therefore investing selectively in areas that help them reach customers more effectively while managing their businesses more efficiently.” 

Retailers invest in connected channels and new services 

The survey shows that many retail businesses are responding to economic pressure not by scaling back digitalisation, but by expanding their sales and service offerings. Customers expect to find products online, collect them in-store, pay flexibly and return purchases without unnecessary friction. However, 29% of respondents still manage their sales channels separately. At the same time, 81% have already connected their channels, are currently doing so or plan to do so. 

For small and mid-sized businesses in particular, this creates a demanding balancing act. They need to meet customer expectations despite limited budgets, time and staffing. 69% of respondents consider the need for additional specialist staff a major or fairly major challenge when connecting their channels. 65% respectively see building new channels and working with external service providers as hurdles. Investment in software solutions and the automation of relevant processes also remain challenging for many retailers. 

Flexible payment options and Wero gain importance 

Established payment methods remain the backbone of the checkout: 80% of surveyed retailers offer card payments, 69% PayPal, and 68% each offer direct debit and prepayment. At the same time, many are expanding their payment offering to give customers greater flexibility. 

Already, 53% of respondents offer Buy Now, Pay Later options, such as invoice payments or instalments. A further 15% plan to introduce them by the end of 2026. For 56%, these payment options are primarily a way to increase their customers’ willingness to spend. 

Wero, the European payment solution, is also gaining traction in retail, although it is not yet widely established. One in four retailers already offers it, while a further 24% plan to introduce it by the end of 2026—the largest planned increase among all payment methods surveyed. At the same time, almost a third currently have no plans to introduce Wero, and nearly one in five has not yet heard of it. 

AI agents could become the next sales channel 

Another issue shaping the future of retail is agentic commerce: AI assistants could soon research products, compare prices and make purchases on behalf of customers. 54% of respondents consider this development highly or somewhat relevant to their business within the next one to three years. 

At the same time, many questions remain open. Respondents most frequently cited liability in the event of incorrect purchases or malfunctions, technical integration into existing checkouts, and the potential loss of the direct customer relationship. More than half of those surveyed therefore see a need for payment solutions specifically designed for AI agents—for example, to ensure secure authorisation, clear liability rules and transaction limits. 

“The future of retail will not improve simply by adding more and more technology,” says Pascal Beij. “It will improve when payments, data and processes work together securely and simply. This applies equally to new payment methods such as Wero and AI-powered shopping experiences. What matters is that they deliver a tangible day-to-day benefit: more choice for customers and better, more reliable decisions for retailers.” 

Unzer helps retailers bring payments, sales channels and business data together in one ecosystem. The aim is to give small and mid-sized businesses access to powerful commerce technology without requiring them to build separate solutions for every new channel or service. 

About the survey

For the Unzer Retail Report 2026, IFH Cologne surveyed 109 retailers in Germany in July 2026 about their economic situation, payment methods and Buy Now, Pay Later. The survey provides insights into the views and current challenges of retail businesses of different sizes. Around half of the participants represent companies with annual revenues of at least €50 million. The results are not representative of the German retail sector as a whole. 

About Unzer

Unzer helps merchants digitalise their business with simple and integrated payment and software solutions. Our platform connects payments, software, and financial services in one ecosystem – enabling merchants to sell online and in-store. Built for small and mid-sized businesses, Unzer makes commerce simpler and more efficient. More than 90,000 merchants across Europe already use Unzer’s ecosystem. The company employs around 750 people across eight offices in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Luxembourg.