Five years after the pandemic brought retail to a standstill, the industry’s recovery is still a work in progress — and the real disruption may just be beginning.
Retailers are no longer dealing with empty shelves or shuttered stores. Instead, they’re wrestling with something far more insidious: bloated, fragmented tech stacks that emerged from crisis-mode decision-making.
As Retail Dive reports, the pandemic-era surge in consumer spending (fueled by stimulus checks and ecommerce acceleration) forced retailers to move fast, adding layer upon layer of point solutions to manage last mile delivery, buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) strategies and supply chain visibility. It was survival at the time. But now, those disconnected tools have become expensive liabilities, creating data silos, operational inefficiencies and ballooning IT costs.
U.S. ecommerce sales jumped 66% in five years — but that growth is leveling off. Meanwhile, store closures in 2025 are projected to surpass 2020’s peak, with up to 15,000 locations expected to shutter.
In a tighter, more competitive market, tech bloat is no longer sustainable. Retailers need fewer tools rather than more, and they need them to work together with ease.
That’s why the industry is undergoing a shift: from short-term fixes to long-term platforms. From point solutions to purpose-built ecosystems. And from reactive spending to strategic investment.
This is the retail tech reckoning. And those who consolidate, streamline and orchestrate — especially in the last mile — will be the ones who thrive.
The Rise of Retail Tech Bloat: How We Got Here
Pandemic retail trends were defined by survival mode in early 2020 when COVID-19 swept around the world. Lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and an unprecedented surge in ecommerce meant that rapid adaptation was the only path to survival.
Retailers did what they had to do: invest fast and ask questions later. In a rush to meet consumer demand, many bolted-on standalone tools for everything from online ordering to curbside pickup to last mile delivery. Parcel tracking, courier management, BOPIS software — often from different vendors, rarely designed to work together.
And for a moment, it worked. The crisis was managed. Orders were fulfilled. Customers got their packages.
But five years later, the cracks are impossible to ignore.
Watch OneRail CEO and Founder Bill Catania on the Manifest stage talking about this shift from the early days of the pandemic to now:
What began as a lifeline has evolved into a tangled web of disconnected systems — what the industry now calls tech stack bloat. Instead of enabling agility, these systems are creating friction, draining budgets and slowing down fulfillment.
Here’s what that looks like today:
- Siloed data trapped in multiple systems, making it hard to get a single view of operations.
- High integration and maintenance costs, with IT teams stretched thin just to keep systems running.
- Limited visibility into real-time inventory, shipping status and delivery exceptions — the very things retailers need to compete on speed and service.
Retailers are waking up to a hard truth: band-aid tech isn’t built for long-term growth. What got them through 2020 won’t get them through 2025. And the cost of clinging to patchwork systems is now too high to ignore.
Retail’s New Reality: The Shift Toward Platform-Based Solutions
Retailers are now rethinking the foundation of their operations. Here’s a look at four ways forward-thinking brands are reducing tech stack bloat and building a competitive advantage.
1. Cutting Costs by Consolidating Tech Stacks
Every dollar counts in modern retail — and fragmented systems are quietly draining budgets. Maintaining multiple point solutions across fulfillment, delivery and inventory is both inefficient and expensive. From integration costs to vendor contracts and overlapping capabilities, bloated tech stacks are eating into margins that are tight to begin with.
That’s why a growing number of retailers are consolidating by turning to single-platform solutions that unify operations under one roof. For example, instead of juggling separate tools for parcel shipping, courier aggregation and same-day delivery, leading retailers are adopting logistics platforms that manage it all in one place. The result? Lower total cost of ownership, fewer integration headaches and a streamlined path to scalable growth.
2. The Demand for a ‘Single Pane of Glass’
As complexity increases, so does the need for clarity. Retailers today are demanding more than just functionality — they want total visibility across their delivery and fulfillment ecosystem. That means moving away from siloed dashboards and toward a single pane of glass: one centralized platform that delivers real-time insights and control, from order to doorstep.
This unified view enables smarter, faster decisions. With AI-driven routing, retailers can dynamically optimize for cost and speed. With automated carrier selection, they avoid overpaying for last mile services by intelligently matching each delivery with the best-fit provider. In short, it’s about making tools work together without manual intervention.
3. Buying vs. Building
In the early days of the pandemic, eager IT teams stepped up, offering to connect systems and build internal tools to manage fulfillment chaos. It was a noble effort — but five years later, it’s clear that building your own logistics tech is not a sustainable strategy.
Internal teams often lack the deep industry expertise to design scalable fulfillment software. They’re stretched thin, unable to maintain evolving API connections or keep up with ever-changing requirements. And as more internal users request new features and capabilities, bandwidth runs out fast.
The result? Inflexible, outdated systems that can’t keep pace. That’s why today’s most competitive retailers are buying rather than building. They’re choosing proven, purpose-built platforms that evolve with the market and deliver value from day one.
4. Moving from Reaction to Proactive Strategy
The pandemic forced retailers into reactive mode. They scrambled out of necessity to patch gaps, add capabilities and keep up with shifting demand. But the companies that are thriving in 2025 are those that have shifted from short-term fixes to long-term strategies. They’re no longer layering on point solutions. Instead, they’re investing in scalable, flexible platforms built to evolve with the business.
Take last mile delivery, for example. Instead of juggling multiple vendor contracts, third-party tracking tools and exception management systems, leading retailers are consolidating everything into a single logistics platform. These all-in-one solutions enable proactive decision-making, streamline operations and reduce risk — all while delivering the speed and reliability today’s consumers expect.
5. Tech That Helps Meet Consumer Demands
According to Retail Dive, today’s consumers have “taken back much of the leverage” they enjoyed prior to 2020 — leverage that was lost to some degree during the pandemic. As consumer sentiment drops precipitously in early 2025, retailers are dealing with a customer base that has high expectations and price fatigue (related to inflation).
Retailers that are still taking an early-pandemic approach to technology can’t hope to overcome these challenges. Only a modern, connected tech stack can help balance the imperative to meet customer demands while also keeping costs low enough to maintain margins.
Post-Pandemic Retail Trends & Tech: What Comes Next?
Retail’s new phase is all about optimization. While Retail Dive projects a staggering 15,000 store closures in 2025, the retailers that are weathering the storm have something in common: they’re consolidating their tech, streamlining operations, and investing strategically in logistics. The focus is on building a resilient, efficient supply chain that can adapt in real time.
Many are also wondering how ecommerce fits into retail’s post-pandemic future. What’s clear is that the ecommerce surge hasn’t erased the value of brick-and-mortar stores. Physical retail remains essential—not only as points of sale, but also as hubs for fulfillment, returns, and immersive customer experiences.
Today’s shoppers expect more than just fast delivery; they want a seamless, consistent brand experience whether they’re browsing online or walking into a store. That means omnichannel can’t be an afterthought—it has to be an integrated strategy. Retailers must unify systems, data, and operations to meet customers wherever they are, delivering the same level of service and personalization across every touchpoint.
This is exactly why last mile orchestration is quickly becoming one of the most important tech investments in retail. Consumers expect fast, reliable delivery—and they don’t care how complicated it is on the backend. Retailers embracing platform-based last mile solutions are cutting delivery costs, increasing on-time performance, and gaining full control over the final—and most visible—leg of the customer journey. It’s not just about logistics anymore; it’s about delivering on the brand promise, every time.
From Patchwork to Platform: It’s Time to Make the Shift
Retail’s next era will be defined by who can adopt the right tech.
Post-pandemic retail trends indicate that those who are cutting through the noise, consolidating their systems and investing in connected, platform-based ecosystems that scale with their businesses. The days of duct-taped solutions and disconnected tools are over. What worked in 2020 won’t cut it in 2025.
It’s time to trade reaction for orchestration.
It’s time to streamline, simplify and take control of the last mile.
See how OneRail helps retailers eliminate tech bloat and optimize delivery at scale when you schedule a demo.
