5 Ways That 3-D Printing is Going to Shake Up Retail

Make no mistake about it: 3-D printing will be a huge part of the retail industry's future. While Gartner is forecasting that mainstream adoption of consumer 3-D printing is still five years to 10 years away, the retail industry is already feeling the shift. Amazon.com has launched an online store for 3-D printed items, enabling customers to personalize products from wallets to dolls to jewelry. By some predictions, 10 percent of all consumer products will be made using 3-D processes by 2025, and Autodesk foresees half of all households in developed countries owning their own 3-D printer within a decade.