A new report from Colliers International, called "The U.S. Retail Highlights: 2012 Outlook," notes some relevant trends that retail merchants should consider as they plan for the upcoming year.

First, it's important retail brands realize that sales aren't expected to jump as much as they did last year. While they will still improve in 2012, they will do so at a slower pace. According to a report from the National Retail Federation, new sales will be up 3.4 percent in 2012, compared to the 4.6 percent increase observed last year.

Ecommerce will also continue to play a pivotal role, Inc. magazine notes.

"Ecommerce will grow exponentially, both in the way products are offered and purchased – with the latter seeing an influx in transactions via mobiles and tablets. Mobile sales this year are projected to climb 49 percent to $10 billion as retailers are seeing such devices as a bridge between their online and offline operations," the news source explains, citing the report.

A separate report from comScore further illustrates the growing value of ecommerce – during the fourth quarter alone, online shopping was up 14 percent to $50 billion.