Agentic AI: for the consumer
Agentic AI is moving retail beyond reactive recommendations toward proactive, concierge‑like experiences that can anticipate needs, reason, and act across channels. Google spotlighted Unified Commerce Protocol (UCP) to standardize agent‑driven commerce enabling native checkout and retailer‑controlled relationships.
Leaders reinforced human-centered AI with humility, transparency, explainability, and design that augments rather than replace people, to preserve trust as autonomy increases. Luxury retailers emphasized “quiet tech” that elevates creativity and client relationships without overwhelming the brand experience.
Agentic AI: for the organization
Retailers are shifting from pilots to scaled execution, using coordinated agents to enhance e‑commerce, store operations, and supply chain. Physical AI, digital twins, and edge‑to‑cloud architectures are improving productivity, cost, and resilience in DCs and stores. Building proprietary agents to “negotiate” with third‑party shopping agents is emerging as a differentiator.
Knowing your customer: meet them where they are (with tech)
Discovery has evolved from stores and SEO to social, short‑form video, and conversational AI. Consumers increasingly rely on AI‑generated recommendations, and machine customers (agents) are beginning to discover and transact on behalf of people. Brands are updating content, architecture (APIs/microservices), and measurement to be discoverable across all types of platform customers explore on.
Tech‑enabled loss prevention
Shrink is now omni‑fraud, spanning ORC, returns abuse, payments fraud, and logistics, amplified by online resale velocity and increasingly coordinated groups. Computer vision at self‑checkout, LPR integration, exception‑based reporting, and cross‑retailer data sharing are accelerating detection and response, while employee safety and de‑escalation training remain paramount.
Building resilient supply chains
Supply chains are shifting from cost‑only to resilience + margin. Digital twins and near‑real‑time analytics help avoid split shipments, optimize inventory placement, and balance speed vs. cost. Physical/agentic AI, computer vision, and edge processing are improving DC flow, labor efficiency, and SLA adherence.
The tech lifecycle: where to invest and when you’ve “made it”
NRF sentiment was clear: the pace of change requires selectivity. Most offerings are point solutions; the missing piece is the orchestration layer that unifies data, governance, and workflows. Leaders are moving from “pilot collect” to repeatable value, setting tollgates (proof of tech/concept/economics), scaling what sticks, and sunsetting what doesn’t. The biggest signal that you’ve made it in your tech transformation journey is when your daily operations look different.
Economic outlook
Teams noted a cautious shift toward asset‑based commerce dynamics, with consumers reallocating spend patterns; lower oil prices have eased freight in places, partially offsetting tariff impacts. The through‑line for retailers: preserve financial flexibility, sharpen category bets, and focus on profitable growth while AI transformation accelerates.
