NRF 2026: Key Technology Takeaways at the Turning Point for Agentic and AI-Fueled, Data-Driven Retailing

This IDC Perspective discusses how NRF 2026 marked a turning point on the road to agentic/AI-fueled retailing, taking a step forward from the experimentation stage to execution. Dominant themes arose around the critical need for a modernized unified data foundation to support successful AI/agentic AI initiatives, the importance of moving away from fragmented siloed data and systems to a unified, holistic view across operations, and changes retailers need to make to remain competitive as consumers increasingly embrace agentic shopping journeys."NRF 2026 highlighted the critical importance of unified, trusted, real-time data foundations essential to leverage data-driven AI/agentic AI to elevate customer experience, drive new levels of operational efficiency, and successfully compete amid today's fast-changing, volatile retail landscape," says Margot Juros, research director, Worldwide Retail AI, Platforms, and Technologies, IDC.