Retail has accumulated an expansive technology infrastructure across stores, supply chains, merchandising, e-commerce, workforce management, reporting, and customer engagement. Point-of-sale systems, inventory platforms, task-management tools, supplier networks, robotics, analytics, and AI applications can each contribute valuable information. Yet the growing volume of systems also creates more information to interpret and more interfaces through which decisions must be made.
That dynamic is becoming increasingly relevant as retailers consider the next stage of AI adoption. Deloitte's 2026 Global Retail Industry Outlook, based on a survey of 330 retail executives, found that nearly 68% of respondents expected to deploy agentic AI for key operational and enterprise activities within 12 to 24 months. The report also describes an industry increasingly focused on connecting technology investments and translating data into business decisions.
