NRF 2026
The loudest word at NRF 2026 was "agentic." The more useful story underneath: AI stopped being a roadmap item and became something retailers are wiring into checkout, catalogs and operations right now.
We separate three things so you can tell reporting from opinion: what was officially announced, what speakers said, and what we think follows.
The photos are ours. We have not reproduced private conversations from the show.
Six takeaways at a glance
The six ideas that stayed with our team after three days at NRF, each with what it means for retailers. Select a card to read it in full.
The checkout button moves into the AI interface
Google's open standard puts a buy button inside Gemini and AI Mode.
Read takeaway
Product data becomes the storefront
Agents compare attributes, stock and price, not banners.
Read takeaway
Who owns the customer relationship
Retailers keep the sale. The insight is still up for grabs.
Read takeaway
The best AI is the one customers barely notice
Luxury leaders argue tech should support human connection.
Read takeaway
AI is judged on hours saved
7-Eleven's chatbots saved 2 million hours a year.
Read takeaway
Agents need integrated systems
Tool sprawl is the problem. Vendors are racing to package the fix.
Read takeaway
The checkout button is moving into the AI interface
Google launched an open standard for buying inside Gemini and AI Mode. Retailers helped write it and stay merchant of record.
Treat agent checkout as a new channel to pilot and measure. The question is no longer where you rank, but whether an agent can complete a purchase with you.
Product data is becoming the storefront
An agent compares attributes, stock and price. It never sees your hero banner.
- Audit the fields an agent uses to compare your top products.
- Check how often you appear in AI answers for your category.
- Treat data freshness as an operating target.
Who owns the customer relationship is now the strategic question
Retailers keep the sale. Whether they keep the insight is still open, and retailers at the show stressed having their own on-site agents.
Decide which data you share with outside agents, how loyalty identity travels, and what your own agent can do that an outside one cannot.
Technology should be "everywhere, but visible nowhere."
Gonzague de Pirey, LVMH chief omnichannel and data officer, as reported by PwC
The best AI experience is the one the customer barely notices
Earlier years of AI talk centered on efficiency. This year it kept returning to designers, artisans and clients.
This is a design decision. Choose the moments that should feel human, and use AI to clear the path to them.
Emma Grede's test for any task
AI is now judged on hours saved and decisions improved
The strongest sessions were the least futuristic. Leaders talked about workflows, not visions.
Start where the baseline is already measured, and set the threshold for scaling before you begin.
Agents are only as capable as the systems they can reach
From our own photos: tool sprawl is the problem, and vendors are racing to package the fix with named agents for pricing, inventory and data queries.
An agent acts by calling your systems. Map the few workflows you want automated end to end, then check the data and APIs beneath them.
Where our team spent the week
We took meetings, walked the expo and sat in sessions. These are the places and conversations our photos show.
Meetings in the Special Events Hall
Much of the real work happened at the marble tables near the Special Events Hall, with our Penumbra one-pager on the table.
Booths and partner conversations
We stopped at Patchworks, Ekyam, Taggstar and McFadyen Digital, where we were photographed with AI Best Practices for Commerce, Volume 1.
Sessions and the wider floor
We sat in on Yoobic and Oracle sessions, looked in on the Google, AWS and T-Mobile for Business spaces, and walked the Innovators Showcase.
The photos below are ours. We have named companies only where their booth, slide or signage is visible, and we have not quoted private conversations.
NRF in photos
The people, booths and sessions from three days in New York. Select any photo to enlarge it.
The people we met
Sessions and the expo floor
Around New York
How is your business preparing for AI-driven discovery and checkout?
NRF 2026 suggested the groundwork is being laid this year. These are the three questions we are putting to the retailers we work with.
Can an agent buy from you today?
Check whether your checkout, product feed and payment setup can support agent-initiated purchases.
Is your catalog good enough to be chosen?
Test how your products appear in AI answers and where data falls short of what an agent needs.
What will you keep for yourself?
Decide which customer data, loyalty identity and service experience stay in your own channels.
NULogic is a digital commerce agency working across Shopware, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and other platforms. Penumbra helps retailers see and improve how they show up in AI search, and Cartivo is our AI shopping agent for retailers' own sites.
Event figures as reported by NRF-linked listings and IADS. Counts vary slightly by source.
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NRF 2026
NRF 2026
Retail's next storefront is an AI agent. What was announced, what was said on stage, and what our team took away from three days at the Javits Center.
The loudest word at NRF 2026 was "agentic." The more useful story underneath: AI stopped being a roadmap item and became something retailers are wiring into checkout, catalogs and operations right now.
We separate three things so you can tell reporting from opinion: what was officially announced, what speakers said, and what we think follows.
The photos are ours. We have not reproduced private conversations from the show.
Six takeaways at a glance
The six ideas that stayed with our team after three days at NRF, each with what it means for retailers. Select a card to read it in full.
The checkout button moves into the AI interface
Google's open standard puts a buy button inside Gemini and AI Mode.
Read takeawayProduct data becomes the storefront
Agents compare attributes, stock and price, not banners.
Read takeawayWho owns the customer relationship
Retailers keep the sale. The insight is still up for grabs.
Read takeawayThe best AI is the one customers barely notice
Luxury leaders argue tech should support human connection.
Read takeawayAI is judged on hours saved
7-Eleven's chatbots saved 2 million hours a year.
Read takeawayAgents need integrated systems
Tool sprawl is the problem. Vendors are racing to package the fix.
Read takeawayThe checkout button is moving into the AI interface
Google launched an open standard for buying inside Gemini and AI Mode. Retailers helped write it and stay merchant of record.
Treat agent checkout as a new channel to pilot and measure. The question is no longer where you rank, but whether an agent can complete a purchase with you.
Product data is becoming the storefront
An agent compares attributes, stock and price. It never sees your hero banner.
- Audit the fields an agent uses to compare your top products.
- Check how often you appear in AI answers for your category.
- Treat data freshness as an operating target.
Who owns the customer relationship is now the strategic question
Retailers keep the sale. Whether they keep the insight is still open, and retailers at the show stressed having their own on-site agents.
Decide which data you share with outside agents, how loyalty identity travels, and what your own agent can do that an outside one cannot.
Technology should be "everywhere, but visible nowhere."
Gonzague de Pirey, LVMH chief omnichannel and data officer, as reported by PwC
The best AI experience is the one the customer barely notices
Earlier years of AI talk centered on efficiency. This year it kept returning to designers, artisans and clients.
This is a design decision. Choose the moments that should feel human, and use AI to clear the path to them.
Emma Grede's test for any task
AI is now judged on hours saved and decisions improved
The strongest sessions were the least futuristic. Leaders talked about workflows, not visions.
Start where the baseline is already measured, and set the threshold for scaling before you begin.
Agents are only as capable as the systems they can reach
From our own photos: tool sprawl is the problem, and vendors are racing to package the fix with named agents for pricing, inventory and data queries.
An agent acts by calling your systems. Map the few workflows you want automated end to end, then check the data and APIs beneath them.
Where our team spent the week
We took meetings, walked the expo and sat in sessions. These are the places and conversations our photos show.
Meetings in the Special Events Hall
Much of the real work happened at the marble tables near the Special Events Hall, with our Penumbra one-pager on the table.
Booths and partner conversations
We stopped at Patchworks, Ekyam, Taggstar and McFadyen Digital, where we were photographed with AI Best Practices for Commerce, Volume 1.
Sessions and the wider floor
We sat in on Yoobic and Oracle sessions, looked in on the Google, AWS and T-Mobile for Business spaces, and walked the Innovators Showcase.
The photos below are ours. We have named companies only where their booth, slide or signage is visible, and we have not quoted private conversations.
NRF in photos
The people, booths and sessions from three days in New York. Select any photo to enlarge it.
The people we met
Sessions and the expo floor
Around New York
How is your business preparing for AI-driven discovery and checkout?
NRF 2026 suggested the groundwork is being laid this year. These are the three questions we are putting to the retailers we work with.
Can an agent buy from you today?
Check whether your checkout, product feed and payment setup can support agent-initiated purchases.
Is your catalog good enough to be chosen?
Test how your products appear in AI answers and where data falls short of what an agent needs.
What will you keep for yourself?
Decide which customer data, loyalty identity and service experience stay in your own channels.
NULogic is a digital commerce agency working across Shopware, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and other platforms. Penumbra helps retailers see and improve how they show up in AI search, and Cartivo is our AI shopping agent for retailers' own sites.
Event figures as reported by NRF-linked listings and IADS. Counts vary slightly by source.