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Jan 19, 2026
Retail didn’t come to NRF 2026 looking for more insight. It came looking for traction. Across keynotes, closed-door briefings, and candid conversations on the show floor, one message surfaced again and again: Retailers…
It came looking for traction.
Across keynotes, closed-door briefings, and candid conversations on the show floor, one message surfaced again and again:
Retailers already understand what’s happening — the challenge is deciding and acting fast enough, consistently, and together.Data is no longer the constraint.
Decision speed and alignment are.
For years, retail planning has focused on improving visibility. Better forecasts. Better dashboards. Better analytics.
NRF 2026 marked a turning point.
The conversation moved decisively from seeing to deciding and from isolated optimization to commitment under pressure.
Retail leaders spoke openly about the friction they face:
The conclusion was clear: speed of commitment is now the competitive differentiator.
Not faster reporting.
Not more models.
Faster, aligned decisions, made with financial clarity.
AI was everywhere at NRF, but the tone had changed.
Less experimentation.
Less hype.
More realism.
Retailers are moving beyond point automation toward AI as an enabling layer embedded directly into planning workflows.
The goal isn’t autonomy.
It’s confidence.
AI is being used to:
AI is not the outcome.
Better decisions and faster execution are.
In parallel, AI is increasingly shaping the customer journey itself — influencing discovery, consideration, and purchase in ways that rival the impact of e-commerce’s first wave. That only raises the stakes for planning teams trying to keep enterprise decisions aligned with what’s happening at the edge.
Another consistent theme at NRF:
retailers are reframing success around total margin, not isolated KPIs.
Margin today is shaped by more than price:
These factors are inseparable — and they converge most visibly in the store.
NRF reinforced that the store has re-emerged as the strategic execution point.
It’s where enterprise plans are either realised — or quietly undermined.
That reality is forcing a rethink of how planning works:
forecasting still matters, but only as an input.
What retailers are seeking now is alignment before execution — ensuring merchandising intent, supply feasibility, store actions, and financial outcomes reconcile before the decision is made.
All of this places Integrated Business Planning firmly at the center of the retail agenda.
Not as a periodic process.
Not as a governance overlay.
But as a continuous decision framework.
The retailers leaning forward are using IBP to connect:
The shift is subtle but profound.
Planning is no longer about producing the “right” plan.
It’s about enabling faster cross-functional commitment with confidence, even as conditions change.
NRF 2026 didn’t introduce radically new problems.
It clarified priorities.
Retailers that outperform in the next cycle will be those that:
The opportunity is not to plan harder — it’s to plan together, with financial clarity, at the pace retail now demands.
To continue the conversation, we’ve pulled together the key NRF 2026 insights, supporting research, and practical resources in one place.
👉 Explore the NRF 2026 recap and resources
Because in modern retail, insight is table stakes.
Confident action is the advantage.
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