Accelerating New Possibilities at NRF 2026
This January, NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show will bring the industry to New York City to explore what’s next. It’s where strategies sharpen, priorities shift and new possibilities emerge. Retailers, tech providers, analysts and innovators will gather at the Javits Center to discuss how the store continues to evolve as the center of the retail experience.
What to expect in retail’s next chapter and how technology is rising to meet it
Retail moves fast, and so do your customers. Expectations for speed, personalization and seamless experiences continue to rise. Stores need technology that runs at optimal performance without disruption. Shoppers want frictionless interactions. And leaders need systems that drive efficiency while staying flexible enough to support growth.
This January, NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show will bring the industry to New York City to explore what’s next. It’s where strategies sharpen, priorities shift and new possibilities emerge. Retailers, tech providers, analysts and innovators will gather at the Javits Center to discuss how the store continues to evolve as the center of the retail experience.
Before you arrive in New York, here are three key shifts shaping retail in 2026 and what they mean for how retailers are preparing for the future.
1. The store is being transformed in real time
The physical store is still where most retail interactions happen, but customer expectations for those spaces have changed. They want fast checkout, flexible payment options and consistent experiences across every touchpoint, whether online, in-app or in-store. They also expect the experience to feel personal, not generic.
To meet these expectations, retailers are moving away from disconnected systems that slow down teams. They’re modernizing toward unified platforms that integrate checkout, loyalty, digital engagement, and other core workflows. This reduces friction and helps store teams deliver seamless experiences to keep customers coming back.
In 2026, the store is not just a place to buy. It’s where service, digital engagement and innovation come together. The retailers who move quickly to unify these experiences will be the ones who win with today’s shoppers.
2. AI is becoming a practical retail tool
AI is shifting from isolated pilots to daily use. Retailers are leveraging it to make faster decisions and adapt to changing conditions. This includes forecasting demand, refining replenishment, optimizing labor planning and offering more relevant loyalty engagement based on real-time behavior.
Today, retailers are evaluating AI differently. It’s less about adding complexity and more about helping teams make faster, easier decisions that benefit shoppers and store teams. The focus is on tools that fit naturally into workflows and help stores respond to what is happening at the moment.
At NRF, we expect to see greater emphasis on practical AI that improves visibility, reduces friction, and enhances performance without requiring major infrastructure changes.
3. Efficiency and agility are driving growth
Retailers are operating in an environment where speed, stability and cost efficiency determine how well they compete. Modernization is no longer a multi-year effort. It’s a continuous approach to improving operations with more speed, less complexity and less disruption.
Retailers are prioritizing technology that is:
- Easy to scale
- Resilient to change
- Adaptable without lengthy upgrades
- Designed to integrate across store, digital and enterprise systems
The faster retailers can deploy new capabilities, the better positioned they are to improve performance, protect margin and keep customers coming back.
How NCR Voyix helps retailers move faster
At NCR Voyix, we help retailers accelerate new possibilities by simplifying how store systems evolve and perform. Our open platform supports modernization with the speed, intelligence and reliability retailers need to operate efficiently and scale with confidence.
We help retailers:
- Modernize tech with radically new speed and cost efficiency
- Reduce friction across daily workflows and customer interactions
- Deploy new applications and updates in minutes instead of months
- Make better decisions with live AI-powered insights, not yesterday’s data
Visit us at booth #4621 at the Javits Center to see how these capabilities come to life and how retailers are using them to move faster and operate smarter.
Let’s connect in New York
Be among the first 100 retailers to pre-book your meeting and receive a $10 coffee on us e-gift as a thank you.
