By Dave Buckingham, CEO, Ecrebo
After a busy few days at NRF Europe in Paris, one thing stood out to me: retail isn’t short of technology. The challenge now is turning that technology into meaningful commercial outcomes.
Across conversations around AI, retail media, customer engagement and the future of the physical store, there was a common thread. Retailers are increasingly focused not simply on what technology can do, but on how it can be connected, operationalized and used to deliver measurable value.
AI in retail: the conversation is shifting to value
AI was, unsurprisingly, a major theme. But the conversation has moved on.
It’s becoming less about what AI could do and more about where it can deliver value at scale, particularly across forecasting, personalization and customer service.
That distinction matters. As AI becomes more widely available, the question for retailers is increasingly about where it can make a meaningful difference to the business rather than simply where it can be deployed.
The physical store remains a strategic advantage
At the same time, the role of the physical store continues to evolve.
Far from being diminished by digital, stores are increasingly being viewed as a strategic advantage and a critical customer-engagement channel.
A theme I heard several times was simple:
Digital creates scale and convenience; stores create trust.
That makes the store an increasingly important part of the retail media opportunity too.
Bringing retail media into the physical store
Retailers are looking at how in-store touchpoints can become more programmable, measurable and ultimately more attractive to brand investment, bringing the capabilities we have become accustomed to online into the physical environment.
The opportunity is significant, but it depends on more than adding another technology or channel.
It requires retailers to understand how those touchpoints fit into the wider customer journey and how the value they create can be measured.
Connecting the customer journey
None of this works effectively in isolation.
Retailers want connected systems and orchestrated touchpoints across the entire customer journey.
The opportunity is to use technology to connect those moments and make every interaction more relevant, whether that happens online, in the aisle, at checkout or after the purchase.
That connection between digital and physical experiences is becoming increasingly important as retailers look for ways to create more consistent and useful interactions with customers.
Retail technology still has to deliver commercial results
Despite all the discussion around AI, data and retail media, the measures of success remain refreshingly commercial:
- Incremental sales
- Better availability
- Reduced waste
- Improved labor productivity
- Stronger margins
Technology may be changing rapidly, but ultimately retailers still need to understand what it is contributing to the business.
The challenge isn’t access to technology
Perhaps the biggest challenge is no longer access to technology. If anything, retailers have too much choice.
Legacy integration, execution capability and the ability to scale remain significant barriers.
The question for retailers is therefore shifting from:
“What technology should we invest in?”
to:
“How do we make the technology we have deliver a measurable return?”
For me, that was the real takeaway from NRF Europe 2026.
The winners won’t simply be those with the most technology. They’ll be the ones that can connect it, operationalize it and turn it into better customer experiences and stronger commercial outcomes.