NRF 2026: AI is Everywhere, Trust is the Real Differentiator

NRF 2026 made one thing unmistakably clear: AI in retail has crossed a threshold. This year wasn’t about concepts or pilots; it was about real customer experiences, real transactions, and real impact.

From the show floor to the keynote stage, here are my top five takeaways for retail and commerce leaders, and what they signal about what’s coming next.

1. AI Is Collapsing Discovery and Shopping Into One Experience.

One of the biggest announcements from NRF came from Google and Walmart. They showcased how Gemini can surface product recommendations, pricing, and availability directly within AI conversations.

Instead of searching, clicking, and comparing across multiple tabs, shoppers can discover products within the AI experience itself.

Why this matters:
Shopping is shifting from a funnel to a conversation. The brands that win will meet customers in the moment they’re asking questions, not after they’ve already made up their minds.

2. Checkout Is Moving Inside AI, Not Onto Another Page.

Microsoft used NRF to showcase how Copilot is evolving into a platform where transactions can occur, not just provide recommendations.

By enabling purchases directly within AI interfaces, Microsoft is signaling a larger trend: AI isn’t just influencing shopping, it’s becoming part of the buying action itself.

Why this matters:
When discovery, guidance, and checkout live together, friction disappears. And when friction disappears, conversion goes up.

3. AI Is Becoming Core Retail Infrastructure, Not an Add-On.

On the operational side, SAP announced expanded AI capabilities across inventory planning, forecasting, and merchandising, reinforcing that AI is now foundational to how large retailers operate. This wasn’t framed as experimentation. It was framed as how modern retail runs.

Why this matters:
Retailers are no longer asking if they should adopt AI, they’re deciding where it drives the most leverage, both behind the scenes and in front of customers.

4. AI Is Influencing Shoppers Earlier Than Ever.

New research released at NRF from IBM showed that a growing percentage of consumers are using AI before they ever reach a retailer’s site, to research products, compare options, and build confidence. By the time they land on a brand experience, many shoppers are already informed and have made up their minds.

Why this matters:
Retailers need AI experiences that don’t just sell; they need to guide, reassure, and help customers decide in real time.

5. Everyone’s building AI agents. Very few are building trust.

There was no shortage of AI agents on display at NRF. Nearly every company was showcasing automation, smarter search, and backend intelligence. What was noticeably missing was the human element.

Most solutions focused on discovery, checkout, or operational efficiency. Very few addressed the middle of the customer journey, where shoppers ask questions, hesitate, and decide whether to move forward. Even fewer talked about how AI and humans should work together in those moments.

Why this matters:
Customers don’t think in terms of AI vs. human or support vs. sales. They just want help and the ability to act when they’re ready. When AI is built as a “set it and forget it” system, it often breaks down exactly when trust is needed most. That’s why the mid-journey matters so much. It’s where context, empathy, and seamless escalation make the difference between abandonment and conversion.

AI works best when it meets customers where they are (chat, email, text, or live conversation) and knows when to bring a human into the loop without losing context.

Bottom Line

‍The next wave of commerce won’t be driven by AI replacing humans. It will be driven by AI working alongside humans.

At Crescendo, we unify service and commerce into a single AI experience, backed by forward-deployed human experts who implement, manage, and continuously optimize the journey end to end. That’s how shopping feels easier, trust is built, and performance follows,  including ~4X chat-to-order conversion.

When service and commerce come together, and humans are looped in at the right moments, everyone wins.