NRF 2026: how is AI redesigning the future of retail? 

New York has always been the stage where retail anticipates its great revolutions.In turn, what we witnessed at NRF 2026 goes much further: retail has already entered a new technological cycle, in which AI, personalization and intelligent agents begin to structure the way consumers discover products, make decisions and complete purchases.

The event left, clearly and objectively, the following message: Artificial Intelligence has gone from being a layer of operational efficiency to becoming the central platform to drive the customer journey keynote session “The AI Platform Shift and the Opportunity Ahead for Retail”, which brought together Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, and John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S.and future global CEO of Walmart Inc.

The scale of this transformation is translated into impressive numbers presented by Pichai.In 2024, Google processed 8.3 trillion AI-related tokens.In 2025, this volume jumped to more than 90 trillion 11 times growth in just one year.

This acceleration explains the change in consumer behavior. Today, we have already registered more than 50 billion searches for product discovery in real time. The search pattern for “keywords” The consumer now describes complex intentions and desires, delegating to Artificial Intelligence the task of filtering, comparing and presenting what is relevant. As Pichai defined: “A AI is becoming more personal, contextual and able to act for you”.

Thus, the crucial point for retailers is the preservation of the relationship that needs to be maintained with each consumer in order to strengthen the link and loyalty. In this sense, technology enters as the ally to reduce possible friction, as well as maintain customer trust at each stage of the purchase journey.

John Furner brought the vision of who is applying this paradigm in one of the largest companies in the world. Walmart is not only testing AI, but has redesigned its operation around it. With agents such as Sparky (consumer oriented) and internal systems that guide from logistics to replacement at the point of sale, the organization proves that Artificial Intelligence serves to shorten the distance between the “eu I want”.

More than that, AI is being used to raise the level of the workforce.By automating arduous and repetitive tasks, the retailer opens space for its employees to develop more strategic and technical skills, which is an essential move for the sustainability of the sector.

No wonder, one of the most strategic announcements of the fair was the presentation of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). This is an open standard, led by Google in partnership with giants such as Walmart, Target and Shopify, which allows AI agents to conduct end-to-end purchases without the user having to leave the conversation interface.

These examples leave us, in Brazil, the alert that the transformation is fast and requires collaboration success of trade will depend on the ability of companies after all, integration needs to be native and data governance, absolute.

The future of retail will not be defined by who has the most beautiful website, but by who can be more useful and invisible in the life of the consumer. The era of search has ended and the era of delivering contextual solutions has begun. However, the transformation requires collaboration between platforms and retailers, not starting from the idea that AI will replace the company's performance, but rather enable more efficient journeys, preserving identity, value proposition and customer relationship.

As Sundar Pichai said: “Keep the focus on the user, and everything else tends to follow”. In 2026 retail, focusing on the user means being present where the decision happens: in the intelligence of the conversation.

Tailan Oliveira it's CRO at ALFA.