In this episode of the Omni Talk Expert Series, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga present their second annual NRF must-see tech preview, featuring five companies bringing transformative solutions to retail operations and customer experience.
This year’s lineup spans the full spectrum of retail operations from back-office procurement and international expansion to in-store inventory visibility, checkout optimization, and last-mile fulfillment. Each featured company brings production-ready technology with proven deployment data from major retailers, delivering tangible outcomes in cost reduction, sales growth, and operational efficiency.
Featured companies and innovations:
- [1:16] – Gain CEO Michael Gabay introduces AI employees Natalie and Bob executing end-to-end supplier negotiations and replenishment, closing deals from repair parts to $2-3M agreements
- [13:45] – ESW‘s Chief Revenue Officer Tonia Luykx on cross-border commerce platform reducing international duties by 60% and enabling launches across 200+ countries without the $2.5-4.5M per-country build cost
- [33:06] – PervasID‘s CEO Peter Oram on overhead RFID technology (Trackmaster 3X) delivering 98-99% stock accuracy with 6-8 month ROI and 5-10% sales increases through improved on-shelf availability
- [49:33] – Diebold Nixdorf‘s VP Arvin Jawa on visual AI at checkout reducing shrink from 3% to under 1% through intelligent nudging, with 80% of shoppers self-rectifying when prompted about missed scans
- [1:06:40] – Cleveron‘s Business Development Director Mark Schneide on robotic parcel lockers deployed in 300+ Zara stores across 38 countries, eliminating click-and-collect friction with QR code scan delivery in seconds
This conversation is essential for retail leaders preparing for NRF 2026 and evaluating technology investments that deliver measurable operational improvements and customer experience enhancements.
Be careful out there,
– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team
P.S. To see our full lineup of past Ask An Expert conversations, head here.
retailtech #NRF2026 #agenticAI #RFID #visualAI
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.