Retail has always evolved, but what’s happening now feels different. The speed, the pressure, and the number of forces hitting the industry at once have created a level of complexity that’s hard to ignore. In fact, the reality is changing so quickly that by the time you start reading this to the time you finish, something in the landscape has likely already shifted.
At the Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sat down with Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics, to unpack what’s really driving that change.
“The pace of change is something we haven’t seen before.”
That change is coming from everywhere. Macroeconomic instability, rising operating costs, shifting consumer expectations, and now AI layered on top of it all. Retailers aren’t just reacting to one trend, they’re navigating all of them at once.
AI Is Reshaping How Consumers Decide
While much of the conversation around AI focuses on efficiency, Richard points to something bigger: how it’s changing the way consumers make decisions.
AI is no longer just a back-end tool. It’s becoming part of the customer journey itself. Consumers are using platforms to research products, compare prices, and evaluate options before ever landing on a retailer’s website.
In many cases, that first point of interaction is no longer owned by the retailer.
That shift alone has major implications.
A Three-Stage Shift in Retail AI
Richard outlines a clear framework for how AI is showing up in retail today.
The first stage is off-site AI, where consumers use tools to guide discovery and research.
The second is on-site AI, where retailers embed assistants directly into their own digital experiences.
The third is the rise of agentic environments, where AI doesn’t just inform decisions, it begins to act on behalf of the consumer.
Each stage builds on the last, but together they point to a future where the path to purchase looks very different than it does today.
Discoverability Is the New Battleground
If there’s one theme that stands out, it’s this: discoverability is being redefined.
For years, retailers focused on optimizing for search engines, clicks, and conversion funnels. But as AI becomes a primary interface for discovery, those rules are changing.
Now the question becomes: how does your product show up in an AI-generated answer?
That requires a new approach to data, content, and digital presence. It also requires a mindset shift. Being searchable is no longer enough. Brands need to be understandable and usable by AI systems that are interpreting and presenting information on behalf of the consumer.
Not All Categories Will Move at the Same Speed
One of the more important nuances in Richard’s perspective is that this transformation won’t happen evenly.
High-consideration categories like electronics are already seeing strong adoption, where detailed specifications and comparisons lend themselves well to AI-driven discovery.
Lower-risk, repetitive categories like grocery are also primed for automation, where convenience and habit play a major role.
But more emotional, tactile categories like luxury or jewelry may evolve more slowly, where human experience and physical interaction still matter deeply.
Understanding where your category sits on that spectrum will be critical.
What Retailers Need to Do Next
For retail leaders, the takeaway isn’t just that change is happening. It’s that the foundation of how customers find and choose products is shifting.
That means asking new questions.
How will customers discover your products in an AI-first world?
How should your data be structured to support that discovery?
And how do you adapt before expectations fully catch up?
Because they will.
Retail has always been about meeting customers where they are. The difference now is that “where they are” is changing faster than ever.
To catch more conversations from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, follow Omni Talk Retail on LinkedIn or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you to Vusion for supporting Omni Talk Retail’s live coverage, and thank you to our listeners for joining us during the event.
Be careful out there,
Chris Walton and the Omni Talk team
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.