AI in Retail: From Adoption to Advantage

Retail and e-commerce leaders are confident about AI, but confidence and results don't always align. In the 2026 EXL Enterprise AI Study, 84% of retail executives said they're ahead of competitors, yet only 6% qualify as Leaders — the widest perception-performance gap of any industry. 

Adoption is strongest in customer experience and merchandising, while agentic AI is gaining ground in supply chain, pricing, and the contact center. Data consistency and trust remain the biggest roadblocks to scale. Discover what sets retail AI leaders apart and the four priorities that turn AI investment into measurable competitive advantage.