Snippets From NRF 2026
NRF’s Big Show, held in New York earlier this month, gathered global attendees from across the retail and consumer goods space who are all battling a similar challenge: to move faster with AI without losing the human touch.
Read on to learn how major companies are setting the stage for a year defined by data-informed decisions, seamless social commerce and the relentless pursuit of consumer-centricity.
PepsiCo Is Focused on Fast-Tracking Innovation, Trend-Spotting With AI
PepsiCo president of the U.S. beverages business Michael Del Pozo sat down with NRF president and CEO Matthew Shea for a fireside chat about the state of Pepsi's business.
It's all driven by the consumer, he said. "I think as long as we continue to keep that at the forefront of everything we do, we feel like we're anticipating changes versus reacting."
The company is focused on three priorities. First is to adapt the portfolio to changing consumer needs, shaped by health and wellness trends such as the popularity of GLP-1 medications. This has led to innovations such as a prebiotic soda and low-sugar, no-artificial-ingredient options with Gatorade, Lay's and Tostitos.
Second is the acceleration of innovation, enabled by technologies like AI.
Also: PepsiCo to get ahead of supply chain challenges with 3D digital twin tech
"We used to take one to two years to innovate, and you just can't — the trend has moved," said Del Pozo. "We've actually worked really hard on fast-tracking innovation through AI capabilities on R&D, fast rapid sampling, testing with retailers in certain markets and launching through the digital shelf. Prebiotic launched on Black Friday, only on digital."
Third is partnerships through mergers and acquisitions. As examples, Del Pozo pointed to successes with Celsius, Alani and Poppi. Selling the Rockstar business to Celsius and then picking up Alani helped the company achieve an energy portfolio with 20% market share.
"Poppy was a great example of one incredible portfolio add that we believe already has household penetration at 22%," he added. "It'll be a multibillion-dollar brand for us — that's where the future of sodas is going."
It's not a one-size-fits-all approach, he emphasized, stating that data-sharing is becoming a big part of how relationships evolve.
"We may debate on what the best ROI of some of the data is, but we want to have as much as we can. We want to make data-informed decisions and want to collaborate on how you really need to market in a new world like this."
In years past, there was much more arguing over price and merchandising decisions, he said. Now, the company takes a more holistic approach to the business, looking at end-to-end impact.
The Story Behind Ralph Lauren's AI Chat Tool
David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer for Ralph Lauren, shared details about the company's "Ask Ralph" tool.
The AI-enabled chat tool offers a customized shopping experience through user prompts, arranging shoppable outfits pulled from available inventory within the Polo Ralph Lauren brand.
The innovation came as Ralph Lauren wanted to adapt its business model to reach new audiences. People had never heard of buying a suit online, but as trends changed, the company started leaning into digital tools to meet new needs.
"We said, 'Let's build something that's technological … and we'll talk to the folks over in Silicon Valley where we don't have a lot of stories, and maybe they'll start to think it's cool and it'll grow from there," said Lauren.
The AI tool was built in partnership with Microsoft, with someone like Bill Gates in mind. "What type of tool might he use to get dressed?" Lauren asked.
"'Ask Ralph' feels warm. It feels like I've walked into the mansion or one of the stores. And you get sort of invited in with the experience — the visuals, the storytelling — and then of course with the technology, it becomes very conversational."
Also: Ralph Lauren leans on AI and predictive buying to offset tariff risks
The idea is that AI can help shoppers look at real-time inventory and guide them toward clothing they will feel confident in. Additionally, it is helping to train Ralph Lauren employees in the back-end.
"I used a combination of 'Ask Ralph' and asking Michael, who is my sales associate at the store in Tyson's Corner Center in Virginia, who helped me complete the journey," said Lauren of a recent shopping experience. "It creates this completely seamless, comprehensive, holistic, complementary experience that is consistent across all the channels."
Over the last holiday period, the company saw $2 billion in AI-influenced sales and a 700% increase in AI-driven searches and inquiries as a result, he said.
From Campaigns to Content: How Brands Are Winning on TikTok Shop
If TikTok Shop was still a sidelined play for marketers in 2025, it may be time to bump it up on the priority list.
More than 71 million people shopped on the social media site last year — a nearly 25% uptick over 2024. That number is expected to climb 10.7% annually, with estimates pointing to more than 46% of users buying through the platform by 2028, according to Capital One Shopping research released in November.
And doing business on TikTok Shop has been a boon, at least according to leaders from Crocs, Pacsun and Tarte Cosmetics who spoke at NRF.
“You have to kind of try everything,” said Feliz Papich, senior vice president of digital technology, experience and insights at Crocs. “You have to let influencers make content, and you can’t be afraid of that content.”
Lowe's Scales Marketplace as Video Connects Digital Discovery to Stores
Lowe’s is increasingly bullish on its Marketplace e-commerce platform as a major growth engine, while expanding investments in video and visualization have the potential to bring those digital gains into the store.
Launched in late 2024 in partnership with Mirakl, Lowe's Marketplace is broadening the retailer's assortment to help it serve both entry-level and premium shoppers, Joe Cano, senior vice president of digital, told CGT's sister brand P2PI at NRF in New York.
“This extended aisle has been huge for us,” Cano said, pointing to demand that ranges from entry-level small appliances to $2,000 Kohler faucet extensions, the latter of which have become some of Marketplace’s best-selling items.
It is already outperforming growth expectations, and Lowe’s is steadily using search data and AI to identify assortment gaps and onboard new vendors based on customer demand, he said.
Retail ROI
RetailROI, a non-profit dedicated to helping children in vulnerable environments, held its annual Super Saturday fundraising event prior to NRF's kickoff. As part of the event, a panel of retail technology leaders discussed their journeys of implementing artificial intelligence within stores. The common thread: Successful AI adoption must enhance, not replace, the human experience on the sales floor.
Casey Craig, SVP of technology at Total Wine & More, described the company’s fairly cautious approach to piloting AI-enabled tools that support associates’ deep product expertise without diminishing personal interaction. He shared that they're piloting technology that aims to blend associate knowledge with an AI-enabled assistant.
Dollar Tree’s VP of store and omnichannel technology, Giancarlo Fioranaccio, also shared lessons learned from early AI proofs of concept. This included a chatbot pilot that revealed the risks of deploying technology without a clear frontline use case. It was an important lesson, and he noted they've become "more intentional about [AI] can be rolled out to the front line. … We're taking a more concerted approach and starting with the business problems."
Tech Voices on the Frontlines
As technology providers work with brands and retailers, they are observing trends within AI-first strategies and the obstacles companies frequently encounter. See what they had to say.
Challenge: Knowing Where to Invest
"I think there's a recurring problem that's always there year after year, which continues to be a big deal as we enter 2026. It's the operational efficiency aspect of running retail. Margins and specific segments are very, very tight. And especially in a world of emerging technologies and everything that's coming out, it's very difficult for retailers to focus their dollars on the biggest bang, not only for their return, but to have a pleasant experience for their customers and to retain that loyalty." — Lucas Blanck, Executive Director, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions
Challenge: Tackling a Fragmented Landscape
"There's a huge risk-reward element. There are a lot more pilots that are happening now with AI that allow people to be a lot more pioneering. Over the next five to six years, you're going to see a lot more progress in this industry because AI is allowing people to do things quicker, better, faster. But because of fragmentation in the industry, it has to start with structure and vision within an organization. A lot of [CPGs] have done a really good job of taking a step back and saying, 'What's our strategy?'" — Chris Daniel, General Manager, Industry Lead, Consumer Products & Services, Toptal
Challenge: A Lack of First-Party Data
"For the brands, one of the big things is they struggle to have first-party data, but they're also not collecting what's going on in the call center and then appending that back into their consumer records. By digitizing all of this, it makes it really seamless to actually make their CDP start to consume all the data that's coming in from the call center. And we think that that's a big advantage for CPG." — Jose Gomes, Vice President, Retail & Consumer, Google Cloud
Challenge: Rebuilding a Tech Workforce
"One of the things that I heard today that I thought was pretty powerful was that AI provides a lot of immediate intelligence, and it's not there to replace people. But what will probably happen is that AI will become the new workforce, and IT will become the HR for AI agents. So, the role will continue to govern, driving the right requirements for AI capabilities and ensuring that everything that we are still doing is meeting the needs of the customers or the consumers in the end." — Yinka Osidipe, Head, Global Consumers Go-to-Market, Consumer Goods, ServiceNow
