While categories like payments, back-end infrastructure, and in-store systems remain relevant, AI has emerged as a defining force in retail tech for 2026.

We look at how retailers can improve their shopping experiences for younger customers to meet their avoidant preferences.

The transition risks alienating customers who are frustrated by the app or uncomfortable with the AI surveillance tech

Retail crime is out of control, UK retailers say: Their concerns are shared across the pond, as US businesses struggle to stem in-store and online theft.

The retailer’s Great Value branded products are now harder to sneak by self-checkout thanks to barcodes embedded in their packaging

Digital technologies are reshaping customers' in-store payment experience. Here’s what payment providers must know about in-store payment digitization trends.​

From the staying power of self-checkouts to the growing integration of mobile, here are three trends shaping the way consumers are completing their in-store purchases.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss if ‘Just Walk Out’ technology will ever catch on at scale, how different generations respond to self-checkout, and what the next iteration of in-store payments will look like. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and David Morris.

Retailers like Dollar General, Walmart, and Target are rethinking the self-checkout experience, scaling back on kiosks or removing self-checkout from their locations altogether. But considering 55% of US adults prefer to get through their in-store grocery shopping as fast as possible (according to a November 2023 survey from Kearney) it’s unlikely self-checkout will be leaving stores anytime soon. Here are five stats on self-checkout, including how and why consumers like to use it, the reason some retailers are pulling back, and what the future holds for the technology.

Checkout might be the last step in the customer journey, but if there’s friction at a retailer’s point-of-sale—long lines, frustrating self-checkout machines, or a lack of payment options, for example—shoppers might bail. Solutions like smart carts, mobile checkout, and biometrics could provide relief.

Gen Z consumers are tech-savvy digital natives that feel more comfortable searching for products on social platforms like TikTok over traditional search engines like Google. Even when they’re shopping in-store, they employ technology to help them, browsing mobile phones and using self-checkout to make the shopping experience more seamless.

Gen Z, millennial shoppers love self-checkout: But everyone else is divided due to concerns over ease of use and theft.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether Uber's business is actually sustainable, how many Americans use ride-hailing apps, and what the ad opportunity is. "In Other News," we talk about whether there will be more—or fewer—self-checkout options by the end of next year and whether the world is ready to accept humanoid robots used by Amazon. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Yory Wurmser.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why the internet might be getting worse, what a new device designed for generative AI (genAI) might look like, whether we're sure about self-checkout, why a new online safety bill matters, what consumers expect from brands on social issues, where the ultra-rich spend their holidays, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and analysts Bill Fisher and Carina Perkins.

By sticking to its values, Trader Joe’s has maintained the feeling of a neighborhood store while scaling across the country, while H-E-B’s commitment to caring for its community has won it the heart of Texas. Erewhon has taken a different approach, leveraging its famous clientele and access to lifestyle brands to become a pop culture icon.

Price matters to everyone, but ease and convenience play an even bigger role in purchase decisions. Plus, retailers should consider revamping their apps to garner more sales and use their target audience to guide in-store and online strategies.

The pandemic accelerated investment in CX technology to meet rapidly changing needs. But as consumer priorities shift again amid high inflation, UK retailers need to understand which technologies are hitting the mark and which are not.

On today's episode, we discuss how we should feel about Amazon's online sales being flat, how its ad business was able to have such a good quarter, and why the company has yet to find a mass grocery format worth expanding. "In Other News," we talk about how Pinterest has been doing and just how popular self-checkout is. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Blake Droesch.

Retailers’ theft-prevention strategies risk alienating consumers: But Home Depot, Wegmans, and Best Buy show the difficulties of striking a balance between shopper satisfaction and store security.

The upsurge of self-checkout and unmanned stores like Amazon Go is freeing shoppers from one of the things they detest most—long checkout lines.