Scale agentic AI for retail—go beyond pilots to real results
Retail is entering a pivotal moment. Customer expectations keep rising, operations are more complex and margins are increasingly under pressure. AI is no longer a side project—it’s becoming the engine of productivity, loyalty and growth.
Yet most retailers still struggle to move beyond pilots and scale AI across stores, supply chain, merchandising and customer engagement.
At NRF 2026, IBM will show you how to turn AI ambition into operational impact. You’ll see how leading retailers are using agentic AI—AI that acts, learns and collaborates to simplify decisions, elevate experiences and unlock enterprise-wide efficiency.
You’ll leave with:
- A clear roadmap to operationalize AI at scale across stores, supply chain and customer experience.
- Measurable outcomes such as productivity uplift, inventory accuracy and loyalty growth. For example, retailers engaging IBM Consulting® have seen up to 115% revenue growth in two years and 80% operational-efficiency gains.
- A trusted foundation—deploy AI in hybrid cloud to be secure, governed and built to integrate with existing systems.
- Actionable insights from leader-to-leader roundtables, practitioner-driven sessions and hands-on workshops, all aligned to your retail challenges.
Experience IBM at NRF Booth #4839
Big ideas sessions
- 11 January
- 12 January
Discover how AI can help you:
Empower store associates with intelligent tools for better service
Engage customers in real time through unified commerce platforms
Increase margins with AI-enhanced loyalty programs and operational efficiency
See how a leading food retailer is already using AI to transform the shopping experience and learn how you can do the same.
Agentic AI workshop: Unlock retail productivity with no-code agentic AI
13 January 2026 | 12:30–6:00 PM | Limited seats
IBM Innovation Studio New York
1 Madison Ave
Participate in an immersive exploration of agentic AI, designed for retail leaders focused on delivering operational impact. Whether you are a CIO or CTO modernizing your tech stack, a VP of digital or operations driving transformation or a leader seeking clear ROI from AI, you can build and test your own agent. You can see where it delivers the most value and walk away with a practical roadmap for scaling productivity.
Fireside chats
Join us daily at the IBM booth for 20-minute, TED Talk-style conversations with retail innovators. Hear firsthand how industry leaders are tackling key challenges—from supply chain disruptions to customer loyalty—through AI, automation and hybrid cloud.
What you will gain:
- Quick, actionable insights from retail innovators
- Real-world stories about scaling AI in operations, supply chain and customer experience
- Peer-to-peer perspectives on overcoming adoption challenges
Session dates to be added soon
Private Solution Lab
Our Private Solution Lab connects your team directly with IBM SMEs to help you identify and advance the retail capabilities that matter most to your business.
Engage directly with our specialists for practical guidance and tailored recommendations aligned to your specific challenges—whether that’s elevating customer engagement, strengthening store operations or improving supply-chain resilience.
Dive into the technologies shaping retail’s next decade. Discover how quantum might redefine optimization and decisioning, learn from IBM’s fan-engagement work with Wimbledon, the US Open and Ferrari to inform your own customer-engagement strategies. You can also explore IBM Client Zero, our real-world blueprint for scaling agentic AI across a global enterprise.
Stop by the IBM Booth
Voice of the global consumer
New thought leadership: IBM Institute for Business Value
Be among the first to access insights from the upcoming IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) report, Voice of the Global Consumer Study— developed in partnership with NRF.
Coming soon: Own the agentic commerce experience
See what’s next for retail
Visit IBM Booth #4839 to explore how agentic AI can help you scale transformation, empower associates and reimagine customer experiences.
Stop by the IBM booth to connect with IBM industry leaders, technology experts and retail specialists.
Explore live demos that show how AI and automation are transforming customer experience, store operations, supply chain performance and IT modernization.
Our experts are available for deeper conversations tailored to your priorities, whether you want to understand how leading retailers are scaling AI responsibly, accelerating innovation or addressing real operational challenges.