Supermarket groups attending the National Retail Federation’s 2026 Big Show in New York were urged to modernise their digital infrastructure as AI-driven shopping tools begin reshaping how consumers discover and buy grocery products online.
Technology providers and retail analysts warned that traditional e-commerce systems are no longer sufficient as product discovery shifts from browser searches to automated AI recommendations.
The retail industry refers to this shift as agentic commerce, where AI-powered systems help consumers search, compare prices and complete purchases with limited manual input.
At NRF 2026, retail technology exhibitors and conference speakers highlighted that supermarkets now face a structural change in how digital shelves are managed. Grocery retailers risk losing online visibility if product data is not formatted for machine-readable platforms used by AI shopping tools.
Industry forecasts shared during the event estimate that AI-driven retail transactions could generate up to $1 trillion in US retail revenue by 2030, with global volumes expected to rise significantly as adoption increases.
SAP used the event to announce several new retail technology upgrades aimed at helping supermarket operators prepare for this transition.
The company introduced a new storefront model context protocol server designed to make online store catalogs easier for AI systems to interpret. SAP also launched an AI-native Retail Intelligence platform within SAP Business Data Cloud, connecting merchandising, supply chain, finance and customer engagement data.
According to SAP, the platform is designed to improve demand forecasting, inventory accuracy and omnichannel performance, areas that directly affect grocery retail operations.
SAP Customer Experience also unveiled a Digital Service Agent that can be integrated with AI shopping tools. This allows retailers to manage product discovery, transactions and post-sale service through a single connected system.
Retail executives speaking at NRF said supermarkets cannot simply add AI tools on top of existing systems. Instead, AI must be embedded across core retail operations to deliver measurable business results.
Industry research presented during the event showed that many retailers remain underprepared. More than 70% of merchandising teams reported that AI tools have delivered limited impact so far, largely due to fragmented data systems and uneven internal adoption.
Supermarkets are also operating under growing pressure from rising costs, margin compression, supply chain disruption and increasing consumer expectations for faster and more personalised shopping experiences.
Why It Matters
For grocery retailers, this shift directly affects digital shelf visibility, private label product ranking, promotional targeting and real-time inventory planning.
AI-powered shopping tools are expected to influence how products are surfaced to customers, how demand is forecast and how stock is replenished across online and physical store networks.
Supermarket groups with connected data systems and AI-ready product catalogs are likely to gain stronger control over availability, pricing accuracy and omnichannel performance.
Retailers that delay infrastructure upgrades risk losing competitiveness as product discovery moves away from traditional search platforms toward automated recommendations.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on official NRF 2026 conference coverage, SAP announcements, and industry research shared during the event. All figures and statements reflect information available at the time of publication.
