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The top retail digital transformation trends for 2026 capture a fundamental shift from incremental modernization to structural re-architecture, driven by the collision of macroeconomic headwinds and on-the-ground operational strain. Geopolitical volatility, persistent inflation, and a cooling global economy are tightening capital discipline and reshaping risk tolerance, while margin compression, rising fulfillment complexity, and escalating customer expectations are forcing retailers to reengineer how work actually gets executed across merchandising, supply chain, and customer operations. This framework is intentionally practical, not theoretical: it helps retail buyers diagnose architectural fragility and sequence modernization investments with economic reality in mind; it signals to software vendors where R&D will generate durable market pull rather than novelty-driven noise; and it gives executives a forward-looking map of which platforms, data strategies, and functional ecosystems are accumulating strategic gravity as the industry resets.

In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top 10 retail digital transformation trends in 2026. He also discusses how these trends would impact business models and the specific steps executives need to take as they plan their retail transformation initiatives. Finally, he shares the advantages for these strategies and how they would help navigate current macroeconomic headwinds.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN8BupegUZ4
Read: https://www.elevatiq.com/post/top-retail-digital-transformation-trends/

Questions for Panelists?
🔗Sam Gupta: linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/r-58239b22/

Background Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro Somm

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