Marketing
Retail
Data / AI
Commerce and Retail Trends. Best of NRF 2026
NRF 2026 marks a turning point: agent-based commerce, AI as an operating system, and the store reinvented as an omnichannel hub. The keys to reliable and orchestrated commerce.
community.content.publishedatFebruary 5, 2026
This report is reserved for HUB Institute members.
In Brief (Key Takeaways)
1Agentic commerce emerges: AI agents interpret customer
intent to compare, decide and purchase autonomously.
2AI becomes the operating system of commerce, linking
pricing, supply chain and service in a closed loop.
3The store reinvents itself as an omnichannel, logistics
and community hub, orchestrating digital and physical.