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By Matthew Guiste | Jan. 29, 2026

From Sci-Fi to the Sales Floor: Four Practical Takeaways from NRF 2026

After navigating the energetic cacophony of NRF 2026, one thing is abundantly clear: the retail industry's conversation around AI has pivoted from the theoretical to the practical. The key question on everyone’s mind was no longer, “What’s possible?” but rather, “What moves the needle now?”

Amid a sea of AI discussions focused on content creation and agentic shopping, a distinct and powerful theme emerged; one that Zebra champions with unique authority: frontline AI. While other applications have their place, the most impressive progress lies in making the job of the frontline associate faster, better, and more impactful.

Our own journey shows this spectacular progression. Two years ago, we had a single generative AI demo in a corner of our booth. Last year, we made huge progress, featuring in-process work with a customer. This year, the story was different. We had customers presenting tangible AI solutions that are delivering positive outcomes in their stores today.

Two examples stood out. Total Wine & More demonstrated how associates can now receive goods by taking a single photo of all the pallets with a device that simultaneously reads dozens of barcodes. Another photo of the packing slip uses Optical Character Recognition  (OCR) to compare what was received with what should have been received. Seconds later, that same worker can pivot to help a customer with product recommendations, all within the same user interface.

Also in our NRF booth this month, Lowe’s showed how their associates use devices to find top-stock inventory from handwritten numbers on boxes. An AR overlay helps them zoom in on the exact item, removing errors and ensuring they only need to climb the ladder once. This is tangible, real-world stuff that everyone understands immediately.

Beyond the clear momentum in frontline AI, several other themes from the event resonate deeply and point to where the industry is heading.

1. RFID: The Exponential Curve of Value

Of all the advanced technologies retailers discuss (AI, computer vision, and RFID), it is RFID that is driving the most tangible value right now. The technology has matured, and we are now on the exponential part of the adoption curve. Its ability to provide real-time, precise inventory visibility is the foundation for success in everything from shrink mitigation to unified commerce.

2. Retail Media Networks: The Store Becomes a Media Powerhouse

Our demo for Retail Media Networks (RMNs) was mobbed from dawn to dusk, and for good reason. This is a space retailers are hungry to do more with, and it’s fundamentally reshaping the industry. RMNs turn a retailer's first-party data into a high-margin advertising platform, creating a win-win-win: retailers unlock new revenue, brands get a better return on investment, and customers get a more personalized shopping journey.

The explosive growth is driven by the end of the third-party cookie, the lure of high-margin revenue in a low-margin business, and the maturation of in-store technology. Since 80% of transactions still happen in the store, the big push now is to expand these networks to the store floor. This means a popular ad can trigger a restock alert on an associate's device before a shelf goes empty, or a personalized offer a customer sees on a screen is also visible to the associate, enabling them to provide instant, informed help.

3. Self-Checkout That Truly Works

Shopper frustration with clunky self-checkout systems is well-documented. The positive reaction to the Zebra+Edgify checkout scanner, which uses computer vision to streamline the process, was a big hit. It proved that by applying intelligence at the point of sale, we can remove a significant point of friction from the customer journey.

4. New Hardware and Strategic Acquisition

While we had a nearly embarrassing number of new products, the new flagship TC7 Series and TC5 Series mobile computers truly stole the show. They represent the next step in empowering the connected frontline.

Furthermore, the excitement around our recent Elo acquisition was palpable. It’s a perfect extension of our portfolio, strengthening our offerings in key areas like self-checkout, in-store displays, and kiosks, which are all critical endpoints for the modern, media-enabled store.

If NRF 2026 taught us anything, it’s that the future of retail will be won on the store floor, not in a science lab. It’s about deploying practical, intelligent solutions that connect data, devices, and people to make work – and shopping – better for everyone.

Topics
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