Insights
NRF 2026 Recap: Solving Retail's Execution Problem with AI Coworkers
Insights
During the three days at NRF 2026, we saw that retail’s biggest challenge is now rapid execution, not content creation. At our booth, we showed how AI coworkers help teams work faster. The feedback made it clear that this is what retail teams need.
Our booth at the Javits Center was busy the whole event. Many conversations and demos showed that slow, manual workflows are a common problem that hold back good strategies.
We showed how Gradial’s AI coworkers make important tasks easier and faster:
“This is the missing link between our strategy and our site.”
— VP of E-commerce, Global Apparel Brand
Gradial’s co-founder and CEO, Doug Tallmadge, joined other industry leaders on the main stage to talk about how intelligent agents are changing the future of retail work.
“We're moving from AI that suggests to AI that executes. This is not about replacing teams, but giving them the leverage to scale what matters.”
— Doug Tallmadge
The group discussed how agentic AI removes repetitive work, reduces errors, and helps teams execute faster. These autonomous systems can log into tools, update information, and complete tasks across merchandising, marketing, and customer experience operations.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, joined a demo, or shared their thoughts. Focusing on execution challenges made this our most productive NRF so far.
If you missed us at the show, you can still book a Gradial demo to see how AI coworkers can help your business move faster and make a bigger impact.
