135 RETAIL & CONSUMER GOODS Agentic AI is emerging as the next step in global AI transformation across multiple industries, but how does Minbiole define it in a retail scenario? “I’d like to describe scenarios that are generative AI but not agentic AI, so the difference is easier to grasp,” she says. “When a store associate at Tractor Supply Company uses a headset to ask a digital assistant about a warranty on a product, that associate is asking their generative AI-enabled tool questions and getting answers. The ‘human plus assistant’ phase is the first phase of generative AI in many companies. This phase has a lot of value by growing the company’s knowledge base as it helps associates. “Agentic systems are the next step. These systems might span multiple departments, essentially breaking down the company definitions of what is ‘marketing’ or ‘operations’, or ‘sales’; agents run 24/7 to perform interrelated tasks, such as reviewing pricing or assortments or ingesting competitive information. Transforming work itself from a role-driven to an outcome-driven model also helps dissolve departmental barriers, morphing the decades-old ‘org chart’ to a new organisational construct we call ‘work chart’.” With retail technology specialists readying themselves for the NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in New York, USA, in January 2026, Minbiole predicts the conversations around AI in retail to continue to focus on “exploration and value – what are companies trying, what’s working and what’s not.” And with 67 per cent of respondents to KPMG’s 2025 Intelligent Retail report planning to increase the percentage of global budget spent on AI in 2026, Minbiole expects to see more examples of how “intelligence on tap is redefining how we create competitive value – to scale rapidly, operate with agility and generate value faster.” Avanade and Microsoft helped develop a hands-free AI assistant for MediaMarktSaturn employees to enhance in-store customer experiences
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