NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show brought over 40,000 retail leaders to New York City this January, and the message was clear: the future of retail isn’t about choosing between technology and humanity. It’s about using advanced tools to create deeper, more meaningful customer connections.
At KIBO, we were thrilled to be part of this year’s conversation, showcasing our composable, unified commerce platform and hosting exclusive customer sessions with Marks & Spencer and The Paper Store. As we reflect on the week’s key themes, we’re energized by how closely they align with our vision for composable, unified commerce.
The Resurgence of Human-Centered Retail
One of the most striking trends at NRF 2026 was the industry’s renewed focus on human connection. Despite the AI buzz, leading retailers emphasized that technology should empower employees and deepen customer relationships, not replace the human element.
KIBO’s unified commerce platform enables exactly this kind of authentic engagement. By providing real-time inventory visibility and seamless omnichannel experiences, we empower store associates to deliver 1:1 service without being hindered by disconnected systems. When your team has complete visibility into product availability, order history, and customer preferences, they can focus on what matters most: building relationships.
AI as an Enabler of Intelligent Loops
The conversation around AI at NRF 2026 moved beyond hype to focus on practical implementation through what industry experts are calling “intelligence loops”: Continuous feedback systems that connect product data, store operations, and customer engagement.
Google’s announcement of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience exemplified this shift. By enabling conversational commerce directly within AI-powered chat sessions, these tools synthesize the research-to-purchase journey and remove friction from decision-making.
The emphasis was on AI creating intimacy, not distance. Retailers discussed using AI to understand customer intent, personalize recommendations, and streamline operations—all in service of better human interactions.
Our Agentic Commerce capabilities, now enhanced with KIBO MCP, position us at the forefront of this trend. KIBO MCP creates the exact integration layer needed to connect commerce logic with AI agents like those in Google’s UCP ecosystem. Our suite of pre-trained agents, from the Shopper Agent to our new Order Routing Agent, demonstrates how AI can handle routine decisions autonomously while empowering teams to focus on strategic initiatives. This is the “intelligence loop” in action: data flows seamlessly between customer interactions, AI decision-making, and operational execution.
The Return to In-Store Excellence
Perhaps the most surprising, and encouraging, trend was the industry-wide emphasis on physical retail experiences. With 61% of Gen Z preferring to discover products in-store, retailers are investing heavily in experiential formats that blend commerce with community.
KIBO’s platform enables features like endless aisle (accessing inventory across all locations), buy online pick up in store (BOPIS), and ship from store, ensuring that physical locations can deliver on the promise of omnichannel flexibility. When your in-store team has real-time visibility into inventory across your entire network, they can turn every location into a fulfillment center and every interaction into an opportunity to delight.
KIBO at NRF 2026: Major Product Launches and Real-World Success
Our presence at NRF wasn’t just about observing trends, it was about unveiling our latest innovations and demonstrating how retailers are already achieving unified commerce success with KIBO.
Introducing KIBO Connect Hub and KIBO MCP
At NRF 2026, we announced two transformative new products that directly address the industry’s biggest challenges around integration complexity and AI readiness:
KIBO Connect Hub accelerates solution delivery with pre-built integrations to market-leading platforms across ERP, fraud detection, ecommerce, PIM, 3PL, WMS, CRM, payment, shipping, punch-out, and marketplace categories. With immediate access to over 3,300 trading partners and hundreds of payment and shipping adapters, Connect Hub collapses technical sprawl into a unified foundation. This means faster implementations, lower integration costs, and the ability to promise accurately and fulfill profitably.
KIBO MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an integration layer that bridges enterprise commerce logic with GenAI. Built for modern developers, MCP provides a seamless, bidirectional gateway for data exchange with AI agents. By allowing autonomous agents to access real-time inventory, pricing, and checkout capabilities, KIBO MCP makes brands instantly “agent-ready” (discoverable and purchasable by the next generation of AI-driven buying channels). This directly aligns with Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol announcement and positions our clients at the forefront of conversational commerce.
Expanding Our Agentic Commerce Suite
We also showcased our latest AI agent innovation: the Order Routing Agent, which dynamically routes orders to the optimal fulfillment source, reducing shipping expenses while accelerating delivery times. This joins our growing suite of pre-trained agents:
- Shopper Agent: Answers product questions, checks real-time inventory, and places orders instantly
- Customer Success Agent: Handles post-purchase inquiries, processes returns, and manages order modifications
- Merchandiser Agent: Automates creation of SEO-optimized product descriptions and global translations
These agents represent the practical application of AI “intelligence loops” discussed throughout NRF, using real-time data to make smarter decisions automatically while enhancing human capabilities.
Customer Success Stories
Marks & Spencer shared their story of using KIBO’s composable commerce platform to manage complexity across international markets. As a $3 billion retailer expanding globally, they needed an API-first, headless platform that could adapt to diverse market requirements while maintaining a consistent brand experience. KIBO delivered exactly that.
The Paper Store discussed how they unified their tech stack with KIBO, Perficient, and Jumpmind to achieve real-time inventory visibility and create a seamless “endless aisle” experience. By empowering business users to manage complex promotions and lowering total cost of ownership, they built a scalable foundation for growth, including the launch of their new brand, Uncharted.
These customer stories illustrate what happens when you combine intelligent technology with clear strategic vision: you unlock new growth opportunities while delivering exceptional experiences.
Beyond the show floor
During the conference, we brought the retail community together through a series of engaging events:
- AI Sync and Sip Networking Happy Hour: We kicked off NRF week with a post-conference networking event where attendees could unwind, share ideas, and explore AI-driven commerce concepts in a relaxed setting.
- New York Rangers vs. Seattle Kraken at Madison Square Garden: Together with partners Jumpmind and Absolute Labs, we hosted retail leaders in a private luxury suite for an evening of NHL action and high-level networking.
The KIBO Perspective: Leading the Composable Commerce Revolution
As we look back on NRF 2026, we’re more confident than ever in our vision for unified, composable commerce. The trends dominating the show floor—flexible solutions over rigid suites, AI-powered experiences, experiential retail, and human-centered service—all require a technology foundation that can unify data, orchestrate operations, and adapt to change at unprecedented speed.
This is exactly what our latest innovations deliver. KIBO Connect Hub eliminates integration complexity, allowing you to compose best-of-breed solutions without technical sprawl. KIBO MCP future-proofs your commerce operations for the age of AI agents and conversational commerce. Our expanded suite of agentic commerce capabilities automates routine decisions while enhancing human judgment where it matters most.
Combined with our core platform (connecting order management and commerce with add-ons for dropship, subscriptions, AI search, and more), we offer the most comprehensive composable commerce solution in the market. Whether you’re a mid-market retailer expanding into new channels or a large enterprise managing global complexity, our platform scales with your ambition while maintaining the agility needed to adapt to rapid market changes.If you’re ready to explore how unified, composable commerce can transform your business, we’d love to continue the conversation. Contact us to get started.
