Barron McCann's Gary Piper: 2026 should not be viewed as just another year. It is the year that retail resets

Gary Piper, Sales Director, Barron McCann (part of the Barron McCann Group), discusses why 2026 demands a new approach to security, supply chains and store technology.

Retailers have never faced a year quite like 2026. We are operating at the intersection of rising fraud, escalating technology costs, a global memory crisis, and a step change in how customers expect to shop and be served. These pressures aren’t simply cyclical; they’re structural, and the retailers who win from here will be those who rebuild their operating models around identity, resilience, interoperability and real-time service delivery.

As someone who has spent more than two decades working alongside retailers on the frontline of technology transformation, I’ve never seen the industry’s challenges evolve this fast. The conversations retailers are bringing to us - from store security to OS agnostic PoS to supply chain shock - are sharper, more urgent, and more interconnected than ever. 

Below, I unpack four forces reshaping retail in 2026 and what they mean for every retail leader preparing for the next wave of change. 

1. The new security battleground: theft, staff safety, and online fraud

Retailers are facing increased pressure to protect themselves from online attacks, reduce shrinkage, and improve colleague safety.

As e-commerce fraud continues to rise, security breaches and identity fraud attempts are increasing and not just during high risk periods, such as Black Friday. This is costing retailers dearly. 

Inside the store, shoplifting offences have risen in the UK by 5% in 2025 to 519,381 (ONS data) making in-store loss, shrinkage, and store associate safety a real concern for retailers.

However, the risks are not limited to theft and shrink. As physical and cyber converge, identity breaches become multi-dimensional; that leaders must consider making this a key strategic priority.

Modern in-store security requires the integration of not one but multiple systems and hardware solutions. Integrating CCTV with AI enabled cameras, behaviour analytics, footfall monitoring, headset communication systems, and PoS linked exception reporting can support colleague safety and loss prevention. However, these solutions only work when hardware, software, and data platforms are integrated and implemented correctly, which is an ongoing challenge for many retailers and their IT estates.  

2. The global memory crisis: a structural threat to retail technology

The supply chain crisis of 2026 is unlike anything we saw during the pandemic. This time, it’s not logistics causing disruption - it’s AI.

TechXplore reports that memory prices surged 90% in Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025, driven by hyperscalers absorbing an unprecedented share of global RAM and HBM output.

This is not a temporary blip. The AI sector is consuming 3–5× more memory per server compared to traditional infrastructure, and as a result:

• Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix have redirected capacity to AI grade memory

• Supply of general purpose RAM has plummeted

• Retail hardware costs have spiked

• Lead times for PoS, kiosks and back office devices have significantly lengthened

EnkiAI forecasts that AI demand could absorb up to 70% of global memory production by the end of 2026, creating a structural shortage that will continue into 2027.

For retailers, this creates immediate operational and financial risk:

• Hardware refresh cycles are slipping

• Estates must run older devices for longer

• Budget overruns are becoming unavoidable

• Supply chain resilience must now be a strategic capability, not a procurement exercise

If the Covid chip shortage was a warning shot, the 2026 memory crisis is a full scale reset.

So why does the supply chain squeeze matter? It matters because retailers can’t advance AI, GenAI or agent‑based automation without the hardware foundations to support them. Legacy IT estates simply cannot run the workloads required for next generation‑ retail experiences - whether this is personalisation, predictive analytics, cyber defence models or real-time operational automation. 

Retailers now face surging hardware costs, extended lead times, and constrained budgets. Without stable access to chipsets, memory and advanced computers, they risk falling behind competitors in the AI race, unable to deploy customer centric innovation or the cybersecurity capabilities required to protect modern retail environments. 

3. The race toward OS agnostic PoS systems

Retail technology leaders strongly desire Point of Sale (PoS) systems that can dynamically switch between Android and Windows. 
Android PoS offers agility and affordability whilst Windows PoS offers processing power and enterprise stability. Retailers increasingly expect both which is leading to “hybrid estates” where:

• Android-based mobile devices support speed and low cost deployment

• Windows-based fixed terminals support heavy workflows

• And ultimately apps can run across both

PoS is evolving into unified commerce platforms that integrate inventory, CRM, and real-time analytics. Retailers expect cloud native architecture, omnichannel integration, enterprise level security, and mobility. The missing link is true OS fluidity which would radically simplify device strategies amid global hardware shortages. 

Those who build OS agnostic PoS first will set the standard for the next decade.

4. Remote service delivery - from “support” to strategic infrastructure

If 2020 forced retailers to accept remote support, 2026 is forcing them to industrialise it.

Retailers, including partners, and vendors are using or exploring AI augmented service delivery, enabling predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics and autonomous workflows.

Remote operations are also becoming more personalised. Retailers now expect:

• Custom dashboards

• Behaviour-based reporting

• End-to-end visibility across devices, stores and supply chains

Retail is shifting toward real-time, intelligence driven operating models, where decisions are orchestrated across customer engagement, operations and workforce planning. From remote service delivery to onsite maintenance, retailers that partner with providers who offer this can improve uptime, ensure estate performance, and reduce inefficiencies. 

Remote tools have moved from “helpdesk” to mission critical infrastructure. For retailers running large, distributed estates (many with ageing hardware and constrained budgets) this evolution is not just beneficial. It’s critical.

Actions retail leaders must take now

Taken together, these trends reveal a sector undergoing structural transformation. The retailers who succeed in 2026 and beyond will be the ones who act decisively:

1. Make identity the foundation of trust

Through biometric adoption, AI enhanced and cyber physical security capabilities that verify people and protect revenue.

2. Build hardware resilience into the operating model

Diversify hardware suppliers, extend refresh cycles intelligently and plan for sustained component shortages.

3.Demand OS-flexible, open PoS ecosystems

Push vendors toward interoperable architectures that reduce technical debt and increase estate agility.

4. Treat remote operations as core infrastructure

Invest in AI driven remote service delivery, predictive maintenance and unified device management.

Retail is not entering a period of gradual evolution it is a fundamental reset. Fraud is more intelligent whilst hardware is becoming more expensive. Consumers are more demanding. And operating models must be more flexible, more intelligent and more connected than ever before. Retailers who embrace these principles effectively will not just survive the turbulence; they’ll shape the future of modern retail.

2026 is not just another year. It is the year retail resets.