RTS 2026 conference review: agentic commerce changing the rules of the game amid retailer transformations

There's clear recognition among retailers that transformation of the size that lies ahead is not just a technology or data problem - it's an operational one. Companies are still arguing about whether a Click and Collect order is an e-commerce sale or a store sale; agentic commerce makes that debate look straightforward.

So says Paul Sims, former Chief Architect at M&S.

Speaking after a visit to Retail Technology Show 2026 in London last week, he ran through his key takeaways in a LinkedIn post.

“I try to imagine a miniature external comms representative (I know they’re important; I get it) sitting on the shoulder of each speaker. Some are clearly shouting louder in ears than others. Rather than waiting to see who wins the protocol wars, it's better to get engineers focussing on agnostic capabilities, such as clean accessible APIs and real-time availability data that any protocol can query.”

He added: “A great description of agentic commerce was the transition of the consumer from an "operator" (searching/clicking) to a "manager" who sets goals for AI agents. Having said that, it appears solid examples of agent-to-agent commerce/transactions are sparse (certainly in Europe).

Shopify, meanwhile, may or may not be considered a modern monolith (a phrase used on-stage). This may or may not matter. And brands are continuing to create their own onsite/in-app AI agents and conversion is substantially higher for customers using these agents. The challenge is that take-up is still very low.

Sims concluded: “Intent data is being overlooked.  One conversational query (e.g., "find me a suitable outfit for a wedding in Jakarta") provides more rich customer knowledge than months of traditional clickstream data. Is this additional data being captured in CRMs?”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.