ottawa, ontario, new york, January 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NRF 2026 Retail’s Big Show — Solink®the leader in AI-driven video intelligence, today announced a new study, “The State of AI in Retail,” providing a comprehensive look at how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming retail operations, loss prevention, workforce efficiency, and customer experience.
“The data is clear: AI is no longer experimental in retail, it is fundamental,” said Michael Scott, CMO at Solink. “Retailers are rapidly integrating video, data, and AI to enable them to operate more efficiently, reduce losses, and deliver a safer and more consistent customer experience. Solink is proud to lead that transformation.”
Based on a survey of 150 retail decision makers in the US, Canada, and the UK, the report found that the sector is rapidly accelerating toward full-scale AI adoption, with more than 80% of retailers already budgeting for AI and 86% planning to increase spending over the next 12 months.
The report was shared as vendors and retailers gathered this week at New York City's Javits Convention Center for the National Retail Federation 2026 Retail's Big Show. AI, automation, and operational optimization are expected to be at the center of the conversation.
AI has crossed the retail tipping point
Once considered an experimental technology, AI is now a proven driver of operational and financial performance. The study found that 65% of organizations regularly use generative AI, nearly double year-over-year, with the most investment occurring in areas related to the retail industry's most pressing challenges, including workforce shortages, theft, increased operational complexity and the need for real-time visibility.
For retailers of all sizes, operational efficiency, labor cost savings, and customer experience emerged as the top three drivers of AI adoption. Midsize retailers (200-499 stores) are accelerating the most, with 100% planning to increase investment in labor optimization and nearly half reporting high confidence in extending AI across the enterprise. Large retailers (500+ stores) lead in budget commitment but cite governance and in-house expertise as key barriers.
Adoption is increasing in all retail sectors
This approach is increasingly being deployed across four major retail areas: asset protection, operations, IT, and physical security, with each group applying it to solve specific business challenges. Asset protection teams leverage AI to detect scam Analyze patterns and identify anomalies in transactions and store activity. Operations teams use AI to improve demand forecasting, optimize workforce deployment, and improve overall store performance. IT departments apply AI to automate system health monitoring and ensure the stability of technology infrastructure. Physical security teams use AI-powered insights to improve situational awareness, improve response times, and maintain a safer store environment.
However, the report also highlights the growing challenge of AI fragmentation, where teams deploy AI independently without an integrated platform or shared data model. This creates a significant opportunity for retailers to streamline their tools and modernize their technology stacks.
Significant transition from surveillance to vision intelligence
One of the report's most compelling findings is the industry-wide shift toward using vision intelligence, or AI, to transform video from a reactive security tool to a real-time operational dataset. Retailers are now using video intelligence to optimize staffing, validate transactions, monitor compliance, expedite investigations, and improve the experience for both employees and customers. These capabilities are especially important for midsize and large enterprise retailers dealing with downsizing, ORC, and increased operational complexity.
Download the full AI in Retail report here. Solink will present its findings and debut new AI-powered vision intelligence capabilities at NRF 2026, booth number 4066.
About Solink
Solink is a leader in AI-driven video intelligence for security, loss prevention, and operations. By connecting video, data, and operational systems into one platform, Solink helps organizations automatically detect and validate risks, inefficiencies, and critical issues in real-time. With AI-powered visibility, contextual insights, and automated workflows, Solink empowers teams to see more, know more, and do more, improving safety, reducing losses, and improving performance everywhere. Learn more here www.solink.com.
Media contact:
Solink's Geyer Group
[email protected]
Source Solink
