4 Key Retailer Initiatives Impacting 2026 Retail Trends

Wondering what long-term retail industry shifts are in store for 2026? No need to track down a crystal ball. From AI retail trends to FDA requirements, here are the retailer initiatives we have our eye on for the coming year.

AI-First Shopping Experiences

Retail Has Entered the Chat: Shopping in ChatGPT and Gemini

In October 2025, Walmart announced it partnered with OpenAI to create “AI-first shopping experiences” in which “AI will learn and predict customer’s needs.” Goal number one: giving Walmart and Sam’s Club customers the ability to shop the retailer via ChatGPT using Instant Checkout.

Building on this agentic commerce push, Walmart announced in January 2026 that it plans to launch a new experience with Google in which Gemini will start including Walmart and Sam’s Club products in its search results when relevant. For example, the release explains, a customer asking for camping equipment advice could see items from the retailer’s inventory appear in Gemini’s response.

Because “people talk back-and-forth with Gemini,” Walmart adds, “there are more opportunities to show relevant products and services throughout the conversation,” (though it’s important to note that Walmart can’t directly control search results on either ChatGPT or Gemini). Moreover, Walmart+ members won’t have to exit Gemini to access their benefits, and the AI assistant can also add items to a customer’s in-progress online shopping cart.

Walmart’s Dan Danker, executive vice president of AI acceleration, is particularly excited for Walmart to start showing up in chats that don’t begin with a shopping-related question. For instance, a conversation that begins around general gardening questions, such as the best time to plant carrots, could eventually lead to a Walmart purchase (e.g., pots, soil, seeds).

Agentic Commerce Share is Growing

According to a Morgan Stanley estimate shared in December 2025, roughly 23% of Americans had made purchases using AI in the past month. The most common product categories for AI-driven purchases were groceries and consumer packaged goods, which are poised to become the largest growth drivers for agentic commerce over the next five years.

The better AI becomes at predicting and providing what customers want, the more shoppers will start choosing chatting over scrolling. By 3030, Morgan Stanley estimates that agentic shoppers could represent between $190–385 billion in ecommerce spending in the United States, which means suppliers will need to make sure they’re showing up in AI conversations, not just Google search results.

Related Reading: The Benefits of AI and eCommerce for Retail

Two-Dimensional (2D) Barcode Adoption

The Sun Is Setting on Traditional Barcodes

2D barcodes are in, or at least that’s the goal behind Sunrise 2027, an initiative created by neutral global standards body GS1 US®. Sunrise 2027 lays out a plan for 2D barcodes to be accepted by retailers at point of sale (POS) or point of care (POC) by the end of 2027.

The purpose behind the push? GS1 US argues that traditional one-dimensional (1D) barcodes can’t keep up with current product data demands and that 2D barcodes can address supply chain needs (e.g., inventory management, recall readiness, product authentication) and consumer transparency requirements.

“With a single scan on a smartphone, consumers can get the information they need, like nutritional information, allergens, sustainability, and sourcing data, as well as any other web engagement activities all powered by GS1 Digital Link,” GS1 USA elaborates. “That same barcode can be scanned at point of sale for price lookup, at the patient bedside for medication administration, and a variety of other supply chain processes related to inventory management and recall readiness.”

Shoppers Want More Product Information

Having access to more information matters to shoppers. A 2025 GS1 US survey notes that rising food prices are causing an increase in product scrutiny as consumers attempt to make the most of their grocery budget.

Seventy-six percent of respondents said they want more product information, with 71% noting that they are paying closer attention to labels. And 66% said they would scan a food product’s QR code to learn more about freshness, ingredients, and shelf life.

If more than three-fourths of respondents want more product information and more than half are willing to scan a QR code for more details, early 2D barcode adopters could experience a significant competitive advantage.

From Adoption to Optimization

While the early stages of adoption will focus on simply getting functional 2D barcodes, GS1 US Vice President of Standards Gena Morgan writes that retailers will eventually be able to think strategically about leveraging product data: “It could potentially be used for inventory management, product traceability and alerting stores to product recalls, tracking expired products, generating dynamic pricing, linking to digital coupons, or providing data on consumer purchases through loyalty apps, and much more.”

According to GS1 US, 2D barcodes are already being tested in 48 countries representing 88% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). And with the Sunrise 2027 deadline less than two years away, early adoption is expected to ramp up across the supply chain.

Related Reading: How Suppliers Can Level Up With 2D Barcodes and RFID Technology

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Expansion

Walmart Is Investing In RFID

In October 2025, omnichannel retail giant Walmart announced that it was partnering with Avery Dennison to bring transformative, first-to-market RFID technology to the fresh food category, particularly bakery, meat, and deli.

As the name indicates, RFID uses radio waves to communicate data (e.g., item number, inventory information, shelf location, color, and price) between a computer chip and antenna (referred to as the RFID inlay) attached to a product or logistic unit and an RFID reader antenna. The reader then sends the data to a host system for storage and evaluation.

RFID Perks

Like 2D barcodes, RFID technology offers retailers the possibility of better inventory control, improved customer experience, and real-time product updates. According to Walmart’s press release, RFID-enabled labels on meat, deli, and bakery items will improve the speed and accuracy of their inventory management, ensuring customers can access the products they want. And with digital use-by dates at their disposal, Walmart notes that its associates will be better equipped to rotate and mark down food, helping cut down on food waste and support the retailer’s sustainability goals.

The benefits of RFID tags aren’t limited to fresh food items, however. It has established use cases for everything from apparel to beauty to electronic products. The benefits aren’t exclusive to retailers either. RFID is considered the gold standard for operational efficiency for suppliers, with a list of pros that includes real-time product visibility, increased accuracy, and faster shipment processing. And finally, it isn’t exactly new. Major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom began establishing RFID mandates in 2022.

But as the technology behind RFID labels has improved (e.g., tags can now be paper thin, as small as a postage stamp, and highly durable) and become more accessible, new and exciting possibilities are emerging for savvy supply chain leaders.

Related Reading: Retailer RFID Implementation: A Step-by-Step Guide

Food Traceability Rule Compliance

Section 204: Improving Visibility

Speaking of mandates, Section 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), aka the Food Traceability Rule (FTR), officially went into effect in January 2023. The date for compliance, however, was originally set for January 20, 2026. Last summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the deadline July 20, 2028, but that doesn’t mean the measure has lost momentum — especially at Walmart.

Section 204 is designed to make food traceability more visible to the supply chain, the public, and the federal government. To this end, the FDA explains that the rule requires all manufacturers, processors, packers, and food holders (i.e., refrigeration) on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to “maintain records containing Key Data Elements (KDEs) associated with specific Critical Tracking Events (CTEs); and provide information to the FDA within 24 hours or within some reasonable time to which the FDA has agreed.”

Why Wait To Improve Standards?

To no one’s surprise, Walmart is leading the way when it comes to meeting and exceeding Section 204. In 2025, the retailer announced that it was implementing food traceability standards, including “requiring all food suppliers [not just those on the FTL] to share lot/batch codes, date code(s) and the source of where the lot/batch code was generated for the food products they supply to Walmart, Inc.,” and added that it was “actively working on ways track and trace of products in the supply chain from end-to-end.”

Beyond the Food Traceability List

Why include all food products in the requirements? Considering the potential benefits to both customers and the retailer itself (e.g., quicker identification and removal of contaminated foods, reduced food waste, increased consumer trust, accelerated response times to product recalls and foodborne illness investigations) and that the FTL is subject to future expansion, Walmart prefers a proactive approach. FTL products have been expected to meet Walmart’s requirements since August 1, 2025, but all other food suppliers have been asked to follow suit as quickly as possible.

Walmart may be leading the Section 204 pack for now, but we predict they won’t be alone for long.

Related Reading: Food Safety (FSMA) Requirements and Compliance at Walmart

The 2026 Supplier To-Do List

Change is afoot, so what’s a proactive supplier to do? This list is a great place to start.

• Ensure your data is accurate. Whether we’re talking about purchasing carrot seeds in Gemini or carrot suppliers meeting Section 204 requirements, each one of these initiatives relies on the availability of accurate, up-to-date data.
• Unify your data. It’s tough to make smart decisions for the future if you lack data visibility. SPS Analytics unifies all your omnichannel metrics, turning complex retail data into actionable insights.
• Become an early adopter of 2D barcodes. Your customers already want more information when making purchase decisions. Meet them where they are.
• Consider RFID technology. We’ll even help you weigh the pros and cons.
• Stay ahead of FTR enforcement. If you’re a food supplier and aren’t yet compliant with Section 204, start taking steps before it’s a requirement.