Despite a strong rhetoric around AI, retail struggles to move beyond chatbots. According to the TCS Global Retail Outlook 2026 study, based on responses from 800 executives across 18 countries, AI remains mostly limited to customer-oriented user case studies. Pricing, supply chain, and autonomous decision-making lag significantly.
According to the Tata Consultancy Services study published on January 29,2026 (TCS Global Retail Outlook 2026), AI adoption in the retail sector is still largely confined to conversational agents. Based on responses from more than 800 retail executives in 18 countries, the report indicates that 51% of retailers quote chatbots and virtual assistants as a main AI initiative.
“This shows that AI adoption is still at an early stage and largely customer-focused,” said Krishnan Ramanujan, President of
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