The business world is in the midst of a historic technological shift. Enterprise AI adoption nearly doubled in the last year, with 65% of organizations now regularly using generative AI in their operations¹. This trend is set to accelerate, as Gartner forecasts that over 80% of all enterprises will have deployed AI applications by 2026.
This raises the critical question: what does this transformation look like on the ground for retailers?
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Key insights
Solink partnered with a research firm to survey 150 retail leaders, with a goal of answering core questions around who is adopting AI in retail settings, what drives success or future adoption, and how confident are different teams when it comes to implementing AI within their function of the retail business.
How are different organization sizes adopting AI?
Strategic drivers by organization size.
How are different teams using AI?
AI use cases across retail functions
The results of the study show clearly that artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from pilot projects to mainstream practice in retail.
Small retailers (50–199 storefronts) are more cautious but are prioritizing customer-facing pilots and labor savings to stay competitive without heavy infrastructure spend.
Mid-sized retailers (200–499 storefronts) are moving the fastest, scaling AI broadly with confidence and tying investments directly to efficiency gains.
Large retailers (500+ storefronts) have the biggest budgets but face more complexity, spreading their adoption across multiple functions with heavier focus on compliance and governance.
Across the industry, momentum is strongest around operational efficiency, labor cost reduction, and customer experience. More than 80% of retailers in every size category already have dedicated AI budgets, and 86% plan to increase spending over the next 12 months.
The takeaway is unambiguous: AI is no longer an experiment. It is a proven driver of operational and financial performance, and the retailers who scale it fastest will define the next wave of competitive advantage.
For retail leaders seeking to define the next wave of competitive advantage , these findings offer both a benchmark against the industry and a roadmap for action. The report provides practical examples showing how peers are using AI to drive financial and operational performance by cutting costs, elevating the customer experience, and reducing risk.
