Retail Week Digital Transformation Summit 2026
Amidst rapidly changing customer expectations and an ever-fiercer race for market share, today’s retailers need to be digitally prepared.
That means possessing a robust strategy that drives efficiency, innovation and agility. However, achieving this isn’t as simple as integrating a new online tool or having a digital shopfront.
So, what does it take to move beyond basic digitisation to achieve real transformation?
Enter Retail Week’s Digital Transformation Summit 2026.
An evolution of our annual Digital Summit, this event will go further than mere tech adoption to explore the business models, new thinking, and solutions to invest in for sustained growth in the long term.
When? June 25, 2026, 8.30am to 12.30pm
Where? MYO St Paul's, New Change, London
Join us to unlock your business’s true digital potential through content-packed sessions, insightful discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities.
We will uncover:
- The CX evolution including hyperpersonalisation and zero-click shopping
- How to seize the biggest opportunities in AI – and avoid technology-first thinking
- What frictionless store experiences must look like in this age of connected retail
- How businesses are upping their retail media game – and how to follow suit
- Why it’s all change at the check-out – and what that means for digital payments
- The smartest digital investments to generate measurable ROI
Tickets are free but limited, and attendance is strictly reserved for those in senior roles working internally at retailers and retail brands.
We welcome senior managers, heads of, directors, c-suite and executives working for a retailer.
Digital Transformation Summit 2026: The agenda
The 2026 shopper is impatient and disloyal; they demand instant, personalised and convenient interactions, and they will abandon baskets and buy from other retailers and brands if their needs aren’t met.
Retailers’ digital CX strategies, therefore, must raise the bar to give these shoppers what they want, when they want it. So, what does ‘good’ look like?
In this opening fireside we’re joined by New Look, which has been successfully driving deeper personalisation and engagement, to discuss:
- The role of hyper personalisation – and lessons on the techniques to getting it right
- The rise of zero-click shopping
- Getting smarter about customer loyalty – shifting from the merely transactional
AI is becoming embedded into every step of the digital shopping process – front and back-end. With everyone wanting a seat at the table, there’s a risk of rushing to adopt AI, regardless of whether it solves a specific problem and has a purpose. Now is the time to move past hype-based adoption.
Retail’s digital and tech leaders must take – and many are already taking – a more strategic approach; navigating where and when to deploy AI to best effect, and how to scale it within budgets to boost the bottom line.
At a time when everyone wants AI, this unmissable session will explore how to actually use it. We’ll cover ground including:
- Identifying the most high-value and realistic initiatives, instead of trying to implement AI everywhere at once
- The next phase of AI – consumer-facing discovery and the shift from AI-assisted to AI-driven purchasing with agentic AI
- How to navigate implementation costs to roll out AI at scale
- Overcoming the talent gap to get staff on board with AI implementation
Stores are on the rebound and retailers have been enjoying consumers’ new-found love for physical shopping.
But in an age of omnichannel retailing, how do retailers really leverage the power of bricks and mortar? What role does tech play? How important is connectivity when it comes to removing friction and allowing for seamless shopping between channels?
Join us as we answer these questions and discuss:
- How digital technologies lie at the heart of the modern store
- What retailers are investing in to support their store networks – and how these investments form part of long-term strategy
- How to empower store associates to help them sell better and create memorable experiences
Several UK retailers have recently accelerated their transformation into media businesses with Retail Media Networks (RMNs).
And it’s no surprise. RMNs are opening additional revenue streams, allowing retailers to use their customer data to boost profits. In fact, in the last year alone, RMNs have generated revenues of £101.5bn.
In this session, we’re joined by Jemma Haley of John Lewis - which has successfully taken a piece of the RMNs pie - to find out how the retailer has made it work, what partnerships have made it happen, and what results the retailer has seen so far.
Join us as we glean first-hand insights on:
- How to build a retail media business with a step-by-step walkthrough
- Advice on moving RMNs strategy beyond the basics
- Tips and tricks to build lasting loyalty by incorporating RMNs into a wider omnichannel strategy
Investment in AI is speeding up: Retail Week reported on 23 AI initiatives by UK retailers in the first three and half months of this year, nearly matching the 26 reported across the entirety of last year.
In this exclusive presentation, Retail Week’s Intelligence and Insights Editor George Arnett will talk you through our newly launched AI investment tracker – normally only available to Retail Week subscribers – and what you need to know about where retailers see potential in AI.
The presentation will go over key trends, who retailers are partnering with and what the big unknowns are when it comes to the AI revolution.
There will also be the opportunity for Q&A at the end of the session.
Retail leaders are constantly presented with endless shopping lists of potential digital investment opportunities.
Winning strategies are a delicate balance between reaching for the immediate low-hanging fruit, while keeping one eye on what is on the horizon, not to mention working with what’s in the budget.
What then, are the smartest investments to generate measurable ROI and support long-term growth?
In this closing session, we’ll discuss:
- Adopting a digital-first mindset
- Key digital investments that overcome the hype
- How to maximise strategic partnerships to accelerate growth
- How to garner colleague, stakeholder and board support for tech investment and changes
Speakers
More speakers to be announced
Get involved
Want to help retailers and brands with their digital strategy?
The Digital Transformation Summit 2026 provides exclusive speaking opportunities, targeted lead generation, and brand awareness among a captive audience. Share your insights with retailers and position yourself as a thought leader in the tech and digital space.
Contact Retail Week’s commercial team to find out more.
Alternatively, if you are a retailer or brand with a great story to tell and digital insights to share, and would like to speak at the Summit, contact Retail Week’s Head of Commercial Content Megan Dunsby .
Interested in sponsoring?
Interested in sponsoring the Digital Transformation Summit? Talk to the team