Launched at Rithum LIVE, the 2026 Commerce Readiness Index explores the ability of commerce leaders to navigate the macroeconomic challenges that will shape 2026.
Rithum , a leading global commerce solutions provider, launched the 2026 Commerce Readiness Index at the inaugural Rithum LIVE Summit in New York City. Based on a survey of 200 retail executives and brand managers in the U.S. and U.K., the report highlights gaps that could impact readiness in 2026, including AI adoption, tariffs, and workflow fragmentation. It highlights the areas leaders are currently focused on to address the growing pressure to modernize their operations, as well as their gaps in efficiency, speed, and competitiveness.
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“Trade leaders know this year’s turbulence isn’t going to let up and that many factors, such as tariffs and inflation, are beyond their control,” said Suzann Wold, chief marketing officer at Rithum. “What they can control is how quickly and effectively they adapt. Our report offers a roadmap to help them do just that.”
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Based on their survey responses, this report takes a detailed look at the five critical challenges sales leaders believe they will face in 2026:
- External and internal barriers: Nearly 75% of sales leaders admit that decisions are often made based on outdated, inconsistent, or incomplete data, creating dangerous blind spots. Managers may trust their dashboards, but in reality, they’re sometimes flying blind during critical moments.
- Reliance on manual processes: About half of sales leaders still rely on spreadsheets and manual workflows. The bottlenecks these processes create slow their ability to quickly respond to signals, whether viral demand spikes or sudden supply chain disruptions.
- Hesitant AI adoption: Nearly three in four leaders say AI is evolving faster than they can adopt it, creating a growing execution gap. However, many are rushing into AI investments without addressing underlying data quality issues, risking faster, but poor-quality, automated decisions.
- Margin pressures: Rising costs and tariffs, along with product complexity, are forcing executives to make tough tradeoffs in pricing, assortment, and promotions. With 91% of retail executives saying pricing is heavily influenced by government policies and 92% of brands citing product complexity as a barrier to cost control, maintaining profitability is becoming increasingly difficult.
- Lost revenue in the customer journey: Over 90% of retail leaders have changed their marketing mix in the past year, but operational gaps remain. Retailers experience the greatest losses before checkout (broken links, outdated product content, irrelevant ads), while brands lose revenue after the sale due to costly returns, poor order fulfillment, and poor customer service.
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Source – Businesswire
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