SAP has revealed a major expansion of its artificial intelligence strategy for retail at NRF 2026, underscoring how deeply AI is becoming embedded in the core systems that power modern commerce. The announcement is significant for the MarTech ecosystem as retailers increasingly depend on connected data, automation, and intelligence to compete on speed, personalization, and customer loyalty.
At SAP NRF 2026, the company introduced a new generation of AI driven retail innovations designed to support planning, operations, fulfillment, and customer engagement through a unified approach. SAP said it is continuing to integrate AI throughout its retail portfolio as part of its suite first strategy, enabling retailers to operate with greater resilience and trust while improving experiences across every channel.
“Retailers face a landscape where AI is no longer optional,” said Balaji Balasubramanian, President and Chief Product Officer for Customer Experience and Consumer Industries, SAP SE. “SAP provides one closed loop, AI enhanced retail operating system that ties planning, execution and engagement together. We put data and AI at the heart of retail, delivering speed, personalization and growth across every channel and segment.”
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A central element of the announcement is the Retail Intelligence solution within SAP Business Data Cloud, which is designed to turn enterprise retail data into real time, actionable insights. Drawing from SAP applications and third party systems, the solution supports demand and inventory planning while helping retailers and direct to consumer brands improve forecast accuracy, reduce manual effort, and manage inventory costs more effectively. SAP said the solution is expected to be generally available in the first half of 2026.
By harmonizing live data from sales, inventory, customers, and suppliers, the platform uses AI based simulations to anticipate outcomes and optimize decisions. This approach helps retailers strengthen omnichannel experiences while scaling growth without adding operational complexity.
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Industry analysts see this as a differentiator. “Retailers are seeking built in, embedded AI solutions to help balance daily operations, future planning and agility to manage a dynamic market,” said Ananda Chakravarty, Vice President of IDC Retail Insights. “What sets SAP apart is the holistic nature of its approach, offering an agentic operating system that works in the background, connects data and orchestrates agents. SAP makes it an easy lift for retailers to achieve enterprise wide intelligence, avoiding the complexity of many point solutions.”
SAP also introduced AI assisted assortment management using natural language through its Joule copilot, allowing planners to adjust assortments faster and respond more quickly to market changes. New omnichannel promotion capabilities will unify pricing and offers across online and in store environments through tighter integration with SAP S or 4HANA Cloud.
Looking ahead, SAP NRF 2026 also highlighted how AI will shape customer engagement and fulfillment reliability, including new agent based capabilities to proactively manage orders and service issues. Together, these innovations position SAP as a key enabler for retailers seeking intelligent growth, consistent experiences, and long term loyalty in an increasingly AI led retail landscape.
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