How Integrated Technology Is Reshaping Retail Operations

"The technology underpinning retail operations is under scrutiny in 2026 as fashion executives look to streamline systems with the aim to unlock efficiency, cut costs and meet consumer expectations for speed and personalisation in the shopping journey. At the retail event Lightspeed Edge on 12 January, Lightspeed - the unified point-of-sale (POS) and payments platform for SMEs such as Apricot Lane Boutique and Neal's Yard Remedies - convened industry leaders to explore the strategic imperative for integrated technology ecosystems over siloed systems."

"There was a time when a good location and a smile were enough. That time is gone," said Dax Dasilva, Lightspeed's founder and chief executive. "Today, you are a merchandiser, a marketer, a data analyst and the decision-maker. The admin, the spreadsheets, the disconnected systems - they can drown out the one thing that actually matters: the customer."

"According to BoF & McKinsey & Co.'s The State of Fashion 2026 report, 45 percent of executives report sourcing costs are under strain, with changing margin, cost and cash strategies emerging as the second most significant theme this year. To address these challenges, retailers are leveraging integrated technology to reshape their economic models, automating cost-intensive processes to free up resources for customer-facing differentiators like personalisation and enhanced store experiences."

Retail technology is being re-evaluated in 2026 as fashion executives seek streamlined systems to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver faster, more personalised shopping experiences. Lightspeed convened industry leaders at Lightspeed Edge on 12 January to promote integrated POS and payments platforms for SMEs and to advocate integrated technology ecosystems rather than siloed systems. Seasonal buying cycles, tariff uncertainty, and margin pressure are straining sourcing costs, with 45 percent of executives reporting sourcing-cost stress and shifting margin, cost, and cash strategies emerging as a top theme. Retailers are automating cost-intensive processes to reallocate resources toward personalisation and enhanced in-store experiences. Consumer research shows 76 percent of shoppers still want to see and touch products in person, raising expectations for store experience.

Read at The Business of Fashion