RAI’s ReTechCon 2026 Examines the Role of Technology in Retail Transformation

20th edition of the Retail Technology Conclave brings retail and technology leaders together to discuss AI, automation, unified commerce and changing customer journeys

The Retailers Association of India (RAI) hosted the 20th edition of the Retail Technology Conclave, ReTechCon 2026, on September 23–24 at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. The event brought together CEOs, CIOs, technology partners and industry leaders to discuss the role of intelligence, automation and unified commerce in the evolving retail sector.

The two-day conclave examined emerging technologies, global trends and technology-led changes in retail, with discussions covering decision-making, customer experiences and connected retail operations.

Technology and the changing retail landscape

ReTechCon 2026 combined expert-led discussions with sessions focused on emerging technologies and developments affecting retail businesses. Participants discussed how retailers are responding to technological changes and evaluating solutions across different parts of the customer and business journey.

Speaking about ReTechCon 2026, Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India (RAI), said, "Retail has spent 50years organising itself around five Ps — people, product, place, promotion, price. Technology has quietly added two more: pace and personalisation. AI is no longer a pilot project sitting in some retailers' innovation labs — it is already reshaping how customers are found, how products are tracked, and how every transaction becomes a data point. ReTechCon 2026 exists to have that conversation honestly, not as a sales pitch, but as an industry working out together what comes next."

Retailers discuss technology adoption

The discussions included perspectives from retail businesses on how technology is being applied to specific customer and operational challenges.

Saloni Khosla, Vice President, Pepperfry, said:
"In a category like furniture, technology has to solve for a very specific problem — the customer can't just add it to cart the way they would a t-shirt. They need to see it in their space, trust the delivery timeline, trust the return process if it doesn't fit. Adoption for us has never been about chasing whatever's trending. It's been about asking which technology actually removes hesitation at the exact moment the customer is deciding, and ignoring the rest."

Chirag Kenia, Founder, Urban Platter, said:
"Every retailer today has access to roughly the same technology. What separates the ones who actually benefit from it is whether they've rebuilt their processes around it, or just bolted it onto the old way of doing things. We learned that the hard way — buying a tool is the easy part. Changing how your team actually works with it is where most of the value gets lost or won."

Karan Singla, COO, The Sleep Company, said:
"The retailers who are winning right now aren't the ones with the most advanced stack. They're the ones who adopted early enough to make mistakes while the stakes were still small. Waiting for a technology to mature before you touch it sounds prudent, but by the time it's 'mature,' your competitor has three years of data and muscle memory you don't have."

Speakers from across retail and technology

ReTechCon 2026 featured speakers from across the retail and technology sectors, including Anil Menon, CIO, LuLu Group India; Neeraj Nagpal, CBO, Raymond; Chippy Mehta, Co-Founder, Bombay Shirt Company; Kunal Mehta, CIO, Arvind Fashions Ltd.; Chirag Kenia, Founder, Urban Platter; Vinod Kapote, Head – IT, Trent Ltd.; and Ranjit Satyanath, Chief Information Officer, Vijay Sales.

The sessions addressed several areas of technology adoption and their implications for retail businesses.

Autonomous shopping and voice interfaces

The session “Who's Shopping For Your Customer?” examined how autonomous agents and voice interfaces are beginning to shop on behalf of customers and what this means for the traditional browse-and-buy journey.

From digital brands to physical stores

“Screen To Storefront” focused on what direct-to-customer brands learn about their customers when they establish a physical retail presence.

Converting community into sales

The discussion “From Followers To Buyers” explored how D2C brands convert community trust into sales while maintaining the communities that helped build that trust.

Understanding the technology adoption gap

“The Tech Adoption Gap” examined the difference between technologies retailers report as deployed and what is actually operating on the retail floor.

User-generated content and community

The session “Your Customers Are The Content” discussed the role of user-generated content and community as a growth engine beyond their use as marketing tactics.

Beyond the checkout

“The Sale Isn't Over At Checkout” examined the relationship between customer trust, confidence and preventable returns across different stages of the customer journey.