2026年零售及消费品行业全球科技报告

Scaling AI without sacrificing trust Keyfindings Strong investment and ROI93% Emerging tech on the radar AI is beginning to scale Data and Governance are key of leaders expect to increaseinvestments indata by 10% ormore, placing it second only tocybersecurity49% AlongsideAI,moderndelivery(XaaS)is of organizations haveintegrated AI agentsinto core workflowsand offerings. currently the most widely scaledmodern technology Data security, data-poweredforecastinganddata analysis andinsightsare the highest datainvestment priorities Butover40%ofleadersalsoexpectto expect to be deploying AI‘at scale’ in the next 12months —one of thehighest percentages acrosssectors of C&R leaders believe advancedtech will drive future advantage scaledigital twins, Web 3andedgecomputingin the coming years Governanceis also in focus, althoughtrends are split betweencentralizedandfederatedmodels of ownership, decisionmaking and accountability Organizations are seeing the benefitsof their investments, with45% reporting returns of$250millionor more from digital technologies say the ability to managean AI agent will become anessential skill inthe next five years,transforming how work isdone say that the IT function leadson the implementation of AI63% TurningtechinvestmentintomeasurableROI This year’s research shows that consumer and retail businesses arebacking up tech modernization intent with actual dollar investment —ranking towards the top end compared to other sectors. Over half (52percent) are investing $50m or more annually in digital technology,including 28 percent who are spending between $100–250m. Technology maturity is also high. Areas where consumer and retail (C&R)executives rank themselves as ‘managed or optimized’levels include ITservice management (92 percent), and compliance (87 percent).Cybersecurity emerges as a strength with 66 percent optimized,significantly above the cross-sector average of 48 percent. Network andcloud infrastructure closely follows at 55 percent optimized, reflecting astrong focus on scalable and resilient digital foundations. Overcoming technical debt is a widespread barrier across business sectors.But there is an encouraging picture here for consumer & retail businesses,too: under half (48 percent) say the cost of fixing technical debt preventsthem from investing in new technology programs, significantly lower thanthe all-sector average (63 percent). C&R is among the top sectors in realizing measurable returns. Nearly nine inten respondents (86 percent) report that technology investment is frequentlyimproving business value. Moreover, most are already realizing 31–40 percentof their total financial value from AI and intelligent technologies, putting themahead of many other industries. The research suggests that in most cases C&R businesses are achievingthis by taking a measured approach, iterating on what works, rather thanattempting to innovate ahead of time: nearly two-thirds of respondents(63 percent) describe themselves as fast followers, while only 30 percentare early adopters/innovators. Simplification can also create the clarity needed to better track digitizationperformance and ROI. The research shows this is an area that C&R need tofocus on: only 48 percent track the performance of tech initiatives againstbusiness plans, compared to the 65 percent average across all sectorscombined. Structured and disciplined approaches are needed with a clearfocus on outcome-led initiatives where metrics can be tightly tracked inreal time and remediations or fixes applied where necessary. Simpler tech stacks for efficiency and AI-readiness Simplification of the technology architecture can be a driver of better ROI.Businesses often have hundreds of applications in play across their estates,but many of these sit outside the core tech stack, are seldom used and onlycreate complexity and cost. The research shows this is an area thatC&R need to focus on: only48 track the performance oftech initiatives againstbusiness plans, comparedto the 65%% As Dr. Puneet Mansukhani reflects: “We’re having a lot of ‘phase zero’discussions where businesses are asking: What are the right set ofapplications for the processes in our business? How can we simplify them?By identifying what can be removed, and what can be moved into thecore, a business could free up perhaps 15 percent capacity and significantlyreduce costs. This decluttering also sets the organization up to embed AImore effectively across its key functions at both the front end and theback.” average across allsectors combined. In an industry where cost pressures are high and margins are tight, it makes sense that themajority of consumer & retail brands are taking a controlled, risk-limiting approach. The biggestplayers can innovate at scale but for others, following on fast is an effective tactic.Nevertheless, modernization intent is endemic across the industry. The conversations we’rehaving with clients are very much ‘AI first’ a