Retail Forum 2026 has closed its doors, leaving a clear feeling: the retail sector is living an exciting moment, driven by technology, artificial intelligence, and the need to offer truly connected experiences in all channels. One more year, IFEMA, Madrid, has become the meeting point where brands, partners, and professionals have shared vision and challenges to face a more demanding and digital consumer than ever.
For Unikal Tech Partners, this edition has been special: we have been able to talk with dozens of retailers and, above all, hear first-hand what brands need to take the next step towards a more intelligent, agile, and efficient commerce.
In one of the most outstanding tables of the event, Unikal participated in a conversation on Innovation and technology in store & ecommerce: Yourself Revolution and Smart Store, where the real challenges of unified commerce were analyzed.
The intervention highlighted three key ideas that are defining the future of retail:
These reflections are directly connected to what we showcased in our space at the show.
One of the key messages of Retail Forum 2026 is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. At Unikal, we work with an agnostic approach, adapting to each client.
We do not work with a single technology. We adapt to each company and select the solution that best fits their processes.
To achieve an omnichannel environment:
Our goal is to listen to the needs of each retailer -because each brand is different- and help them connect headquarters, stores, ecommerce, and marketplaces, adding the cross-cutting layers of data, AI, security, and systems that make everything operate coherently.
Beyond technology solutions, Retail Forum 2026 has made clear the real priorities of the sector.
| Priority | Business impact | Level of adoption |
|---|---|---|
| IA | Very high | Growing |
| Security | Important | High |
| Data | Strategic | Medium |
| ERP | Fundamental | Consolidated |
Retail Forum confirms the path. This edition left us with valuable conversations, projects that are beginning to take shape, and the certainty that retail is moving towards a more connected and intelligent model, ready to respond to an increasingly demanding consumer.
We remain committed to accompanying retailers in the evolution of their technological ecosystems.