The State of Technology 2026

Description:

For much of the past decade, the food industry’s technology agenda has centered on adopting new platforms, launching pilot programs, and securing budget for the next wave of digital investment. That era is now giving way to a more consequential one. Across FMI’s 2026 research reports, the data converges on a more fundamental question: Do retailers and suppliers have the data, integration, processes, people and decision-making structures needed to finally convert years of investments into measurable business value?

FMI’s The State of Technology 2026 presents the latest information on food industry and consumer trends related to technology, based on comprehensive industry research that updates key benchmarks, along with companion interviews.

The State of Technology is drawn from The Food Retailing Industry Speaks and FMI's Power of...series of reports.

FAQs

What is The State of Technology 2026 report?
The State of Technology 2026 is FMI’s annual technology report that brings together research from across the food industry to examine technology investment, adoption, readiness and business impact.

What is the biggest technology challenge facing the food industry?
The biggest challenge is turning technology investments into measurable business value through stronger governance, data management, change management and organizational readiness.

Why is change management central to technology value?
Technology alone does not create results. Organizations need clear ownership, defined workflows, employee adoption and change-management plans to realize the full value of technology investments.

Where does AI adoption stand compared with analytics?
Data analytics has become mainstream across the food industry, while AI adoption remains less mature and trails analytics by 30 to 40 percentage points across comparable use cases.

What does the report reveal about companies of different sizes, technology investments and adoption?
The report finds that technology investment is increasing across the industry, but technology maturity, AI adoption, governance and readiness vary significantly by company size.

How is technology changing the grocery shopper experience?
Technology is accelerating omnichannel shopping, powering e-commerce growth, enabling AI-assisted product discovery and helping retailers create more connected digital and in-store experiences.