All the retail action expected at CES 2026

CES, one of the biggest technology trade shows, starts today. The conference, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, takes place from Jan. 5 to Jan. 9 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

We will keep you posted on all the retail action on the ground, but here is a preview of what the CES retail programing will cover.

A panel on agentic AI focused on AI agents in the real world is just one of the event’s many Monday offerings. Chandhu Nair, SVP of data, artificial intelligence, and innovation at Lowe’s, will give the audience a home improvement retailer’s perspective on the topic.

On Tuesday, technology’s big show will have a session with Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, who will talk about getting people, software, and services to actually work together instead of fighting against each other.

Last year, Best Buy underwent a rebrand with a holographic mascot and a new tagline—“Imagine that”—as the retailer positions itself to become consumers’ go-to source for technology items. In August 2025, Best Buy also introduced its third-party marketplace to build additional income streams through wider product assortment and advertising.

That same day, beauty and fashion industry experts, including Oscar de la Renta CMO Chloe Popescu and Kimberly Villatoro, CEO of Patrick Ta Beauty, will be on a panel to discuss how social platforms are merging content and community to create immersive, shoppable experiences.

On Wednesday, Kroger will host a panel called “Irrational consumers: how to grow brands in an unreasonable world.” The session will decode how brands can understand why shoppers make weird decisions and use that insight to grow in 2026.

A panel called “The future of ‘search’ at retail” on Thursday will delve into how AI agents transform traditional retail search based on people’s preferences, budget, and style? Attendees will hear from Justin Honaman, global head of worldwide retail, restaurants, and consumer goods at Amazon, and Egan Brinkman, managing director of commerce at Google, along with executives from Microsoft and Pinterest.

Another notable session on Thursday called “The new retail experience in the AI-powered store” will feature executives from Tractor Supply Company—the Brentwood, Tennessee-based farm products and home improvement retailer—and big box retailer Target that takes attendees behind the scenes to show how everything from inventory and logistics to checkout and service are changing thanks to AI.

Parallel retail tracks on topics of fashion tech, beauty tech, and AI programming will run simultaneously during the week.