The National Retail Federation’s annual Retail’s Big Show is almost here. As retail tech vendors, platforms and brands converge on New York, competition for buyer attention will peak—as it does every January.

What’s changing isn’t the noise level on the show floor. It’s how retail buyers decide which companies are worth talking to long before they ever step into the big hall.

At Treble, we’ve spent years working alongside retail tech leaders, including SymphonyAI, Everseen and Fabric. One shift is now unmistakable as we head into 2026: the traditional search-to-sale pipeline is breaking down—and AI is reshaping the top of the funnel.

The New Retail Buyer Journey

For years, the B2B playbook was straightforward. Optimize for Google. Invest in paid search. Capture inbound leads.

That model no longer reflects reality. With the rise of large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, retail buyers are increasingly outsourcing early-stage research to AI assistants rather than traditional search engines.

For our upcoming report, Press-to-Pipeline: Activation in the Age of AI, we surveyed 300 senior technology and business leaders to understand how this shift is unfolding in practice. Two findings stand out:

  • AI is becoming the entry point. Nearly 50% of retail-sector respondents now use AI assistants when researching vendors or solutions.
  • Recency matters more than reputation alone. For most buyers, media coverage published within the last 90 days plays a meaningful role in establishing vendor credibility.

In other words, buyers aren’t just asking, “Who is best known?” They’re asking, “Who is active right now?”

Showing Up Where AI Looks

When a retail CIO asks an AI assistant to recommend inventory optimization platforms or loss-prevention solutions, there is no paid placement to buy. Visibility is earned.

This is where earned media—and press releases in particular—take on new strategic importance.

AI models prioritize recent, credible, third-party information. A consistent cadence of substantive news—product launches, partnerships, customer wins, executive commentary—serves two audiences at once. It informs human readers today while supplying the signals AI systems rely on to surface relevant vendors tomorrow.

We encourage retail tech companies to think of each press release not simply as an announcement, but as a durable proof point. Brands that maintain steady, meaningful visibility train the market—and increasingly, AI systems—to recognize them as active leaders rather than legacy names.

See You at NRF

The Press-to-Pipeline approach isn’t about chasing headlines or vanity metrics. It’s about influencing buying decisions at the moment they begin—often before a shortlist even exists.

As NRF approaches, we’re looking forward to sharing more insight into how retail tech companies can apply this strategy to build a sustained share of voice in an AI-shaped discovery environment.

Download the full report to explore the data behind how retail buyers are using AI to build vendor shortlists.

Attending NRF? Treble will be on the ground in New York. Let’s connect and talk about how to future-proof your communications strategy.