Invitation Only
Executive Think Tank | HFS Research
Reimagining Commerce in the Age of AI
What retailers and brands need to rebuild when an AI agent does the shopping
Date: Monday, January 11, 2027Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ETVenue: Cognizant AI Studio, Hudson Yards
Hosted by HFS Research in collaboration with Cognizant
The Conversation
When an AI agent does the shopping, does your brand still make the shortlist?
Customers are starting to tell AI agents what they need, and the agent compares prices, reads the reviews and completes the purchase, often without your website, your app or your paid placement ever coming into view.
HFS Research and Cognizant surveys of more than 200 senior commerce and retail media leaders show how fast this is moving, yet only about a third have a credible plan to keep a direct relationship with the customer once an agent sits in the middle.
Taking place alongside NRF 2027, this invitation-only Think Tank brings senior retail and brand leaders together for an afternoon of facilitated peer discussion, with no vendor presentations or sales pitches, held under the Chatham House Rule.
Key Discussion Themes
What we will explore
Who captures the value
Where margin and customer data settle across the agent platform, the retailer and the brand, and which assets give you leverage.
Retail media, repriced
What a retail media network sells when an agent does the browsing, and which outcomes advertisers will pay for.
Rewiring operations behind the shelf
The data, inventory, identity and payment foundations needed before an agent can buy from you at scale.
When agents shop for the customer
Earning and keeping a place on the agent's shortlist, and what loyalty looks like when the agent places the repeat order.
What You Will Leave With
What you will take back to your team
New benchmarks
A first look at HFS Research and Cognizant benchmarks on agentic commerce readiness and retail media.
Where to invest first
A clearer view of priorities across retail media, operations and customer relationships.
Peer perspectives
What has worked in practice with partners and commercial terms, plus an early copy of the HFS synthesis from the session.
Featured Participants
Who you will hear from
HFS Research
Ashish Chaturvedi
Executive Research Leader, Think Tank Lead
HFS Research
Dana Daher
Executive Research Leader, Support Moderator
HFS Research
Steve Dunkerley
HFS OneCouncil Leader
HFS Research
Agenda
The afternoon
2:00 PM
Arrival and Welcome
Introductions with fellow retail and brand leaders.
2:15 PM
Opening Perspective
A first look at the HFS Research and Cognizant agentic commerce benchmarks.
2:45 PM
Think Tank Discussion, Part One
Value capture and the future of retail media.
3:45 PM
Break
4:00 PM
Think Tank Discussion, Part Two
Operations behind the shelf and customer loyalty when agents shop.
4:45 PM
Closing Reflections
Key takeaways before close at 5:00 PM.
Indicative agenda, subject to change.
Who Attends
Senior retail and brand leaders
Digital and commerce leaders
Chief Digital, Commerce and Marketing Officers at retailers, brands and consumer goods companies.
Data, AI and technology leaders
Chief Data, AI and Technology Officers building the foundations for agentic commerce.
Retail media and operations leaders
Heads of retail media, supply chain and operations.
Attendance is by invitation and subject to approval. Seats are limited to encourage open discussion among peers.
Venue
Cognizant AI Studio, 55 Hudson Yards
550 W 34th Street, New York, NY 10001
Cognizant's state-of-the-art AI Studio at Hudson Yards, a five-minute walk from the Javits Center and NRF 2027.
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Event Schedule

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Executive Think Tank

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