Industries title Industry & Digital Expertise | Cognizant

Retail

RETAIL REIMAGINED

From experimental AI to operational advantage

Cognizant recognized in Everest Group’s Top 50™ Store Services Providers Report 2026

Cognizant has been recognized in Everest Group's Top 50™ Store Services Providers Report 2026. From POS modernization to smart store enablement and workforce orchestration, we help retailers transform locations into connected, intelligent platforms—integrating physical stores into unified commerce strategies and reimagining how they operate in an AI-driven retail environment.

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<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">Retail leaders are moving beyond one‑off AI initiatives toward agentic systems that act, adapt and deliver outcomes in real time. And transformations demand more than new technology – it requires the right partner who can engineer agentic AI into real‑world operations with the&nbsp;governance, context and execution discipline needed to deliver impact at enterprise scale.</span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">The next generation of retail experiences will be built on intelligence engineered into the core of retail operations. Cognizant brings an AI builder approach to retail - embedding context aware, enterprise grade AI across stores, channels and workflows.</span></h3>

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AI BUILDER FOR RETAIL

From AI ambition to retail execution

Retail is one of the most demanding environments for AI: complex, fast‑moving and deeply operational. Cognizant applies its AI Builder approach to retail by engineering agentic AI directly into real workflows, systems and decision paths. The result is AI that moves beyond pilots and operates reliably at scale, providing enterprise-wide impact.

Retail associates reviewing data on a tablet in a clothing store.

Built into real retail workflows

AI delivers value in retail only when it reflects how work actually happens. Cognizant embeds AI directly into platforms and integrates with existing systems, so intelligence supports day-to-day decisions, not theoretical use cases.

Tablet displaying AI shelf-scanning technology detecting missing grocery items in a supermarket aisle.

Engineered to scale, not experiment

Retail environments demand AI that performs under real-world pressure. Cognizant engineers agentic AI for production from day one, with the controls, reliability and governance required to move beyond pilots and operate consistently across the enterprise.

Shopper using an interactive digital kiosk for virtual outfit selection in a clothing store.

Context-infused AI, not generic tools

Generic AI tools struggle in retail’s complex operating landscape. Cognizant infuses enterprise and industry context - data, policies, processes and business logic - into every solution, enabling AI to act with relevance, precision and trust at scale.

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FLAGSHIP SOLUTIONS

Targeted solutions

Smart solutions that help providers transform for the digital age.

Agentic retail CX

Deliver autonomous, personalized retail experiences using AI agents that enhance service quality across every customer interaction.

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Stores 360

Enhance your retail store operations value chain to minimize friction in store processes.

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A woman with a shopping cart and a child are looking inside a freezer located in the frozen section aisle of a grocery store

Modern store checkout

Streamline checkout processes and empower store associates with modern retail solutions.

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Man looking scrolling through a shopping portal on a tablet

Connected storefront

Drive engagement with immersive physical-virtual retail environments.

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A customer at the checkout counter in a retail store and the cashier scanning the barcode on a book

Intelligent marketing

Use customer insights to personalize your marketing campaigns and build customer loyalty.

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Retail analytics dashboard with connected data icons and insights visualization.

Merch Insight retail planning

Support forecasting, inventory planning, and merchandising decisions with a connected retail planning platform.

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RETAIL ECOSYSTEM

Offerings

Cognizant's retail practice helps retailers turn today's pain points into new business opportunities.

Digital merchandising solutions

Customer-first merchandising

Successful merchandising is a mission-critical retail function that is part art, part science. It requires detailed planning, optimized business processes, data mining and analytics, while allowing the flexibility to react to market conditions.

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Retail supply chain

Supply chain management

Rewrite your supply chain into one that is more flexible and responsive. Position your business to deliver the seamless, flexible retail experience that today’s global, always-connected shoppers demand.

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Cognizant Customer Concierge

Reinvigorating Shopping

Helps retailers integrate their mobile and point-of-sale (POS) systems seamlessly and quickly into the Amazon Just Walk Out solution, which on an average, just takes 3–5 months to implement.

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Cognizant Adaptive Spaces

Reimagined physical spaces

Transform the way customers interact with your business spaces—and turn your physical space into a differentiator, not a drain on your resources.

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GAME-CHANGING RETAIL

The retail segments we serve

Grocery stores

Enable seamless online shopping, personalized recommendations, optimized inventory and streamlined operations for happier customers and lower costs.

Discount stores

Optimize merchandising, increase supply chain efficiency and generate product mix forecasts to attract cost-conscious consumers.

Department stores

Maximize customer service and profits and meet changing demands, rising competition and complex supply chains.

Specialty retailers

Enhance the future of shopping by harnessing AI-driven insights, personalized marketing and streamlined operations.

Convenience stores

Transform the convenience store experience with streamlined checkout, impactful loyalty programs, intelligent shelf technology and data-driven insights.

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DRIVEN BY RESULTS

Experience makes a difference

Helping you serve the changing needs of your customers, today and into tomorrow.

RESULTS

Retail giant modernizes OMS with Google Cloud Platform

RESULTS

Retail giant modernizes OMS with Google Cloud Platform

Our client is one of the largest omnichannel retailers in North America. With a rapidly growing digital marketplace, the company needed to modernize its legacy applications.

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RESULTS

G-Star RAW scales OMS with cloud

RESULTS

G-Star RAW scales OMS with cloud

Cognizant adds flexibility and scalability for retailer.

RESULTS

Ocado Retail customer base grows by 17%

RESULTS

Ocado Retail customer base grows by 17%

A new data platform and marketing suite enable the online grocery retailer to attract customers with personalized offers and recommendations.

RESULTS

Cloud analytics improves retail

RESULTS

Cloud analytics improves retail

A new modern data, multi-cloud architecture and updated analytics give global convenience store retailer vital intelligence at the transaction level.

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Intelligent orchestration at scale

A Cognizant commissioned Forrester Consulting survey found 44% of retail, consumer goods and travel and hospitality leaders plan to invest in their CX practice by 5% or more over the next year. In this guide, we summarize key findings from the research, a CX maturity model, and real steps brands can take to move forward.

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Learn more about Cognizant Moment

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Cognizant recognized in Everest Group’s Top 50™ Store Services Providers Report 2026

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Cognizant named among the top five service providers in Everest Group's Retail and CPG Voice Of the Customer Report 2026

Recognized based on direct client feedback, Cognizant’s ranking highlights how we help clients deliver more consistent outcomes, strengthen collaboration and drive measurable impact across customer experience, operations and growth initiatives.

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Cognizant named a leader in IDC MarketScape: Data Modernization Services Providers for Retail and Restaurants 2026 Vendor Assessment

Cognizant was positioned as a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Data Modernization Services Providers for Retail and Restaurants 2026 Vendor Assessment.

Margot Juros, Research Director, IDC Retail Insights, stated, "In the study, Cognizant demonstrated strength with its deep domain knowledge and embedded retail and restaurant use cases. The company's solutions are built around real-world retail and restaurant scenarios such as omnichannel personalization, smart store merchandising, supplier rationalization and AI-powered product quality monitoring."

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Cognizant named Horizon 3 Market Leader in Intelligent Retail and Consumer Goods Ecosystems by HFS Research 2025

Cognizant has been recognized as a leader in HFS Research’s latest report, spotlighting our commitment to innovation in customer-facing functions and product development. With strategic investments in cloud, analytics and AI, we’re helping shape the future of the retail industry.

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Cognizant wins the Retailer’s Favorite award at VIP Awards ceremony

We are delighted to announce that Cognizant has been bestowed with the esteemed Retailer's Favorite Award at the 2025 Vendors in Partnership (VIP) Awards, co-hosted by the National Retail Federation. This award highlights Cognizant's steadfast reliability, unwavering consistency and exceptional trustworthiness, showcasing our dedication to delivering outstanding solutions to our retail clients.

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Our retail partners and alliances

We collaborate with top-tier organizations to broaden our services and deliver holistic solutions to our clients. Our alliances with industry-leading companies empower us to offer cutting-edge innovations within the retail industry.