4 critical themes from RTS London 2026
The Retail Technology Show (RTS) 2026 at ExCeL London was a wake-up call for the UK market. While other big shows spent the year talking about the abstract future of AI, the atmosphere at RTS was much more grounded.
It was focused on one thing: customer centricity.
The era of chasing technology just for the sake of having the newest thing is over. We have reached a turning point. Today, your success isn’t measured by how complex your tech stack is. It’s measured by how well that technology disappears into the background so you can focus on human connection.
To stay ahead, you need to understand the four pillars driving this movement: the end of passive foot traffic, breaking the acquisition death spiral, people-powered tech, and intentional data.
Proactive is the new passive: Why foot traffic is no longer enough
One of the most telling insights from RTS didn’t actually happen on a stage; it happened in the booth. Many successful exhibitors at the show reported that a staggering 90-95% of their meaningful conversations were set up through proactive outbounding in the months leading up to the event. Foot traffic only accounted for about 5-10% of their leads.
As a retail leader, you need to see this for what it is: a preview of the new retail reality. The days of opening your doors and waiting for the right customer to wander in are gone. In the UK market specifically, the focus has shifted from awaiting a conversion to driving one through outbound communication.
If you are still relying on walk-ins to hit your targets, you are leaving your growth to chance. The leaders at RTS are pivoting toward a model where every store associate is empowered to reach out and create their own foot traffic. By moving from a reactive mindset to a proactive one, you take control of your pipeline and ensure that your best customers are coming through the door because you invited them, not because they just happened to be passing by.
Breaking the death spiral: Why retention is your only path to growth
This shift toward proactive outreach is the only way to survive what experts call the CAC:LTV death spiral. While some say loyalty is dead, the truth is that customers are just more careful about who they trust.
Many brands are stuck on a treadmill that’s moving too fast: Spending more money to find new customers who stay for less time. This is the CAC:LTV death spiral where it costs more to acquire a customer than you make from their first few visits. Between rising costs and AI search engines that summarize your website without giving you a single click, the old way of growing is broken.
The consensus from retail leaders on how to fix this? Build trust through direct, human connection. In a world of AI-generated content, authenticity is your most valuable asset. To survive, you need to shift from mass marketing to human-scale outreach. By relating to the people you already have instead of just hunting for new ones, you fix your margins and build a community that stays with you.
Bringing the soul back to the store: The new era of people-powered CX
At RTS, the big question was about the next step for customer experience (CX). The answer? A return to the frontline.
For years, the industry has chased shiny new gadgets like smart carts or virtual try-on mirrors. While these tools were fun at first, they didn’t actually keep customers coming back. In fact, many digital-only experiences left customers feeling cold and disconnected. Store teams often felt overwhelmed by learning the tech and the admin tasks it came with instead of actually talking to the people in the shop.
What we heard from leaders at RTS is that it’s time to pivot back to a people-first approach. The goal is to use technology as a silent partner that handles the boring stuff so your associates have more bandwidth for empathy. By giving your team tools like automated task lists and digital profiles, you allow them to focus entirely on the human being standing in front of them. The result is a relationship-driven experience that keeps customers coming back.
From spreadsheets to stories: Democratizing data for the frontline
Another major talking point at RTS was the data mindset. It’s no longer about how much data you have, but what you actually do with it.
Most retailers have more data than they know how to handle—sales numbers, web history, and wish lists. But for store teams, this data usually feels like a messy, confusing spreadsheet. It’s a chore to manage, and the attention on the data and not the customer makes them feel like just another row in a database.
The solution many leaders agreed on is democratizing your data. When you put a customer’s entire story — their online browsing, past purchases, and style preferences — into one easy-to-use app, you empower your associates to put the focus back on the customer. This turns data management into the art of service. Your outcome is a 1:1 relationship where every message feels genuine and every recommendation feels personal.
The survival strategy: How clienteling fixes the loyalty leak
Everything we saw at RTS—from the shift in CX to the new data mindset—leads to one specific strategy: Clienteling.
We know the stakes: if it costs you more to find a customer than they spend on their first visit, you simply can’t afford for that first purchase to be their last. But right now, you’re facing a wall. Your store teams are stuck in tech-overload mode, focused on gadgets instead of guests. Your best customer data is trapped in complex spreadsheets that never make it to the shop floor. This disconnect leaves your customers feeling like just another number in a database. When your teams are buried in admin and your data is locked away, it’s impossible to build the human trust needed to break the cycle of expensive ads and one-time clicks.
You need to change how your brand grows by focusing on building value through your people. Clienteling puts deep insights directly into the hands of your store associates. This allows them to send personal notes when a new item matches a customer’s style or reach out when a favorite perfume is running low.
Imagine one of your associates, Sarah. She gets a notification on her device that a regular customer, Dave, has been browsing a specific pair of boots online. Instead of Dave getting a generic “Finish your purchase” email that goes to spam, Sarah sends him a quick, personal text: “Hi Dave! I saw you were looking at those Chelsea boots. We just got your size in-store today, would you like me to set them aside for you to try on Saturday?” Suddenly, Dave isn’t just being targeted by an algorithm; he is being seen by a person. He comes in, tries the boots, and because Sarah knows his style history, she suggests a matching belt. That is clienteling in practice.
By focusing on the customers you already have, you generate more profit and turn every shopper into a brand loyalist. This isn’t just a trend; it is your strategy for survival.
Stop reacting, start leading: Your 2026 roadmap
RTS London made one thing very clear: the retail industry is at a crossroads. For years, we’ve prioritized the digital part of digital transformation. But as we look toward the rest of the year, the most successful retailers are those shifting their focus back to the human part.
By empowering your store teams with people-powered technology, democratizing your customer data, and prioritizing 1:1 relationships over mass-marketing blasts, you aren’t just improving your operations, you’re building a resilient brand that can thrive in a volatile market.
The pivot from tech-centricity to customer-centricity is no longer optional; it is the path forward for every UK retail leader.
Learn more
Don’t just react to the turning point — lead it.
You can learn more about clienteling as a practice in The beginner’s guide to clienteling in 2026.
Ready to take the next step? Book a demo with our team to see how you can build a high-growth, relationship-first business with Tulip Clienteling.
