October 17, 2025
Hold on tight! Even as Conexxus, the industry's technology standards group, unfolded its roadmap to the technological and cultural shifts that will shape the retail landscape through 2035, it also admitted the helping hand of artificial intelligence is likely to render the timeline obsolete sooner rather than later.
“Consumer AI is being driven by big technology. They now have access to data they never had before,” said Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus, during the NACS Education Session titled “The NACS/Conexxus Technology Roadmap.” “It will change our goals, our timeframes and more.”
The roadmap, as presented, is divided into three primary segments: on-the-go retail, digital identity and workforce technology. Each big goal includes smaller goals—and goals within goals—set to roll out to the industry when ready.
“Our intention here is to winnow away the shiny objects, and there are a lot of shiny objects,” Taylor said. “So this is not necessarily what's in your face now; it's what's down the road.”
Sharing the goals with the larger c-store audience, said Ed Collupy, an industry consultant and member of Conexxus, is a way to ensure retailers are “all working together to build a framework for the industry of the future.”
On-the-Go Retail
Within the topline goal of on-the-go retail, Conexxus is aiming to help retailers prepare for the future of mobile commerce. This includes capitalizing on consumer trends toward automated retail, including online ordering, delivery and pickup, as well as leveraging CPG trends toward consumer-direct promotions and Agentic AI shopping bots.
“We can't just be dependent on signage anymore,” said Christine Loukota, director, strategy and emerging technologies at Circle K and a member of Conexxus. “We have to do more to get people in our stores through apps and other digital promotions.”
Digital Identity
The growth of mobile and digital marketing and sales also requires new levels of security and personal protection. Conexxus’ second major goal is to enact single-use digital tokens to take advantage of defining consumer identifiers—authentication, over 21, etc.—without divulging more personal information, including home addresses.
“We need to be No. 1 in age verification,” Taylor said. “How do we access hypersensitive data to meet the needs of that person without wallowing in their personal information? … The store doesn't need to know who I am, just what I am.”
Learn more about TruAge, a digital age-verification tool from NACS and Conexxus.
Workforce Technology
Conexxus believes technology can provide solutions through better recruiting, training and job fulfillment. It can also take the burden of directing those tasks off other employees through automation.
“Using AI to take as much paperwork and manual tasks off managers' plates gives employees the tools to be more efficient,” Loukota said.