The 10 ‘most innovative’ companies in retail are...
Fast Company has revealed its 2026 lineup of the “most Innovative” companies in retail, and it ranges from legacy retailers to the operator of 24-hour, staff-free convenience stores.
Here is a look at the companies, with commentary by Fast Company. (Click here for the full story on Fast Company.)
1. Shopify: For opening its doors to agentic AI shoppers
In fall 2025, Shopify introduced a partnership with ChatGPT that lets merchants sell directly within the chatbot, so customers can discover and buy products without ever leaving the platform. The company also launched a universal cart option that allows shoppers to add items from multiple retailers through a conversational interface whereby a bot can fill your cart rather than forcing you to hop between different websites.
2. Walmart: For insulating shoppers from the trade wars
In 2025, Walmart got better at being Walmart: keeping prices down, moving inventory faster and leveraging its scale to weather storms.)
3. Fanatics: For parlaying its sports merch and collectibles into live events and film and television
Most sports retailers stop at the jersey, but Fanatics is building an entertainment empire.
4. Square: For updating its signature point-of-sale system to meet the needs of today’s retailers
In 2025, the company unveiled Square Handheld — a pocket-size business command center that weighs just 11 ounces. The device lets sellers manage everything from payments to inventory and back-of-house operations on the go, giving teams the speed and flexibility they need in fast-paced retail environments.
5. J. Crew: For using its heritage and legacy to sell customers updates to its classic styles
Since J. Crew relaunched an iconic catalog in September 2024 — with Demi Moore on the cover wearing one of her personal vintage J.Crew sweaters from the ’90s — the brand has been mining its own archive and doubled down on its heritage.
6. Printemps: For reimagining the department store
In March 2025, the French retailer opened its first U.S. location in Manhattan’s financial district, importing a European model that treats shopping as an experience rather than a transaction
7. Rebel: For diverting returns from landfills and putting them back on the market
The re-commerce platform — which started as a baby gear business and expanded to home goods, travel products, and outdoor gear in 2025 — processes more than 70,000 unique products weekly at its 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, it turns returned and overstock goods into deals for budget-conscious shoppers
8. Amazon:For using AI and personalization to help customers navigate the ‘everything store’
Navigating Amazon’s “everything store” has always meant wading through endless options. In 2025, Amazon used AI to flip that experience and let technology do the heavy lifting while shoppers sit back.
9. Field.IO: For creating easily deployed immersive retail experiences
Creating immersive retail experiences at a global scale used to cost double-digit millions and take multiple years to develop. Field.io has collapsed that timeline to four months at around 10% of the cost. For Nike, Field.iO built a centralized digital hub that manages immersive visuals across 94+ flagship stores globally.
10. VenHub: For creating the fully automated convenience store of the future
In 2025, the Las Vegas-based company opened five fully automated locations in Los Angeles, including Hollywood, Glendale, North Hollywood, the LAX/Metro Transit Center, and Union Station. The stores operate 24/7 without staff. Customers order through a touchscreen app, and robotic arms retrieve chips, soft drinks, basic medicines, or small electronics and hand them over within seconds.
Fast Company’s "10 Most Innovative Companies in Retail" list is part of its annual "World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2026" report, which also includes rankings for individual 59 industries and sectors, from advertising to video. To see the top 50 companies overall, click here.