Marketing expert Kiri Masters looks back at a century of retail disruption to explain why AI isn’t just a new tool — it’s a fundamental reshaping of how we shop and how media must respond.
Key Takeaways
In this compelling session from NRF 2026, Kiri Masters takes the audience on a journey from the invention of the self-service grocery store in 1916 to the rise of “cognitive self-service” today. Drawing parallels between the early skepticism towards the first self-service grocery store Piggly Wiggly and the currAgenticent uncertainty surrounding AI-enabled shopping, Masters outlines the five conditions that must be present for a major shift in consumer behavior to stick.
The conversation moves quickly from history to the high-stakes future of Retail Media Networks. As consumers move their research and consideration phases into Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI “coaches,” the traditional “find-click-buy” loop is breaking. Masters explains how this shift threatens to compress on-site ad inventory and dilute the data exclusivity that retailers have long relied on. However, she offers a “tragic optimist” perspective: while online and off-site media face a reckoning, in-store retail media stands out as the most resilient format in an AI-driven world.
This presentation is a must-watch for brands and retailers who want to understand the economics of the “AI Bestie” and the “AI Coach.” Masters provides a clear-eyed look at why the physical store remains a critical “third place” for consumers and how retailers can lean into this shift early to remain leaders in the next era of agentic commerce.
“Every major shift creates winners who get in early while the paint is wet and casualties who wait for the writing to already be on the wall.” — Kiri Masters
Speakers: Kiri Masters – The Retail Media Breakfast Club