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Search Senior leaders gathered in New York to confront a pressing reality: the technology works but organisational readiness, trust, and governance will determine who wins in the next decade of retail.
At The Consumer Goods Forum’s Data Driven Value Chain (DDVC) SpringBoard in New York, 30+ senior consumer goods leaders identified four key insights for C-Suite leaders for the board agenda.
AI is a strategic differentiator, not just a tool.
Across functions from product innovation to marketing and supply chain, AI agents are accelerating workflows, uncovering actionable insights, and creating entirely new opportunities for growth.
As Justin Honaman, Head Worldwide Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods Business Development at Amazon Web Services (AWS), noted:
“AI is already reshaping how consumer goods companies design, develop, and deliver products. Manufacturers are deploying AI agents to accelerate new product development, unlock disruptive packaging innovations, and generate faster, more precise product formulations. Beyond R&D, leaders are applying AI to optimize supply chains, forecast demand with greater accuracy, personalize consumer engagement, enhance quality control, and drive next-generation sustainability insights. It’s real, it’s working at scale, and its impact on how brands compete and innovate will only deepen in the near future.”
Cybersecurity is now a board-level imperative.
As digital supply chains expand and data flows increase, protecting systems is no longer an IT issue. The risk now sits across partners, platforms and third-party services, meaning a single weakness outside the organisation can expose the whole business. Executive oversight, integrated risk management and cross-functional accountability are critical to maintain resilience and sustain consumer trust.
Sustainability drives business anti-fragility.
Structured environmental and operational data is rapidly becoming a core decision-making tool, shaping how companies manage risk, strengthen supply chains and plan for growth.
Nina DePalma, Chief Product Officer at How Good, said:
“Sustainability data is not just about regulatory compliance; it strengthens trust in supply chains, and introduces new responsibilities around data, communication, and governance. It emerges not as a parallel agenda, but as a force shaping business decisions.”
In practice, companies are using Scope 3 and sourcing data to spot climate, regulatory and supplier risks early and factor them into procurement decisions.
Retail media and interoperability unlock new value.
QR codes, Retail Media Networks and shared data standards are reducing fragmentation, improving measurement, and supporting more seamless engagement across physical and digital environments. They allow brands and retailers to link on-pack interactions with in-store and digital media performance, giving a clearer view of what drives conversion.
So what’s next for industry leaders?
Across sectors, executives aligned on a clear reality: advantage in the next decade will not come from technology alone, but from the ability to govern it responsibly, integrate it effectively, and collaborate across organisational and value-chain boundaries.
For leaders, the mandate is no longer to experiment at the edges, but to ensure business can trust how AI, data, cybersecurity, sustainability, and retail media are used, turning capability into readiness and strategy into execution.
About the DDVC SpringBoard
The DDVC SpringBoard convened in New York City from 13–15 January 2026 alongside NRF 2026. Kindly sponsored by Amazon, IBM and Scanbuy, the event brought together over 30 senior executives to explore the practical application of emerging technologies and shift the industry from experimentation to purposeful execution.
A hands-on design workshop concluded the SpringBoard, giving participants the chance to synthesise insights, define strategic priorities, and identify opportunities to accelerate adaptivity and value across the global consumer goods value chain.
For insights on how DDVC SpringBoard initiatives are supporting digital transformation across the end-to-end value chain, contact: [email protected]
