Auto-Star was proud to attend RSPA RetailNOW 2026 in Las Vegas, where the retail IT channel came together to explore new technology, strengthen partnerships, and discuss the future of retail innovation.
This year’s event took place during a period of significant change across the retail technology industry. Inflation, global trade disruption, hardware price increases, acquisition activity, venture-backed competition, and the rapid adoption of AI are all creating new pressure for retailers and technology providers alike.
Against that backdrop, RetailNOW 2026 offered an important opportunity to connect with partners, peers, and industry leaders at one of the retail channel’s leading trade shows, education conferences, and networking events.
The 2026 agenda focused heavily on the topics shaping the future of the channel, including AI, payments, retail technology, channel growth, ISV education, and new opportunities for VARs, ISVs, and ISOs.
Rather than viewing disruption as something to fear, the conversations at RetailNOW pointed to something more optimistic. Disruption is creating momentum for smarter tools, stronger partnerships, and more practical innovation across the retail industry.
According to RSPA, RetailNOW 2026 reflected strong momentum across the retail IT channel, with one of the highest exhibitor counts since 2018, many first-time exhibitors, and continued membership growth.
Showcasing Star-Plus 8.5 and AI Receiving
RetailNOW gave Auto-Star the opportunity to highlight the latest release of Star-Plus Version 8.5.
Star-Plus 8.5 includes new and enhanced tools designed to help retailers reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and access better operational insights. Key updates include:
- AI Receiving: Early Access
- Menu Cards with Real-Time Data at a Glance
- Redesigned Purchase Order and Import Tools
- Seasonality Helper
- Weather Integration
- Tax Holiday Editor
- Self-Checkout Enhancements
- Expanded Payment Hardware Support
A key highlight was AI Receiving, an early-access feature that uses artificial intelligence to extract data directly from invoices and purchase orders. This helps retailers reduce manual entry, improve accuracy, and make the receiving process more efficient.
These updates reflect Auto-Star’s continued focus on practical innovation. Our goal is to give retailers tools that support real-world operations, not technology that adds unnecessary complexity.
AI Took Center Stage at RetailNOW 2026
AI was one of the biggest themes at RetailNOW 2026, and for good reason.
Retailers and technology providers are no longer asking whether AI will affect the industry. They are asking how quickly it will reshape daily operations, customer expectations, software development, payments, and business decisions.
Auto-Star’s own Ivan Long, Vice President of Operations, joined the panel “AI & the Future of Payments: How VARs and ISVs Can Stay Ahead of the Changing Landscape.” The panel drew strong interest from attendees. In fact, with 71 attendees, it was the best-attended session of the day. During the discussion, Ivan made a bold prediction: within the next five years, AI will be capable of helping produce effectively bug-free code. The comment drew more than a few surprised reactions from the audience. But it also highlighted how quickly AI capabilities are advancing.
Ivan clarified that this does not mean software will be free from design flaws. If a system is told to do the wrong thing, it will still do the wrong thing. However, as AI tools continue to improve, they may become increasingly effective at helping developers produce cleaner, more reliable code based on the instructions they are given. It was a “swing for the fences” answer, but that is exactly the kind of forward-looking conversation RetailNOW is designed to spark.
Retail Technology Needs to Prove Its Value
Another key takeaway came from the keynote discussion with RSPA President Jim Roddy and retail technology expert Carl Boutet. Their message was clear: retail technology providers cannot rely on the same value proposition they offered 10 years ago.
This message strongly aligns with where Auto-Star has been investing. Star-Plus 8.5 embodies this shift. AI Receiving, Seasonality Helper, real-time operational dashboards, and expanded payment hardware support are not feature bloat. They are direct responses to the core challenge retailers face: they do not need better point-of-sale transactions. They need systems that help them make smarter decisions, reduce manual overhead, and operate with less friction. That is the measurement that matters.
Basic point of sale, ordering, and reporting are no longer enough on their own. Retailers have more options than ever, including low-cost and free tools that can handle simple transactions. To stand out, technology providers need to deliver clear, measurable value to the businesses they serve. This includes providing data and interpreting it for clear actionable insights.
That message strongly aligns with the direction Auto-Star has been moving. Star-Plus 8.5 is designed to deliver this. AI Receiving pulls invoice data automatically so store teams spend less time typing and more time managing stock. Seasonality Helper flags demand patterns so retailers can plan inventory, staffing, and ordering ahead of shifts. Real-time menu and payment data dashboards give managers insight they can act on within their shift, not the next day in a report. These are not nice-to-haves. They are the difference between reactive and strategic retail operations.
Retailers do not just need systems that process transactions. They need tools that help them make better decisions, reduce manual work, identify opportunities, and operate more efficiently.
Disruption Is Raising the Bar
Disruption is not limited to the retail floor. It is also reshaping the retail technology channel itself. And for many VARs and ISVs, the challenge is not simply new competition. It is the tension that arises when large, well-funded technology platforms enter the channel while simultaneously selling directly to the same retailers that channel partners have supported for years. This conflict is real, and it matters.
For decades, the channel’s strongest advantage was clear: trusted solution providers offered retailers something larger technology companies could not deliver at scale. Local knowledge. Hands-on support. Industry expertise. Long-term accountability. That value has not disappeared. In fact, it may be more important than ever. As retailers face rising costs, labour challenges, and shifting customer expectations, they need partners who understand their business, not just vendors who sell them software.
This is a meaningful shift. For a long time, one of the channel’s strongest advantages has been that trusted solution providers offer retailers something larger, more impersonal technology companies often cannot: local knowledge, hands-on support, industry expertise, accountability, and long-term relationships.
That value still matters.
In fact, it may matter more than ever.
As the channel evolves, providers need to compete on more than software features or pricing alone. Retailers need practical technology that delivers measurable business value, but they also need partners who are responsive, knowledgeable, and committed to their long-term success.
For Auto-Star, innovation and service remain central to our approach.
Auto-Star recently met with the RSPA to review the results of our 2026 Customer Health Checkup Survey. Overall, Auto-Star scored above industry averages across nearly all categories, with customer service continuing to be a particular strength. It is our belief that these results reflect something that is difficult to replace and even harder to replicate at scale. Customer service is not a secondary benefit. It is part of the value proposition.
The providers that succeed in this next phase will be the ones that combine practical technology, measurable business value, and strong customer relationships. Retailers need tools that help them adapt to rising costs, changing customer expectations, labor challenges, and new competitive pressures. But they also need partners who understand their business, share their values, and support them beyond the initial sale.
Looking Beyond RetailNOW 2026
RetailNOW 2026 was a reminder that the retail technology industry is changing quickly. AI, payments, consolidation, pricing pressure, and new competition are all reshaping the channel.
But change also creates opportunity.
he takeaway was clear: the future belongs to retail technology providers that combine three things: practical innovation that solves real problems, measurable business value that shows up in a retailer’s P&L, and genuine partnership that extends beyond the initial sale.
For VARs and ISVs, this is your competitive advantage. For retailers, this is what to demand from your technology partners.
What happens in Vegas may not stay in Vegas after all. This year’s RetailNOW sparked important conversations about where retail technology is headed next.
If you are building or expanding a retail solution, or if you are looking for a platform that gives your business a competitive edge without unnecessary complexity, this is the moment to evaluate whether your current tools are keeping pace with what the market expects.
Contact the Auto-Star team to explore Star-Plus 8.5, AI Receiving, or ClearTEQ Merchant Services, and see how practical innovation can work for your business.
