The Biggest Retail Myth: That Technology Replaces People

InnovationThe Biggest Retail Myth: That Technology Replaces PeopleByBrett Beveridge,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 10, 2026, 08:15am EDTBrett Beveridge is the Founder and CEO of T-ROC Global. gettyFor decades, retail’s workforce strategy has revolved around one constant: people. Associates stocked shelves, answered customer questions and handled checkout. Technology supported the process, but it rarely changed the structure of the workforce itself. That dynamic is beginning to shift. Today, retailers are entering a new era marked not just by human labor, but by what I call digital labor. This labor is the combination of technology and a skilled physical workforce working together to run modern retail operations.Artificial intelligence, automation and intelligent systems are not replacing retail workers. Instead, they are becoming another layer of labor that helps retailers operate faster, more efficiently and at greater scale, which leads to better customer experiences. The retailers that succeed will be the ones that integrate these tools while continuing to invest in their people. The Rise Of Digital Labor In Retail​Retail has always been operationally complex. Stores manage thousands of products, shifting demand, omnichannel fulfillment and rising customer expectations, all while operating on tight margins. Historically, retailers solved these challenges by adding more people or tightening processes. Now, AI and automation offer another path. Technologies like predictive analytics, robotics, voice AI and intelligent inventory systems are beginning to take on tasks that once required manual effort. These include answering routine customer questions, managing inventory flows and analyzing store data in real time.For example, retailers have been deploying AI-powered voice agents that answer incoming...