03-24-2026MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES

The most innovative retail companies of 2026

Why Shopify, Walmart, Fanatics, and J.Crew are among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in retail for 2026.

BY Yasmin Gagne and Elissaveta M. Brandon

The most innovative retailers in 2025 used technology not to chase trends, but to solve real problems.

As tariffs squeezed margins and labor costs climbed, companies scrambled to adapt. Shopify opened its platform to agentic AI shoppers, letting customers purchase directly within ChatGPT. Amazon launched Lens Live to turn smartphones into instant product scanners. Rebel scaled its re-commerce........

© Fast Company