Strategies for AI Implementation
Retailers need to prioritize data integrity, pay attention to pricing and implement pilots for store AI programs.
Oct 09, 2026 | 2 min read
Implementing AI programs in stores can often come with pitfalls such as hidden fees, usage-based pricing, subscription sprawl and integration challenges that can undermine ROI. But there are steps retailers can take to avoid pricing and implementation mistakes.
“As you think about how you want to implement AI, think about the three P’s,” said Rick Rigby, CTO at Atlantis Management during the NACS Show Education Session “Shopping for AI Without Breaking the Bank.” Rigby’s three P’s are:
- Prioritize data integrity: “You must get that part right. Data democratization and building the right teams is the first P.”
- Pay attention to pricing: “You've got to know how you're getting billed and you've got to watch it before you get something that isn't.”
- Pilots: “I believe in getting these in the store. The demo is great, but seeing how it works in your store and personalizing it for the world makes a big difference.”
Rigby also highlighted that retailers should consider the seven cost buckets when shopping for their new AI:
- Acquire: Subscription, license, required modules
- Implement: Discovery, configuration, integration
- Prepare Data: Cleansing, mapping, labeling
- Operate: Compute, storage, monitoring
- Adopt: Training, Communication
- Govern: Access controls, privacy review
- Exit: Data export, transition support
Once your AI is implemented, it’s important to continue to focus on governance of the program. “Do not paste what you would not email outside of the company in AI. And do not let an AI output become a customer, employee, safety or compliance decision without human review,” Rigby said.
Rigby highlighted that using AI can free up employees from mundane tasks and train them into higher functioning things such as a food program, a loyalty program or engaging with a customer.
Frontline worker AI isn’t about replacing employees with AI functions, it is about empowering them. Read more about how new tech gives frontline workers a helping hand in the September 2026 issue of NACS Magazine feature “AI on the Front Line.”
Artificial Intelligence
