AI Retail Night 2026: AI, speed and the future of retail in Mexico

On August 27, we told 200 Mexican retail executives something they did not expect to hear on a night dedicated to artificial intelligence: the true transformation of this industry is not about AI.

AI is an extraordinary tool. But ultimately, it is still a tool, just as ERP was, just as ecommerce was, and just as the barcode was in the 1970s. The real transformation has another name, and that name became the common thread throughout the evening at Four Seasons Mexico City: speed.

AI Retail Night brings together Mexican retail leaders in Mexico City

Following the opening, María Devesa Sanz, from Palacio de Hierro, shared how they experienced their own process of transforming inventory management with artificial intelligence, the challenges they faced and how they approached change across teams and internal processes.

The roundtable discussion followed, moderated by our CEO Amancio Junior, with Agustín Pérez Hermosillo (Flexi), Rafael Castelltort (Tecnológico de Monterrey), Darinel Becerra (Retailers Magazine), Martha Lazo (Retail Brands Alliance), Pierre Claude Blaise (AMVO) and Jorge Plasencia García (SAPICA).

The discussion explored whether AI already holds a priority position on the agendas of Mexican retail executive committees, whether Mexico is in a position to lead this transformation at a regional level, and what the sector still needs in order to compete more efficiently.

The main conclusions from AI Retail Night

Two ideas stayed with everyone in the room:

“Today, we face the same barriers to AI adoption that we once faced with omnichannel. The CEO’s vision and the resources given to teams are key to adopting the best technology.“
Pierre Claude Blaise, CEO of AMVO

“Having reliable, connected and governed data, together with well-defined, documented processes that are understood across teams, is essential for technology to achieve the goals the business is aiming for.”
Martha Lazo, Retail Brands Alliance

Speed as a competitive advantage in retail

And the closing message returned to the same idea that opened the evening:

“In the coming years, the winner will not be the largest retailer, the one with the best product or even the one that invests the most in technology. The most agile competitor will win: the real advantage lies in the ability to adapt, make decisions quickly and turn transformation into results.“
Amancio Junior, CEO of Analyticalways

Because AI can accelerate analysis, improve forecasting and automate decisions. But the true competitive advantage appears when organizations are able to turn all that technological capability into faster action.

AI Retail Night 2026: a first edition with more to come

This was the first edition of AI Retail Night, an event organized by Analyticalways to bring together some of the leading figures and professionals in Mexican retail around artificial intelligence, the transformation of the industry and the new challenges facing the sector.

And it will not be the last.

Because if one thing became clear during AI Retail Night, it is that the future of retail will not depend solely on who has the best technology.

It will depend on who is able to move faster.