ConneXion 2026 Insights: Is Your Retail Business Future-Ready?
From April 27th to 29th, the Navtech team attended LS Retail’s conneXion conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was three days filled with invaluable opportunities for learning and networking. The agenda featured topics exploring the future of retail technology and the evolution of LS Central, aligned with modern business needs and innovative strategies.
Here are our main takeaways from conneXion 2026 and why they matter for your retail and hospitality business:
1. Embrace AI: Moving from Fear to Productivity
ConneXion 2026 revealed that AI is no longer just a buzzword; it is a functional tool now directly incorporated into every operational layer. The key message was clear: AI is transforming human roles, but that shouldn’t mean it is replacing us. By automating routine tasks, AI allows us to be significantly more productive and focus on high-value strategy.
Highlights included:
Highlights included:
- AI Agents powered by Business Central: Demos showcased the move toward autonomous software that handles repetitive tasks, acting as a "digital coworker" to save you time.
- AI-Driven eCommerce: With LS Central as your foundation, you can now seamlessly integrate AI tools to enhance personalization and product discovery. While LS Central manages the core retail data and the eCommerce platform exposes products to the customer, AI acts as the bridge that optimizes the experience. And most importantly – data flows in both directions to ensure a perfectly synced ecosystem.
- Vertical Innovation: We also saw a glimpse into the future of healthcare retail, where AI is being developed to assist with prescription fulfilment in pharmacies - a complex area where LS Retail is working hard to set new standards.
- Security & Loss Prevention: AI is now a frontline defence against fraud. By building AI agents directly in the system, businesses can detect suspicious patterns and losses in real-time. This guarantees that you have a proactive prevention plan before the damage happens
- A Flexible Platform for Innovation: A key highlight was that while AI approaches and integrations may vary depending on a business's specific needs, LS Central remains the stable foundation. The system is designed to support every type of AI integration and development, giving you the freedom to choose the tools that fit your strategy.
During Partner’s Day, Dimitar Iliev, General Manager of Navtech Group, had the pleasure of participating in the session discussing how AI is reshaping implementation and consultation roles. He shared some of the developments Navtech has been working on in this direction. Among them is OneShift – the suite of AI agents designed to automate and optimize tasks such as: Project planning & administration, Sales processes, Master data preparation, technical developments, post-implementation support.
2. SaaS Means to be Future-Ready
Beyond the software, a major theme was the importance of implementation methodology and the migration to the cloud. The goal is to ensure that moving to the cloud (SaaS) or upgrading your system results in immediate ROI and long-term resilience for your business.
If you are still relying on on-premises software, you are missing out on the intelligent features that are defining the future of retail. Here are the 5 signs your business is ready to move to the cloud.
If you are still relying on on-premises software, you are missing out on the intelligent features that are defining the future of retail. Here are the 5 signs your business is ready to move to the cloud.
3. Innovation & Expanded Functionalities
Among the new features introduced at the conference were the next-generation Kitchen Display System (KDS), effortless QR ordering for restaurants, and a powerful new extension for Adobe Commerce and Magento. These updates reinforce LS Central’s position as a truly flexible platform, capable of supporting a vast range of new integrations and evolving business models.
The Navtech Perspective
The clear message from conneXion 2026 is that the gap between "standard retail" and "intelligent retail" is widening. Whether it is building AI agents, migrating to the cloud, or leveraging new features such as QR ordering or eCommerce tools, retail operations are becoming more autonomous, secure and customer-centric than ever before.
Beyond all the new knowledge we are eager to share, we returned from conneXion 2026 with a prestigious recognition: Navtech has been named an LS Retail Diamond Partner. This award is a testament to our team’s hard work and our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our customers.
Is your business ready for the next step in this evolution?
As a Diamond Partner, the Navtech team is best positioned to help you apply these 2026 highlights to your digital roadmap. Contact us today to see how we can transform your retail or hospitality operations.
Beyond all the new knowledge we are eager to share, we returned from conneXion 2026 with a prestigious recognition: Navtech has been named an LS Retail Diamond Partner. This award is a testament to our team’s hard work and our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our customers.
Is your business ready for the next step in this evolution?
As a Diamond Partner, the Navtech team is best positioned to help you apply these 2026 highlights to your digital roadmap. Contact us today to see how we can transform your retail or hospitality operations.
