Discussing digital transformation in retail and restaurants with David Wilikinson

Many retailers look to NRF as a source of inspiration and information for the year ahead, and this year’s show was no different. From the expo floor to speaker sessions, NRF 2025 covered all the topics on retailers' minds, and this year, one of the hottest topics was change—from applying AI to meeting consumer demands and adopting new solutions. The industry looks very different from years past, and retailers are eager to adapt. Over the course of the show, representatives at the NCR Voyix booth got the opportunity to talk to customers and hear what was on their minds, while offering demos of the newest solutions available.  

On the final day of the show, NCR Voyix CEO David Wilkinson led a discussion on the changing retail landscape, focusing on the evolving consumer experience and the way that emerging technology is transforming commerce. He was joined by Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President, Transformation & Innovation at Walmart for a lively discussion full of relevant information for retailers and restaurant owners who are ready to invest in transformation. The session offered tangible examples of transformation, many of which are made possible by NCR Voyix, helping attendees visualize what is possible for their own business by focusing on building a true omni-channel experience.  

“We wanted to talk about the evolving consumer...and how you think about technology in your stores,” Wilkinson said, by way of introduction. He then began the discussion by asking Cathey about ways that Walmart is bridging the digital and physical store experiences to offer customers an informed, omnichannel experience.

“We say we’re a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer, devoted to saving people money so they can live better,” Cathey responded, going on to say “We want our shoppers to feel comfortable and to feel like we know them when they’re in our stores, [so our] app has become so integrated into the shopping experience.” With the app, he explained, shoppers can access store maps, place orders and receive curated messages. Members of the W+ program have access to further capabilities too, including a Scan and Go feature that senses when they’re in the store and allows them to scan items, pay in-app and bypass checkout. “It’s a great way for us to bridge that gap and get to know our customer just a little bit better.”

Later, Wilkinson and Cathey discussed the partnership between their two companies, and the ways NCR Voyix is supporting Walmart in adapting to changing consumer trends. The conversation turned to self-checkout, a hot topic in retail due to its implications for technology, staffing, shrink and consumer demand. Cathey called out Pick List Assist 2, part of a suite of next-generation self-checkout tools that eliminates friction and merchandise loss at self-checkout by using AI to recognize and automatically scan produce at unmanned lanes. “We're actively in the process of getting that out and into our stores. [It’s] going to be a huge time saver and it's going to save time for the customer, save time for the associates; it was a great innovation, and it was something that we could leverage with the...hardware that we already have in there."

One of the main focuses of the session was the intersection of technology and experience, the latter of which includes both employee and customer experiences. While many conversations about retail transformation tend to focus solely on customer experience, employee experience and satisfaction is also a vital piece of successful businesses. Wilkinson and Cathey made sure to spend significant time unpacking the way technology is improving employee experiences too, from eliminating time-intensive planning tasks and streamlining training to building new tools that simplify in-store tasks.  

The session, one of the final events of the show, finished on a high note, leaving attendees inspired to explore new technology for their stores. As the conversation drew to its end, Wilkinson brought the focus back to the personal. “We all know, [that] in retail, we’re only as good as our people...and tech is an enabler—not a replacement—of what we think those people need to do.”  

As commerce continues to grow and change, we’re standing by to help you offer your customers and employees the best that the industry has to offer. If you’re interested in exploring new tools to power your retail business or restaurant, schedule a meeting with an NCR Voyix representative today to discover what solutions are available.

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