The 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey: How U.S. Retailers are Feeling About Inflation, Expansion, AI, and More

Toast’s 2026 survey of small U.S. CBG retailers shows strong confidence, expansion plans, and rapid AI experimentation despite inflation and cost pressures.

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toast (NYSE: TOST) released its 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey. Toast annually surveys hundreds of operators working in retail, and this year’s results show the industry is cautious and resilient — operators remain positive but are tightening control amid an uncertain landscape. The last year has seen persistent hikes in inflation and macroeconomic volatility, but America's convenience stores, bottle shops, and grocery stores (CBGs) remained largely confident.

Our data shows that operators still expect to grow, but they’re looking to shore up their foundation by protecting margins, simplifying operations, and employing more efficient tech.¹ This was a blind survey of operators and decision-makers with fewer than 16 locations in the United States and included both Toast and non-Toast customers.

Read the full 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey on the Data by Toast website.

Key takeaways from the 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey:

Among the 340 operators surveyed:

• Operators are feeling positive: 94% rated their business health good or excellent
• Expansion is on the table: 66% say they're likely to open a new location in the next year
• 31% say they’re looking to simplify their operations in their top three business goals, up 12 points year-over-year²
• Inflation remains a concern, but inventory management (up 6 points year-over-year) is the biggest pain point
• It’s an AI world: Nine in ten operators are experimenting with AI

What are retail operators focused on this year?

The 2026 data shows they're also focused on making their operations more efficient. “Simplify operations” as a goal jumped significantly among all operators, up 12 percentage points overall. Profitability (32%), “improve employee productivity” (27%), and “start using new tech” (25%) were the other top goals of retailers.

What's the bottom line for retail in 2026?

In short: Retail operators are resilient, still believe in their businesses, and still plan to grow. Overall, the survey data showed they’re looking to grow more efficiently — with new tech, AI adoption, and a careful eye on costs — amid a difficult macroeconomic climate.

Read the full 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey on the Data by Toast website.

Methodology

¹To help better understand the retail industry, Toast conducted a blind survey of 340 CBG retail (convenience, grocery, or bottle shop) decision-makers operating 16 or fewer locations in the United States, including both Toast and non-Toast customers, from April 3, 2026, to April 20, 2026. Respondents did not know Toast was fielding the study. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error of +/- 5%.

²Methodology: From April 18, 2025 through May 13, 2025, Toast polled 492 retail decision-makers in the United States. Survey respondents consist of retailers with 16 or fewer locations and include a mix of convenience stores, bottle shops, and grocery stores. While some Toast customers are included in this survey, it is a broad view of independent retailers. This is a blind survey, meaning respondents did not know that Toast was fielding the study. Insights from this survey are directional and should not be interpreted as precise. The margin of error is +/- 5%

About Toast

Toast [NYSE: TOST] is a global technology platform built for restaurant and retail businesses. From the busiest local restaurants and shops to large hospitality brands, Toast helps owners and operators manage their businesses more efficiently, drive guest demand, and build lasting success.

Toast integrates software, agentic AI, payments, financial technology solutions, and hardware with a broad partner ecosystem. Powering billions of purchases throughout local commerce, Toast delivers the precision and innovation required for modern restaurant and retail environments. For more information, visit www.toasttab.com.

TOST-CORP

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909571694/en/

Media: media@toasttab.com
Investors: IR@toasttab.com

Source: Toast, Inc.

Key Terms

confidence interval technical

An interval estimate that shows a range of values within which a true number (like a company’s expected earnings, a projected return, or a model input) is likely to lie, together with a stated level of confidence in that range. For investors it turns a single point forecast into a band—like a weather forecast saying 60–70°F instead of just 65°F—making uncertainty explicit so you can judge risk and size positions more sensibly.

margin of error technical

The margin of error is a measure of how much the results of a survey or estimate might differ from the true value, due to random chance. It indicates the level of uncertainty in the data, helping investors understand how much confidence to place in the results. Think of it like the wiggle room around a guess—smaller margins mean more precise estimates.