IFA Retail Leaders Summit 2026: How will we shop in the future?

GFU Consumer & Home Electronics publishes a new study on shopping behaviour

IFA Berlin brought together more than 100 C-level executives and senior decision-makers from national and international retail today. At the IFA Retail Leaders Summit, they discussed the future of retail at the Palais am Funkturm on the grounds of Messe Berlin. 

With the Retail Leaders Summit, IFA is strengthening its role as a central platform for international retail. As Gold Sponsor of the IFA Retail Leaders Summit 2026, Idealo demonstrated how consumers discover and compare products and decide what and where to buy. The brands Expert, Euronics, MediaMarktSaturn, EK Retail, Telering, Weltfunk and ElectronicPartner also supported the event as IFA Retail Partners. 

“The retail sector is and will remain a VIP at IFA. Especially now, the industry needs places where retailers, brands and technology companies can discuss how innovation can create new growth. Today’s keynotes and discussions gave us in-depth insights into new strategies and technologies that will be crucial to the future of retail. That’s what IFA is all about: bringing the industry together and driving progress,” says Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Management.

New GFU study shows how retail will change by 2030

At the opening of the summit, Carine Chardon, Managing Director of GFU Home & Consumer Electronics GmbH, and Dr Martin Schulte, Partner, Retail and Consumer Goods at Oliver Wyman, presented their joint study, “Retail 2030: A 360-degree perspective on the future of retail”.

What challenges does changing shopping behaviour in the electrical appliances segment create for industry and retail? A consumer survey by global management consultancy Oliver Wyman, a Marsh business, and industry organisation GFU Consumer & Home Electronics examined this question. The study was conducted in August 2026 in China, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. One thing is clear: artificial intelligence will become indispensable in the future. 

“AI is rapidly becoming part of the shopping process. AI already played an active role in the most recent electronics purchase of 60 per cent of respondents. In China, generative technology was involved in the shopping process for as many as 90 per cent of respondents. This is creating a new discipline for industry and retail: in future, marketing will need to persuade not only people, but machines as well. Retailers or suppliers that are not visible in AI systems risk no longer being considered during product selection,” says Carine Chardon, Managing Director of GFU Consumer & Home Electronics.

But it is not only AI: social commerce is also playing an increasingly important role in the purchase of electronics. At the same time, advice, installation, repairs and other services remain highly relevant to consumers and are key factors in deciding which retailer to buy from.

The study is available here: Presentations | GFU Home & Consumer Tech

Outlook: Friday’s IFA highlights

On Friday, 4 September 2026, visitors can look forward to numerous keynotes, product innovations and live experiences. All highlights for tomorrow can be found here: IFA programme for Friday.

IFA Images 

You can find IFA 2026 images here: Media Galleries | IFA Berlin 2026 – Innovation For All