What should retailers do before 2030?

Use data and automation to cut stockouts, returns, and customer costs, and connect online and store into 1 system. Stop buying AI theatre. Retailers spend on screens and demos while margins stay hostage to logistics, labor and returns. The winners use data and automation to cut friction, stockouts, returns and the cost of winning a customer, and they connect inventory, loyalty, online and store into 1 system. By 2030 the store is the warehouse and the returns desk, and the sale starts in the feed, the search box or the agent. Build for that, not for the checkout line.