Research Report · in partnership with Accenture
The retail industry's AI divide is no longer just about who is experimenting with new tools. It is starting to show up in financial performance. In new research, the AIDE Institute and Accenture assessed the Top 100 US retail companies on how mature they really are with AI, measured from publicly observable signals rather than self-reported claims.
The headline is a widening gap. The most AI-mature retailers delivered a 25.1 percent three-year total shareholder return CAGR, compared with 3.8 percent for retailers in earlier stages of maturity. That is a 6.6x difference. The same leaders run gross margins of 54.6 percent, while the sector overall still sits early on the curve.
"Retailers are moving past the question of whether to invest in AI. The bigger question now is whether they have the leadership, strategy, and operating model to turn AI into better decisions, stronger margins, and faster execution."
— Paul Cheek, CEO, AIDE Institute
Investment is everywhere. Advantage is not.
While nearly every major retailer is investing in AI, only a small group is turning that investment into measurable enterprise value. Seventy-three of the 100 retailers remain in early or developing stages of AI maturity, and only four have reached leading or pioneer status under the AIDE framework. The advantage does not come from AI as a standalone technology. It comes from embedding AI into how retailers actually run the business, from planning and forecasting to pricing, fulfillment, and day-to-day decisions.
Leadership is where the divide begins
The research found that only about one-third of executives demonstrate meaningful AI literacy, which creates a barrier for companies trying to move from pilots to scaled impact. AIDE scores companies across four pillars: AI Literacy (what leaders know), AI Advocacy (what leaders signal), AI Orientation (what the organization prioritizes), and AI Implementation (what the organization builds). The report maps a clear path: leadership literacy comes first, then executive advocacy, strategic orientation, and implementation. Maturity also varies by business model, with e-commerce marketplaces leading and discount and off-price retail lagging.
The window is narrowing
As AI advantages compound through better data, more refined models, and stronger operating capabilities, the window for retailers to establish a meaningful competitive advantage is closing. Category leaders such as Amazon, Walmart, CVS Health, Kroger, Best Buy, and Starbucks are already pulling ahead. For a retail executive, the report answers one question: what does AI maturity for the Top 100 retailers really look like according to public data, and what is the next move up the curve?
Separate from the AIDE Index. A joint assessment by Accenture and the AIDE Institute, June 2026.