The Dirty Martini Digest — Volume 24

Dated: October 2026

By Dave Weinand

The
Dirty Martini
Digest

Welcome to this month’s edition of The Dirty Martini Newsletter

Book a Meeting The Dirty Details

September was a blur with stops in Orlando (Parcel Forum), Las Vegas (Groceryshop), and the new home of Shoptalk Fall, Nashville. Quite the whirlwind but being connected to the industry is where it’s at, so team Incisiv wouldn’t miss it.

We detail some key takeaways from the fall events below but the net, net, is that retailers and brands are still using AI enabled technology in silo’d use cases and are looking for ways to enhance its value at the enterprise level.

Q4 is upon us and with it, planning for next year. B2B Sales & Marketing Teams are enabled better than ever before but also their target customers are being bombarded more than ever before. Our jobs are both easier and more complicated at the same time. We detail in our latest research report below.

Enjoy - and as always - we love feedback.

Volume 24 · October 2026

In this edition

2026 Strategic Mobility Outlook across Retail, Manufacturing & Healthcare Latest Study: AI and the B2B Marketing CMO Key Takeaways of Groceryshop + Shoptalk Fall Preview: Grocery Commerce Intelligence Platform.

Let’s get into it.

Enjoy this issue of the Dirty Martini Digest.

The Dirty Details

Hot off the presses is our latest study with Verizon and Google Pixel, the 2026 Strategic Mobility Outlook: The Third Wave of Enterprise Mobility

In this study, we’re defining the third wave as intelligence that pushes mobile devices to interpret context and assist decision-making in the moment. The report details how mobility already produces measurable value (retail estimates roughly ~7 hours returned per frontline worker per week). We look at several industries, including retail, manufacturing and healthcare. The bottom line: the next refresh is about building an AI-ready, governable, reliable frontline operating layer that can scale without breaking trust in front of customers.

2026 Strategic Mobility Outlook report cover

Key Findings include:

Mobility’s job in retail is expanding from “transaction helper” to “full-shift operating layer.” Retail mobile workflows are moving beyond inventory + mobile POS into push-to-talk, clienteling, scheduling, and training.

In the next two years, adoption will look like this:

Push-to-talk comms Push-to-talk comms: 51% today, 80% within two years, up 29 points.
Clienteling Clienteling: 44% today, 80% within two years, up 36 points.
Workforce scheduling Workforce scheduling: 41% today, 83% within two years, up 42 points.
Video-based training Video-based training: 39% today, 76% within two years, up 37 points.

Share of retail respondents with each mobile workflow deployed today vs. deployed, piloting or planned within two years.

~7 hours

Retail respondents estimate leveraging mobile returns close to ~7 hours to a typical frontline worker. That reclaimed time can be used on inventory work, better service, and more floor coverage. While labor reduction is an option here, most respondents stated the time could be redeployed vs. reducing labor.

79% AI is driving device decisions ahead of AI deployment.

Even though only ~7–12% have an AI capability deployed today (depending on capability), 79% say AI is already a primary/secondary consideration into device selection.

~84–86% Retail is on an AI adoption fast track, especially generative + vision.

Retail reports generative assistants and vision AI at ~17% deployed today, but ~84–86% deployed/piloting/planned within two years. That’s a massive intent signal; the risk is rolling out pilots that can’t survive store conditions.

82% The fastest-growing in manufacturing workflows are “guidance at the point of work,” setting the stage for AI assistance.

Workflows like paperless assembly guides (43% → 82%) and video-based training (40% → 81%) show major planned expansion. The strategic implication is that once work instructions are already on-device, it’s a shorter step to intelligent guidance.

15% → 76%

In Healthcare, ambient scribing is the killer app. It is only 15% deployed today, but rises to 76% deployed/piloting/planned within two years (a ~4–5× jump). That makes it the clearest signal that frontline mobility in healthcare is moving from “utility” to “in-the-moment assistance.”

The study is LOADED with great insights, click here to get the full report.

Straight from the Shaker: AI and the B2B Marketing CMO - Latest Study

Get practical insights and best practices straight from our industry experts as we shake up and serve up our knowledge to help you improve your go-to-market strategies. We share tips each month to help you stay ahead of the game.

This month we’ve launched the most comprehensive non-commissioned study in our history on the effects of AI in the B2B Marketing and Sales roles within the technology industry. The study examines the claim checks, approvals and system handoffs that still require people. The study dives deep into how teams are changing their workflows, who should own the changes and how to assess them.

With close to 600 respondents across almost 300 companies, there is no way to summarize the deep insights in one newsletter. We will be producing a series of insights videos, articles and community events to dive deep into the findings. We’re also scheduling 1:1 walkthroughs. If interested, you can book here.

In the meantime, here’s a little teaser of some of most interesting findings:

49% 49% of marketing executives have to re-explain company facts, buyer context or brand rules to AI several times a week or every day.

11% Only 11% of marketing leaders say they have a meaningful role in setting the company’s AI priorities and what counts as done.

69% 69% of marketing teams are either unable or have tried in one-off use cases to reuse Company knowledge and workflow instructions outside the AI tool they were written in.

11% 11% of CMOs state part of their standard workflows includes quality checks, a record of what the AI did, and a named person for exceptions.

23% Only 23% of marketing team members have received formal training in AI processes and workflows.

Dive deeper into our cross-industry research and content.

Take a look at some of our latest insights:

At Groceryshop 2026, we launched our Grocery Commerce Intelligence Platform (GCI). Building off of our longstanding Digital Benchmarking work, the GCI provides a global look where over 200 Grocers, Hypermarkets, Discount Stores and Warehouse Clubs stand in their digital shopping capabilities, including AI functionality.

The platform includes full voice search capabilities to enable quick insights for sales enablement and marketing.
A full breakdown of the GCI will be provided in more detail in the next edition of the Dirty Martini Newsletter but click above for access.

Explore the GCI Platform

More reading

Second Round - Incisiv Announces Partnership with Omni Talk Retail

Omni Talk and Incisiv Partner to Enable NRF 2027 Big Show Sponsors to Maximize Their Show Value

Cutting through the clutter and noise of NRF is becoming a bigger challenge. Omni Talk and Incisiv have created a three-phase campaign that gives sponsors and exhibitors thought leadership and exposure before, during, and after retail's biggest week, including a feature spot on a Times Square billboard.

Full details on the partnership and programs can be found HERE.

Incisiv on the Road:

We just wrapped up Groceryshop and Shoptalk Fall, each loaded with lots of conversations and insights. Our key takeaways include:

Shoptalk Fall 2026 (Nashville):

Retailers already have the technology they need. What holds them back is the operating model.

Response time beats forecast accuracy. The leaders measure how quickly a signal turns into action. Scotts Miracle-Gro cut carrying inventory 52% with demand sensing.
The data gap is the biggest operational risk. One retailer reported being in stock 92% of the time, but customers found what they wanted only 75% of the time. Automation makes bad data fail faster.
The store is now the fulfillment network. Ulta's stores fill more than half of its ecommerce orders. Best Buy's ship-to-home demand grew 20x after it opened a store in Bozeman.
Fulfillment speed is a design choice, not a budget line. Offering faster shipping didn't lift conversion in Wamsutta's test.
AI transformation is mostly about people and processes. The split is 10% models, 20% technology and data, 70% people and process.

Groceryshop 2026 (Las Vegas):

Grocery has the AI tools it needs, but not the operating model to scale them.

AI rarely scales. Only 7% of firms have scaled AI across the enterprise, and just 16.5% can quantify its ROI. Our own Gaurav Pant led a panel with Rohlik Group, Church & Dwight and Kimberly-Clark. They made the case for single ownership, process redesign and clear measures of success.
Online grocery profitability depends on how it's built. Order density, basket size and reliability decide the economics more than any single fulfillment model.
AI agents are shortening the shelf. Shoppers ask AI agents for meal plans instead of searching for products. Brands need data machines can read, and retail media needs to stop depending on sponsored search.
GLP-1 and tighter budgets are reshaping the basket. 21% of U.S. households now include a GLP-1 user, and grocery spend in those households falls 5.3%.
The store is still where grocery is won. 93% of grocery sales happen in stores, so in-store retail media and AI-equipped associates are the priorities.

The common thread: at both events, the companies pulling ahead weren't the ones with the most pilots. They put one owner on each AI initiative, measure what customers actually experience, and turn signals into decisions quickly.

New York Community Dinner Series. Our next Dinner is November 5th in conjunction with Manhattan, and we are focusing the conversation on AI’s Impact Across the Enterprise. We have a GREAT group of retailers and brands registered and are looking forward to the evening.

New York Community Dinner Series 2027. We are building our calendar for our quarterly dinner series in 2027. If you'd like to discuss a date or theme that fits your schedule, now is the time to reach out! Email Mara Dosso (mara.dosso@incisiv.com) and we’ll schedule a call.

Believe it or not, NRF 2027 is coming! Our biggest Speakeasy of the year, The Speakeasy @ NRF, will take place Saturday, January 9th at Zuma. Over 50 retailers will join to kick off the 2027 NRF Big Show. For more information on how to get involved, email Mara Dosso (mara.dosso@incisiv.com) or Bill Little (bill.little@incisiv.com).

Questions? Want to chat? Here is a combined calendar to book a time.

We're here to help you navigate your biggest challenges and win in this highly competitive market. Anytime you want to talk, simply reply to this email.