What happened
Deloitte surveyed 200 retail and consumer packaged goods executives on AI adoption and execution. The report identifies a pronounced 'say-do gap': 75% call AI a top strategic priority, but only 16.5% can quantify a return. Leadership conviction outpaces organizational capability—AI adoption never exceeds 36% outside of IT departments. Critical findings: 54% of AI strategy ownership sits with tech leaders, not P&L owners accountable for outcomes; investment remains nascent (~50% investing <0.5% of revenue despite AI being called a priority); both sectors are piloting broadly but scaling almost nothing (7–10% enterprise-wide deployment). The retail sector is ahead on value realization, driven primarily by cost reduction and productivity, while CPG remains operational. A paradox emerges in agentic commerce: 40% of CPGs and 29% of retailers have no defined strategy, yet 50–60% are already piloting capabilities.
Why it matters
This report provides quantitative evidence that AI adoption in two of the world's largest industries is characterized by misalignment between strategic intent and operational capability—a pattern that extends across governance, investment, and deployment. For boards and executives, this data clarifies where the competitive risk lies: not in technology choice, but in closing the gap between centralized governance (favored by 43% of retailers) and accountability structures that put P&L owners in control of AI outcomes.
Action needed
Realign AI strategy ownership from IT to business unit leaders responsible for revenue and margin; conduct a maturity audit of current AI pilots (most are not scaling); establish explicit ROI metrics tied to strategic AI use cases rather than infrastructure investment.