Digital Store Survival Kit: Realities, Roadmaps, & Resources For 2026 | Ask An Expert

Store digitization promises to transform retail operations, but most retailers struggle to move beyond pilots and buzzwords. In this Omni Talk Ask An Expert episode, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga sit down with Troy Siwek (General Manager of gStore at GreyOrange) to reveal what actually works when digitizing physical stores. Learn how digital twins are evolving from concept to operational reality, why unified platforms matter more than individual point solutions, and how to cut through the hype around retail AI. Drawing from GreyOrange's 40,000+ technology deployments, Troy shares hard-earned lessons about RFID integration, computer vision evaluation, robotics orchestration, and organizational readiness. Key topics covered: • What store digitization actually means: bridging the physical-digital customer knowledge gap • Digital twins as operational "mirrors" that surface real-time insights for associates and executives • How to evaluate computer vision vendors based on what they actually specialize in • Why most retailers should partner for core digitization tech rather than build in-house • RFID inventory accuracy reducing store tasks from a week to 18 minutes • The organizational shift: who owns store digitization across CTO, CIO, and store ops teams • How excessive decision-making processes kill retail innovation speed • When to pilot, when to scale, and when to cut failing technology experiments Whether you're building your 2026 technology roadmap or trying to scale existing store digitization pilots, this conversation provides actionable insights to help you avoid costly mistakes, accelerate decision-making, and deliver measurable improvements for store associates. Connect with Troy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troysiwek/ Visit GreyOrange: https://www.greyorange.com #RetailTech #StoreDigitization #DigitalTwins #RetailAI #RFID #ComputerVision #OmniChannelRetail #RetailOperations #InventoryManagement #RetailInnovation #StoreTransformation #GreyOrange