2026 NGA-Columbus Consulting Tech Survey Thank you for participating in our annual grocery technology survey. This brief survey will assess industry trends and needs and will allow us to better cater our focus and resources to address your business. Your information is confidential and will not be shared. Only the results will be aggregated and reported on. Question Title * 1. Your Name (will not be shared in findings) Question Title * 2. Your title (will not be shared in findings) Question Title * 3. Business Email (will not be shared in findings) Question Title * 4. How many total STORES does your business currently have? 1-5 6-25 26-50 51-100 101+ Question Title * 5. What are your annual sales? Less than $25 Million $26 Million- $50 Million $51 Million- $100 Million $101 Million- $500 Million $501 Million- $1 Billion $1 Billion - $3 Billion $3 Billion + Question Title * 6. Approximately how much did your company spend on maintaining or upgrading Technology systems (e.g. Point of Sale, Inventory, Financial, Back Office Systems) in 2025 as a percentage of sales? 0 1%-4% 5%-9% 10%+ Question Title * 7. How did technology expenditures change in 2025 compared to 2024? Increased Decreased About the same Question Title * 8. How is your company expecting your technology expenditures (Capex/Opex) to change in 2026 compared to 2025? Increased Decreased About the same Question Title * 9. What is your company’s biggest technological investment priority for 2026? Point of Sale E-commerce Mobile Digital/Loyalty Financial-ERP Forecasting Supply Chain Merchandise Planning Retail Media Computer Generated Ordering (CGO/CAO) Pricing and Promotion Optimization Assortment and/or Optimization Master Data Management Question Title * 10. Does your company have any of the following technology systems? Price Optimization Promotion Optimization Business, Analytics, and Reporting (not Excel) Master Data Management Product Item Master (PIM) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Question Title * 11. Which technology system is the oldest and needs to be replaced? Question Title * 12. How old are your company's technology systems (please estimate)? New- Less than 1 year 1-5 years 5-10 years 10+ years Not Applicable or Don't Have One Point-of-Sale Point-of-Sale New- Less than 1 year Point-of-Sale 1-5 years Point-of-Sale 5-10 years Point-of-Sale 10+ years Point-of-Sale Not Applicable or Don't Have One ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation New- Less than 1 year ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation 1-5 years ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation 5-10 years ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation 10+ years ERP/Financial Planning and Allocation Not Applicable or Don't Have One Inventory Management Inventory Management New- Less than 1 year Inventory Management 1-5 years Inventory Management 5-10 years Inventory Management 10+ years Inventory Management Not Applicable or Don't Have One Warehouse Management Warehouse Management New- Less than 1 year Warehouse Management 1-5 years Warehouse Management 5-10 years Warehouse Management 10+ years Warehouse Management Not Applicable or Don't Have One Computer Generated or Automated Ordering Computer Generated or Automated Ordering New- Less than 1 year Computer Generated or Automated Ordering 1-5 years Computer Generated or Automated Ordering 5-10 years Computer Generated or Automated Ordering 10+ years Computer Generated or Automated Ordering Not Applicable or Don't Have One Order Management Order Management New- Less than 1 year Order Management 1-5 years Order Management 5-10 years Order Management 10+ years Order Management Not Applicable or Don't Have One Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment New- Less than 1 year Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment 1-5 years Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment 5-10 years Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment 10+ years Forecasting, Allocation and Replenishment Not Applicable or Don't Have One Vendor and Order Management Vendor and Order Management New- Less than 1 year Vendor and Order Management 1-5 years Vendor and Order Management 5-10 years Vendor and Order Management 10+ years Vendor and Order Management Not Applicable or Don't Have One Price Management Price Management New- Less than 1 year Price Management 1-5 years Price Management 5-10 years Price Management 10+ years Price Management Not Applicable or Don't Have One Question Title * 13. Which part of your organization is most likely to require technology investment in 2026? (Pick One) IT Marketing Merchandising Retail Operations Finance-Accounting Security Human Resources Supply Chain/Warehouse/Transportation Question Title * 14. Does your company have a technology roadmap and strategy for the next: 1 year 3 years 5 years Question Title * 15. Does your company have any regrets regarding the technology purchases you made in the last 12 - 24 months? Yes No Question Title * 16. What factors have led your company’s regret or concern when making a technology purchase? Click all that apply. Difficulty Training and On-boarding Poor Technology Support Cost more than expected (Hidden Costs) Did not meet Return on Investment Time to Implementation (too long or not on time) Company acquisition (has or will be) Question Title * 17. What is the biggest impedance to making a technology decision/purchase in your organization? Check all that apply. Lack of expertise Lack of decision making Lack of finances Lack of human resources Change Management required for success Question Title * 18. What is the highest level Technology Executive in your organization? Chief Information or Technology Officer Senior Vice President/Vice President Senior Director/Director Senior Manager/Manager Question Title * 19. Will or have you been incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your organization? Yes No Question Title * 20. If yes to the previous question, in what areas, or in what capacity, will you be implementing AI? Done