From Transactions to Experiences: How Services Platforms Are Redefining Retail

The future of retail is not in retail.

That bold statement from Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart, signals a structural shift happening across the global retail industry. Growth is no longer driven solely by selling products. It is increasingly powered by services platforms that monetize infrastructure, deepen customer relationships and unlock new revenue streams.

Retailers worldwide are moving from transactions to experiences. And those who succeed are building ecosystems that extend far beyond the store.

Why Services Platforms Are the New Retail Growth Engine

Post-pandemic pressures have squeezed retailers from both sides. Operating costs have surged. Prices have increased, but not enough to fully protect margins. As profitability tightens, retailers are searching for alternative revenue streams.

Services platforms provide the answer.

Instead of relying only on product sales, retailers are monetizing their logistics networks, financial services capabilities, data assets and physical footprints.

Walmart offers a clear example. Through GoLocal, the retailer now sells its logistics infrastructure as a white label delivery service to other businesses. What was once a cost center is now a profit engine.

This shift is global.

Global Leaders Monetizing Retail Assets

In France, Fnac Darty has transformed after-sales services into a core profit driver. Its subscription program Darty Max allows customers to pay an annual fee for unlimited electronics repairs, including products not purchased from the retailer. With more than 2 million subscribers, services now account for 25 percent of company profits, with a target of 30 percent by 2030.

In Brazil, Carrefour Brasil has built a powerful financial services arm. Through Carrefour Bank, the company has become one of the country's largest credit card issuers, with more than 7 million active users. Today, 56 percent of its retail division profits come from financial services rather than core retail operations.

In Taiwan, 7-Eleven has redefined convenience retail. Stores function as daily life hubs where customers can pay bills, access government services, ship packages, print documents and even search for jobs. With more than 7,000 stores serving 23 million people, over 80 percent of the population participates in its loyalty ecosystem.

The message is clear. Services are no longer complementary. They are strategic.

McDonald's Brazil: Building a Data-Driven Services Platform

Nowhere is this transformation more visible in food service than at McDonald's Brazil, led by CEO Rogério Barreira of Arcos Dorados Brazil.

Speaking at NRF 2026 alongside Eduardo Yamashita of Gouvêa Ecosystem, Barreira outlined how the company is shifting from transactional retail to experience-driven platforms.

Brazil's food service market includes 1.6 million businesses and is projected to grow 7 percent annually through 2028. Nearly 90 percent of retail sales still occur offline, yet digital penetration is rising rapidly. At McDonald's Brazil, digital sales increased from 28 percent to 32 percent in just one year.

Customers are everywhere. Online, offline and often both. Most journeys start on a smartphone, but in-store experience remains critical.

McDonald's Brazil now operates as a true omnichannel platform. Data flows across drive-thru, counter, kiosk and mobile app. The company serves approximately 2 million customers per day, generating massive volumes of behavioral insights.

The challenge is not collecting data. It is transforming data into action.

Loyalty, Personalization and the Power of Execution

The McDonald's loyalty program in Brazil has reached 21 million users. App users visit up to seven times more frequently than non-app customers. Personalization has become a competitive differentiator.

Through initiatives such as Meu Méqui do Ano, customers receive individualized usage summaries and personalized offers based on their preferences. The goal is recognition. Customers want to feel valued and differentiated.

Value platforms such as Méqui Econômico and Méqui Friday have also driven strong performance. November, historically a slower sales month, has become one of the strongest periods of the year after connecting promotional strategy to customer expectations rather than blanket discounts.

Barreira emphasized that technology alone is not the differentiator. Execution is.

While competitors may use similar kitchen equipment or digital tools, the difference lies in operational excellence, training and frontline people. In Brazil's food service industry, where turnover can reach 100 percent annually, technology enables rapid training and standardization. But people deliver the experience.

Retail success comes from combining data, scale and human connection.

The Three-Step Path to Services Transformation

Leading retailers typically follow a clear progression:

1. Services begin as marketing tools to increase traffic.
2. Services evolve to add value to core products.
3. Services become central to the business model and profit strategy.

McDonald's Brazil is firmly in stage three. Every transaction is treated as an opportunity to build a relationship. Value is created before, during and after payment.

The future belongs to retailers who think like platforms, act on data and lead with people.

The Takeaway for Retail Leaders

Retail margin pressure is not temporary. It is structural.

The winners of the next decade will monetize assets beyond product sales, build scalable services platforms and transform transactions into long-term relationships.

Technology enables scale. Data enables precision.

But people and execution remain the ultimate differentiators.

Retail's future is not defined at the checkout. It is defined across the entire customer journey.