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How AI, Data and Hospitality Are Rewiring Retail in Japan

Recorded live at NRF APAC 2026, this episode features Toru Koyama, Executive Officer & Head of IT and Digital Promotion Group at H2O Retailing Corp., and Executive Officer & GM of Digital Innovation Division at Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc. In this conversation, Toru shares H2O Retailing’s transformation journey — from backend IT and ERP foundations to CRM, unified commerce, retail media, customer data platforms and AI-powered customer communication. The central idea is the “communication retailer”: a retailer that does not simply sell products in-store, but builds trusted…

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