This study explores the impact and use of cognitive technologies in the retail sector, which has recently attracted considerable interest from businesses, consultants, academics, and researchers. Through eight interviews with professionals from different areas within the retail sector, this paper aims to understand how industry professionals adopt these technologies and their role in shaping retail strategies. Our findings confirm that cognitive technologies significantly impact strategic decision-making within retail. These technologies drive new practices and investment decisions toward automation and optimization of internal operations and serve as key tools for understanding and gaining insights about consumers to shape purchasing behavior.