FOR THOSE OF US THAT COVER THE RETAIL INDUSTRY, 2006 has started off mild when compared to the thrill-a-minute joyride we experienced last year with major acquisitions racking up between IT vendors and retailers on a regular basis. But the lack of major headlines is in no way indicative of a lack of activity in retail IT. In fact, the hard work of real transformation has begun in earnest in retailing, as revealed by key findings in this year's study.