The first brush with “agentic shopping” often feels deceptively simple. A short ChatGPT or Gemini prompt, “Find a blue quarter-zip sweater in men’s size large,” produces, within seconds, a neatly curated set of results, complete with images, prices and purchase links. While discovery feels effortless, the next step, however, still reveals a familiar frustration: perhaps…

David’s Bridal, which offers affordable wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns and formal wear, is launching a wholesale division targeting independent boutiques globally with exclusive designer capsule collections from Vera Wang Bride, Oleg Cassini, and Viola Chan Couture. The wholesale program is designed to reposition the legacy bridal retailer into a “global resource” for independent boutiques and…

Artificial intelligence is transforming customer experience (CX) online, but what about CX in the physical world? Frontline employees play a direct role in customer experience for retail brands. So far, these workers are underserved by digital transformation initiatives that could improve CX and employee experience. While most AI solutions are designed for knowledge workers interacting…

In large retail operations, category management teams spend significant time deciding which product goes onto which shelf and in which order. Shelf space is very expensive real estate in retail. According to Consumer Packaged Goods(CPG) Research, 10 percent improvement in shelf availability can drive a 5 percent sales lift. Shelf updates don’t happen frequently because…

In episode 503 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Marianna Sachse, founder and CEO of Jackalo, the first circular childrenswear brand focused on creating durable, eco-friendly apparel. Sachse describes her inspiration for founding the brand — a difficulty finding comfortable, sustainable, long-lasting pants and hand-me-downs for kids four and older (2:00). She details…