Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Gap is partnering with Google's Gemini to allow shoppers to check out directly within the AI platform, making it the first major fashion company to work directly with the tech company to fuel agentic commerce, CNBC has learned exclusively. The partnership comes as an increasing number of shoppers move away from traditional search and toward artificial…

The conversation has moved past whether retailers should adopt artificial intelligence. It's already embedded across the industry, powering proven use cases such as forecasting, inventory management, chatbots, and personalization. Yet many initiatives stall after pilot projects. Everyone knows the issue ultimately comes down to data quality — “garbage in, garbage out” is ubiquitous in AI…

Google’s introduction of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) marks a structural shift in how digital commerce operates. Launched in January 2026 and already enabling in-app purchases from Etsy and Wayfair through Google’s AI Mode in Search and Gemini (with integrations from retailers and platforms like Shopify, Target, and Walmart on the horizon), UCP is designed…

Imagine you’re a retailer that guides a shopper to an artificial intelligence agent to return a pair of shoes. From a system perspective, measuring the agent’s performance seems simple: either it issues a refund or it doesn’t. But from a customer perspective, that only shows a sliver of the experience. If the refund requires multiple…

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…

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) has always been about more than what happens on the runway. Look behind the shows and you’ll see a real-time signal of how the fashion industry is evolving and where its biggest pressures lie. As I spoke with designers, brand leaders, and retail executives at NYFW last month, one theme…

For decades, retailers have invested heavily in owning the customer relationship. Loyalty programs, first-party data, and personalization engines were all designed to ensure brands, not intermediaries, understand their customers best. That foundation is now at risk of slipping away as artificial intelligence-powered platforms increasingly take over the shopping experience. As consumers increasingly discover and purchase…

In modern retail, artificial intelligence is everywhere. From forecasting engines to dynamic pricing tools and demand planning dashboards, AI is now firmly embedded within the industry. In fact, 70 percent of retail companies are either piloting or have already partially implemented agentic AI systems, according to FluentCommerce. However, despite this widespread adoption, full deployment is…

Shoppers are shifting their tactics. Burdened by rising prices, depressed spending power, and slumping consumer sentiment, they are, as KPMG explained, “more cautious, more cost-conscious, and more selective than they’ve been in years.” Recent consumer research shows that shoppers still expect instant value, immediate product availability, and a highly relevant experience both online and in-store.…