Today on Total Retail

Amazon.com is tapping into the increasingly popular trend for interacting with artificial intelligence agents: texting. The company announced it is launching a feature that lets customers chat with its Alexa AI agent via text messages to help them shop, much like you can with AI agents like Muse or Instinct. The move comes after Amazon…

Artificial intelligence has become one of retail’s top priorities. Retailers are deploying AI to strengthen security, improve operations and boost margins. However, the technology is only as valuable as the insights it provides and how effectively those insights can be put into action, and that can’t happen without humans in the loop. AI shouldn't operate…

Retailers have spent decades getting better at predicting demand. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holidays gave businesses major moments on the calendar they could prepare for months in advance. From ordering inventory to planning promotions and preparing operations, they knew what to expect. While those events still matter, retailers now face a new challenge:…

Across the nation, U.S. businesses are continuing to navigate supply chain disruptions, affecting sourcing, inventory, costs and product availability. A myriad of factors have fueled this disruption, not least geopolitical turmoil and extreme weather events, alongside changes in trade policy and continued evolution of global sourcing networks. With geopolitical uncertainty and extreme weather events likely…

When shoppers ask artificial intelligence models for "the most comfortable shapewear" or "the best running shoes for flat feet," the answer rarely comes from a brand's own website or external marketing. Large language models (LLMs) don't take a brand's word for it. They look for validation, and they find it in the sources consumers already…

The Children’s Place has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it said Sunday. The children's apparel retailer is looking to sell substantially all of its assets and is seeking offers from potential buyers by Dec. 9, with a goal to close a deal by the end of December. The company's brands include The Children’s Place…

In episode 520 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Stephen Nesle, chief marketing officer at Bob's Discount Furniture, one of the nation’s fastest-growing furniture brands with more than 200 showrooms across the United States. Nesle discusses why he believes entertainment and creator-led content deserves investment right now (1:35), including what the Bob's team…

Mobile has transformed the way consumers shop. A purchase can start anywhere, often with a few taps while someone is commuting or waiting in line. Yet the payment experience hasn't always kept pace. One of the most overlooked challenges is what happens after a customer successfully authenticates a purchase. Picture a shopper checking out on…

Back-to-school shopping has given retailers an early look at what could define the holiday season: consumers are willing to spend, but they remain highly focused on value. A recent back-to-school survey by Snipp found that 74.8 percent of shoppers expected to spend more this year, while 81.8 percent were concerned about affordability. While consumers may…

Agents that browse catalogs, compare prices and complete purchases without a person clicking a button were a novelty two years ago. Today, retailers are scrambling to keep up. The technology arrived faster than most road maps anticipated — and with a trust problem the industry hasn't solved. For the first time in Cloudflare's history, machines…