Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Retail marketing experts will cover which shopper behaviors signal buying intent and how AI turns those signals into decisions.

The retail industry is betting heavily that artificial intelligence will help to remove friction from the shopping experience. However, a striking finding reveals just how cautious consumers remain. Only a minority are willing to let AI complete a purchase on their behalf — and only under strict conditions. Globally, 35 percent of consumers say they…

Retailers heading into the 2026 holiday season may be encouraged by one headline number: consumers plan to spend more. Accenture's latest Holiday Shopping Survey of more than 4,000 U.S. consumers found shoppers expect to spend an average of $737 on holiday gifting this year, nearly 12 percent more than in 2025. Furthermore, 31 percent expect…

I’ve seen predictions that humans will no longer shop for themselves and that the storefront as we know it is dead. While artificial intelligence has undoubtedly impacted the retail industry, it hasn’t changed why people shop. Merchandising has always been about getting someone to notice a product, imagine owning it, and purchase it. AI can…

As a leading management consulting firm, Kearney has the foresight to anticipate change. Katherine Black, partner and Americas lead, grocery and retail at Kearney, shares valuable insights on artificial intelligence and the future of retail during this interview from Total Retail Tech in Dallas last month. Black discusses emerging trends in AI and its impact…

For decades, retailers have optimized commerce experiences for human shoppers. However, the next era of e-commerce will require retailers to make their products transactable by machines. Artificial intelligence-assisted shopping is accelerating, with 41 percent of shoppers using AI assistants to research products, 33 percent look for reviews, and 31 percent search for deals. This consumer…

Retail has spent years perfecting the customer-facing chatbot. Faster replies, automated returns, instant order updates, and self-service tools designed to shorten the wait between a shopper’s question and an answer. Every holiday season brings another wave of investment toward the same goal, and retailers have made tremendous progress improving what customers can see. Now, as…

AI should work as a new sales channel, not another platform standing between the small business and its customers. A merchant's store should remain the place where customer, order, and payment data lives. AI should connect to that, not replace it.

Retailers engaged in online commerce with third-party sellers are generally well equipped to catch clear violations, such as a prohibited product, a known bad actor, or an obvious policy breach. Technology can typically catch these violations, often before a seller even begins transacting on a platform. The problem, however, is that bad actors are becoming…

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming standard equipment for marketers. Retailers are using it to create campaigns, optimize media, personalize experiences, and make decisions faster. That adoption will only accelerate as peak season approaches. As access to these capabilities becomes more widespread, however, simply having AI within the marketing stack will become less meaningful. The greater…