Tag: e-commerce
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Etsy’s 36% Sales Boost: Insights from Google’s Holiday Guide
Etsy’s gross merchandise sales rose 36% across the 2025 holiday season, partly credited to Google’s AI Max, and it is the headline case study in the guide Google sent retailers on August 21. Independent measurement of AI Max points the other way, and Google’s own footnotes do not always match the claims.
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Michaels’ Ask Mike Sells the Project, Not the Keyword
Michaels says shoppers who use Ask Mike, its Gemini-powered assistant, convert at more than double the rate of those using traditional search. The more interesting claim is about basket composition: people asking for a birthday party get a project, while people searching “floral fabric” get fabric.
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Samsung TVs Get an AI Shopping Agent. Checkout Still Requires Your Phone.
Glance and Samsung formed a partnership to turn the living room screen into a personalized, AI-powered shopping destination — an agentic commerce experience rolling out across millions of Samsung smart TVs in the United States. Built on Glance’s proprietary AI platform and running on Samsung’s Tizen OS, it lets viewers create personalized shopping feeds and…
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Sephora Puts Checkout Inside Google’s AI Loop
Sephora expanded its partnership with Google to become the first prestige beauty retailer to enable shopping directly inside Google’s AI-powered platform through Google Agentic Checkout. In practice, this keeps shoppers on Google. They can ask beauty questions, research ingredients, compare recommendations in real time, build a routine, add products to basket, and check out without…
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Gap Splits Its AI Marketing Rebuild Across Google Cloud, Zeta and Publicis Sapient
Gap has partnered with Google Cloud, Zeta Global, and Publicis Sapient to transform its marketing approach. The collaboration aims to create a scalable, real-time marketing organization using integrated data and AI. Google Cloud provides the data foundation, Zeta builds the marketing stack, and Publicis designs the operating model. The initiative focuses on enhancing content relevance,…
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Google: AI ads driving up to 80% sales lift for some brands
Google’s message is basically: AI didn’t kill search, it just made it chattier—and ads are coming along for the ride. Alphabet cleared $400B in revenue in 2025, with Q4 ad revenue at $82.28B (+13.5% YoY) and YouTube ads at $11.38B (about +9% YoY). So despite the “AI chatbots will eat search” anxiety, Google’s ad engine…
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The promise and problem of agentic AI in advertising
AI agents were everywhere around the Super Bowl this year—so brands are doing the obvious thing: chasing attention where the attention is. The twist is that both consumers and the industry are still figuring out what “agentic” actually means in practice, even as platforms keep shipping new tools. Google’s Ashish Gupta pointed to longer, more…
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Gap partners with Google Gemini to offer AI platform checkout
Gap is about to let shoppers complete a purchase straight inside Google’s Gemini, positioning itself as the first major fashion brand to wire checkout directly into the AI experience (per CNBC’s exclusive). The bet is simple: as shoppers drift from keyword search to conversational asking—“What do I wear to a wedding?” or “Help, job interview…
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Walmart’s “Ask Sparky” Is Ringing Up 35% Bigger Carts
Walmart says shoppers who use Sparky, its AI shopping assistant inside the Walmart app, rack up baskets about 35% larger than shoppers who don’t, according to newly appointed CEO John Furner on the company’s Q4 earnings call. Sparky lives behind the smiley-face “Ask Sparky” button and helps customers with product discovery (finding items, summarizing reviews)…
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AR Meets Après-Ski: Snapchat’s Winter Village Goes Luxe
Just in time for the holidays, Snapchat has unwrapped its “Winter Village,” an augmented reality experience that brings luxury shopping into the app for users across several regions including the U.S., U.K., and France. Running through December, the activation puts three upscale brands—Chopard, Lancôme, and BOSS—front and center in immersive, branded AR spaces. Accessible via…
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Walmart Tests AI Audio Reviews for Beauty Shoppers
Walmart is adding digital chatter to its beauty aisles, testing AI-generated audio summaries on over 1,000 premium beauty products in its mobile app. Much like Amazon’s similar feature rolled out earlier this year, these short soundbites give shoppers a voice-assisted rundown of key product details and customer reviews. Especially useful on the go, the feature…
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How Walmart Leverages AI to Enhance Online Shopping
Walmart’s next move in AI e-commerce is a partnership with OpenAI that lets customers shop directly through ChatGPT, using its new “Instant Checkout” feature. Instead of typing into a search bar and scrolling endlessly, shoppers can simply ask for meal ideas or restock the pantry with a few lines of chat—and ChatGPT does the rest.…
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How AI is Shaping Ecommerce for the Holidays
Holiday e-commerce in the U.S. is expected to climb 5.3% this year, and for the first time, retailers are writing AI into their seasonal strategies. Instead of relying solely on Google, consumers are increasingly using ChatGPT and similar platforms to research and compare products. ChatGPT’s own shopping integration, backed by Walmart, Shopify, and Etsy, signals…
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ChatGPT Sends Shoppers, But They’re Leaving Their Carts Behind
A new study from German researchers is poking a few holes in the hype around AI-powered shopping. Analyzing more than 50k ChatGPT referrals vs. 164 million traditional transactions across nearly 1,000 e-commerce sites, they found that while ChatGPT may be driving fresh traffic, it’s not delivering at checkout. Conversion rates from ChatGPT referrals lagged behind…
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Pause, Scan, Shop: Zales Finds Gold in CTV Ad Format
Jewelry retailer Zales struck shiny results with a connected TV campaign using pause ads on Xumo, a free ad-supported streaming platform. The campaign, led by Wunderkind Ads, saw a 276% boost in QR code scans compared to previous, more expensive campaigns. Even better, those scans translated directly into sales, proving that pause ads can drive…
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How Shaquille O’Neal is Transforming Car Sales with AI
What started as Shaquille O’Neal eyeing a car vending machine in Nashville has become one of the strangest-yet-smartest uses of AI in retail. Years after that first sighting, Shaq teamed up with Carvana not just to endorse the brand, but to lend his voice, banter, and brainwaves to it. The result? Shaqbot—an AI assistant trained…
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The Impact of AI on Consumer Search Behavior
Marketers would do well to pay close attention to shifting consumer search behavior: 87% of U.S. adults now read AI-generated summaries when they search online, and more than 8 in 10 are using AI as part of their shopping decisions. These stats come from the latest Centerfield Gen-AI Consumer Survey, which paints a pretty clear…
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Ralph Lauren Launches AI Stylist: Ask Ralph
Ralph Lauren has launched “Ask Ralph,” an AI chatbot developed with Microsoft to act as a virtual stylist for mobile app users. This assistant, trained on branded materials and product data, helps users with outfit suggestions and style inquiries, ensuring a tailored experience rooted in Ralph Lauren’s brand identity. Built on Microsoft’s Azure platform, the…
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Shop While You Watch: TSN’s New QR Code Shopping
TSN has introduced a new e-commerce platform, TSN Shop, during the CFL’s Friday Night Football, allowing fans to shop in real-time by scanning a QR code on-screen. This initiative, powered by Shopsense AI, enhances Bell Media’s strategy to create transactional second-screen engagement. It enables brands to integrate directly into the viewing experience, turning fan interest…
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Furniture.com Moves from Aggregator to Marketplace with Agentic AI
Furniture.com has integrated an agentic AI-powered buy button, enabling customers to complete purchases directly on the site. A parent agent manages general details, while specialized agents handle retailer specifics, ensuring real-time updates on inventory and pricing. This shift aims to increase the site’s conversion rate and repeat customers ahead of the holiday season, moving from…
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Consumers Warm up to AI Shopping Agents
Consumers are increasingly embracing AI as a shopping aid, with 38% of bridge millennials and 32% overall using AI tools for retail tasks. Baby boomers are also participating, with 28% utilizing AI. However, 85% express concerns about privacy. Leading platforms like Perplexity, OpenAI, and Google are enhancing AI shopping experiences with advanced functionalities. Consumer hesitation…
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Meet the AI Sales Reps Who Never Sleep (and Outperform Human Counterparts)
In China’s livestream shopping landscape, AI avatars are emerging as 24/7 sales representatives, outperforming human counterparts. Developed by PLTFRM using Baidu’s video tech and DeepSeek’s script-writing, these “virtual humans” have shown impressive results, such as generating $2,500 in sales within two hours and increasing livestream revenue by 30%. While they offer consistent engagement, the rise…
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How Walmart’s AI Agents Are Changing Advertising Strategies
Walmart is developing an AI-powered command center to enhance ad strategies and streamline retail operations. Central to this initiative is “Marty,” an AI tool for automating ad campaigns and seller onboarding. Walmart aims to efficiently link trends, manufacturing, and influencer marketing through AI, fundamentally transforming how media is bought and sold.
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IPG’s agentic e-commerce solution boosts sales
Interpublic Group (IPG) has launched Agentic Systems for Commerce (ASC), a data-driven platform aimed at enhancing e-commerce decision-making for brands. Currently piloted by 20 brands, ASC has shown significant sales growth by integrating various data points. Supported by IPG’s AI expertise, it seeks to unify fragmented commerce tools into one effective solution.
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From Runway to Render: How Zalando’s AI Models Are Redefining Fashion Marketing
Zalando is diving headfirst into generative AI, using the tech to drastically cut the time and cost of producing marketing imagery for its app and website. With AI-generated “digital twins” of models, the e-commerce giant can now swap long, expensive photoshoots for ultra-fast, budget-friendly visuals. According to VP of Content Solutions Matthias Haase, imagery production…
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From “Good Dog” to “VIPP”: How PetSmart’s AI Loyalty Strategy Fetches Results
PetSmart has given its loyalty program, Treat Rewards, a serious upgrade—and AI is doing the heavy lifting. Using machine learning models from Hightouch, the pet retailer now customizes offers based on individual buying habits, from preferred dog food brands to services like grooming. AI also helps determine the optimal timing and sequence for outreach, which…
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From Cable to Creator: QVC Slides into TikTok’s DMs
QVC, the OG of televised home shopping, is diving headfirst into Gen Z territory with a bold new bet on TikTok. Launching the first-ever 24/7 live shopping stream on the app, QVC is leaning hard into the TikTok Shop to breathe new life into its struggling business. The move brings its familiar hosts together with…
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Shop Talk with a Side of AI: Generative Traffic Spikes but Converts Less
Generative AI isn’t just powering essays and emails anymore—it’s guiding consumer clicks, especially in e-commerce. According to new Adobe data, U.S. retail sites saw a 1,300% surge in generative AI-sourced traffic over the 2024 holiday season, peaking at 1,950% growth on Cyber Monday alone. That momentum didn’t fizzle with the tinsel: traffic in February 2025…
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Walmart Levels Up: Shopping in a Video Game?
Walmart is diving deeper into the gaming world with its new interactive miniseries, Walmart Unlimited, on the Spatial platform. This three-part video game allows players to buy real-world products without leaving the virtual space. The first installment focuses on food brands like A Dozen Cousins and Partake Cookies, with future episodes shifting to beauty and…
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Laura Mercier Brings Beauty Shopping to Apple Vision Pro
Laura Mercier is stepping into the immersive retail game with a new Apple Vision Pro app, developed in partnership with Obsess (now part of Infinite Reality). This app gives beauty shoppers a virtual passport to explore the brand’s products inside a luxe New York boutique or a Parisian atelier—without leaving their couch. The experience goes…
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Amazon reveals immersive shopping for the holidays
Amazon has taken the holiday shopping experience into the virtual realm with its newly launched 3D Virtual Holiday Shop. This metaverse-inspired showroom lets customers browse and purchase over 100 items from brands like Beats, Coach, and Kate Spade, with clickable virtual products linking directly to Amazon’s site. Unlike many metaverse platforms, Amazon’s offering eschews avatars…
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Walmart’s Back-to-School Campaign features influencer shoppable video innovation
Walmart has launched its back-to-school campaign featuring influencer Taylen Biggs, with a focus on shoppable video across YouTube and Roku. The campaign, orchestrated by Publicis Groupe, integrates interactive technology that allows viewers to purchase items directly from the video, enhancing the shopping experience and driving engagement. This approach reflects a growing trend towards combining entertainment…
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e.l.f. Beauty and Walmart testing real-world commerce in Roblox
e.l.f. Beauty has partnered with Roblox to launch a pioneering initiative, blending real-world product purchasing within a virtual gaming environment. This collaboration enables players, specifically in the U.S., to buy a special “Pets Hoodie” that aligns with e.l.f.’s cruelty-free ethos directly through a virtual kiosk powered by Walmart within the Roblox platform. e.l.f. Beauty is…
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Lowe’s pilots in-store experience using Vision Pro
Lowe’s has launched an in-store Apple Vision Pro experience at select locations, allowing customers to use the Vision Pro to visualize and personalize kitchen designs with the Lowe’s Style Studio app purpose built for Vision Pro. The service is aimed at enhancing the customer shopping experience by providing a high-tech, immersive platform to design kitchens…
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Walmart continues innovation with GenAI enhancements and more drone delivery
Walmart continues to expand what it has described as a “retail renaissance,” announcing expanded offerings across several areas it has been investing in already: Drone delivery – now available in the Walmart app InHome Delivery and replenishment A Gen-AI Powered Shopping assistant, building on the GenAI search feature it announced at CES in January. At…
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Walmart launches Walmart Realm, and immersive shopping experience
Walmart’s new digital shopping experience, “Realm,” is designed to make e-commerce more immersive. The platform employs gamification and integrates physical and virtual retail, attracting customers with engaging online buying options. The retail giant tapped a trio of influencers to help curate products and design the experience. The activation is in part a response to consumer…