Tag: retail
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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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The Future of Agencies: AI as a Smart Colleague
Agencies like Dentsu’s Carat and indie firm Apollo Partners are integrating generative AI into their operations to enhance collaboration rather than eliminate jobs. Carat is utilizing tools from Vurvey Labs for richer consumer insights and faster decision-making. In a test with a restaurant, they streamlined media recommendations and creative input. Meanwhile, Apollo is developing its…
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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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Transforming Retail: Wayfair’s AI-Driven Shopping Experience
Wayfair’s CMO Paul Toms is revolutionizing the customer journey through AI, introducing an AI-powered “Discover” tab that simplifies product discovery for users. With over 30 million items, this feature aims to alleviate choice paralysis and seamlessly convert inspiration into purchases. Collaborating with CTO Fiona Tan, Toms is rethinking cross-channel marketing metrics, utilizing first-party data to…
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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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Morrisons Builds a Digital Twin for Supply Chain Optimization
British grocer Morrisons is rewiring how its supply chain thinks. In partnership with AI simulation firm Kallikor, Morrisons is building a “digital twin” of its full supply network. Think of it as a virtual sandbox that mirrors the real-world logistics web: warehouses, delivery flows, customer demands, the whole nine yards. The digital model runs on…
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No Lanes, No Lines, No Problem? Sam’s Club Tests a Checkout-Free Future
Sam’s Club is doubling down on its tech-powered checkout experience—with promising early results. Its Grapevine, Texas location became the first to ditch checkout lanes entirely, nudging members toward the Scan and Go app and computer vision-powered exit arches. CFO Todd Sears shared a moment with a hesitant older couple who left smiling after scanning and…
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Roblox’s Green Thumb Moment: “Grow a Garden” Propels Platform Into Prime Time
Roblox just pulled off a feat that deserves a spot in gaming’s record books. “Grow a Garden,” a farming sim, clocked an eye-watering 21.6 million concurrent players—putting it ahead of Fortnite’s legendary 2020 Galactus event. Unlike the competition, this Roblox game didn’t need a one-night-only gimmick to rake in numbers; it’s just users logging in…
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Walmart Gives Its App a Brain—Meet Sparky, the Agentic AI
Walmart just booted up “Sparky,” a generative AI assistant tucked into its app, and it’s gunning to be more sous-chef than search bar. Rather than simply spitting out grill listings when you type “cookout,” Sparky can analyze weather forecasts, build a menu, and arrange delivery—all before you’ve finished your iced tea. Unlike those clunky retail…
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Hammering Home Influence: Lowe’s Courts Gen Z with MrBeast and 17K Creators
Lowe’s is swinging for a younger demographic with the launch of its Creator Network—an ambitious swipe at social-era brand building that’s already netted over 17,000 creators in its beta phase. At the center is MrBeast, who’s not only curated a storefront on Lowes.com but enlisted the brand as the exclusive builder for season two of…
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Benfica Kicks Off a Virtual Locker Room for Fans
Just in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, Benfica FC is trading turf for tech with the launch of the Benfica Immersive Store. Partnering with Infinite Reality, the Portuguese football club rolled out a 3D virtual retail experience complete with a life-like locker room tour, gamified merch browsing, and an AI concierge that speaks…
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Lowe’s Just Gave Its Associates AI Superpowers
Lowe’s has quietly pulled off one of the biggest AI rollouts in U.S. retail—no flashy robots or jetpacks, just a powerful generative AI tool now live in 1,700 stores. But this isn’t your usual customer-facing assistant like Amazon’s Rufus. This one is for the humans behind the counter. By giving staff real-time access to everything…
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When Shopping Bots Take the Wheel, Walmart Wants a Front Seat
Walmart is busy prepping for a not-so-distant future where your AI assistant orders toilet paper, birthday party supplies, and TVs—no human input required. At the center of this shift is “agentic commerce,” where autonomous AI bots handle everything from browsing to checkout. Walmart’s CTO, Hari Vasudev, says that these agents bypass traditional search and advertising…
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Lowe’s Launches AI Sidekick for Store Associates
Lowe’s is rolling out Mylow Companion, the first large-scale AI assistant designed specifically for retail associates across its 1,700+ U.S. stores. Installed on sales floor devices, the AI tool gives quick access to product specs, inventory data, and project advice—making even new employees sound like seasoned pros. The initiative aims to boost customer service, accelerate…
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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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Walmart Builds a Universe—Literally—Inside Minecraft
Walmart’s latest swing at the metaverse sees it heading straight into the blocky world of Minecraft. From March 21 to May 15, the retail giant is hosting a time-limited immersive gaming experience called Skyward, targeting players 13 and older. This isn’t your average branded plug: the narrative-driven adventure has players explore new planets in search…
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How American Eagle’s AI Ads Are Driving Gen Z IRL
American Eagle Outfitters is leaning hard into Meta’s Advantage+ AI ad platform—and seeing results that might even make a TikTok teen put down their phone and head to the mall. The retailer now devotes more than a third of its Facebook and Instagram ad budget to these automated campaigns. With Meta’s latest updates, including the…
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Big Macs and Blocky Worlds: McDonald’s Mines New Ground with Minecraft
McDonald’s is digging into new territory with a global campaign that brings its brand into the pixelated world of Minecraft. Timed to the April 4 release of A Minecraft Movie, the fast-food titan—via Wieden+Kennedy New York—is rolling out a hybrid campaign that lives both online and IRL. This includes custom meals, exclusive in-game experiences, and…
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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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Chipotle Rolls Up Sustainability with Roblox and Free Burritos
Chipotle just became the first restaurant brand to debut a national TV ad inside Roblox, blending immersive gaming with its sustainability message. The 60-second animated spot, Unfolded, created by Venables Bell & Partners, takes viewers on a journey through a world made of folded paper. As the scene transforms from industrial farming to colorful, sustainable…
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AI-Powered Orders: Yum Brands Bets Big on Automation
Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, is making a strong push into artificial intelligence to streamline operations and drive sales. The company has introduced The Byte, a digital ordering platform designed to simplify customer transactions and reduce complexity for employees. According to CFO Chris Turner, this AI-powered system aims…
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Spicing Up the Holidays: Wendy’s Roasty Ornament Campaign
Wendy’s is turning up the holiday cheer and the heat with a bold new addition to its seasonal offerings: a Spicy Chicken Sandwich ornament. This isn’t your average tree decor. Designed in collaboration with VML, the ornament not only mimics Wendy’s signature sandwich but also comes with a twist—it delivers cheeky, roast-style insults to its…
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Step Into Walmart’s Virtual Wonderland: Immersive Shopping, and Holiday Cheer
Walmart has unwrapped a festive update to its virtual shopping platform, Walmart Realm, just in time for the holiday season. This immersive experience now features four new virtual shops, each inspired by popular social media trends from Pinterest and TikTok, and curated by influencers. Shoppers can explore themed environments such as the cozy Mountain Chalet,…
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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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ThredUp’s AI tools increase purchases and return visits
ThredUp’s recent dive into AI-driven tools is paying off, with tangible results indicating a notable shift in shopper behavior and engagement. Since launching its visual search and Style Chat chatbot in August, ThredUp reports that customers using these tools are four times more likely to complete a purchase than those who don’t. Additionally, new customers…
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How Clarks is Using Roblox to Turn Gamers into Shoppers
Clarks is continuing its digital strategy on Roblox by teaming up with Netflix’s Stranger Things, marking another step in its branded experiences on the platform. Known for its PlayPrints Simulator game, Clarks is now offering exclusive Stranger Things-inspired avatar accessories like Green Torhill and Upside Down shoes. Fans can access these items through Unlockables.gg, and…
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Walmart’s Scintilla: Turning AI Insights retail wins
Walmart is expanding its data analytics platform, Walmart Luminate—now rebranded as Scintilla—to harness the power of AI for enhanced data-driven decision-making. This revamped platform is designed to give brands actionable, real-time insights on customer behavior, inventory trends, and marketplace dynamics. Rather than simply supplying data, Scintilla interprets and contextualizes it, empowering brands to make fast,…
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Puma sees GenAI personalization as DTC aid
Puma is leveraging generative AI, specifically Google’s Imagen 2 model, to enhance its branding and e-commerce strategies. The AI generates personalized website images based on user location, such as displaying shoes near Mount Fuji for Japanese shoppers. This shift has led to a 10% increase in click-through rates in India. However, Puma’s use of AI…
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Le Pain Quotidien tests digital customer clones
Le Pain Quotidien is embracing AI to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency through its new digital assistant, Alain.AI. Initially developed to help franchisees streamline menu development, Alain.AI is now being leveraged to create “digital customer clones” by analyzing data from its loyalty program and social outreach. These digital personas will help the chain gain…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 15th Edition
NOTE: this post originally appeared on LinkedIn here. THE BIG STORY:Human-Minded Creativity in a World of AI In an age where AI permeates our creative processes, it’s crucial for brands and agencies to understand the line between what will.i.am called “imagination regurgitation” and true creativity. A recent study from 4A’s member agency Digitas and Vox…