#ai-in-retail

#ai-in-retail

To illustrate just how AI is starting to reshape the shopping experience, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and incoming Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner announced a partnership resulting in shoppers now able to shop Walmart and Sam's Club products directly on Gemini, Google AI chatbot. In addition, Google also introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an AI commerce framework aimed at becoming an industry standard that allows AI agents to interact directly with retailers' commerce systems.

I attended the convention, held in New York City from January 11 to 13, for the first time tohear from industry insiders about the retail trends to watch in 2026. This year's event drew speakers such as Walmart's incoming CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who announced a new AI deal this week, as well as Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. It was clear that artificial intelligence was the big topic on the minds of the attendees from over 5,000 brands at the event.

Salesforce, the AI-powered customer relationship management platform, reported Monday that 2025 holiday sales online rose 7 percent to $1.29 trillion globally, and 4 percent to $294 billion in the U.S. That compares to the $1.2 trillion in global online sales, and $241.4 billion in U.S. sales reached during the 2024 holiday period. Salesforce reported the average selling price was up 7 percent year-over-year. The price hikes were largely due to inflation and tariffs.

Black Friday data from companies like Adobe and Salesforce can provide an early indicator of broader holiday shopping trends. Adobe is projecting a total of $253.4 billion in holiday spending this year, compared to $241.1 billion in 2024. Salesforce said it tracked $79 billion in global spending on Black Friday, with $18 billion of that in the United States, year-over-year increases of 6% and 3%, respectively.

Target will direct about $5 billion toward new and remodeled stores, experience upgrades, and technology and digital fulfillment, with leadership emphasizing larger-format boxes that are outperforming initial plans and store-floor changes designed to accelerate "merchandising authority" and discovery. The push includes AI to speed product development and marketing, synthetic audiences to test campaigns, and a ChatGPT-powered beta to simplify multi-item purchases, part of a broader effort to reawaken the "Tarzhay" brand while tightening execution.

During these uncertain times-shaped by shifts in trade policy and geopolitics-keeping the consumer top of mind is vital. "Our focus is just maniacally on the customer," said Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy, during a fireside chat with Fortune 's Emma Hinchliffe on Tuesday. Barry noted that it has never been more important for her to understand and adapt to the distinct behaviors of different consumers.

There have been times in all of our careers where we've been passed up, or we didn't get that next role when we felt like we were ready for it,

The extraordinary success of Macy's Marketplace initiative stands as compelling evidence of technology innovation at its finest.