#e-commerce--retail-competition

#e-commerce--retail-competition

Regulators are paying more attention to data privacy because their constituents consider it a 'kitchen table' issue, highlighting its importance in everyday life.

The convenience of sourcing online is fraught with more pitfalls than most of us want to admit. Try finding adequate photos of a vintage piece's condition-close-ups of the fabric, video of damaged areas, any images of a piece's rear or underside!

The new tracker features a simplified progress bar that shows just four stages of pizza creation. The new design was rolled out to all platforms, and there's also new Lock Screen widgets for iOS that bring the pizza chain's most famous tech feature to the Liquid Glass age.

"Everything in today's e-commerce environment is being driven by increased intensity of the research phase and true generational divides during the current macroeconomic environment," said Jaysen Gillespie, VP of product marketing and analytics at RTB House.

Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been the best of the Magnificent Seven for a reason. Whether we're talking about the strength of its latest Gemini launch or all the new ways where Google could put its AI to work, it's hard to be bearish about the firm, especially as investors look far beyond just search to the potential markets where Alphabet could disrupt.

Surveys suggest customers want to use AI for shopping and to see AI tools from retailers. In a CI&T survey conducted in 2025, 58% of 1,040 U.S. consumers said retailers should use AI to improve the shopping experience, and almost 75% said they were already using AI tools at least occasionally in their path to purchase. In a separate survey from Gartner last March, 56% of millennials said they would be willing to let AI handle or assist with some of their shopping tasks.

A 2025 LinkedIn study found that 80% of C-suite executives believe AI adoption is important and will foster a more innovative workplace culture. Gartner reported in December 2025 that 65% of employees said they are excited to use AI at work. The trend suggests a convergence of three priorities: Management fears their companies will fall behind if they don't adopt AI and automation; Employees use AI because it makes their jobs easier, and the knowledge gained is an important career skill; The cost of off-the-shelf software and development makes AI an attractive alternative.

where I worked in the early 2000s in its rather pioneering e-commerce business (which launched, among other things, the first click and collect service). Argos was jostling with Tesco for first place at Christmas, and I've found myself reflecting on why DTC has become such a major issue for several sectors that have not traditionally had a direct path to purchase over the last few years.

Statistics from the 2025 holiday shopping season clearly show that AI is playing a huge role in how people shop. But new research from retail payment platform Adyen found that many consumers are ready for AI to become their personal shopper. Just over half-51%-said they're open to letting AI take over the entire shopping process, including making final purchases. Millennials are the most willing to let agents do their shopping, with nearly three in five saying they are ready for such a shift.

The announcement was made Sunday, Jan. 11, at the National Retail Federation's annual conference in New York. The protocol, known as the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), is designed to enable different AI agents to communicate with retailers and payment systems using a shared system, rather than establishing custom technical connections for each platform. It covers product discovery, purchasing and post-purchase support, according to Google.