Overview
- Industry data projects retail technology outlays of $388 billion this year, with AI investment growing at roughly 25 percent annually.
- Researchers report that 87 percent of retailers already use AI in at least one part of the business and 60 percent plan to increase that spend.
- Companies are moving past chatbots to agent AI that can place orders, manage inventory, and enable zero‑click purchases inside an AI assistant by reading well‑structured product data.
- Retailers are adding in‑store tools such as AR smart mirrors, which lift conversion 20 to 42 percent and cut returns, alongside Just Walk Out checkout that uses RFID tags to track items at Fanatics, University Bookstores, 7‑Eleven, Circle K, and a U.K. Aldi pilot.
- Brands are adopting Digital Product Passports that let shoppers scan a garment to see its materials and carbon footprint, helped by tighter EU rules and a reported 74 percent of consumers willing to pay more for traceable goods.