Walmart continues to bet on leveraging AI, optimizing its supply chain and developing a host of related businesses that'll grow operating profits.
Harvey Finkelstein, President of Shopify, said the company in 2025 will be committed to "further establishing Shopify as the go-to commerce platform for businesses of all sizes."
Starbucks is leaning in on process improvement for mobile orders, optimization and technology to get wait times down to 4 minutes in most of its cafes, said CEO Brian Niccol.
Retailers are about to get swamped with AI agents that are designed to boost efficiency and enhance customer experiences if news out of NRF 2025 is any indicator.
Shopify is getting enough traction as an enterprise commerce platform that can deliver a real-time customer case study in two conference calls.
Lowe's said it is navigating a "challenging industry backdrop for the homeowner" with technology projects that drive productivity, enable omnichannel retailing and customer experiences with AI.
Target said it will launch Store Companion, a generative AI chatbot designed to help employees boost customer experiences, across its 2,000 stores by August.
SoundCommerce Co-Founder and CEO Eric Best said retail winners will increasingly be determined by how they leverage data and artificial intelligence to drive customer lifetime value.
Speaking at CES 2024, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said: "We love what technology can do, but we're building it in a way that creates better careers at the same time. It creates better customer experiences and a stronger business."
With holiday shopping season underway, retailers see uncertain consumer spending, better inventory positions, lower supply chain costs and customer experience investments they hope deliver.
"(Walmart) is one of the greatest case studies in the innovator's dilemma that we’ve ever seen in modern business history," said author Jason Del Rey.
Home Depot melds machine learning, process improvement and supply chain enhancements to provide good customer experiences for DIYers and professionals.
