AI is moving upstream, showing up earlier in the decision-making process and increasingly shaping what happens next.

As product catalogs grow, content multiplies, and shopping journeys splinter across platforms, AI recommendation engines are becoming the connective tissue between desire and decision. In 2026, retail leaders expect the technology to move from responding to queries to proactively anticipating what consumers want and guiding them through increasingly complex choice environments.

OpenAI seeks real consumer intent, and a potential Pinterest acquisition would give OpenAI first-party shopping signals and native ad infrastructure to rival Google and Meta.

Retailers and brands are racing to deploy AI across the shopping journey, but trust, quality, and execution will define who wins.

GenAI is potentially a game changer for personalization in retail. This report takes a closer look at some of the key use cases.

Hyper-personalization has long been an ambition for retailers—and the rise of generative AI means 2024 could be the year implementation accelerates across the industry.