In today's podcast episode, we discuss why ChatGPT's Instant Checkout didn't take off, the strengths and weaknesses of today's third-party AI shopping assistants, why they struggle with conversion, and what AI shopping might look like a year from now. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with analysts Grace Harmon and Rachel Wolff. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Consumers stick with retail brands that reflect their identity, act with integrity, and make them feel good—especially when those brands recognize loyal customers. Perks like early access matter, but tech like AI only resonates when it genuinely makes shopping easier. To keep people engaged, brands should focus on making all customers—from high earners to rural shoppers—feel seen and valued. Here’s how consumers view their favorite brands and how brands can provide more value to loyal customers.

Retailers had a whirlwind 2024 that saw consumers seeking value, rising in-store visits, and widespread technological experimentation. To honor individual retailers who stood out, our analysts voted on a number of categories and discussed the winners on a new episode of the "Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail" podcast.

Looma secures $10 million to expand its in-store media platform: Funding reflects broader industry shift toward in-store retail media as brands seek dynamic in-store engagement.

Retailers invest in virtual reality, mobile apps, and AI to improve the customer experience: Walmart, Levi’s, and Family Dollar are among the companies turning to tech to boost sales.

Retailers like Dollar General, Walmart, and Target are rethinking the self-checkout experience, scaling back on kiosks or removing self-checkout from their locations altogether. But considering 55% of US adults prefer to get through their in-store grocery shopping as fast as possible (according to a November 2023 survey from Kearney) it’s unlikely self-checkout will be leaving stores anytime soon. Here are five stats on self-checkout, including how and why consumers like to use it, the reason some retailers are pulling back, and what the future holds for the technology.

Nearly half (49%) of US retailers report using store intelligence technologies (like AI/machine learning, IoT sensors, shelf-edge cameras) have improved price planning, according to a March 2024 report from Coresight Research sponsored by Simbe.

In 2022, four of the six Southeast Asian countries in our forecast will see double-digit growth in their number of proximity mobile payment users. Beyond delivering convenience to consumers, a host of other factors are driving adoption in the region.

The vision of augmented reality (AR) headsets replacing smartphones could become a reality sooner than expected in China. Advances in hardware and new AR commerce use cases are paving the way.

Cashierless stores, like Amazon Go, have great potential to shake up the brick-and-mortar landscape. According to GPShopper, 48% of US internet users believe scan-and-go technology would make shopping easier. And 43% would rather try scan-and-go than wait in a checkout line.

While recent data reveals big differences in attitudes toward a range of shopping-related technologies, there are some noteworthy exceptions.

Retail executives and consumers in the US, the UK and Australia have widely disparate expectations about artificial intelligence's (AI) and virtual reality's (VR) effects on the retail sector

Retail is undergoing a technological transformation that is driving retailers to automate redundant tasks and revamp their mobile strategies.

China’s fast-paced retail ecommerce growth hasn’t spelled doom for physical stores. Rather, brick-and-mortar is undergoing a transformation of its own, underlined by an infusion of technology and the growing integration between online and offline.

Retail is in the midst of a transformation, at both physical stores and online. This report examines 10 trends that will most shape retail in the year ahead.

Emerging retail tech straddles the line between utilitarian and useless. Improving the customer experience is usually the end goal but when it's implemented just for the sake of showing off, consumers don't always find it useful. According to a June 2018 JDA Software survey, consumers were receptive to the idea of retail tech.

The world is becoming more automated—from self-driving delivery vehicles to subscription commerce—but is tech creating convenience or concern for consumers?

Visual search is evolving rapidly from a niche tool to a more broadly offered and used tool for finding information. This report looks at how consumers use visual search and how marketers should utilize it.

About one in five affluent consumers in the US make no use of any technology while in stores. That’s right: no price checks on a smartphone while shopping, no taking pictures of products and certainly no mobile payments.