Walmart ramps up Sparky features in time for the holidays

New visual recognition and cart generation capabilities for the AI assistant aim to ease the pain of holiday shopping, both online and in stores.

By Nicole Silberstein • Nov. 5, 2026

Amazon adds over 100 Alexa for Shopping functions

New capabilities include managing subscriptions, resolving billing questions, and creating and editing lists and registries. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Nov. 5, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

How artificial intelligence is shaping retail

More retailers are leaning on AI as a tool, tapping into the tech to improve customer service and support supply chain functions.

By Retail Dive staff

Google makes big plans for wallet

The tech giant thinks a digital wallet should act as a repository for receipts, track online orders and arrange refunds, among other tasks.

By Justin Bachman • Nov. 4, 2026

AI recommendations are leading to returns

The problem may not have to do with the technology itself, but rather the product description data, according to a new report.

By Nicole Silberstein • Nov. 3, 2026

Holiday shoppers only want a dash of AI for the gift hunt

Price comparisons and narrowing down gift ideas are some of the ways consumers are using AI this season. But maintaining autonomy in the buying process remains important to shoppers.

By Dani James • Updated 2 hours ago

Your catalog may already be visible to AI agents. Making it trustworthy is the next step.

Three barriers hinder agentic optimization. Discover how AI agents evaluate products and sway shoppers.

Nov. 2, 2026

How can associates power personalization in retail?

Empower retail associates with mobile technology to deliver personalized, seamless customer experiences.

By Ed Durbin • Nov. 2, 2026

Fanatics revamps outfit curation tool with OpenAI

A new version of the retailer’s Shop the Look tool generated 10% higher engagement in a pilot.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 29, 2026

Most consumers aren’t using AI for product discovery, yet

Retailers should consider the quality of their metadata to prepare for a predicted upswing in AI usage, new research finds.

By Nicole Silberstein • Oct. 29, 2026

DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17B

The deal marks the consolidation of two major players in the retail delivery industry.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Oct. 29, 2026

The Backroom: Dynamic pricing and the anxious consumer

With the holidays approaching, consumers are zeroed in on price now more than ever — and Walmart is taking the heat.

By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 29, 2026

Gap Inc. launches AI hiring tool in time for the holidays

The retailer expects around 200,000 seasonal employment applications. Its new AI platform aims to reduce the administrative tasks associated with hiring. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 29, 2026

Etsy CEO addresses friction of AI vs. human creativity

The e-commerce marketplace saw active buyers in Q3 grow for the first time in two years and is utilizing AI to improve product recommendations.

By Dani James • Oct. 28, 2026

Banana Republic debuts TikTok content series in bid for younger shoppers

The effort spotlights various styles and arrives as parent Gap Inc. continues to emphasize entertainment marketing.

By Jessica Hammers • Oct. 26, 2026

The most expensive problems are the ones you’ve learned to live with

Some of retail’s biggest opportunities may be hiding inside familiar operational constraints.

Oct. 26, 2026

Agentic commerce: The infrastructure is ready for AI agents. Is your store?

With the holidays approaching, check these signals to assess your AI readiness (and check it twice).

Oct. 26, 2026

Etsy updates AI use policies to emphasize craftsmanship

While it’s implementing more AI, the online marketplace now requires at least one authentic, non-AI generated image in most seller listings.

By Dani James • Oct. 23, 2026

David’s Bridal to spin off Pearl into stand-alone, publicly traded company

David’s Bridal CEO Kelly Cook is expected to become the chief executive of Pearl, which will own the wedding retailer’s intellectual property and brand. 

By Kaarin Moore • Oct. 22, 2026

Walmart welcomes external AI agents — with some guardrails

The mass retailer is focused on transparency and customer control with a new AI agent profile feature and updated agent terms.

By Dani James • Oct. 22, 2026

Tractor Supply taps former Home Depot exec as chief technology, digital officer

Fahim Siddiqui will oversee digital operations and work to bolster long-term growth by improving the retailer’s customer experience.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 22, 2026

Why customers are fed up with AI chatbots

Few things will cause a customer to immediately request — or demand — a live agent like a bot that misunderstands them.

By Matt Vartabedian • Oct. 22, 2026

UPS’ Happy Returns comes to TikTok Shop

Pacsun and Everlane are among the retailers tapping into the new integration ahead of the post-holiday returns rush.

By Max Garland • Oct. 20, 2026

Why retail is positioned to win the flexible credential opportunity

Shoppers juggle debit, credit and BNPL. Here’s why retail is poised to win with one flexible card.

Oct. 19, 2026

Your retail network isn’t ready for AI. Here’s why.

Here's a practical list of network and IT challenges retailers need to overcome to support AI at scale.

Oct. 19, 2026

Bealls to debut mobile app

The app is intended to create a more connected shopping experience across channels, while also supporting the retailer’s strategy around loyalty.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 15, 2026