Amazon launched Alexa for Shopping by integrating Rufus with Alexa+, enabling product comparisons, price monitoring, cart building, reorders and auto-purchases at customer-set prices; Rufus aided over 300 million customers in 2025.

A guest journey from discovery to purchase is cited to illustrate the need to manage AI and design together to deliver a trusted, connected, and delightful experience.

PTC announces Arena Connect for Arena PLM/QMS to automate data movement across ERP, MES, Jira, Slack, and more, featuring a visual workflow builder, 200+ connectors, centralized governance and AI enhancements for supply chain resiliency and faster time-to-market.

AI and UX are presented as closely linked disciplines that together drive differentiated experiences and business outcomes.

Purvi Shah, promoted to senior vice president of UX, signals a broader focus on user experience alongside AI initiatives and will work to integrate UX with the AI program.

Target appoints Chandhu Nair as its first chief artificial intelligence officer to oversee a centralized, company-wide AI strategy spanning shopping, inventory, internal decision-making and forecasting.

The AI leadership role is designed to apply practical AI to merchandising authority, guest experience, technology acceleration, and team and community strength, prioritizing frontline outcomes over lab work.

Analysts warn rising tech and fulfillment costs could pressure profitability if consumer demand softens, potentially offsetting gains from technology investments and exclusive products.

The piece frames Target within a broader valuation narrative, highlighting a fair value estimate and noting possible upside or downside depending on execution and market conditions.

The UK POS landscape is evolving as AI and real-time data transform point-of-sale into a central business tool, with mobile wallets nearing 90% adoption and policy shifts enabling higher-value contactless payments.

The Rewards app adds features like Scout Price and Smart Search to reduce price and inventory inaccuracies and deliver real-time, context-aware deal recommendations.

Gap uses Google Cloud’s Gemini and Vertex AI across brands for design, planning, pricing, recommendations and marketing, leveraging AI-powered search to move shoppers from discovery to checkout.