Retail automation meets the AI era – News

Retail automation is now in its artificial intelligence era, turning every transaction into a real-time stress test. When millions of shoppers check out simultaneously, even minor delays can escalate into catastrophic losses. But which companies are truly equipped to deliver at an AI-powered scale?

That question set the agenda for theCUBE’s AI & Retail Trailblazers coverage, where retail technology leaders weighed in on what it takes to secure measurable throughput. In November, U.S. shoppers spent $43.7 billion online during the five-day Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday period, with Cyber Monday sales alone reaching $14.2 billion. At this level, any latency or performance issue quickly becomes visible. Industry leaders now see these challenges as business priorities, not just information technology concerns, according to Justin Honaman (pictured), global head of worldwide retail, restaurants and consumer goods business development at Amazon Web Services Inc.

“[For] the ones that are doing it well, the CEO is realizing and says that AI is not the job of IT,” Honaman told theCUBE. “AI is part of our business. It’s a line of business priority. It involves all parts of our business. It’s not just an IT product.”

Honaman and other industry leaders spoke with theCUBE’s John Furrier and Bob Laliberte, as well as host Gemma Allen, for theCUBE + NYSE Wired: AI & Retail Trailblazers interview series during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio. TheCUBE’s on-site program and related coverage examined retail automation and AI execution, focusing on which ideas can withstand holiday-scale traffic and which struggle under real-world complexity.

From strategy to operational follow-through, these 13 takeaways highlight how theCUBE + NYSE Wired: AI & Retail Trailblazers interview series examines retail automation at scale.

1. Data hygiene defines retail automation wins

With approximately $33 billion in Q3 2025 revenue (up 20% year over year), AWS underscores exactly how much of retail’s digital infrastructure now runs on hyperscale cloud. The company is framing AI and retail innovation as a practical overhaul of operations across supply chains, rather than a competition to build the best models. But what’s become clear is that many retailers still struggle to access and integrate their data, and without that foundation, strong outcomes from automation remain out of reach, Honaman noted.

Catch the full segment from theCUBE.

2. Agentic AI is a reckoning for dashboard sprawl

Quantum Metric Inc. sees retail analytics moving beyond reporting to real-time intervention. As companies look to address conversion issues as they happen, agentic systems are replacing dashboards with direct answers about what is disrupting the customer experience, according to Mario Ciabarra, chief executive officer and founder of Quantum Metric.

Get the full rundown from theCUBE.

3. Small wins in retail automation can supercharge margins

Zebra Technologies Corp. approaches retail as a labor and workflow challenge, prioritizing targeted use cases that demonstrate return on investment through unit economics. Rather than broad automation, the company focuses on specific workflows such as shelf management, where even a 2% to 3% improvement in labor costs can shift the economics for grocers, according to Tom Bianculli, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Zebra Technologies. Given grocery’s infamously razor-thin margins and constant price pressure, even a minor improvement in margins can materially change industry economics.

Watch the full interview on theCUBE.

4. In the era of AI, retailers must move quickly or risk falling behind

Retail adoption slows when leaders lack visibility into how work moves across fragmented systems, making execution the limiting factor. Many retailers remain in “proof of concept purgatory” due to a lack of business context, but process intelligence can help identify the most pressing issues and track ROI as both people and agents reshape workflows, according to Lindsey Peters, retail and consumer goods industry lead at Celonis SE.

Don’t miss the full segment on theCUBE.

5. The retail operating system needs orchestration for bits-and-atoms commerce

GreyOrange Inc. offers an operating layer that connects planning and execution across warehouses and stores, translating real-time signals into coordinated tasks for people, robots and sensors. Orchestration means planning and execution happen together, meaning a local event can trigger both in-store actions and upstream replenishment in a single sweep of retail automation, according to Akash Gupta, co-founder and CEO of GreyOrange.

Check out theCUBE’s complete interview.

6. In Commerce 3.0, agents become the new shelf space

Retail is entering an era in which agents represent a new sales channel, increasing expectations for pricing, availability, assortment and real-time data that makes products visible wherever shoppers buy. The National Retail Federation points to “Commerce 3.0,” where interoperability with agent-driven buying is more important than technology cost, and the challenge is aggregating data so it appears at the point of purchase, explained Anne-Claire Baschet, chief data and AI officer of Mirakl SAS.

Don’t miss the full interview on theCUBE.

7. The readiness gap separates early adopters from cautious enterprises

NRF highlights a divide in the industry: A small group is transforming customer touchpoints with significant AI investments, while most are relying on incremental change. Fewer than 10% are truly ready, as the real differentiators are trust and process governance — not just access to models or large-scale license deployments, noted Jed Dougherty, head of AI architecture at Dataiku Inc.

Watch the full interview on theCUBE.

8. The new sales funnel is conversational, not linear

Digital commerce is moving toward a conversational front end, as shoppers seek comparison and confidence before making a purchase, rather than following a direct path from ad to cart. Online retail has never fully mirrored in-store behavior, which is why consumers are turning to AI to handle browsing and questions on their behalf, emphasized Diaz Nesamoney, founder and CEO of DaVinci Commerce.

Catch the full interview on theCUBE.

9. Trust remains the key differentiator in AI-driven retail

Retailers are working to scale “human-powered AI” experiences that outperform basic chatbots, especially for high-value purchases where reassurance is critical. Getbee Ltd.’s live video conversations, for example, capture qualitative data that can be transcribed and reused, helping digital shopping shift from endless scrolling to goal-driven interactions while keeping a real person involved, according to Thea Myhrvold, co-founder and CEO of Getbee.

Watch the full interview on theCUBE.

10. Decision intelligence is shifting from answers to actionable advice

Retail’s next performance gains will come not from more dashboards, but from turning connected data into repeatable decisions that directly affect profit and loss. Aily Labs GmbH’s mobile decision-intelligence app acts as an enterprise agent and decision advisor, using real-time learning to improve inventory allocation and seasonal forecasting so shoppers encounter fewer out-of-stocks and mismatched assortments, according to Bianca Anghelina, founder and CEO of Aily Labs.

Don’t skip the full interview, only on theCUBE.

11. In physical retail, cameras are no longer passive observers

Retailers are using cameras and sensors as operational tools, leveraging visual data to reduce loss, optimize staffing and improve conversion. Verkada Inc.’s platform translates in-store activity into metrics such as traffic and engagement, then drives retail automation through alerts and AI-powered loss-prevention workflows, explained Brandon Davito, SVP of product and operations at Verkada.

Catch the whole conversation on theCUBE.

12. Personalization in retail is accelerating with agent-driven technology

AI is no longer a future strategy; it is now an execution race as consumers expect brands to recognize them instantly and respond across every channel. NRF has moved from curiosity to urgency, with retailers focusing on unified customer data and always-on marketing and service agents that turn signals into action within minutes, said Jamie Domenici, chief marketing officer of Klaviyo Inc.

Watch the full segment on theCUBE.

13. The AI retail revolution has only just begun

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