Heard your retail colleagues, competitors or contemporaries talk of ‘just exploring’ AI? I hear it all the time. What it really means is: we’re equally terrified of doing something and nothing.

AI’s rapidly shifted from boardroom buzzword to operational backbone for many retailers. It’s not a future trend, it’s here, it’s live, and it’s changing operations from the ground up.

If you’re in the ‘just exploring’ phase and your strategy is still stuck in the sandbox, the hard truth is this: you’re already behind and your chances of catching up are decreasing at lightning speed.

Failure to jump into the AI era won’t just cost brands in terms of profit and market share but long-term competitiveness.

Identify application, justify adoption

Retail is a game of margins and customer moments. AI delivers against both. It’s driving hyper-personalised experiences, streamlining store operations, and transforming how we think about marketing and merchandising. The results are clear, AI’s a hit in retail, but how many retailers really know the most relevant and effective AI applications for their business? 

Take Amazon. They’re using over 1,000 AI applications, not just to tweak existing systems, but to fundamentally reinvent the customer experience. This isn't all chatbots and shiny tech. It’s about being obsessive over frictionless shopping, operational efficiency, and long-term dominance.

Some of the most powerful AI applications are also the least glamorous. In Amazon’s warehouses, over 750,000 robots, guided by machine learning, handle everything from unloading trailers to sorting packages. Tools like Proteus and Sparrow aren’t headline grabbers, but they’re saving billions through faster fulfilment and lower overheads. Elsewhere, AI models are designing custom-fit packaging to cut waste and reduce shipping costs. It's operational AI at scale and it works.

None of this is showy. But it’s the kind of foundational intelligence that quietly powers progress. And it’s where most retailers should be looking to start. Forget the hype. Focus on the systems that solve your problems.

So, you’re not Amazon…

You might not have Amazon’s billions, but you can absolutely adopt their mindset and adapt it to your challenges.Invest in the areas that make sense to you. Move fast. Test, learn, repeat.

Because here’s what I see: while some brands wait for a perfect plan or mainstream market adoption, others (the winners) are already putting AI to work on some of the most frustrating, time consuming, and previously considered impossible, traditional retail problems. 

From solving stockouts and predicting demand, to streamlining campaigns, AI is powering tools accessible to brands of all sizes and business models. AI is becoming the backbone of modern retail. And as we continue to embrace these technologies, the possibilities for enhancing the retail experience and improving retail processes are boundless.

Still undecided?

That’s your competition’s opportunity. They’re not debating whether to act. They’ve already done it. The retailers who will win in the long-term are the ones who move fastest now.