For the last decade, retailers have done everything they could to keep bots off their websites. But when I was at NRF earlier this month, I heard something very different from the biggest names in retail: bring on all the bots. In this episode, a recap of my recent article for The Drum, I break down why that shift is happening now (and what it actually looks like in practice).

At NRF I found a wide spectrum of approaches, from full-scale deployments to cautious experimentation, but also a surprising point of alignment. Listen to learn how six major retailers are thinking about AI shopping agents, what they’re building, and where they’re drawing the line when it comes to control, trust, and ownership of the customer relationship.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Why retailers who once banned bots are now actively welcoming AI shopping agents

[01:28] Kroger’s fully deployed AI assistants for meal planning, budgeting, and one-click shopping

[02:40] How Lowe’s is using Google’s Business Agent to let customers shop directly from search

[03:59] Ulta Beauty’s marketplace strategy as the foundation for future agentic commerce

[06:01] Home Depot’s problem-first approach, and why merchant of record still matters

[07:26] Wayfair and Urban Outfitters on conversational/multimodal shopping becoming mainstream

Links & Resources

At NRF, retailers say ‘bring on all the bots’, my full article on The Drum
Read my related articles:
- The Retail Media Conversations At NRF That Didn't Make the Stage
- Amazon is playing agentic commerce chicken. Other retailers should not.
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Retailers Are Finally Embracing AI Shopping Bots — Here’s What They Announced at NRF

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