David's Bridal is boosting its role in wedding planning by utilizing AI to assist couples beyond just dress shopping and to help enterprise clients like photographers and florists. The company has revamped its Pearl AI tool, which now connects couples with various vendors and provides a comprehensive wedding planning journey, attracting 110,000 users without marketing. The AI-driven approach has improved customer conversion rates, resembling those of loyal customers, and provides in-store stylists with valuable insights.

Albertsons has seen a notable increase in average order values since the introduction of AI-powered shopping tools, according to Jill Pavlovich, SVP of digital shopping experiences. "We see anywhere from a 10% lift in average order value when they use standard conversational searching and about a 26% lift in average order value when they use more comprehensive assistants to find their recipes, find the ingredients that match their dietary preferences," Pavlovich said.

Tennessee-based convenience retailer Weigel's is implementing the Tote AI-native POS solution across its 90 stores to improve store efficiency and productivity This cloud-based platform integrates point of sale, back office, foodservice and store operations, aiming to enhance customer service, support associates and streamline operations. Tote's CEO, Shyam Rao, highlights the partnership as a reflection of the industry's future, combining innovation with hospitality.

Chinese tech giant Alibaba is reportedly selling its gaming studio and creator of "Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition," Lingxi Games, to private equity company Trustar Capital for over $2 billion, as part of its strategy to fund a major AI infrastructure scheme. This move marks Alibaba's exit from in-house game development, allowing the company to make AI and cloud investments a priority, with the company aiming to surpass its initial $53 billion budget for AI development. The sale is also part of a broader effort to raise capital, which includes previous asset sales and an upcoming IPO for its chip design division, T-Head.

Grubhub, in partnership with Serve Robotics, is bringing autonomous delivery to Chicago, Los Angeles and Alexandria, Va., marking Grubhub's first collaboration with Serve Robotics. The initiative, which began as a pilot in Jersey City, N.J., is the first time Grubhub has offered autonomous delivery outside college campuses.

Chaitrasri Rao of Designit writes that AI is not the solution to poor retail customer experiences but, rather, it exposes them, as AI often is the first touchpoint for customers. Rao identifies five common mistakes retailers make with AI -- and how to fix them: scaling broken customer journeys, focusing on outputs rather than helping customers make decisions, allowing AI to fragment the customer experience, automating interactions that require empathy and mistaking data for customer understanding.

After analyzing conversations with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, data revealed that nearly half (48%) of the interactions are nonwork related, according to an AI Observatory study. This research indicates a growing trend of integrating AI into personal aspects of life and emphasizes the need for independent monitoring to understand AI's real-world usage and to drive policy decisions. "I want decision-makers to look at the whole spectrum of evidence ... to make informed decisions on what the policy response should be," study researcher Anka Reuel stated.

Grocery retail is evolving toward a seamless blend of physical and digital shopping experiences. By combining real-time data from smart trolleys, in-store sensors and more, retailers can gain a more complete view of customers, products and store operations. At NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, Instacart Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Hamburger and SONAE MC Head of Ecommerce Guilherme Cardoso will discuss how retailers can build connected online-to-offline ecosystems. Learn more and register now for NRF Europe. Discover more.

As the 2026 school year begins, NRF research shows that value remains the top priority for back-to-school shoppers. By early August, families had completed only 44% of their shopping lists, with most planning to finish purchases in week or two before classes start. Consumers are increasingly using AI-powered shopping tools to find deals, compare prices and gather recommendations, with 61% reporting use. Discover more.