The American retail landscape has changed thanks to the closure of thousands of drugstores, the consolidation of luxury department stores and the dramatic growth of the off-price channel. Juxtaposed with Gen Z’s growing preference toward in-store discovery, it has left many brand leaders unsure of the right retail strategy. The latest quarterly digital Town Hall meeting dove into these topics and more.
Amazon replaced its Rufus chatbot with a new AI assistant called Alexa for Shopping this week as AI search becomes a bigger part of its online store.
Modern Retail’s survey — which has been conducted annually since 2022 — found that marketers’ adoption of AI technology has risen significantly. In 2022, 44% of brand and agency pros said their companies were investing in AI technology. That percentage rose to 57% in 2023 and 71% in 2024, before hitting 86% in 2025.
No AI? No problem. Aerie’s new nano-creator program bans the use of artificial intelligence — and people are lining up to participate.