Levi Strauss & Co. is partnering with Microsoft to build an enterprise superagent designed to unify employee support, streamline retail operations and modernize the company’s data backbone. The companies said the Azure-native orchestrator will run inside Microsoft Teams and route requests across IT, HR, retail-support...
Watch more: Monday Conversation: Cox Automotive’s Jessica Stafford Buying a car has always been a big decision wrapped in an outdated process. It’s one of the largest purchases consumers make, yet the experience still feels stuck in another era. Part research project, part paperwork marathon,...
If the future is evenly distributed, so is nostalgia. The hottest holiday flex this year isn’t artificial intelligence in your earbuds. It’s a cassette in your Walkman, a crank on your game console, and a phone that does almost nothing on purpose. The past didn’t...
Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon will retire Jan. 31, 2026, and he will be succeeded by Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner, the company said in a Friday (Nov. 14) press release. McMillon will remain on the board of directors until the June 2026 annual...
Amazon and Walmart have spent decades defining the competitive perimeter of American retail, each shaping consumer behavior at enormous scale. But no matter the innovations around convenience and the ongoing race to turn commerce invisible and frictionless, there’s always been a bigger factor at play...
“Retailers Expand Embedded Finance to Unlock Control and Customization,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and Marqeta, explores how retailers are transforming payments from a back-end function into a front-line growth strategy. The study finds that embedded finance has become a core competitive lever for modern...
From foundation matching and real-time consultations to generative marketing and supply chain forecasting, artificial intelligence (AI) is getting integrated into nearly every part of the beauty business. A McKinsey analysis found that beauty companies integrating AI into personalization and media campaigns reported conversion uplifts of...
Amazon is introducing a series of AI-powered solutions to help business clients. These new offerings, announced Wednesday (Nov. 11), include the new Amazon Business Assistant which is available to Amazon Business at no added cost. “The assistant combines Amazon’s deep understanding of purchasing with smart...
Retailers are preparing for a more restrained Black Friday this year, as tariffs and inflation drive up costs and force brands to scale back promotions. According to a Bloomberg report Tuesday (Nov. 11), companies such as Coach and Therabody are pulling back on markdowns that...