Welcome to the weekly edition of The AI Commerce Brief! Ten AI developments from across eCommerce and retail, from Amazon's new audio shopping experts to OpenAI's rumoured smartphone. Let's get into it.
✦ THIS WEEK’S AI INDUSTRY UPDATES
01. Amazon has launched an AI-powered audio Q&A feature on product pages, allowing users to ask questions and receive real-time conversational responses. The responses are delivered by what Amazon calls "AI-powered shopping experts," presenting product information in a natural, discussion-style format. (source)
02. Ulta Beauty is integrating Google's Gemini AI into its website and app, while extending its product catalogue across Google's platforms. The partnership gives the beauty retailer an agentic AI layer to help shoppers navigate product discovery and recommendations, strengthening its competitive position in retail beauty. (source)
03. Gap is planning to offer its product catalogue within Google's Gemini, making it the first major fashion retailer to enable instant checkout within the AI platform. The move positions Gap at the forefront of AI-native commerce, where shoppers can discover and purchase without leaving the conversational interface. (source)
04. EssilorLuxottica delivered its third straight quarter of double-digit growth, reporting an 11% jump in constant-currency sales. The performance was driven by its AI-glasses partnership with Meta, which continues to fuel demand for the company's smart eyewear range. (source)
05. Victoria Beckham has partnered with DressX to launch an AI-powered virtual try-on experience, allowing customers to try a selection of the brand's garments online. The feature adds a new layer of digital engagement to the label's direct-to-consumer offering. (source)
06. Marks & Spencer’s Head of AI Futures, John Mildinhall, has departed after a five-year run at the UK omnichannel retailer. In the role, Mildinhall was responsible for deploying data science technologies across customer and colleague-facing use cases, combining generative LLMs and computer vision models. (source)
07. Snapchat is rolling out "AI Sponsored Snaps," a new ad format that places brand AI agents directly into the app's main Chat tab. Users will be able to interact with brands through conversational AI, marking a shift from static sponsored content to interactive, agent-driven advertising. (source)
08. WNTD (has launched an AI-powered fashion discovery app that lets users try on outfits virtually, experiment with beauty looks, and receive personalised styling suggestions. Rather than acting as a retailer, the platform bridges the gap between inspiration and purchase, allowing users to save looks from social media, in-store, and online before buying. (source)
09. Tilt, a live auction app for fashion and collectibles, has launched Snap, an AI feature that automatically creates product listings from live video. In early testing, the tool delivered a 47% increase in sales by streamlining the listing process for sellers. (source)
10. OpenAI is reportedly developing a smartphone in collaboration with MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Luxshare that would replace traditional apps with AI agents. With ChatGPT nearing a billion weekly users, a dedicated hardware product could extend OpenAI's consumer reach and reshape how users interact with commerce and services on mobile. (source)
That's a wrap for this week! If you found this useful, hit reply and let me know, or share it with someone in the industry who'd enjoy the read.
Thanks - Sue
