At the CommerceNext Growth Summit in New York, retail executives outlined a nuanced AI strategy: deploying AI for internal efficiency while protecting human-centered customer interactions. Tecovas' chief retail officer Kim Heidt emphasized that AI will handle operational tasks like email management but will not touch in-store customer conversations, as she works to train employees to step away from technology and engage authentically with shoppers. Conversely, Ulta launched an AI tool that store associates can use to access product information and trends, designed to give employees more time with guests rather than reduce human interaction.
On the creative and customer-facing side, brands are equally deliberate. Pandora's VP of e-commerce Elizabeth Garry stated that the brand will never use AI-generated model imagery or on-skin photography, believing that customers must see human faces wearing jewelry to connect psychologically with products. However, Pandora does use AI agents online to understand customer intent and guide shopping, with escalation to humans when conversations falter. JD Finish Line, Kendra Scott, and Authentic Brands Group are all mining customer data from call centers, loyalty programs, and digital channels to feed propensity models and brand-specific AI agents that assist humans or route customers intelligently, ensuring that efficiency gains do not degrade the end-user experience.
The overarching theme reflects a maturing AI adoption curve: retailers are moving beyond blanket automation to ask which processes benefit from human oversight and which customer moments define brand loyalty. Commerce leaders are treating AI as a competency that amplifies employee capability and data insights rather than a replacement tool, and they are scrutinizing whether any deployment actually improves the guest or employee experience before deploying it.