Retail executives from Ulta Beauty, Stitch Fix, and Tapestry discussed the evolution of omnichannel retail in the age of AI at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York on June 24, 2026. The panel highlighted that while agentic AI platforms and large language models are becoming primary discovery channels, stores must still prioritize customer experiences and brand loyalty to drive traffic. Kimberly Shenk, CEO of marketing technology firm Novi, noted that "most consumers are shifting discovery to agents, agentic platforms, ChatGPT, Gemini," requiring brands to maintain consistent identity across every touchpoint (Retail Dive - Technology).
AI's role in omnichannel differs from traditional search: it recommends products as solutions to consumer problems rather than brand names, and LLMs conduct their own queries rather than using user prompts verbatim. However, loyalty programs remain critical to conversion. Ulta Beauty has 47 million loyalty program members, with 95% of sales flowing through the program (Retail Dive - Technology). Josh Friedman, senior vice president of e-commerce and digital at Ulta Beauty, emphasized that the company's recently launched Ulta AI has created a more integrated omnichannel experience by helping develop better algorithms and content. Stitch Fix's CMO Debbie Woloshin underscored that technology is a means to customer engagement and relationship-building, noting that 60% of the company's clients use its app regularly, but the real value lies in combining technology with human advisers to deepen personalization (Retail Dive - Technology).
Tapestry's approach demonstrates how to scale the store concierge experience through agentic AI. Mandeep Bhatia, senior vice president of global digital product and omnichannel innovation at Tapestry, explained that the company trained its bots on conversations between store associates and customers to create a brand-unique experience. The overarching lesson from the panel: omnichannel is about consumers, not computers, and technology decisions must be rooted in understanding customer and associate needs rather than starting with AI capabilities first (Retail Dive - Technology).