tech
Repositioning retail for the AI era
From conversational shopping assistants to hyper-personalized recommendations, AI can make digital retail experiences feel more intuitive, seamless, and individualized, says Macy’s senior director of engineering Murali Murugan.
TL;DR
- AI is reshaping retail operations beyond visible consumer features, impacting search, supply chains, software development, and real-time responses.
- Macy's pursues an "AI-first" philosophy, embedding intelligence into core systems rather than layering it onto existing workflows.
- The company is moving from isolated AI pilots to integrated systems that compress the 'signal and action' gap.
- AI-powered tools like Ask Macy's offer conversational commerce, acting as personal stylists.
- Macy's sees AI as augmenting human judgment to create a seamless, adaptive, and personalized customer experience.
- Continuous improvement, learning from mistakes, and adapting to new technology standards are key to AI's transformation in retail.