Retail teams adopted AI fast. But now, it’s about applying strategy. To learn how the industry was moving past the hype and into execution, eTail Insights surveyed senior retail and ecommerce leaders for The 2026 retail AI revolution in commerce. The report includes a snapshot of what retail teams are using now, what results actually support those choices, and what still looks promising but hasn’t proven reliable just yet. The result is a baseline that retailers and brands can use for planning, grounded in how peers describe strategy, effectiveness, and readiness.  

What might be surprising—or relatable—is that only 4% of organizations say they have a comprehensive AI strategy in place. Most teams still build the playbook as they go. 54% say they’re developing an AI strategy while 39% say they’re experimenting.  

Adoption is widespread, confidence is not. Only 7% rate their AI implementations as very effective. Most respondents land in the middle: they call AI “somewhat effective.” 36% say their AI has been minimally effective, and 4% say it has not been effective.  

In practice, AI projects can move faster than the plan that’s meant to guide it. What does this mean for AI effectiveness? 

Where AI already runs, and why results vary 

AI already runs through everyday ecommerce, especially in personalized product recommendations, inventory management and demand forecasting, and customer data analytics and insights. Most organizations rate their capabilities in these areas as at least somewhat advanced. 

That’s not the surprising part. Retail doesn’t debate whether to start with AI anymore. Many teams already operate with it in the mix but want to turn widespread use into repeatable results. The report starts to answer that by looking at where AI is already making a clear difference. 

Where leaders see results today 

Instead of predictions, the survey asked for outcomes that retailer and brand leaders can point to right now. The biggest reported impacts are in inventory management where 60% reported improvement, with 58% noting demand forecasting. Other areas of impact include customer value, customer service costs, and conversion. 

Only a small share rate implementations as very effective. Mariko Davison, a Senior Technical Account Manager at Rithum, puts a practical reason behind that gap: AI acts like a magnifier, so messy inputs create messy outcomes. One example she sees often is incorrect titles, descriptions, or attributes pushing an item into the wrong product type, which then triggers missing required fields, listing and variation errors, and sometimes even post-sale issues. 

The three challenges leaders cite most 

When leaders explain why AI progress slows after early wins, three issues come up most often: 

• 50% data privacy and compliance 
• 49% high costs 
• 47% customer trust 

These constraints help explain why strategy maturity remains low, with only 4% reporting a comprehensive AI strategy. 

Personalization stays a top customer experience priority 

Personalization remains a top customer experience priority, with 55% of the survey respondents ranking it as high-or-top tier. Personalized product recommendations also rank among the most advanced AI uses reported. Many teams already run them, but they still want stronger results. 

Agentic AI exposes a readiness gap 

Agentic AI refers to systems that can surface products and take shopping actions on a shopper’s behalf. The survey asked leaders how prepared they are to make products discoverable in these environments. The answer: Readiness for agentic discovery is low. 

Only 2% say they are fully prepared. 56% say they are partially prepared, and 42% say they are still in early exploration. 

Retail and brand leaders expect discovery and buying behavior to change, but most say they are not prepared yet. 

Where budgets go next, based on planned investment 

According to the survey, budget priorities are still fundamentals-first. 53% name inventory and demand management as a top investment area next year, with supply chain at 45% and customer analytics close behind. This focus matches the biggest reported gains in inventory and forecasting. 

What respondents expect next 

In open responses, respondents describe AI as speeding up operations, improving personalization, reshaping loyalty programs, and making the customer journey faster and more data-driven. The emphasis stays practical: efficiency and personalization first, then faster decisions. 

While AI adoption is high, readiness lags. Use the benchmarks to test where you are strong and where you are exposed before you scale. Download The retail AI revolution to pressure-test what comes next.  

The post Retail’s AI reality check: Adoption is high, readiness is not  appeared first on Rithum.

A casual glance over our most-read blog entries and most-watched webinars indicates that our readers are demonstrating intense interest in a few specific areas — namely, Amazon, consumer behavior, Rithum product releases and retail media. 

In case you missed any, we’re listing our top 10 resources from 2021 below. Take a few moments to review, gain insights and stay current on timely topics in the industry. 

10. [Webinar] What It Takes to Succeed With Retail Media: Boost Sales and Product Visibility

This Adweek webinar featured Vice President of Digital Marketing Strategy Link Walls, who offered tips to streamline efforts across marketplace and retail media sites, drive visibility and improve ad spend effectiveness.

9. [Forrester Report] The State Of The US Shopper

Insights in this report offer key data points to build strategies to reach consumers through their new shopping behaviors and increasing utilization of nontraditional payment and delivery methods.

8. [eBook] Secrets to Retail Media Success: Strategies for Advertising on Amazon, eBay and Walmart

How can you get your listings to stand out? This quick start guide has best practices for retail media success on three of the most prominent (and promising) marketplaces for brands and retailers.

7. [Tip Sheet] Is It Time to Upgrade Your E-Commerce Software?

The right technology is critical to keeping up with the rapidly evolving landscape of e-commerce. Use this checklist to evaluate your options with confidence.

6. [Report] Digital Commerce 360: 2022 Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 Retailers

Digital Commerce 360’s 2022 Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 Retailers Report reveals the top 10 vendors across 24 e-commerce categories. (Spoiler alert: We make a few appearances, including the #1 spot in the channel management category.)

5. [Webinar] October 2021 Product Release

Our most recent product release brought expanded Shoppable Media offerings, new A/B Testing for Product Content, support for the Amazon Blank Box program in the US and eBay Fulfillment in the UK and Germany, and much more.

4. [Webinar] Navigating Consumer Behavior: 2021 E-Commerce Trends and Forecasts

Greg Ives and Bradley Hearn shared the results of our August 2021 survey of more than 5,000 active shoppers across the US, UK, France, Germany and Australia.

3. [Webinar] Spring 2021 Product Release: Enhancements and Additions to Help You Sell More

The spring product release included expanded support for Walmart sellers, new first-party channel expansions for drop shippers, enhanced reporting and analytics and more.

2. [Blog] Seller Fulfilled Prime: Updated Learnings Regarding Amazon’s New Delivery Speed Metrics

One of our internal Amazon experts broke down the meaning of changes to Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime delivery requirements and provided recommendations to navigate the update, improve metrics and avoid suspension from the program.

1. [Blog] How to Improve Your Amazon Order Defect Rate (ODR)

This post tackles a top metric of concern for every Amazon seller: the Order Defect Rate (ODR), with tips to understand the primary drivers of ODR, tactics to improve it and advice to handle periods in which it may be at risk of increasing. 

Want to stay on top of the latest news and trends in the future? Subscribe to our blog! Our experts and partners regularly contribute insights to keep you current on all the happenings in e-commerce.

The post Year in Review: Our Most Popular Resources of 2021 appeared first on Rithum.