Yael Kochman
October 19, 2025
The 2025 fall in retail tech so far was particularly eventful. It seemed like every week brought a new initiative that put artificial intelligence at the heart of the retail experience – from customer service, through fashion design, to shelf management in stores. Here’s the story of that month
LivePerson announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud. The goal: to make digital interactions with brands feel much more human. Customer service that understands our emotions, adapts in real time, and speaks almost like a personal advisor. It’s an important step that shows just how conversational AI is becoming a must-have tool in every retail business.
OpenAI took the next big step – launching Instant Checkout inside ChatGPT.
For the first time, users can discover and buy products without leaving the chat.
Built with Stripe and powered by the open sourced Agentic Commerce Protocol, ChatGPT is no longer just an assistant – it’s a shopping companion.
With over 700 million weekly users, chatGPT is becoming the new storefront.
Brands keep full control over payments, fulfillment, and customer support, while AI takes care of discovery and purchase – safely and seamlessly.
As OpenAI describes it: this is Agentic Commerce – where AI doesn’t just recommend what to buy, it helps you buy it.
Just as AI shopping agents began to gain traction, Walmart took the concept mainstream. In mid-October, the retail giant announced a partnership with OpenAI that brings shopping directly inside ChatGPT. Customers can now ask for recommendations, explore products, and even complete purchases all without leaving the chat.
Powered by OpenAI’s new Agentic Commerce Protocol, the integration connects Walmart’s product catalog and payment systems securely within ChatGPT. A simple message like “buy milk and detergent from Walmart” triggers a full transaction from search to checkout via Stripe handled entirely by the assistant.
For Walmart, this is more than a convenience feature. It’s a major leap toward conversational commerce, merging its vast store network with the immediacy of AI-driven digital shopping. The chat itself is becoming the new storefront a place where discovery, conversation, and purchase happen in a single seamless flow. As OpenAI described it: “Chat isn’t just where conversations happen anymore – it’s where commerce begins.”
On October 2, 2025, Wiliot, an Israeli deep tech company pioneering Ambient IoT, announced a strategic collaboration with Walmart – the world’s largest retailer. This marks the first large-scale deployment of Ambient IoT technology in the retail industry.
What is Ambient IoT?
At the heart of this breakthrough are tiny, battery free sensors called IoT Pixels. These smart tags continuously monitor products across the supply chain tracking location, temperature, storage conditions, and movement. The data is then transmitted to the cloud, where advanced AI and ML models process it in real time.
The result? Complete visibility. Stores and distribution centers know exactly what they have, where it is, and in what condition at any given moment.
Tal Tamir, CEO of Wiliot, explains: “This is a project of unprecedented scale. We’re adding a new layer of digitization to Walmart’s supply chain, enabling real-time automation and insights that fundamentally change the rules of the game.”
At Africa Fashion Week London, the Transcendence collection by designer Ifeanyi Nwune in collaboration with Meta was presented. This collection wasn’t created in the traditional way – it was built almost entirely using AI tools like Meta AI Search and Imagine. The result: a surprising blend of human artistry with digital speed and creativity, and clear proof that AI is conquering the runway too.
The showcase also featured Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, allowing attendees to capture, stream, and even experience parts of the show through augmented reality. It was another example of how Meta is merging AI, fashion, and immersive technology into one creative expression.
Ralph Lauren hit the headlines with the launch of “Ask Ralph” – a conversational AI tool in its app. Customers can ask questions like “What should I wear to a concert?” or “How do I style my navy blazer?” and get answers based on real-time inventory from Polo Ralph Lauren collections. Built together with Microsoft, the system points to the way forward: luxury brands are no longer satisfied with just selling, they want to be our personal stylist and advisor.
British supermarket chain Asda launched a unique pilot: AI-powered cameras from Focal Systems that perform “self-scanning” of shelves. They can identify when a product is missing, misplaced, or even no longer suitable for sale.
AI powered cameras automatically detect missing or misplaced products, keeping shelves organized in real time.”
Fall 2025 was nothing short of a turning point for retail tech.
Across just a few months, we witnessed how AI is transforming every part of the industry from customer service that understands emotions, to fashion designed by algorithms, shelves managed by cameras, and digital agents that shop on our behalf. And with chat now becoming the checkout, the line between conversation and commerce has officially disappeared.
This isn’t the future – it’s already here. AI is redefining how we design, produce, sell, and experience retail.
The tech revolution is coming to all corners of retail, and one of the hottest retail spaces today is sports retail. Join the revolution at Re:Sport this fall in Germany – live inside ISPO Munich, the world’s biggest sports trade show.
