How to Use Digital Tools for Retail Success

If more of your store sales start on TikTok lately, you might wanna read this. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. The checkout happens in-store. But the sale happens everywhere else. Here's the reality: This year 60%+, and in 2027, 70% of retail sales will be digitally influenced. I can't emphasize this enough; here's what most brands miss—digital influence isn't just about online sales. It's about shaping every moment before the customer even walks into your store. L'Oréal cracked this code: 100M+ AR try-on sessions driving real conversions. 31 brands orchestrating seamless experiences across 72 countries. No.1 in beauty influencer marketing (29% market share), 20-80% higher conversion rates through enhanced digital experiences. The new customer journey isn't linear—it's layered: - They discover you on social - Research you through reviews and UGC - Try your product virtually through AR - Get retargeted with personalized content - Finally purchase in-store (feeling confident they're making the right choice) Every touchpoint matters, and every interaction influences the final decision. The brands winning today aren't just selling products—they're orchestrating experiences across owned, paid, and earned media that guide customers from curiosity to checkout. Digital discovery is increasingly pay-to-play and shoppers are paying attention. ++ Tactical Recommendations for CPG / FMCG Brands ++ 1. Beyond just having perfect, high SOV product pages, create discovery ecosystems. - Optimize for "zero-moment-of-truth" searches. - Activate shoppable content at scale. - Leverage user-generated content as social proof. Brands that do these see a 35% higher conversion rate from digital touchpoints to in-store purchases. 2. Connect digital engagement directly to retail execution. - Geo-target digital campaigns to drive foot traffic - Create "store-specific" digital content CPG brands using geo-targeted social ads see a 23% higher in-store sales lift in targeted markets. 3. Most important one; stop flying blind—measure digital influence on offline sales. - Implement unique promo codes for each digital touchpoint to track conversion paths. - Use customer surveys at point of purchase. - Partner with retailers on shared data insights Brands with proper attribution see 15-25% improvement in marketing ROI within 12 months. 𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 ecommert® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰,𝟲𝟬𝟬+ 𝗖𝗣𝗚, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘁® : 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. #CPG #FMCG #AI #ecommerce Procter & Gamble PepsiCo Unilever The Coca-Cola Company Nestlé Mondelēz International Kraft Heinz Ferrero Mars Colgate-Palmolive Henkel Bayer Haleon Kenvue The HEINEKEN Company Carlsberg Group Philips Samsung Electronics Panasonic North America

We’re all seeing it happen in real time. #AI is changing how people search, shop, and decide. The launch of #ChatGPT's shopping assistant is just the beginning. It’s not just search engines evolving—it’s consumer behavior. Here are 4 practical tips for how D2C brands can use ChatGPT-enabled search and shopping to their advantage: Optimize Product Data for AI Discovery Make sure product titles, descriptions, specs, and attributes are structured, rich, and clear. AI models like ChatGPT pull from clean data—so the better your metadata, the more likely your products show up in relevant queries. Use Conversational Copy That Matches Customer Intent Rewrite product descriptions and FAQs in natural, conversational language. Think like your customer: “What’s the best moisturizer for sensitive skin?” not “moisturizer sensitive skin organic.” AI understands nuance—lean into that. Create Bundles and Recommendations for AI to Surface Use your ecommerce platform to set up smart product bundles or "complete the look" options. ChatGPT can recommend these combinations when users ask for solutions (e.g., “What do I need for a beginner yoga kit?”). Integrate with Real-Time Inventory and Fulfillment Systems Partner with tech (like Osa Commerce) to sync real-time inventory and fulfillment data. ChatGPT-enabled shopping only works if customers can trust what they see—accuracy builds conversion. Osa Commerce is helping brands and retailers adapt to this shift: ▪️ Unified product data across every channel ▪️ Real-time sync with your fulfillment and inventory systems ▪️ Smarter orchestration for wherever the order originates—from ChatGPT to marketplaces to in-store #AI #ChatGPT #RetailTech #Ecommerce #SupplyChain #OsaCommerce #ConversationalCommerce #d2c Sent from my iPhone

AI is BS. Not the technology. The talk track. I attended the NRF Foundation Big Show this week, and everything was “AI-something.” AI for inventory. AI for pricing. AI for customer service. AI for world peace (okay, maybe not yet). With all that noise, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—and a bit cynical. The possibilities are incredible, but slapping “AI” on everything doesn’t make it useful. Understanding how these tools work to solve actual business problems is critical. I’ve found it’s helpful to kind of simplify it into the two categories that really matter: ✍️ Generative AI is like an extremely knowledgeable friend who can produce new things—written content, images, & beyond—if asked in just the right way. A chatbot interface makes that generative AI friend more accessible: you give it a prompt (for example, “Write a short product description for a new running shoe”), and it instantly creates a response from all the information it has internalized. 🕵️♀️ Agentic AI goes further. It's more like a proactive personal assistant with the same deep knowledge. Instead of waiting on precise prompts, it can infer tasks and even carry them out automatically. For example, it can figure out when stock is running low & reorder items without being explicitly told every step to take. How retailers might use each: 1️⃣ Generative AI: Product Descriptions: Automatically create rich, engaging product descriptions for online catalogs that match the brand’s voice. Marketing Content: Draft email campaigns, social media copy, & blog posts. Store Layouts & Visuals: Suggest store display ideas or mockups, using AI-generated images to spark new merchandising concepts. 2️⃣ Agentic AI: Inventory Management: Monitor incoming sales data & reorder items proactively before inventory runs out. Customer Service Automation: Act on customer requests (like returns or shipping updates) without a staff member walking it through each step. Dynamic Pricing: Continuously check market trends, competitor prices, and demand patterns, then adjust product prices accordingly—without needing a person to oversee it all. I think Agentic AI will provide the biggest benefits and the biggest disruptions because consumers love convenience and businesses love efficiency – and it delivers both. AI is evolving faster than Moore’s Law—doubling every 3 months instead of 18. Do the math—it’s mind-blowing. Moore’s Law gets you 10X improvement in 5 years. At this pace, AI could be 1,000,000X in 5 years! (h/t Kasey Lobaugh) In just a few years, we could see retail transformed by super-powered sales associates, hyper-personalized shopping journeys, and supply chains optimized to unimaginable levels. But first we have to cut through the noise to make sure we’re making the right choices. Are you experimenting with any tools successfully—or are you overwhelmed by the hype (or both!)? #AI #agenticAI #agents #retail #NRF

The holidays are like the Super Bowl for retailers. And the competition is fierce. Changing customer expectations and shifts in data collection have made it harder than ever for marketers to succeed in a crowded retail space. That’s why I collaborated with Jason Downie, U.S. CEO of Making Science, on these data-driven strategies retailers can use to maximize their earnings this season (and future-proof their marketing). Check out our tips, or catch the link to the full Total Retail article in the comments below.  1️⃣ Put first-party data first With third-party cookies on the decline, prioritizing first-party data is more important than ever. Loyalty programs and mobile apps are great tools for building comprehensive customer profiles (with consent!) and enabling deeper personalization. 2️⃣ Leverage #GenerativeAI Retailers like Walmart are finding tangible ways to leverage generative #AI to improve customer and employee experiences. For example, their “adaptive retail” program harnesses data and large language models to improve their product catalog. This improves customers’ ability to find what they’re looking for. 3️⃣ Predict inventory and pricing needs AI-powered predictive analytics can help forecast demand, align inventory and delivery, and fine-tune pricing strategies in real time. This approach avoids stockouts and rushed pricing changes while improving margins. 4️⃣ Adjust campaigns in real time Holiday campaigns need to adapt quickly. Real-time data helps refine ad spend and messaging on the fly, ensuring campaigns align with customer trends. A centralized #DataCloud paired with AI makes this easier than ever. 5️⃣ Unify cross-channel data Siloed data hurts customer experience. By integrating data across in-store, online, and mobile channels, retailers can deliver a seamless journey and consistent messaging that keeps customers coming back. The future of #retail is data-driven and AI-powered. Those who embrace it now will be better positioned to meet rising expectations and build lasting loyalty—not just this season but all year long.