Alphabet ‘s Google has moved beyond the search bar, positioning itself as the lead architect of “agentic commerce.” In this new world, AI not only suggests what you buy but executes the purchase for you. For years, online retail has operated under a predictable platform: Shoppers search, click through the results, and complete checkout on…
The Google logo displayed on a smartphone alongside a shopping cart. Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images As retailers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence tools to lure shoppers and run key parts of their business, Google wants to make sure it’s in the center of the action. At the kickoff of…
Pixdeluxe | E+ | Getty Images It often starts small. A dab of concealer. A tinted moisturizer. Maybe a brow gel that goes from borrowed to bought. For many men, like Daniel Rankin, makeup has transformed from something taboo into a tool to make them look less tired and more put together. “I remember thinking,…
An Amazon warehouse in Warrington, England. Nathan Stirk | Getty Images Amazon has submitted plans for a large-format store near Chicago that would be larger than a Walmart Supercenter, marking the latest experiment with physical retail for the tech company. As part of the plans, Amazon has proposed building a one-story, 229,000-square-foot building in Orland…
Thos Robinson | Getty Images Amazon CEO Andy Jassy could see how dramatically artificial intelligence was altering e-commerce. In June, he told employees that AI agents will start to infiltrate aspects of everyday life, “from shopping to travel to daily chores and tasks.” Four months later, Jassy said on an earnings call that Amazon expects to partner with third-party agents, and has…
Sometimes the stakes are so high, the degree of difficulty so immense, that it simply may be too hard to game. When that’s the case, no amount of formal research will help you fathom the stock implications. Yet, you have inherited the issues and they must be dealt with — or you are too at…
Holiday shopping has always felt like a “chore” for Amrita Bhasin. Between deciding what to buy, comparing prices and checking reviews, the 24-year-old retail tech CEO said she spent more than 15 hours each year buying gifts for her friends and family, a process that took the joy out of giving. But this year, Bhasin…
FALMOUTH, MA – APRIL 8: Instacart shopper Loralyn Geggatt makes a delivery to a customer’s home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Falmouth, MA on April 7, 2020. Some Amazon, Instacart and other workers protested for better wages, hazard pay and sick time. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Boston Globe Grocery…
Black Friday early morning shoppers rush in as the doors are opened at a Walmart store in Fairfax, Virginia, Nov. 28, 2008. Gerald Martineau | The Washington Post | Getty Images Black Friday has long been defined by massive crowds, rock-bottom prices and rabid consumers willing to bite, scratch and claw their way to the…
U.S. President Donald Trump looks at Gobble one of two turkeys to ceremonially pardoned for Thanksgiving in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 25, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters President Donald Trump extended his pardon power to both Thanksgiving turkeys — Gobble and Waddle — during an annual holiday…
