I have seen images generated entirely by AI, which is very powerful. Incredible with faces, but still needs refinement for hands and arms. It will get there. I think, as a start, it will be used to enhance image content and quality. For example, make the model look younger or add hair... eventually, it has the potential to replace entirely. From what I have seen so far, it is very impressive. I will use it to generate the graphics needed for my blogs.

That is a very good point as well that I missed. CAO is an immediate solution while other automation solutions mature to scale.

Many of the culprits mentioned play a part in causing out of stocks. The historical issue to the problem that has the potential of minimizing it is a better planning process coupled with accurate shelf data collected from cameras and robotic solutions in near real-time. Once those data feeds are available, along with supplier data integrated into a collaborative portal, we will start seeing real improvements.

There will be an impact, but I have to believe there is an alternative waiting and innovations to be introduced. One thing we noticed for sure is that these portals are generational. Who is next? One key observation is how TikTok is described as “spontaneous, raw, unfiltered content” coming from a Chinese company.

Yes, the warehouse club will continue growing. The robot presence is fizzling in grocery, but still has a viable use case in warehouse formats for the time being.

Overall, it will start to trend up once rate hikes slow down, and hopefully, rates slash later this year, assuming no major unknown events globally that could drive markets down. I believe the younger generation will start to inch closer to home ownership and take on the DIY approach to improve their purchased property for savings and affordability.

I think these various types of data have been used for a while on the macro level. It is not done frequently enough due to the required analysis, disruptions caused by changes, and labor costs. There are new sensor systems collecting data like never seen before that would be very beneficial as well. In my opinion, what is lacking is the seamless integration of this type of insight into macro solutions for more streamlined decision-making. There is undoubtedly an opportunity to leverage online learning for in-store merchandising. How it's done is the tricky part.

No easy answer to this one. It will have a negative and positive impact depending on the point of view and beliefs. Usually, I would have said let the market play its role, but in this case, I like Gary Sankary's comment to donate the inventory to a distant needy place where any shoe is needed.

Think of whatever technology you lack that can free up labor to provide better customer service. Cashierless checkout is not one of them.

I think one of the early use cases of generative AI can be around data decisioning as part of the assortment review process. This is an area I am tackling in my Innovating Category Management series, first is assortment, and soon in New Age of Retail Insights where ChatGPT can be used to textualize trends in easy-to-read and understand paragraphs.

Tech projects should be driven to solve problems or initiated by innovations to help advance the way we do things. Problems and innovations are not exclusive to IT. Having the stakeholders involved and steering the project in collaboration with IT is critical to its success.

It is certainly sensitive issue, having every move or even keystroke tracked. It reminds me of the resistance some had to getting listed in the phone book's white pages. I think over time, people will overcome this issue if they start to see benefits and as the value of promotions increases to get more people to opt in. It could well be that the top 20 percent are the early adopters, the middle 60 percent say "maybe I will think about it," and bottom 20 percent say "no way."

I always prioritized 1) the Team, making sure they are happy and effective, 2) that resulted in great Products that customers highly anticipated, and 3) everything else. We set up a hybrid model, 2 days a week in office for face time collaborative meetings (with Covid adjustments which were easy because of the existing model), and rest was remote/as needed on Zoom. The team performed and delivered beyond expectations.

Is the tide shifting? The talk was Whole Foods Market shifting toward Amazon, but are we now seeing the reverse? Technology can give you a boost, but it has to be purposeful to be long lasting. Always, back to basics saves the day, assortment, price, quality, service ... especially for large retail formats.

The automation jump of 60-65% is welcomed and overdue, but could be a challenge for retailers to adopt new technologies this fast, unless a critical unknown like Covid becomes a motivator. A lot of the technologies needed to facilitate scaling to many stores are starting to get more attention and speed. For example, image/product recognition and navigation are at the core of solutions like shelf cameras, robotics for shelf insights, checkout ... its been challenging for them to scale. I think the issue for Amazon and others is scale not differentiation.