AI Agents Inside the Physical Store

Executive Insights & Perspectives from Industry Leaders Across Retail and Technology

While 75% of retailers use AI, only 16% have scaled it enterprise-wide—leaving a massive gap between technology investment and real, on-the-floor execution. RETHINK Retail’s new AiR report reveals why brands are over-indexing on purely frictionless tools, yet 82% of consumers cannot recall a single positive frictionless experience.

Market leaders win by using AI as a background “stage manager” to handle operational complexity , freeing store associates to move “on stage” for high-value customer connection. Redesigning workflows around this intelligent model drives massive frontline profitability—powering results like Walmart’s 6.6% boost in operating income and 50%+ growth in store-fulfilled delivery.

Access the report and on-demand webinar to master the true economics of in-store AI and map out a practical blueprint for the intelligent store environment.

Access the Full Report

First Name

Last Name

Company Name

Job Title

Country/Region

By submitting this form, I agree to share my contact details with RETHINK Retail and its affiliates (privacy policy). *

Yes, I would like to receive the weekly RETHINK Retail Newsletter

Key Takeaways

The Workflow Redesign Deficit

While 75% of companies utilize AI, only 21% have fundamentally redesigned workflows around it, making operational restructuring retail’s next big hurdle.

Moving Associates "On Stage"

AI is absorbing repetitive, transactional workloads, shifting store staff away from being fixed behind a till to becoming dynamic orchestrators of the experience floor.

The New Upstream Front Door

Product discoverability has shifted. Brand visibility no longer begins at the physical shelf—it now starts upstream in an AI system’s training data and product catalog.

The Myth of Frictionless Retail

Staggering data shows 82% of consumers cannot recall a positive “frictionless” shopping experience, proving that a blend of human interaction and “good friction” is vital for brand loyalty.