Google

Both Walmart and Carrefour announced this week that they are joining Google's new standard for agentic commerce, the Universal Commerce Protocol (UPC). The technology allows consumers to purchase products directly on Google's Gemini AI platform, for example, without having to switch to the retailer's website. At the NRF conference, which took place in New York City this week, Google Cloud…

Kaufland’s International Auditing Department has developed an app with AI to make its freshness checks more efficient. The application helps the auditors of Schwarz Group’s subsidiary to check the internal processes of the stores in order to ensure customer satisfaction. The fact that specialist departments are developing solutions themselves using standard AI tools has the potential to shake up the…

7-Eleven Japan plans to use generative AI for the introduction of new products in the future. Software from Open AI, Google and Stability AI is set to help reduce planning processes by up to 90 per cent. Deploying this technology in the area is new to the retail sector.

French home improvement chain Castorama has developed a voice assistant for DIY customers in collaboration with digital agency Razorfish. The retailer, which is part of British retail group Kingfisher, has integrated the new feature, called Hello Casto, into its Castorama mobile app. The app offers customers tutorial videos that can be found and used entirely by voice while working. Clients…