OpenAI’s integration with Shopify is expected to revolutionize online shopping, transforming the internet into a more personalized experience. The integration will allow digital personal shoppers to know customers’ size, style, and preferences, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their purchases. This could lead to a shift from traditional storefronts to full-service consultants and lifestyle experts. The adoption of Gen AI will result in lower return rates, reduced bounce rates, and a rise in’shopper loyalty’ as consumers build an affinity with stores that make their lives easier and feel special. To optimize the integration, brands should focus on user-generated content, build a real community, and train their assistants cleverly. The partnership between OpenAI and Shopify could mark an unprecedented step forward in using Gen AI as a shopping tool. By integrating product details, pricing, reviews, and even a ‘Buy Now’ button directly into the UI, the future of online shopping will be significantly changed. The winners will be those that think beyond the transaction and create experiences that feel truly personal.
Target is prioritizing offering more options in its checkout experience, on-trend affordable assortments, omnichannel discovery, enhanced supply chain and fulfillment capabilities, expanded Target Circle membership, and strategic partnerships
Target is sharing how customers feel about the lanes, as well as how it is adapting to the ways in which its shoppers currently prefer to engage in the checkout process. Target says the Express Self-Checkout service has created an overall faster checkout experience, with total transaction times improving by nearly 8%. Additionally, the retailer has improved its Net Promoter Score (NPS) for checkout by 5 points. At the same time, Target has opened even more traditional checkout lanes, and recently found that a greater share of guests are choosing to make their purchase through those lanes that are staffed by our team members. Adrienne Costanzo, EVP and chief stores officer said, “By giving them a few options for checking out — on their own, with a team member or even using Drive Up — we’re making their experience fast, easy and on their terms.” Elsewhere in its business, Target shared in March that it is focusing on on-trend affordable assortments, omnichannel discovery, enhanced supply chain and fulfillment capabilities, expanded Target Circle membership, and strategic partnerships. Investments in these areas aim to accelerate Target’s strategy and drive more than $15 billion in sales growth by 2030.
New York state to establish a supervision framework for BNPL- disclosures, dispute resolution, limits on fee, data privacy; requires disclosure when a price was set by an algorithm using personal data
Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new legislation as part of the FY26 Enacted Budget that will protect consumers across New York and fight back against scams or exploitative practices. From simplifying the process of cancelling recurring online subscriptions to cracking down on overdraft fees that target low-income consumers, these new laws will help New Yorkers fight back against unfair corporate practices. The FY26 budget includes legislation requiring businesses to notify consumers of upcoming renewals and price changes as well as provide clear instructions on how to cancel subscriptions. Under this legislation, cancellation processes must be simple, transparent, and fair – ensuring that it is just as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up. With e-commerce sales rising and returns accounting for billions of dollars annually, New Yorkers deserve stronger consumer protections. The FY26 Budget also includes legislation to require online retail sellers to post return and refund policies in a way that is easily accessible for consumers; and a legislation to establish a licensing and supervision framework for BNPL providers. This legislation will introduce safeguards, such as disclosure requirements, dispute resolution standards, limits on all charges and fees, and data privacy protections to ensure consumers are better protected when using these financial products. The FY26 Budget includes first-in-the-nation legislation that requires businesses to disclose clearly to consumers when a price was set by an algorithm using their personal data, subject to certain exceptions.
Soopra AI adapts AI-driven personas of celebrities and experts to engage in scheduling meetings between multiple parties, answering complex questions and supporting sales outreach
Soopra AI, a company that provides on-demand AI personas from experts for education and insights, raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to launch a platform for AI agents that can perform advanced functions. With this funding, the company said it is launching Soopra 2.0, also known as ASK, a social network for AI agents. Soopra said with the launch of ASK, a broader range of AI-driven personas of celebrities and experts could engage in more advanced functions such as scheduling meetings between multiple parties, answering complex questions and supporting sales outreach. Soopra’s platform allows educators to build personalized coursework based on their lecture series, which will enable them to provide 24/7 teaching assistance for students. Since the chatbot is interactive and uses their writing and guidance, it can come fairly close to what they’d say in real life. Although it’s not a perfect and just a facsimile, it can still provide a semblance of guidance when the professor is not available. “Soopra.ai says what I would say 95% of the time and does it instantly,” said Dr. Ronjon Nag, adjunct professor at Stanford University and founder of the venture capital firm R42 Group. “It’s been a powerful way to scale my presence, answer student questions, and share my expertise more broadly.”
Clinch’s integration of LinkedIn’s Marketing API enables advertisers to seamlessly author and preview LinkedIn ads, sync campaigns, and access cross-channel insights alongside other media channels from a centralized place and through a singular workflow
Clinch, the AI-powered technology company that brings efficiency, productivity, and intelligence to omnichannel advertising, announced an integration of LinkedIn’s Marketing API. This new integration enables advertisers to seamlessly author and preview LinkedIn ads, sync campaigns, and access cross-channel insights alongside other media channels—all from within Flight Control, Clinch’s AI-powered omnichannel advertising platform. “Connecting our Flight Control platform to LinkedIn gives brands and agencies the opportunity to scale not only B2B marketing, but other objectives not directly tied to commerce, like recruiting, education, awareness, and other corporate endeavors,” said Charel MacIntosh, Global Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Clinch. “Managing all campaigns and distribution channels from one centralized place, and through a singular streamlined workflow, empowers advertisers to maintain faster speed to market with minimal resources, and without sacrificing accuracy or results.” Key Benefits of the Integration: Streamlined Campaign Management; Enhanced Creative Control; Cross-Channel Insights.
Survey shows 78% consumers think in-aisle ads being the most effective at driving future purchase consideration followed by storefront screens (76%)
According to a new survey from technology solutions provider Vistar Media and consumer research firm MFour, 95% of consumers felt either positive or neutral toward retail media ads. Visual formats are the most effective, according to the survey, with 72% of shoppers approving of parking lot screens as the first point of contact with the brand. In-aisle screens (68%) and storefront/entrance screens (64%) also have strong approval, which Vistar Media says proves their value in “guiding decisions and providing relevant product information” to shoppers. Only 4% of consumers reported that in-store ads detracted from their shopping experience. 50% of those who felt the ads improved their experience cited their visual appeal, while 34% valued the product information and 27% enjoyed the entertainment factor. 44% of shoppers surveyed said they made a purchase because of an in-store ad. Engagement was even stronger in specific placements, as 58% shoppers who viewed front entrance ads bought the advertised product immediately, and 31% of those who saw in-aisle ads redeemed a coupon or discount code. Among those exposed to parking lot ads, 32% went on to visit the brand’s website, and 19% of in-aisle viewers interacted with QR codes or digital links. 71% consumers said they were more likely to consider a brand they saw advertised, with in-aisle (78%) and storefront (76%) ads being the most effective at driving future purchase consideration.
Parloa’s low-code interface gives businesses the ability to create AI agents equipped with prebuilt or custom skills for tasks such as routing, authentication and handling frequently asked questions
Agentic artificial intelligence for customer experience startup Parloa GmbH announced that it has raised $120 million in new funding on a $1 billion valuation to accelerate its expansion across North America and Europe, enhance its Agent Management Platform and hire international talent. Parloa offers the AI Agent Management Platform, a platform that allows enterprises to design, deploy and manage AI-powered customer service agents across various communication channels, including voice, chat and messaging. The platform works via a low-code interface that gives businesses the ability to create AI agents equipped with prebuilt or custom skills for tasks such as routing, authentication and handling frequently asked questions. The agents are flexible by design and can be tailored to specific business needs, including integration with existing systems such as Salesforce Inc., ServiceNow Inc. and Zendesk Inc. for real-time access to relevant data. To complement its core offering, Parloa provides tools, such as large-scale testing and behavior evaluation, to fine-tune responses before deployment. Once live, a customer analytics dashboard delivers the ability to monitor key performance metrics for the continuous improvement of customer interactions. Parloa’s platform also assists human agents with features like real-time translation and suggested responses. The augmentation enhances agent productivity and ensures consistent customer service quality across different languages and regions.
SavvyMoney acquires integration solution CreditSnap to bring credit scores, personalization and fin literacy to more LoS platforms
SavvyMoney announced its acquisition of CreditSnap, a fintech solution provider that powers intelligent integrations to digital loan, deposit and account onboarding solutions for banks and credit unions. With CreditSnap’s technology, we aim to strengthen our ability to work alongside existing LOS and account opening systems, delivering even greater value to our partners and their consumers. JB Orecchia, president and CEO of SavvyMoney said, By combining SavvyMoney’s ability to drive high-intent demand with CreditSnap’s flexible integration solution, we’re delivering a comprehensive digital experience for both lending and deposit growth—one that works with, not against, their existing systems. Financial institutions can now offer a seamless, end-to-end experience by leveraging SavvyMoney’s demand-generation capabilities in conjunction with CreditSnap’s flexible integration process. From personalized credit insights to frictionless application and booking, allowing every integration to work with one unified platform. CreditSnap Key Benefits: The platform integrates with more than 73 loan origination, core and digital banking systems; Loan application time can be reduced from 12 minutes to as little as 2 minutes; Financial institutions have reported a 20–40% increase in loan volume and deposit funding rates as high as 78%
Walmart US eCommerce sales jump 21% but tariffs are identified as an “immediate challenge” creating “unprecedented” cost pressure that Walmart cannot fully absorb
Walmart’s strong performance in eCommerce, including a 21% jump in U.S. sales and the achievement of U.S. eCommerce profitability for the first time, is seen as a key factor that can help offset cost pressures from tariffs and supply chain issues. Tariffs are identified as an “immediate challenge” creating “unprecedented” cost pressure that Walmart cannot fully absorb due to narrow retail margins, particularly those on China. This dynamic backdrop makes forecasting future earnings “difficult” and the near term “exceedingly difficult to forecast.” Although first-quarter revenue growth at 2.5% was slower than projected, the company saw strong underlying metrics including 4.5% growth in U.S. comparable store sales driven by increased transactions and average ticket size, with customers prioritizing value and speed across all income cohorts. Sam’s Club U.S. comp sales, excluding fuel, increased nearly 7% with strong growth in transactions. CFO John David Rainey said eCommerce sales in the segment grew by 27%, “led by triple digit growth in Club-fulfilled delivery and double digit growth in pickup.” In further evidence of digital shifts in omnichannel commerce, he noted that “Scan and Go” shopping was up with penetration growing 6% year over year. As for the margins tied to digital sales, said the CFO, “We achieved eCommerce profitability both in the U.S. as well as for the global enterprise in Q1 for the first time. In The U.S., eCommerce net delivery costs have declined as we’ve continued to densify our last mile deliveries and as customers pay fees for faster delivery.” Membership related income was 3.8% higher, with double-digit growth in Walmart+ fees.
Urban Outfitters targets Gen Z with back-to-college shopping pop-ups, citywide scavenger hunt, and a contest offering move-in experience from home to campus
Urban Outfitters is launching a new omnichannel platform, including pop-up activations, designed to support Gen Z students throughout their college careers. Known as “UO Haul,” the effort will include products, citywide pop-ups, strategic brand partnerships, and surprise giveaways. UO Haul kicked off in New York City with a citywide scavenger hunt that let participants follow clues to discover a fleet of glass-walled trucks, each transformed into a Gen Z dorm room and styled to reflect a distinct aesthetic. Select winners were invited to a special performance by global girl group Katseye. Phase two of UO Haul launches in June 2025 with “Special Delivery,” a month-long initiative celebrating recent graduates and inspired by the thousands of letters Urban Outfitters receives each year. Urban Outfitters will also team up with the Collegeboxes by UHaul student storage and shipping solution for a back-to-campus contest launching the week of June 9. Three students will win $1,000 in Urban Outfitters products and a move-in experience from Collegeboxes by U-Haul, which includes door-to-door service to handle their move from home to campus. Urban Outfitters says its immersive “UO Haul” experiences are part of a broader strategy to reimagine back-to-campus shopping by blending function, style, and discovery in a way customers won’t find anywhere else.