Reasons to Read

• Discover how AI is reshaping retail operating models, from flatter management structures to new AI leadership roles and centers of excellence.
• Understand why leading retailers are moving decision-making closer to smaller teams, store associates and business functions closest to the customer.
• Learn how agentic commerce is expanding across customer-facing and back-end workflows, including shopping assistants, associate agents and supply chain tools.
• Assess why workforce transformation, reskilling and change management are critical to AI adoption and employee engagement.

Questions answered in this report:

• What does an AI-enabled retail organization look like compared with a traditional hierarchy?
• Why are retailers flattening organizational structures and reducing management layers?
• Which AI leadership roles and governance models are emerging in retail?
• How are retailers deploying AI agents across merchandising, marketing, stores, supply chain and customer service?
• What workforce skills and change-management steps are required to scale AI effectively?

Data in this research report include: sector adoption rates for paid subscriptions to AI models, platforms and tools; a comparison of traditional and AI-enabled organizational structures; examples of AI-enabled retail restructurings; and a table of recent AI deployments by retailers and technology providers.

Companies mentioned in this report include: Ace Hardware, Amazon, Ahold Delhaize, Blue Yonder, Crate and Barrel, Home Depot, Kroger, Lowe’s, NVIDIA, RELEX Solutions, Target, Tesco, Ulta Beauty and Walmart.