AI shopping tools

Walmart says neither the company nor its AI shopping assistant uses customers' personal information to set prices. The statement, reported by Fortune, comes amid growing scrutiny of how retailers and AI tools use shopper data for personalized pricing, a practice critics say can disadvantage some consumers.

UBS analysts argue that AI shopping agents, which search, compare and purchase products on behalf of consumers, could significantly reshape the U.S. retail landscape. The bank suggests these tools may redirect profit pools away from traditional retailers and intermediaries toward whoever controls the AI interface, forcing merchants to rethink pricing, advertising and customer acquisition strategies as automated shopping adoption grows.

Walmart is investing in employee training programmes while introducing artificial intelligence-powered shopping tools for customers. The retailer is pairing workforce upskilling with new AI features aimed at personalising and streamlining the shopping experience, positioning itself as a technology-forward company in the competitive retail sector.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has rolled out a virtual try-on feature for clothing, letting users see how garments would look on them while shopping in the app. The capability takes a page from Google Shopping, which has offered similar try-on tools. Tech watchers are calling it another sign of ChatGPT expanding into e-commerce and challenging Google's shopping features.

Adobe projects US online holiday sales will reach $275.1 billion this season, with traffic referred to retailers by AI tools such as chatbots and assistants expected to jump 130%. The forecast points to generative AI becoming a meaningful channel for product discovery and shopping recommendations. Retailers are watching closely as AI-driven referrals shift how consumers find deals and gifts during the holiday period.

Adobe predicts that traffic to US retail sites driven by generative AI tools will rise 130% during the upcoming holiday shopping season, compared with the same period last year. The forecast points to AI chatbots and assistants becoming a meaningful channel for shoppers researching products and finding deals, adding to how retailers plan for peak-season demand.

OpenAI has rolled out a virtual try-on capability in ChatGPT, letting users upload a photo and see themselves wearing clothes rendered by the company's latest image model. Outfits can be saved for later, making the feature usable as a shopping and styling tool. Coverage by Engadget is drawing attention as the latest example of AI image generation moving into everyday retail use.

Conagra, the US packaged-food company, says artificial intelligence is changing snack shopping habits. According to comments reported by Reuters, consumers are examining ingredients more closely and increasingly using AI tools to guide purchasing decisions, asking broader questions about what to buy rather than searching for one specific product.

Meta has introduced Muse, an AI assistant that can browse products and complete purchases on a user's behalf. According to CNBC's coverage, the tool handles the shopping and checkout process end to end, marking Meta's push into agentic AI for commerce and raising questions about how automated buying will reshape online retail.

Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly being used for financial planning and shopping decisions, from budgeting advice to product recommendations. An expert is warning consumers to be careful, pointing to the risks of relying on AI systems for money matters and purchases. The message is that AI can be helpful, but users should verify results and not hand over full control of their finances to automated tools.

The tech industry is heavily promoting AI-powered shopping bots, but The Register reports the technology remains years away from reliable real-world use. Despite the hype around automated assistants that can search, compare and buy products for consumers, current systems are said to be immature, leaving retailers and shoppers waiting for practical tools that can actually deliver on the promise.

A new AI tool lets users upload a full-body photo and preview how clothes would look on them, either from an uploaded garment image or from a catalog of 94 men's, women's, formal, casual and cultural outfits. It generates a visual preview of the outfit on the person, but does not measure or predict actual garment fit, a limitation users are noting.

Retail TouchPoints is asking whether consumers are prepared for agentic commerce from Muse AI, where AI agents handle shopping tasks on behalf of customers. The piece explores how retailers might adopt this technology and whether shopper trust and readiness can keep pace with rapidly advancing AI shopping tools.

Retailers are being surveyed on which generative AI tools they actually put into production in ecommerce during 2026. Discussion centers on practical deployments rather than pilots: product recommendations, automated content creation, and customer service automation are the main areas cited. The conversation is prompting retailers and analysts to assess how far AI has moved from experimentation into core shopping experiences and what results it is delivering.

Toyota posted a strong sales performance in September, a surge that industry outlet Automotive News is linking to broader changes in how car buyers shop. Attention is also turning to how artificial intelligence is reshaping the retail customer journey, with dealers and retailers exploring AI tools to guide customers from first search to final purchase.

eMarketer has released an AI Visibility Index tracking which apparel and fashion brands are gaining ground and leading in visibility across AI-driven platforms. The ranking highlights movers and leaders in the sector as companies increasingly compete to appear in AI-generated shopping answers and recommendations. Industry watchers are examining which fashion brands are adapting fastest to this new layer of digital discovery.

Meta's AI assistant Muse has entered a partnership with Shopify to expand AI-powered purchasing and store management support, starting in North America. The tie-up will let merchants use agentic AI tools to assist customers with buying decisions and run online stores more efficiently. The news is being shared in Japanese business and tech circles, with attention on how Meta's AI, built on its Llama models, will compete in the fast-growing AI commerce space.

New reporting from Chain Store Age indicates fashion shoppers are most interested in AI shopping tools when those tools help them save money. The finding suggests price-related features such as deal discovery and discount alerts resonate more with consumers than other AI applications in fashion retail, signalling where retailers may focus their AI investments.

NorthCinder is an open-source MCP server that lets users compare products across stores of their choosing. According to its README, the tool requires a signed, single-use buyer approval tied to one exact offer before any checkout can proceed. The project is being shared in information security circles and discussed as an example of adding safety controls to AI agent purchasing.

The Trump administration has launched America.gov, a new AI-powered website designed as a one-stop shop for information about US government agencies and services. The portal aims to make it easier for Americans to find federal resources in one place. The announcement is drawing attention as an example of the administration's push to integrate artificial intelligence into public-facing government tools.