Merchandising & Store OpsSunday, September 27, 2026
Target's AI-driven Inventory Ledger system, covering over 40% of its assortment, predicts stockouts before they become visible to staff and detects items placed in the wrong aisle.
Restaurant operators are deploying connected-kitchen systems that use vision AI to monitor makelines, integrate with POS to auto-start cooking timers, and guide staff through recipes using wireless food probes.
UC Davis' AI Institute for Next-Generation Food Systems has developed FoodAtlas, an evidence-based tool that maps relationships between foods, their chemicals, and health effects, with a planned consumer app that identifies food from a photo.
UiPath has released an agentic AI solution that autonomously optimizes product assortments, measures price elasticity, and plans promotions by predicting demand across the retail and CPG value chain.
Feedvisor has introduced Agentis, an agentic commerce platform for Amazon sellers that coordinates advertising, pricing, inventory, and competitive intelligence to optimize for profit rather than just return on ad spend.
Walmart has integrated its Creator Program into its core sales infrastructure by introducing a tiered bonus structure that pays creators for hitting sales thresholds and expanding commissions to include third-party marketplace sellers.
