Shopping ExperiencesWednesday, November 11, 2026
As of September 2025, Meta removed native checkout from Facebook and Instagram, requiring users to complete purchases on brand websites and shifting retailer social strategies toward discovery and traffic driving.
Presto, the enterprise voice-AI partner for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, raised $10 million in January 2026 to scale deployments as Yum Brands, Burger King, Starbucks, and Papa Johns roll out AI ordering assistants, with analysts projecting that roughly half of U.S. drive-thru orders could be AI-handled by late 2026.
Sweetgreen's 'Infinite Kitchen' automated assembly system, live at two locations in Illinois and California, produces up to 500 bowls per hour—about 50% faster than manual assembly—at a cost of $450,000 to $550,000 per unit, with a projected margin improvement of roughly seven points.
Controlant released Controlant Go in May 2025, a streamlined system for real-time cold-chain visibility in pharmaceutical shipments.
P.Louise generated over £2 million in sales during a 14-hour TikTok Shop live stream for its Christmas pre-launch, extending a 2024 record of £1.5 million in 12 hours.
Symbotic is acquiring Walmart's Advanced Systems and Robotics business in Q2 2025, while Walmart is funding automation for 400 accelerated pickup and delivery systems.
