Last night’s inaugural AI in Retail (AiR) Meetup at Toronto Tech Week, hosted by RETHINK Retail, was a celebration of an exciting new phase of tech-driven retail.
Terrific job by Marie Chevrier Schwartz, CEO and Yael Kochman, Head of AiR from RETHINK. Thank you for uniting retail and tech leaders, and bringing a high-energy, informative program to Toronto’s tech scene.
Highlights and insights include:
“We’re seeing a new paradigm in retail. We need to understand intent. Retail is a psychological process, not a transactional one. Consumers buy solutions to problems.”
~ James Baskin, CEO and Founder, ZeroStone
“It’s all about margins at the end. Inform yourself. Start with a pain point in your company. Measure the success. Make sure your CFO is happy with the ROI.”
~Armen Momejian, COO, Rudsak
“The new front door of commerce is a conversation you have with the AI rather than a Google search or walking into a store. AI is democratizing shopping. The concept of trust is a lot harder to manage.”
~ Shenela Tavarayan, Group Product Manager, Merchant Solutions, Interact Corp
When Drew Cashmore, Chief Strategy Officer, Vantage asked panelists about the biggest change they’ve seen in retail media as AI takes off …
“Partnerships. We’re not going to be in silos anymore. Let’s work together.”
~Erica Meagher, Head of eCommerce, Beiersdorf Canada
“Make sure people aren’t afraid of AI. Start with baby steps and internal problem solving.”
~Lesley Conway, Head of Walmart Connect, Walmart Connect
When Marie Schwartz asked about AI’s effect on people …
“The staff that are leaning into AI will be the next generation of leaders.”
~ Dustin Holmstrom, Field CTO, Shopify
Grateful to connect in person with several Top Retail Experts and the RETHINK team, including …
Dustin Fuhs, Jeremy Goldman, Adam Jackson, Marshall Kaye, Allan Malcolmson and Gary Newbury
Looking forward to next year’s AiR Meetup in Toronto to see how far retail advances over the next year.
AI-Driven Retail Brings Us Together
