What Retail AI Looks Like in Western Europe

Two-thirds of retailers in France considered the use of AI indispensable for ecommerce, and a further 18.5% said it was very useful, per Octopeek. "Besides customer experience, some AI implementations operate at the back-end of retail operations," said Karin von Abrams, eMarketer principal analyst and author of our latest report, "Western Europe Ecommerce Trends 2020: Consumer-Facing AI, Social Commerce and Delivery/Returns on the Agenda." "For example, fashion store H&M uses AI to analyze purchases and returns at physical stores; these patterns help determine whether a specific store should promote or increase stock of certain items," she said. Stores can also analyze consumers' online search behaviors over time to identify products that regularly attract interest but could be marketed more effectively. Retailers typically see consumer-facing AI as a natural extension of traditional in-store activities.