AI Was the Talk of NRF 2024

Artificial intelligence and its potential to transform merchant operations has been a hot topic for some time. At the National Retail Federation’s annual conference in New York in mid-January, the focus sharpened, with industry leaders talking about ways to harness AI, smartly develop use cases, and make meaningful enhancements to merchant offerings and consumer shopping experiences. This Javelin Strategy & Research impact note assesses those conversations and offers recommendations for advancing the deployment of AI for merchants and their providers. 

Data sits at the center of the issue. Good, relevant data is needed to feed the AI models that can help merchants put more incisive recommendations in front of customers, provide better journeys through the shopping experience, and employ AI solutions that make merchants’ lives easier. Merchant services providers will have to take the lead in guiding their merchant clients—who generally aren’t data experts—toward the better cultivation and use of data.