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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Retail is at a turning point. AI is no longer a futuristic idea or marketing buzzwordits a business necessity. Consumers expect intelligent, seamless, and personalized experiences at every touchpoint. The brands that deliver on those expectations will win. Those that dont will fall behind. Still, when I talk with retail leaders, I hear the same concerns again and again: How do we make AI feel natural, not robotic? Can it really drive salesor is it just a cost-cutting tool? How do we integrate AI without blowing up our current operations? And beyond the contact center, where else can AI have real impact? These arent just passing questions. Theyre real blockers, slowing down progress. Thats why we launched an AI Lab webinar series, and write articles like this to get information out publicly with practical, business-first answers. AI needs to do more than automate Retailers have dipped their toes into AIautomated chatbots, product recommendations, predictive analyticsbut too often, these tools operate in silos. That leads to clunky experiences and limited impact. The mindset is shifting. Its no longer just about efficiency. Its about impact. AI shouldnt only reduce costs. It should increase engagement, drive revenue, and build customer loyalty. Here are three principles weve seen drive real success: 1. AI should sell, not just support Traditionally, retail AI has played defensehandling order tracking, return policies, and FAQs. But its time to put AI on offense. Think of guided selling: AI that acts like a smart associate, asking about customer preferences, budget, or styleand responding naturally. Its the digital equivalent of a great in-store experience. One example: A luxury jewelry brand used conversational AI to recommend add-ons and upgrades based on a customers past purchases. The result? A 30% boost in upsellswith zero human agent involvement. The takeaway: AI can drive conversions and revenue. It just needs to be designed with that goal in mind. 2. Proactive > reactive Most AI waits for customers to initiate the conversation. Thats a missed opportunity. Take cart abandonment. Nearly 70% of online carts are abandoned before checkout. AI can spot hesitationlingering on the checkout page, revisiting itemsand respond in real time with: A one-click checkout to reduce friction A last-minute incentive A helpful AI assistant offering answers AI shouldnt just respond when customers get stuck. It should help them move forward. 3. AI that works with people, not instead of them The most successful retailers dont replace humansthey empower them. Think about frontline staff. AI can handle the repetitive stuff so humans can focus on high-value interactions: complex purchases, emotional moments, loyalty-building conversations. It also works the other way. Human agents generate valuable dataabout buying habits, objections, preferencesthat AI can learn from and use to personalize future experiences. Thats the real win: a human-AI partnership that gets smarter over time and drives better outcomes across the customer lifecycle. Rethink the AI roadmap Too often, brands start with customer support because it feels safe. But forward-thinking leaders are broadening their lensand seeing greater return. Were working with retailers that are embedding AI into every stage of the customer journey: Pre-purchase: Digital consultations, guided product discovery, preference-based recommendations In-purchase: Smart upsell suggestions, checkout support, frictionless payments Post-purchase: Delivery updates, service requests, loyalty rewards, re-engagement And heres the kicker: these touchpoints dont need to be siloed. The right AI platform can stitch them together into a seamless, personalized journey. What makes the difference Three things separate retailers who are winning with AI from those still spinning their wheels: Start with the customer, not the tech. Dont ask, What can this tool do? Ask, Where is the customer getting stuckand how can we help them move forward? Design for outcomes. If your AI project doesnt tie back to a business metricconversion, lifetime value, customer satisfaction (CSAT)youre flying blind. Make it measurable. Set clear goals. Track impact. Optimize based on results. This isnt about proving AI works in generalits about proving it works for your brand. Final thought: Innovation without disruption AI doesnt need to blow up your tech stack. It should integrate with your existing systems, layer in intelligence, and get smarter over time. We call it innovation without disruption. You dont have to rip and replace. You just have to start with the right mindsetand the right partner. AI in retail isnt just about answering questions. Its about asking the right onesand making sure your tech stack is ready to answer them in ways that actually move the business forward. John Sabino is CEO of LivePerson.
Category:
E-Commerce
Weeks after ordering all Food and Drug Administration employees back into the office, the agency is reversing course, allowing some of its most prized staffers to work remotely amid worries that recent layoffs and resignations could jeopardize basic functions, like approving new medicines. An internal email obtained by The Associated Press states that FDA leadership are allowing review staff and supervisors to resume telework at least two days a week. The policy shift was confirmed by three FDA staffers who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency matters. The message was sent Tuesday to some of FDAs hundreds of drug reviewers. Staffers said a similar policy was communicated to reviewers who handle vaccines, biotech drugs, medical devices and tobacco products although not necessarily in writing. Its the latest example of the Trump administrations chaotic approach to overhauling the federal health workforce, which has included firings, a scramble to rehire some employees, and then additional layoffs last week of an estimated 3,400 staffers, or more than 15% of the agencys workforce. When FDA employees were called back to the agency’s headquarters last month they confronted overflowing parking lots, crowded offices and broken or missing supplies. A spokeswoman for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the administration is returning to pre-COVID telework arrangements for reviewers, whose read and write work output is tracked in 15-minute increments to ensure productivity and accountability. While many agencies switched to telework during the pandemic, the FDA began embracing the practice a decade earlier. The flexibility was seen as a competitive perk for recruiting employees who can often earn more working in industry. Last week’s cuts included entire offices focusing on FDA policy and regulations, most of the agencys communication staff and teams that support food inspectors and investigators. Senior officials overseeing tobacco, new drugs, vaccines and other products have also been dismissed or forced to resign. Staffers have described rank-and-file employees pouring out of the agency. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler called the cuts “devastating, haphazard, thoughtless and chaotic” during a House hearing on Wednesday. When Kennedy announced plans to eliminate 10,000 staffers across the federal health workforce, he noted out that FDA medical reviewers and safety inspectors wouldn’t be impacted. In February, HHS was forced to recall some probationary employees who were fired, including hundreds of medical reviewers at FDA, who are largely funded by industry fees, not federal dollars. But last weeks cuts combined with resignations and retirements have raised a new threat: that FDA funding could fall so low that it short circuits a long-standing system in which companies help fund much of the agency’s operations. Nearly half the FDA’s $7 billion budget comes from fees collected from drug, device and tobacco companies. The agency uses the money to hire thousands of staffers to quickly and efficiently review new products. For example, about 70% of the FDAs drug program is financed by user-fee agreements, which must be reauthorized by Congress every five years. But the agreements stipulate that if FDAs federal funding falls below set levels, companies are no longer required to pay and, in some cases, can claw back their money. The threshold requirements are designed to ensure Congress continues funding FDA, rather than relying entirely on the private sector. FDA and industry groups are supposed to begin negotiations later this year to renew several user-fee agreements, including those for drugs and devices. I dont think the agency nor regulated industry can afford for user fees not to be reauthorized, said Michael Gaba, an attorney who advises FDA-regulated companies. Whatever the reasoning behind the telework shift, former federal officials say its a sign that recently confirmed FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is trying to retain and rebuild agency staffing. Makary made his first appearance at FDA’s headquarters last Wednesday, one day after the mass layoffs. According to the memo obtained by the AP, Makary signed off on the return to telework for some employees. Dr. Makary needs to rebuild teams and restart the engine of productivity lost to weeks of job insecurity, uncertainty and shortages of team members, said Steven Grossman, a former HHS official. Turning commuting time back into work time is a great first step in achieving both. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Matthew Perrone, AP health writer
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E-Commerce
Morocco‘s social security agency said troves of data were stolen from its systems in a cyberattack this week that resulted in personal information being leaked on the messaging app Telegram. The North African kingdoms social security fund administers pensions and insurance benefits to millions of private sector workers, from assembly line laborers to corporate executives. It said in a statement Wednesday that preliminary investigations suggest the leak resulted from hackers bypassing its security systems. The agency did not say who was thought to be responsible for the leak while also claiming that many of the documents posted were misleading, inaccurate, or incomplete. The hackers who posted the documents on Telegram said the attack was in response to alleged Moroccan harassment of Algeria on social media platforms, pledging additional cyberattacks if Algerian sites were targeted. Moroccan media have attributed the attack to Algerian hackers, describing it as an episode in a larger cyberwar between the two countries. Relations between Algeria and Morocco have recently deteriorated to historic lows. The countries have withdrawn their ambassadors, closed their embassies and respective airspaces. Algeria’s support for the Polisario Front, a pro-independence movement fighting Morocco over the disputed Western Sahara, is among the roots of the tensions. Some of the leaked information touches on deeply sensitive issues in Morocco. Among the leaked documents is salary information that, if accurate, would reflect vast inequalities that continue to plague Morocco despite its strides in economic development. The trove includes unverified financial data on executives of state-owned companies, political parties, figures associated with the royal family’s holding company and charity fund, and the Israeli liaison office in Rabat. Morocco’s National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data said on Thursday that it stood ready to investigate complaints from people targeted in the leak. Mustapha Baitas, Moroccos government spokesperson, linked the attack to what he said was growing support for Morocco in the conflict from the international community something he said disturbs the enemies of our country to the point of attempting to harm it through these hostile actions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week said he supported Moroccos plan for the disputed territory, a statement Algeria criticized on Thursday. During his first term in office, President Donald Trump shifted Washington’s longstanding position in 2020 to back Moroccos sovereignty over the territory. President Joe Bidens administration neither reversed nor openly supported the policy. Sam Metz, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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