170 VIEWPOINT The new retail reality MATTHEW GUISTE: ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES AI agents are empowering frontline workers to transform work across multiple operations in stores Walk into a modern retail store today, and you’ll notice something different: a sense of connectedness, immediacy and possibility humming beneath the surface. At the heart of this transformation is a new class of technology. AI agents quietly reimagining how retail gets done, from the stockroom to the sales floor. AI in retail isn’t new, but the recent explosion of generative AI and agentic capabilities marks a seismic shift. Unlike traditional analytics or chatbots, AI agents don’t just provide information. They act. Imagine an intelligent system that knows when a shelf is empty, triggers an order, guides a worker to the right stock, and confirms the shelf is restocked and ‘guest-ready’ before the next customer arrives. This is the promise of intelligent automation meeting the connected associate on the frontline. Why does this matter for retail executives? Because the stakes have never been higher. Staffing challenges persist, customer expectations are sky-high and margins remain razor-thin. Every moment counts. AI agents offer a practical, scalable way to unlock realtime insight and inventory visibility, making frontline work more efficient, accurate and, crucially, more human. Let’s break down what makes AI agents such a game-changer. First, they deliver for the frontline, not just the back office. Retail technology has too often focused on behind-the-scenes optimisation. The new generation of AI agents is different. They’re designed for the frontline, where every decision and interaction shapes the customer experience. Whether it’s a knowledge agent helping a store associate answer a tricky return question, a Photo: iStock/gorodenkoff
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