1、 Table of Contents Key Takeaways 3 Another Inflection Point for Physical Retail 4 1.Driving Engagement&Conversion in Physical Retail 5 The Store as Confirmation Point 5 Apples Early Bet on the Informed Consumer Pays Off 5 2.Creating Seamless In-Store Experiences 6 AI Inside the Store 6 Using AI to R

2、emove Exit Friction at Sams Club 6 Aligning AI with Store Purpose 7 3.Scaling Expertise on the Sales Floor 8 4.Reaching the Right Audience at the Right Moment 9 5.Building Smarter Store Fleets With AI 11 AI Wont Matter Equally Across All Retail Formats 12 Raising the Bar for Physical Retail 13 2026

3、Placer Labs,Inc.|More insights at placer.ai|2 Five Ways Retailers Can Leverage AI Without Losing What Works Read the report to learn how AI is changing store roles,operations,marketing,and fleet strategy and how to apply it without undermining what already works.Key Takeaways 1.AI is raising the bar

4、 for physical retail as shoppers arrive more informed,more intentional,and less tolerant of friction though the impact varies by category and format.2.As discovery shifts upstream,stores increasingly serve as confirmation rather than discovery points where shoppers validate decisions through hands-o

5、n experience and expert guidance.3.AI-based tools can improve in-store performance by removing operational friction shortening trips in efficiency-led formats and supporting deeper engagement in experience-led ones.4.By embedding expertise directly into frontline workflows,AI helps retailers deliver

6、 consistent,high-quality service despite high turnover and limited training windows.5.AI enables precise,location-specific marketing and execution,allowing retailers of any size to align assortments,staffing,and messaging with real local demand.6.Retailers can also use AI to manage their store fleet