Palona AI

New Ways of Shopping in the Evolving Retail Landscape Retails Second Shift: Social and Conversational Commerce Emma Wang “In the first wave, some thrived, some survived. The second one is coming — are you ready?” Here’s a quick recap: Retailers experienced the first wave of change when e-commerce arrived. As AI transforms the market, customer trends are changing yet again. Is your business prepared to ride the second wave? From ChatGPT and Gemini, AI is rapidly redefining customer expectations for their shopping experience — from reactive to proactive, from personalized to individualized. Proactive engagement. Instead of chatbots or human customer service agents simply waiting for customer questions, AI agents can anticipate customers’ needs and engage customers directly.? Individualization Beyond basic personalization (like cookies and targeted ads), AI enables hyper-personalization. For the first time, customers can receive tailored product recommendations from a massive inventory, bringing a VIP shopping experience to everyone. The rise of social commerce is another game-changer. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are now where product discovery happens. Retailers must meet customers where they are most comfortable—on these social platforms. While hiring human social media managers is a common solution, they can’t be online 24/7 to answer DMs. This is where AI agents step in, offering a scalable, always-on solution to keep your brand competitive. The e-commerce wave taught us the importance of centering customer needs. Now, it’s time to put your customers first again by embracing AI. It was an incredible opportunity to share ideas and connect with industry leaders shaping the future of commerce. Huge thanks to the organizers and everyone who attended! What’s your business’ plan to adopt AI and stay competitive in 2025?

AI Agents are the big industry buzzword of 2025. But here’s the thing: they’re not here to replace human relationships—they’re here to help us build deeper connections. As someone who has focused on human-centric software throughout my career, AI agents, like all tech innovation, should push human interactions for the better. I was inspired by VentureBeat’s Executive AI Editor, Carl Franzen's take on Palona’s strategy to elevate customer-brand connection: “As AI continues to shape the future of commerce, Palona’s approach proves that customer relationships don’t have to be sacrificed for automation. Instead, AI can enhance personalization, drive conversions, and build lasting brand loyalty.” Check out Carl’s full review here: https://lnkd.in/gc5zbVNh Carl Franzen