channel sales
30 articles about channel sales in AI news
Shopify opens AI sales channels to all merchants as ChatGPT drives 20% of Walmart referral traffic
Shopify launched its Spring '26 Edition on June 17, expanding agentic storefronts to millions of merchants and opening its catalog infrastructure to brands on any platform. The release arrives as AI referral traffic to U.S. retailers jumped 393% in Q1 2026, with ChatGPT now accounting for 20% of Wal
TikTok Shop's Real ROI: Why Brands Must Measure Cross-Platform Demand, Not Just In-App Sales
A case study of sun-care brand Carroten argues TikTok Shop's primary value is as a demand engine for Amazon and retail, not a standalone sales channel. The strategy reframes ROI measurement to capture the halo effect across the entire digital shelf.
Salesforce Launches Agentforce Contact Center, a Native CCaaS Platform
Salesforce has launched Agentforce Contact Center, a fully native contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) platform built directly into its CRM. This eliminates the need for third-party telephony integrations, unifying voice, digital channels, AI agents, and customer data on a single screen.
Salesforce Launches Agentforce Contact Center, Unifying AI Agents, Voice, and CRM
Salesforce introduces Agentforce Contact Center, a native platform integrating voice, digital channels, CRM data, and autonomous AI agents. It aims to solve integration complexity and improve AI-human collaboration for customer service.
Salesforce: Agentic AI Workforce Doubles YoY as Pacsun Rolls Out AI Concierge
Salesforce reports agentic AI workforce more than doubling YoY, with Pacsun deploying agentic commerce to win Gen Z. The trend signals enterprise AI moving from copilots to autonomous agents.
Ingram Micro Ships an MCP Server for the Global Channel
Ingram Micro's Xvantage MCP server brings real-time channel commerce data into Claude Code. Install it via `claude mcp add` to let agents query product availability, pricing, and orders directly — no API glue code needed.
Amazon Business Hits $60B Annualized Sales as AI and Computer Vision
Amazon Business hit $60B annualized sales, crediting AI and computer vision for reshaping B2B ecommerce. MarketScale reports the milestone signals accelerating digitization of procurement.
Costco’s personalized product recommendations drive $500M in digital sales
Costco’s personalized product recommendation carousels generated nearly $500 million in digital sales in Q3 2026, with 3x higher conversion rates. CFO Gary Millerchip highlighted AI’s potential as a major sales driver, as digital traffic surged 37%.
HubSpot's Agentic AI Strategy Challenges Salesforce and Microsoft in CRM
HubSpot is making a strategic push into agentic AI for its CRM platform, aiming to automate multi-step business processes. This represents a direct challenge to the 'old guard' of enterprise CRM, primarily Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
Money Printer AI Automates Outbound Sales: URL to Outreach
A new AI tool called Money Printer claims to automate B2B outbound sales. Users paste a website URL, and the system finds target companies, identifies decision-makers, writes personalized outreach, and initiates contact via email and phone calls.
YC-Backed Ava Raises $36M for Fully Autonomous AI Sales Rep
Ava, a Y Combinator startup, has raised $36 million to develop an AI 'employee' that runs entire outbound sales processes autonomously. The system aims to replace human sales development representatives (SDRs).
Tulip and Salesfloor Merge to Scale AI-Powered Retail Engagement
Tulip, a mobile retail platform, and Salesfloor, a clienteling and virtual selling solution, have announced a merger. The combined entity aims to scale AI-powered customer engagement for retailers, focusing on unifying in-store and online experiences.
Costco Attributes $470M in Quarterly E-commerce Sales to Digital Personalization Engine
Costco's CFO directly tied $470M in Q2 e-commerce sales to personalized recommendation carousels. This quantifies the ROI of modern digital enhancements, showing how personalization drives traffic and sales for a major retailer.
Nvidia's Record Earnings Mask China Dilemma: H200 Sales Frozen Amid AI Boom
Nvidia reported record quarterly revenue of $68.1 billion, up 73% year-over-year, driven by surging demand for data center processors. However, the company has generated zero revenue from its H200 chips in China and faces ongoing uncertainty about future sales in the critical market.
AI-Native CRM Revolution: How Lightfield Automates Sales Workflows Beyond Traditional Systems
Lightfield introduces an AI-native CRM that automatically updates customer data by connecting to email, calendar, and meetings, eliminating manual upkeep and transforming how sales teams manage relationships.
Claude Partner Network Application Stalled? 4 Ways to Get Certified
Claude Partner Network apps can stall for weeks. Use direct certification, Claude Code free tier, and community channels to keep your team productive while waiting.
Brunello Cucinelli's Callimacus AI platform becomes a 7-figure software
Brunello Cucinelli's AI platform Callimacus became an independent software company, generating seven-figure revenue and attracting a Salesforce investment. The platform assembles personalized webpages in real time and is being pitched to brands and retailers beyond luxury.
AI agents cut response times by 40% as 3 UAE retailers move from
Three UAE retailers deployed AI agents on Google Cloud Vertex AI, cutting response times 40% and boosting sales 15%. This signals a production-ready milestone for retail AI agents.
How Major Retailers Use AI to Reimagine the Customer Journey
BizTech Magazine reports that retailers like Kering and Nike use Google Cloud AI to personalize customer journeys, lifting revenue 10-30%. This matters as AI transforms omnichannel retail with real-time data and generative models.
Shopify's Catalog API Goes Self-Serve as Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft Back Its Commerce Protocol
Shopify launched its Spring '26 Edition on June 17, 2026, opening its Catalog API and Universal Commerce Protocol to any developer or brand without prior approval. Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Stripe joined the UCP Tech Council in April, alongside founding members Google, Etsy, Target, a
Nvidia Denies Anthropic's China Chip Smuggling Claims via Latin America
Nvidia's Latin America chief denied Anthropic's allegations of chip smuggling to China via the region, expressing frustration with U.S. export controls. The denial highlights tensions between AI safety and hardware sales.
Shopify Details Generative AI Use Cases for Ecommerce (2026)
Shopify's 2026 guide details generative AI use cases for ecommerce, including conversational AI for sales and product catalog management via the Storefront API. This matters as retailers seek practical AI integrations to enhance operations and customer engagement.
Mind Games Fragrance Achieves 56% Growth Without a Hero SKU
Mind Games, a chess-inspired luxury fragrance brand, achieved $28.9M in 2025 US sales with 56% YoY growth despite having no dominant hero SKU. 65% of sales come from 14 different scents, targeting young male collectors. The brand is projecting $120M in global retail sales for 2026.
Verizon Hospitality Leader Discusses AI's Role in Eliminating Phantom Inventory
A Verizon hospitality leader shared insights on using AI and IoT technologies to tackle phantom inventory—discrepancies between digital stock records and actual physical stock. This is a pervasive and costly issue in retail, directly impacting sales and operations.
Target's Tech Blog Teases 'Next-Gen Solution' for Digital Order Fulfillment
Target's internal tech blog has announced work on a next-generation solution for digital order fulfillment, specifically targeting the balance between operational speed and inventory accuracy. This is a core operational challenge for omnichannel retailers.
CRM Platforms Are Evolving into AI Agent Hubs
The article reports a strategic shift where CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot are becoming platforms for deploying and managing AI agents. This evolution enables automated, multi-step customer interactions directly within the customer data environment.
OpenAI Acquires Tech Podcast TBPN in First Media Deal, Signaling Strategic Content Shift
OpenAI has acquired the online technology talk show TBPN, marking its first foray into media ownership. The move signals a strategic shift toward controlling narrative channels around AI development and adoption.
Fenty Beauty Launches 'Rose Amber' AI Advisor on WhatsApp, Joining L'Oréal in Chat-Based Commerce Push
Fenty Beauty has launched 'Rose Amber,' a conversational AI advisor on WhatsApp for product recommendations and tutorials. This reflects a broader industry shift, with L'Oréal already generating over 20% of its DTC sales in Brazil via WhatsApp and planning a 2026 expansion of its own AI tool to the platform.
gateretail and JK Tech Partner to Advance AI-Powered Inflight Retail Intelligence
gateretail and JK Tech announce a partnership to develop AI-powered intelligence for inflight retail. The collaboration aims to enhance onboard sales strategies and passenger personalization in a high-value, captive retail environment.
OpenAI Scales Back ChatGPT Instant Checkout, Pivots to Merchant Apps
OpenAI is scaling back its Instant Checkout feature for ChatGPT after it failed to drive significant sales. The company will now focus on letting merchants use their own checkout within ChatGPT apps, prioritizing discovery over transaction.