Every industry has a national organization and one of the functions of the national organization is bring together at least once a year for a conference. The largest players are represented as well as suppliers to the industry. An example of a conference is in January is the Consumer Electronics Conference in Las Vegas where companies introduce the new technology which can change the world. Similar conferences happen around the country – often the largest ones are in New York or Las Vegas.

In an article by Kim Bhasin and Sophia June of the New York Times News Service, the National Retail Federation is held in New York and brings together those companies where America shops.

This year the keynote address was Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Walmart CEO John Furner talking about AI. They spoke about a future where AI will drive the entire shopping experience, guiding consumers from the moment they began searching for what to buy all the way to the checkout.

Hundreds of startups are also vying for the attention of those retailers, aiming to capture their most granular of their needs. There are AI startups that offer in-store cameras that can detect a customer’s age or gender, robots that manage shelves on their own, headsets that give store workers access to product information in real time.

No retail buzzword has become more pervasive than agentic. It refers to the autonomous bots that guide shoppers through a purchase, helping them research products, find deals and check out. Companies have given these new companions names. Walmart AI shopping assistant is called Sparky, Amazon is called Rufus, Ralph Lauren is Ask Ralph, 7-Eleven is called Rita.

Among the other businesses that presented their latest AI at the event: Applebee’s, IHOP, the Vitamin Shoppe, Urban Outfitters, Rag & Bone, Kendra Scott, Michael Kors, and Philip Morris.

LVMH, the world’s largest luxury retailer, uses AI to boost creativity among its designers, helping them to explore materials, helping them to explore materials, test colors, and visualize final products.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, all large companies go to conferences and help explain their long-term outlook. Doing your homework through reading or possibility attending national conferences. If you agree with the outlook, then the stocks can be long-term holds.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.