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Original 2026-01-01

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1 At<a>NRF Europe 2025</a>, retail leaders and technology experts explored the future ofproduct discovery.<a>Sébastien Icadi</a>, VP Customer Success Europe & UK at Insider One, and<a>Stéphane Mermet</a>from AWS, shared insights into how AI and data-driven technologies are transforming the way consumers find and interact with products online.

2 The discussion made one thing clear:traditional product discovery is no longer enough. Shoppers expect personalized, seamless, and proactive experiences, and AI is the key enabler.

3 <h2>Why Traditional Product Discovery Falls Short</h2>

4 The reality for many retailers is stark. Research indicates that nearly80% of consumers struggle to find productson e-commerce sites (source:Kimonix). Traditional tools, such as keyword search, static filters, and rigid categories, fail to meet modern expectations. Mobile and web experiences are often fragmented, creating a disconnect across channels. Retailers often focus on best-sellers, leaving long-tail products hidden from view.

5 Younger consumers, accustomed to social platforms like Instagram and TikTok, expectimmersive, story-driven product discovery. They prefer browsing content-rich formats rather than manually filtering products. This shift challenges retailers to rethink discovery entirely.

6 <h2>Data is the Foundation of Intelligent Discovery</h2>

7 Data is the backbone of effective AI-driven discovery. Without a unified view of customer behavior, purchase history, and product attributes, AI cannot deliver relevant recommendations.

8 <a>Insider One’sCDP (Customer Data Platform)</a>integrates online interactions, app usage, and offline purchase history, creating360° customer profiles. This enables personalized product suggestionsfrom the very first session, improving engagement and reducing friction. Predictive modeling further anticipates customer needs, allowing a proactive approach to discovery rather than reactive search.

9 AWS complements this with tools like<a>Amazon Personalize</a>enabling real-time recommendations and predictive insights across product catalogs.

10 <h2>From Static Recommendations to Immersive Experiences</h2>

11 Product discovery is moving beyond static category pages. Retailers now needdynamic, personalized, and engaging experiences.

12 Insider One has developed solutions like:

13 <ul><li><a>InStory</a>- bringing social-media inspired story formats to product discovery.<a>Smart Recommender</a>- delivering predictive recommendations tailored to each user’s behavior.</li>

14 <li><a>Eureka</a>- interpreting natural language search queries for more intuitive discovery.</li>

15 </ul>These tools allow retailers to showcase the full product catalog, including items that would normally remain undiscovered, while creating richer, more interactive user experiences.

16 <h2>AI Agents: Proactive Guidance for Consumers</h2>

17 The next frontier isAI agent technology, which acts like a personal shopping advisor online. Unlike traditional chatbots, AI agents:

18 <ul><li>Understand natural language queries.</li>

19 <li>Anticipate intent and surface relevant products proactively.Adapt recommendations to user segmentation, behavioral signals, or loyalty status.</li>

20 </ul>Insider One’s<a>shopping agents</a>replicate the experience of an in-store advisor, offering personalized guidance and, if desired, assisting through theentire purchase journey, including product suggestions and checkout support.

21 <h2>Challenges and Considerations for Marketers in 2026</h2>

22 Despite the potential, adoption comes with challenges:

23 <ul><li>Users need totrust AI recommendations, requiring careful balance between automation and user control.</li>

24 <li>Data must beaccurate, complete, and unifiedfor agents to perform effectively.</li>

25 <li>Teams requiretraining and change managementto integrate AI into workflows.</li>

26 </ul>The session highlighted that effective AI-driven discovery relies onautomation guided by human-centric design, iterated continuously based on customer behavior.

27 <h2>Conclusion: A New Era for Product Discovery</h2>

28 The key takeaway from NRF Europe is clear:traditional product discovery is dead. Retailers must embrace AI, unified data, and proactive agents to meet evolving consumer expectations.

29 A central question remains:how much control should AI have in guiding purchases, and where should human curation step in?The session provided insights, but real transformation will happen through experimentation and live implementation.

30 Retailers integratingdata-driven insights, intelligent recommendations, and AI agentswill be positioned tonot only meet but exceed consumer expectations, creating engaging, proactive, and personalized shopping experiences.