AI in Action: From Personalization to Operations

IHL Retail AI Pulse Webinar, March 26, 2026 (⁠https://www.ihlservices.com/ihl-retail-ai-pulse-webinar/⁠)The pilot era is over. Retailers who are truly winning in 2026 are not testing AI — they are running it as core operational infrastructure, every day, at scale. In this episode of Retail Reality Check, we cut through the hype and look at exactly what that means in practice: a million monthly AI inquiries at Lowe's, a 22% basket lift at Associated Wholesale Grocers, $470 million in a single quarter driven by Costco's AI recommendation carousels, and Amazon using predictive AI to place inventory before you even know you need it. IHL Group research backs every claim: retailers actively using AI in order fulfillment are seeing 7x higher sales growth than those lagging behind.This episode walks through five major case studies — Lowe's Mylow, AWG SmartMeals, Amazon Same-Day AI, Boggi Milano RFID, and Costco's e-commerce personalization — and then covers a lightning round of the week's biggest retail tech moves. Whether you are a retail executive benchmarking your AI maturity or a technology vendor looking to understand where deployment is actually happening, this episode gives you the real picture.The show is produced in partnership with IHL Group, the research and advisory firm whose data underpins the analysis. If this episode resonates, IHL's Retail AI Pulse Webinar on March 26th goes even deeper into real-world deployments and repeatable AI workflows for corporate retail teams.Why the 7x sales growth gap between AI-operating retailers and AI-lagging retailers is widening — not narrowingHow Lowe's Mylow handles 1 million monthly inquiries by tailoring responses to DIY customers vs. professional contractorsWhy AWG's SmartMeals AI platform delivered a 22% basket size lift and 72% loyalty signup increase across member storesHow Amazon's predictive AI inventory placement is what actually makes 1-hour delivery operationally viableWhy Boggi Milano's jump from 90% to 99% inventory accuracy using Zebra RFID is a tipping point for their AI restocking systemHow Costco's AI-powered recommendation carousels drove over $470 million in online sales in a single quarterThe key question every retailer needs to answer: are you truly operating with AI, or are you still just piloting?0:00 — Introduction: The pilot era is over — AI is now a daily operating requirement0:22 — IHL's Retail AI Pulse Webinar preview (March 26)0:47 — Greg Buzek quote: "AI is becoming a basic requirement just to compete"1:00 — IHL data: retailers using AI in fulfillment see 7x higher sales growth1:28 — Case Study 1: Lowe's Mylow — 1 million monthly inquiries, tailored to DIY vs. Pro2:00 — Case Study 2: AWG SmartMeals — 22% basket lift, 72% loyalty signup increase2:29 — Case Study 3: Amazon — predictive AI inventory placement powers 1-hour delivery3:00 — Case Study 4: Boggi Milano + Zebra RFID — 90% to 99% inventory accuracy3:47 — Case Study 5: Costco — $470M in one quarter from AI recommendation carousels4:14 — Lightning Round: Aldi, Papa Johns, Grubhub, Levi's, Dine Brands, Co-op5:00 — Lightning Round continued: Instacart + Nvidia, Hilton, Perry Ellis, Nestlé, Dollar General5:42 — Closing theme: Operating with AI vs. still just piloting6:00 — CTA: Visit ihlservices.com for 40+ case studiesResources Mentioned in This EpisodeResearch & Data:IHL Group Retail AI Research — 7x sales growth finding for AI-enabled fulfillment retailers (ihlservices.com)