Artificial intelligence has become part of nearly every business conversation, and retail is no exception. Across areas like forecasting, inventory management, and loss prevention, AI is positioned as a way to help stores operate more efficiently and respond more quickly to change.

For retail leaders, the promise is practical; it’s expected to support key performance indicators such as customer wait times and associate productivity. When it works well, AI can help employees get answers and backup in the moment, allowing them to spend less time searching for information and more time serving customers. The future AI promises for retail is one where stores are faster and more responsive to daily demands.

So why does AI so often fall short of that promise?

In practice, AI struggles in retail for two reasons. Either it does not fit the fast-paced reality of frontline work, or it knows nothing about the store it is meant to support. Oftentimes, it’s both and the impact is quickly felt on the sales floor.

No time for friction

Retail environments move quickly, and associates rarely have the time or attention to manage new tools while helping customers. AI systems that require complex prompts, frequent screen interaction, or app switching often create more friction than value. When technology interrupts the flow of work, adoption drops, particularly during busy periods.

For stores looking to effectively incorporate AI, this often means choosing tools that associates can access quickly and naturally during busy shifts. A good place to start is with AI that allows employees to ask questions by voice instead of typing, or access support through tools they already use rather than opening another application. Ease of access is what allows AI to be useful in real operational conditions.

Clueless AI is worse than no AI

No matter how well an AI fits a store’s workflow, it will do more harm than good if it does not know anything about the store it's meant to support. We are all familiar with AI slop. Now imagine that same kind of output being delivered to employees on the floor. At best, associates stop trusting the answers and eventually stop using the tool. At worst, they follow incorrect guidance, make mistakes, and create rework and lost sales.

What retail leaders need to look for, then, is an AI that they can teach. That means an AI that learns how the store actually operates, rather than one that relies on generic assumptions. It should be grounded in real policies, procedures, and everyday scenarios, using information that is curated and secure. When AI is trained this way, it produces answers employees can trust and use with confidence on the floor.

When AI actually fits the store

So what does AI look like when it actually fits a store? It supports everyday tasks without getting in the way.

Take a routine issue on the sales floor. After a busy weekend, a store manager uses AI to review team conversations and spots a recurring issue with a seasonal display ringing up at the wrong price. The manager sends a quick note to the floor with the fix. An associate returning from break uses AI to see a short summary of what she missed and notices the update. She then asks the AI assistant for the policy on updating prices and corrects the display. The issue is resolved on the floor without delay.

And that’s just one interaction. When AI fits your store, everyday issues, not just pricing errors, get surfaced early and fixed on the floor before they slow down service.

Winning teams talk and AI helps

Thankfully, Zello makes it easy to bring AI into your store in a way that actually fits how retail teams work. By combining voice-first communication with AI grounded in real store conversations and policies, Zello helps teams spot issues earlier and act on them without slowing down the floor.

At NRF 2026, you can see what that looks like in practice. Zello’s message is simple: winning teams talk. When AI listens to those conversations and supports teams in the moment, stores move faster and issues get handled where the work happens. Stop by the big orange booth (#2509) to see how voice and AI come together to turn everyday store communication into action.