German software giant SAP Introduced a series of artificial intelligence enhancements for retailers.
The new product was announced on Thursday (January 8). press release in advance of NRF 2026: The Big Show in Retail An event will be held in New York City next week.
“Retailers are facing a situation where AI is no longer an option.” Balaji Balasubramaniansaid SAP's Chief Product Officer for Customer Experience and Consumer Industries in a release. “SAP delivers one closed-loop, AI-enhanced retail operating system that connects planning, execution, and engagement. We put data and AI at the heart of retail, enabling speed, personalization, and growth across every channel and segment.”
Among the new products is the Retail Intelligence solution. SAP Business Data CloudIt is expected to be available in the first half of this year and is designed for retailers and direct-to-consumer companies, according to a release.
The tool “leverages retailer data from across SAP software and third-party systems to provide accurate demand and inventory planning to drive profitable growth through actionable, real-time insights,” the release states.
The company is also rolling out Order Reliability Agent as part of a larger order management service bundle. The new agent, scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2026, will help employees identify and resolve potential order issues and answer common questions about order status, inventory availability and fulfillment risk before they impact customers, according to the release.
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“As customer expectations rise and fulfillment networks become more complex, retailers need confidence that every order will be delivered as promised, with AI solutions that provide proactive visibility and guidance to keep business operations running smoothly and at scale,” the release states. “And as brand perception changes in the age of agent commerce, a reliable and consistent shopping experience is more important than ever to foster lasting customer loyalty and trust.”
The retail industry is facing changes such as: agent AI“From support to autonomous commerce,” PYMNTS wrote this week. While assistive AI such as chatbots, recommendation engines, and search optimization support human decision-making, agent AI can replace elements of the same decision-making process right down to its execution.
Retailers areAgent compatiblePYMNTS CEO Karen Webster wrote this month: Consumers are already there, with 57% of them reporting they are using it, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence study. AI platform For personal tasks.
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