Retail Media Age • 22nd June 2026

Editor's View: How Amazon is moving further up the funnel with Alexa for Shopping

A little while ago, we put out a piece drawing together expert opinions on the topic of conversational advertising in the shopping journey – what it means, and whether it will resonate – that came partly from the news that Amazon would be rolling out ads within its chat assistant, Rufus. However, Amazon has now revealed that Rufus is being retired – to be replaced with Alexa, who already has a strong established brand as Amazon’s AI ‘persona’, similar to Siri for Apple. But far from putting Amazon’s conversational ad ambitions to bed, this move has only amplified them.

Retail Media Age • 21st April 2026

What would conversational advertising mean for retail media, and can it succeed?

Generative AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have taken on the role of go-to research and information aids for many – including when making buying decisions. At the same time, many retailers have launched their own in-house chat agents to provide shoppers with on-demand support and product recommendations, such as Sparky, a shopping assistant from Walmart, or Rufus, launched by Amazon in 2024.

Econsultancy • 16th April 2025

What are the results from GenAI in customer service? Case studies from Verizon, ING & United Airlines

From summarising cases behind the scenes and assisting agents on the fly to directly interfacing with customers, the use cases for generative AI in customer service are numerous, and many businesses are either experimenting with or have already deployed GenAI in this way. But which ones are seeing real results, how are they benefiting, and what lessons can we take from their experience?

Econsultancy • 9th January 2024

Are 40% of Gen Z shunning Google for TikTok? Not exactly

Back in July 2022, a statistic from Google about Generation Z and their use of social platforms for search started making headlines. “For Gen Z, TikTok is the new search engine”, proclaimed the New York Times, while Business Insider stated that “nearly half of Gen Z is using Instagram and TikTok for search instead of Google”.

Econsultancy • 28th July 2023

Chatting with cars: How the automotive industry is using conversational AI

Conversational AI received a huge shot in the arm with the release of ChatGPT late last November – showing how generative AI technology could be combined with a conversational interface to create a more natural and fluid online chat experience. Since then, many more businesses have been finding ways to integrate chat into their products and services, from search engines to social networks.

Econsultancy • 14th February 2023

‘AI-powered’ search is off to a problematic start. Can Google and Bing fix it?

Google and Microsoft are racing to be the first to launch generative AI chat in search, with release announcements coming within days of one another. However, the problems are already beginning to show. What are they, and how could they be addressed?

Econsultancy • 16th December 2022

Does ChatGPT really pose a threat to search engines?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has gone viral, with many claiming that this sophisticated chatbot could displace Google. But how well does it really perform as a search engine?

Econsultancy • 21st October 2022

The ethics of AI writing and the need for a ‘human in the loop’

With AI-generated writing, imagery and even video becoming available in increasingly high quality, how can marketers ensure responsible use of these tools? ContentBot founder Nick Duncan talks AI, ethics, and the need for a “human in the loop”.

Econsultancy • 3rd August 2022

A metaverse reality check: Defining the metaverse

Businesses are rushing to get in on the ground floor of the metaverse – but what is it really? What do we mean when we talk about ‘the metaverse’?

Econsultancy • 17th November 2021

AR, NFTs and the metaverse: How luxury brands innovated for China’s Singles Day shopping festival

With a huge opportunity in the offing to target Chinese consumers when they are in a prime shopping mindset, and competition higher than ever, what have luxury brands been doing to stand out?

Econsultancy • 25th August 2020

How QR codes are finally enabling innovation

QR codes, once believed to be a long-dead relic of the early 2010s, have found a new lease of life in the coronavirus pandemic. How are they being used for innovation in 2020, and could they stand a better chance of succeeding this time?

Econsultancy • 17th January 2020

Voice in 2020 is (still) not about search

We’ve made it to 2020, the year that many believed would be a milestone for voice search. Here’s why I think we should stop talking about it.

Econsultancy • 19th June 2019

Super apps: How the rest of the world is following in China’s footsteps

If you move in digital circles, have spent time in or have done business with China in the past five years, chances are high that you’ve heard of WeChat. WeChat is no longer the only super app ecosystem available to Chinese internet users. In her recent Internet Trends 2019 report, Mary Meeker highlighted the growing trend of super apps both within and outside of China. This briefing examines the companies moving into this space, and what this growing trend means for both businesses and consumers.

Econsultancy • 26th November 2018

The future of visual search: smart glasses, AR and retail opportunity

Over the next two decades, I believe that we’ll see search develop in two key directions. First of all, we’ll see voice search take off in a meaningful way – something that, despite the considerable hype surrounding voice search, we haven’t yet seen. And secondly, we’ll see the rise of visual search, alongside the development of technologies like smart glasses and augmented reality.

ClickZ • 28th July 2017

Is it time for a QR code comeback?

Remember QR codes? Those blocky, black-and-white graphics that take you to a URL when scanned with your phone were everywhere from about 2011 to 2013. Brands splashed them across posters, put them in shop windows and integrated them into creative advertising.

But is it journalism? • 10th July 2017

Does funding article-writing robots really support high-quality journalism in the digital age?

Here’s a riddle for you: If a programme set up to support high-quality journalism in the digital age funds the creation of article-writing robots, is it really supporting journalism? The answer might depend on how you define “journalism” to begin with.

ClickZ • 22nd May 2017

The revival of email newsletters and the rise of mobile-first email

How did you start your day today? If you’re anything like me, you probably started it at the breakfast table hunched protectively over a cup of coffee, blearily reading something on the screen of your smartphone. And, again if you’re anything like me – or thousands of other people now subscribed to one of the myriad newsletter offerings that have sprung up across the web – that “something” was quite likely an email newsletter.

Search Engine Watch • 13th October 2016

The new wave of visual search: what it can do, and what might be possible

Visual search on the web has been around for some time. But in the last couple of years, it has come into new prominence, with companies like Pinterest and Bing developing into serious contenders in the visual search space, and search engines like Splash conceptualising new ways to search the web visually.

ClickZ • 12th July 2016

The rise of wearable filtering technology, and what brands can do about it

The next generation of wearable technology will give consumers an unprecedented ability to filter out digital experiences that aren’t of value to them, according to a report by Adobe which launched last week.

ClickZ • 18th March 2016

The future of retail? Five game-changing technologies to look out for

Last Tuesday, attendees at the Mindshare Future of Retail Huddle were given a glimpse of the technologies which could revolutionise retail going forward.