AI isn't a future trend. It's already shaping how retailers connect with their customers.
In fact, 54% of retail marketers are already using AI-driven personalization across multiple channels to grow their business.
That stat reflects a clear shift: AI is no longer just a tool for automation - it's becoming a strategic driver for engagement, loyalty, and marketing efficiency.
In our webinar 'Winning the Modern Shopper: How Retail and Shopping Centres use AI and interactivity to drive loyalty that lasts', panelists shared how AI is being applied right now to scale personalization, streamline campaign delivery, and free up time for what matters most: creating memorable customer experiences.
The pressure on marketing teams has never been higher
Retail and shopping centre marketers are being asked to do more than ever:
- Launch faster campaigns
- Prove ROI
- Deliver personalization at scale
- Manage leaner teams and tighter budgets
And yet, the tech stacks designed to help often just add complexity.
Joel Steel, CEO of Komo, sees this first-hand. "Most marketers aren't lacking ideas. They're lacking time and resources," he said. "AI should remove the grunt work so teams can focus on the creative and strategic parts."
Real-world AI in retail: It's already here
Sarah Moore, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Hawaiian, shared how her team has gone from exploring AI to actively implementing it as part of their Neighbourhood Perks loyalty program.
"We're setting up markers in the system—captured through receipt uploads, surveys, and games—and AI is helping us tailor value-based rewards to individual customers," she said. "That would have been impossible for our small team to do manually."
For Sarah's team, the biggest benefit isn't in launching flashy AI features - it's in using AI to improve the everyday processes behind loyalty. Instead of generic messaging, Hawaiian is moving toward reward journeys that actually reflect who the customer is and what they value.
Adam Posner, loyalty strategist and founder of The Point of Loyalty, added perspective from the customer side. "Do shoppers even notice if something's AI-driven? Not really," he said. "But they do notice if it's fast, relevant, and personalized."
In other words, AI shouldn't be visible. It should just make the experience better.
From campaign brief to live experience in minutes
During the webinar, Joel demoed Kai, Komo's AI-powered assistant.
With just a few prompts (e.g. "I need a campaign that drives foot traffic and dwell time for Christmas"), Kai delivered:
- Campaign concepts (like interactive treasure hunts)
- A full quiz built from scratch (with questions, prize mechanics, and copy)
- Real-time content deployment—ready to publish instantly
What used to take hours or days now takes minutes.
And critically, this doesn't require any coding or AI expertise. As Joel put it: "Kai helps marketers go from idea to execution fast without needing to log tickets or wait on dev time."
Better campaigns, faster
This isn't about tech for tech's sake. It's about delivering better marketing: faster, smarter, and more targeted.
In a crowded retail environment, speed to market can be the difference between relevance and irrelevance. With AI:
- You can test more ideas
- Launch campaigns more frequently
- Personalize at scale
- And reduce team burnout
It's not just a productivity boost. It's a competitive advantage.
Marketers who embrace AI will outperform
Retail marketing is evolving fast, and AI isn't a threat. It's a partner.
It helps teams go live faster. Capture and use data more meaningfully. And turn loyalty from a static program into a dynamic, personalized relationship.
It's not about removing people from the equation. It's about removing the roadblocks that prevent good marketing from happening at scale.
Get a front-row look at how Komo's Kai is helping marketers go from brief to live activation in minutes. Watch it on demand here.
