The Consumer Electronics Show begins this week in Las Vegas, and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is scheduled to kick off the four-day event with a keynote address about how technology—including artificial intelligence—is transforming the retail giant.

As Retail Brew reported previously, Walmart is investing in AI solutions to help forecast consumer demand and manage inventory levels across its footprint. Parvez Musani, SVP of Walmart Global Tech, explained at the time that AI is helping the retailer use a greater variety of data inputs, such as weather reports and economic data, to predict demand around the country.

McMillon’s address is arguably the highest-profile crossover between the retail and tech industries at the closely watched conference, but it’s certainly not the only one. Multiple sessions are on the docket in which retailers such as Alibaba, McDonald’s, and Instacart appear primed to offer a bullish view of the technology’s potential.

Keep reading here.—AV

NRF 2024 is just around the corner. Join Shopify at Retail’s Big Show from Jan. 14–16 for an action-packed conference with the biggest names in commerce.

Shopify is taking everyone through the latest in their enterprise and retail solutions with hands-on demos at NRF. Stop by the Shopify booth to check out their tools in action and explore what’s new in storefronts, checkout, headless commerce, and retail.

Here’s what Shopify has in store:

• 1:1 meetings to chat through enterprise, retail, and partner solutions
• in-booth presentations from product leaders + experts
• networking events + more

And don’t miss Shopify President Harley Finkelstein’s keynote with BÉIS founder Shay Mitchell and Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy.

Book your meeting.

With a boost from buy now, pay later apps, US consumers spent a record $222 billion online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. That’s up 4.9% year over year, according to the latest numbers from Adobe Analytics.

As Retail Brew previously reported, the majority of spending happened early in the season; shoppers spent $123.5 billion in November. Sales events were also crucial, with the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday accounting for $38 billion in online spend, setting the stage for a slower December.

• Spending in November was up 6% year over year, while spending in December was up just 3.7%.

Keep reading here.—AV

Welcome back, everyone—we missed you. If you’re still getting back in the swing of things, we have to warn you that this week’s edition might make you feel guilty…because a lot of people and businesses are already very busy, presumably tackling those new year’s resolutions.

Here’s what’s going on in retail this week.

In events: The National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show conference officially kicks off Saturday in New York City, and some heavy hitters will be in attendance. Magic Johnson is slated to give a keynote address on his business ventures beyond basketball, including Magic Johnson Enterprises, which focuses on diverse and underserved communities.

• Other keynotes speakers will include Michelle Gass, president of Levi Strauss & Co.; Moët Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus; and Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify. 

As usual, Retail Brew will be on the ground bringing you coverage in our newsletters, so be on the lookout.

Keep reading here.—KM