AI STRATEGY
The athletic brand’ s House of Innovation flagship stores use RFID technology to identify customers as they enter, offering personalised shopping suggestions based on their Nike profile.
The Nike Fit feature scans customers’ feet using smartphone cameras, addressing the fact that 60 % of individuals wear shoes that don’ t fit correctly.
That means that more than half of us are walking around in the wrong size shoes.
Digital Commerce 360 projects Nike’ s online sales will reach US $ 8.15bn in 2025, supported by AI-driven personalisation that helps ensure you’ re not part of that 60 %.
The coffee shop that knows you Then there’ s Starbucks, which has quietly built what may be the most comprehensive AI deployment in retail hospitality.
The company’ s Deep Brew platform, launched in 2019, analyses data from 17 million app users to deliver personalised recommendations, optimise labour scheduling and manage inventory across 38,000 stores worldwide.
The AI Tool Report notes that Deep Brew has driven a 30 % increase in return on investment and 15 % growth in customer engagement. Mobile orders now account for over 30 % of US transactions. That is a fundamental rewiring of how millions of people buy coffee.
Nike’ s 100 million Nike Run Club users, Coca-Cola’ s billion-dollar AI investment and Starbucks’ seamless mobile ordering demonstrate that AI has moved from infrastructure to interface, from cost centre to competitive advantage.
76 January 2026