New Rankings Rate AI Retail Readiness Across 1000 Companies

The #814 retailer by online sales just claimed the top spot in AI readiness in the AI Commerce Rankings, a new quarterly benchmark by Digital Commerce 360 and ReFiBuy. A watch brand and a luxury resale shop trail close behind, while some of the biggest names in U.S. ecommerce are sitting in the bottom half of the new quarterly benchmark that scores every retailer on readiness for AI shopping.

"The Top 1000 has always been one of the most important scoreboards in ecommerce," said Scot Wingo, CEO and co-founder of ReFiBuy. "But AI shopping agents are already changing how shoppers find and evaluate products, and most retailers do not yet know whether their catalogs are ready. Estimated online sales show who won the last era of ecommerce. The AI Commerce Rankings show who is positioned to win the next one."

Each retailer receives a readiness score from zero to 100. Scores will be recalculated every quarter as catalogs and answer engines evolve. One important caveat: a low score doesn't mean a retailer has no AI strategy in progress. It means AI shopping agents can't yet see the results of that work.

ChatGPT accounts for more than 80% of AI-referred retail traffic in the first edition. Retailers that rely on a single engine for AI traffic carry meaningful platform risk as the answer engine landscape continues to shift. Google Gemini, Alexa for Shopping and other emerging destinations are already influencing product discovery, and their share will change.

Across all 1,000 retailers, the average readiness score is 41.9. Only 20 retailers score above 60. No retailer scores above 71.8.

Source : retailtouchpoints.com, published July 9, 2026  ·  Level: B2

PetSmart Takes a Dig at AI Hype in New Ad

Pet owners have heard plenty about artificial intelligence lately. So has PetSmart's marketing team, and the pet retailer is betting that consumers are ready to laugh about it. The chain launched a campaign this summer that parodies the tech industry's signature product reveal format to make a straightforward point: sometimes the best experience is a real one.

"We think there's sort of a cultural shortcut of the big tech product launch format, this dramatic reveal, the made-up logos and implication that everything that came before it was somehow obsolete," said Bradley Breuer, SVP of Marketing at PetSmart. "We really think that the most meaningful innovation in pet retail isn't some app feature or groundbreaking product."

The spot opens with a deadpan pitch for a brand new concept called "Store," described as "a 360 pet care experience." Breuer says the campaign is designed to remind customers what makes PetSmart different from a pure ecommerce competitor. "The humor is the hook, and the strategy behind it is no joke," he said.

For all its ribbing of the tech industry, PetSmart isn't avoiding artificial intelligence. The company has deployed an AI-based tool to help its more than 50,000 store associates quickly pull up care guides and product information. Breuer frames the technology as a support system for knowledgeable employees, not a replacement for them. He acknowledged that customer-facing AI tools are also on the roadmap but said the current campaign is intentionally stepping back from that conversation. "I think people have been deluged with so much about AI that this is kind of a refreshing moment - there are still things where real life matters."

Source : retailtouchpoints.com, published July 6, 2026  ·  Level: B2