Latest news with #SiddharthCavale
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart bets on AI super agents to boost e-commerce growth
By Siddharth Cavale NEW YORK (Reuters) -Walmart unveiled plans on Thursday to roll out a suite of AI-powered "super agents" designed to improve the shopping experience for customers and streamline operations. The world's largest retailer said the four agents powered by agentic AI - designed for Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers - would soon be the primary way people engage with Walmart. The super agents will be the entry point for every AI interaction these groups have with Walmart, replacing several existing agents and AI tools, along with new ones yet to be built, the company said. Walmart is betting on AI to drive its e-commerce growth, aiming for online sales to account for 50% of its total sales within five years. The company reported annual sales of $648 billion last year. By harnessing AI to streamline the shopping process - from discovering new products and helping with returns to improving delivery speeds - the retailer hopes it can attract more shoppers away from Amazon, which has also introduced a range of AI-powered tools for sellers and shoppers. Walmart's push comes as the short-term financial payoff of AI remains uncertain and concerns over how it might affect jobs across the industry. One of the agents, Sparky, is already available for shoppers on Walmart's app as a Gen-AI powered tool. Currently it assists customers with getting product suggestions for an athletic activity, finding the right ink for their printer, or summarizing product reviews, among other options. In its "super agent" form it will be able to reorder items, plan an event such as a "unicorn-themed party" and through computer vision be able to offer product recipes by just looking at the contents of a shopper's fridge, Hari Vasudev, Walmart's U.S. chief technology officer, said at an event in New York. Agentic AI is the next iteration of generative AI, in that it needs minimal human intervention to make decisions and achieve specific tasks. Walmart is also developing an "Associate" super agent, to be rolled out in the coming months, which will allow workers and corporate staff to do things such as submit an application for parental leave or give store managers immediate information on sales data for a certain category or a product with minimal input. Employees now use separate AI tools to handle those queries, a company spokesperson said. For sellers, suppliers, and advertisers, Walmart is developing a super agent called "Marty" to streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create ad campaigns. It is also working on a "Developer" super agent, which will be the platform on which all future AI tools will be tested, built, and launched, the company said. "Agents can help automate and simplify pretty much everything that we do," Suresh Kumar, Walmart's chief technology officer said. He added that the company chose to launch these super agents now because "customers are ready, they are using AI in pretty much everything they do." The company declined to say whether the super agents would replace jobs. Dave Glick, senior vice president of enterprise business systems, said it would create new jobs without elaborating further. On Wednesday, Walmart had two AI-related announcements: it hired former Instacart executive Daniel Danker as executive vice president (EVP) for AI acceleration, product and design and created a new EVP, AI role that is yet to be filled. While retail has largely avoided AI-related layoffs, the tech industry has been hit hard, even in a historically strong market and resilient economy. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said generative AI and agents will reduce its total corporate workforce over the next few years. Microsoft has emphasized that AI will boost productivity, but it has laid off thousands of employees, while Google has laid off hundreds of employees. Walmart has not linked any job cuts directly to AI, but it has been downsizing its corporate staff and is modernizing e-commerce fulfillment centers with automation, resulting in some workforce reductions. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Star
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Walmart bets on AI super agents to boost e-commerce growth
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers browse a Walmart Supercenter a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs, in Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S. April 3, 2025. REUTERS/Siddharth Cavale/File Photo NEW YORK (Reuters) -Walmart unveiled plans on Thursday to roll out a suite of AI-powered "super agents" designed to improve the shopping experience for customers and streamline operations. The world's largest retailer said the four agents powered by agentic AI - designed for Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers - would soon be the primary way people engage with Walmart. The super agents will be the entry point for every AI interaction these groups have with Walmart, replacing several existing agents and AI tools, along with new ones yet to be built, the company said. Walmart is betting on AI to drive its e-commerce growth, aiming for online sales to account for 50% of its total sales within five years. The company reported annual sales of $648 billion last year. By harnessing AI to streamline the shopping process - from discovering new products and helping with returns to improving delivery speeds - the retailer hopes it can attract more shoppers away from Amazon, which has also introduced a range of AI-powered tools for sellers and shoppers. Walmart's push comes as the short-term financial payoff of AI remains uncertain and concerns over how it might affect jobs across the industry. One of the agents, Sparky, is already available for shoppers on Walmart's app as a Gen-AIpowered tool. Currently it assists customers with getting product suggestions for an athletic activity, finding the right ink for their printer,or summarizing product reviews, among other options. In its "super agent" form it will be able to reorder items, plan an event such as a "unicorn-themed party"and through computer vision be able to offer product recipes by just looking at the contents of a shopper's fridge, Hari Vasudev, Walmart's U.S. chief technology officer, said at an event in New York. Agentic AI is the next iteration of generative AI, in that it needs minimal human intervention to make decisions and achieve specific tasks. Walmart is also developing an "Associate" super agent, to be rolled out in the coming months, which will allow workers and corporate staff to do things such as submit an application for parental leave or give store managers immediate information on sales data for a certain category or a product with minimal input. Employees now use separate AI tools to handle those queries, a company spokesperson said. For sellers, suppliers, and advertisers, Walmart is developing a super agent called "Marty" to streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create ad campaigns. Itis also working on a "Developer" super agent, which will be the platform on which all future AI tools will be tested, built, and launched, the company said. "Agents can help automate and simplify pretty much everything that we do," Suresh Kumar, Walmart's chief technology officer said. He added that the company chose to launch these super agents now because "customers are ready, they are using AI in pretty much everything they do." The company declined to say whether the super agents would replace jobs. Dave Glick, senior vice president of enterprise business systems, said it would create new jobs without elaborating further. On Wednesday, Walmart had two AI-related announcements: it hired former Instacart executive Daniel Danker as executive vice president (EVP) for AI acceleration, product and design and created a new EVP, AI role that is yet to be filled. While retail has largely avoided AI-related layoffs, the tech industry has been hit hard, even in a historically strong market and resilient economy. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said generative AI and agents will reduce its total corporate workforce over the next few years. Microsoft has emphasized that AI will boost productivity, but it has laid offthousands of employees, while Google has laid off hundreds of employees. Walmart has not linked any job cuts directly to AI, but it has been downsizing its corporate staff and is modernizing e-commerce fulfillment centers with automation, resulting in some workforce reductions. (Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart bets on AI super agents to boost e-commerce growth
By Siddharth Cavale NEW YORK (Reuters) -Walmart unveiled plans on Thursday to roll out a suite of AI-powered "super agents" designed to improve the shopping experience for customers and streamline operations. The world's largest retailer said the four agents powered by agentic AI - designed for Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers - would soon be the primary way people engage with Walmart. The super agents will be the entry point for every AI interaction these groups have with Walmart, replacing several existing agents and AI tools, along with new ones yet to be built, the company said. Walmart is betting on AI to drive its e-commerce growth, aiming for online sales to account for 50% of its total sales within five years. The company reported annual sales of $648 billion last year. By harnessing AI to streamline the shopping process - from discovering new products and helping with returns to improving delivery speeds - the retailer hopes it can attract more shoppers away from Amazon, which has also introduced a range of AI-powered tools for sellers and shoppers. Walmart's push comes as the short-term financial payoff of AI remains uncertain and concerns over how it might affect jobs across the industry. One of the agents, Sparky, is already available for shoppers on Walmart's app as a Gen-AI powered tool. Currently it assists customers with getting product suggestions for an athletic activity, finding the right ink for their printer, or summarizing product reviews, among other options. In its "super agent" form it will be able to reorder items, plan an event such as a "unicorn-themed party" and through computer vision be able to offer product recipes by just looking at the contents of a shopper's fridge, Hari Vasudev, Walmart's U.S. chief technology officer, said at an event in New York. Agentic AI is the next iteration of generative AI, in that it needs minimal human intervention to make decisions and achieve specific tasks. Walmart is also developing an "Associate" super agent, to be rolled out in the coming months, which will allow workers and corporate staff to do things such as submit an application for parental leave or give store managers immediate information on sales data for a certain category or a product with minimal input. Employees now use separate AI tools to handle those queries, a company spokesperson said. For sellers, suppliers, and advertisers, Walmart is developing a super agent called "Marty" to streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create ad campaigns. It is also working on a "Developer" super agent, which will be the platform on which all future AI tools will be tested, built, and launched, the company said. "Agents can help automate and simplify pretty much everything that we do," Suresh Kumar, Walmart's chief technology officer said. He added that the company chose to launch these super agents now because "customers are ready, they are using AI in pretty much everything they do." The company declined to say whether the super agents would replace jobs. Dave Glick, senior vice president of enterprise business systems, said it would create new jobs without elaborating further. On Wednesday, Walmart had two AI-related announcements: it hired former Instacart executive Daniel Danker as executive vice president (EVP) for AI acceleration, product and design and created a new EVP, AI role that is yet to be filled. While retail has largely avoided AI-related layoffs, the tech industry has been hit hard, even in a historically strong market and resilient economy. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said generative AI and agents will reduce its total corporate workforce over the next few years. Microsoft has emphasized that AI will boost productivity, but it has laid off thousands of employees, while Google has laid off hundreds of employees. Walmart has not linked any job cuts directly to AI, but it has been downsizing its corporate staff and is modernizing e-commerce fulfillment centers with automation, resulting in some workforce reductions. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US prices for China-made goods on Amazon rise faster than inflation, analysis shows, as tariffs bite
By Siddharth Cavale NEW YORK (Reuters) -Prices for goods made in China and sold on have been rising faster than overall inflation, according to an analysis of 1,400 different products conducted exclusively for Reuters by the analytics firm DataWeave, a sign that tariffs are starting to hit American consumers. The analysis shows that price increases for those goods accelerated beginning in May, a signal U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are starting to filter through to consumers. The median price of a basket of more than 1,400 products made in China and sold on to U.S. buyers has gone up by 2.6% between January and mid-June, outpacing the latest U.S. inflation rate for core goods, which runs only through May. Price increases vary depending on the item sold, and prices for some goods declined. For the six months through May, core goods CPI - which excludes services - rose by 1%, implying a 2% annualized rate. Both the federal data and DataWeave's study show that goods costs have trended upward in the last couple of months as tariffs begin to exert pressure on prices. DataWeave analyzed more than 25,000 items, focusing on 1,407 products sold on Amazon because those clearly list China as the country of origin. The firm used median prices rather than averages, since averages can be skewed by short-term price spikes or unusually high or low values. The basket of China-made goods includes products sold by Amazon as well as its third-party sellers. Third-party sellers account for 62% of all products sold on Amazon. The goods rising at the fastest rate include school and office supplies, electronic items such as printers and shredders, blank media items like CDs and DVDs, and home goods such as furnishings and cookware. China, which shipped $438.9 billion of goods last year to the U.S., is a big global supplier in all of these categories. Of the 1,407 items tracked in the DataWeave study between January and June 17, 475 showed price increases, 633 remained unchanged, and 299 saw price declines. For example, a Hamilton Beach electric kettle climbed to a median $73.21 from $49.99, while the price of a GreenPan frying pan more than doubled to $31.99. Through April, inflation across that product group remained modest. Prices increased more sharply in May and accelerated into June, particularly in the Home & Furniture and Electronics categories, which showed a median increase of 3.5% and 3.1%, respectively, over the time frame of the study. Seasonal dynamics could play a role, but the timing and rate suggest cost shocks are rippling through the retail supply chain, said Karthik Bettadapura, co-founder and CEO of DataWeave. "Even modest duties can translate quickly when margins are thin and replenishment cycles are fast. What we're seeing in June is the first broad-based price step-up, as sellers begin adjusting to higher landed costs," Bettadapura said. Amazon said it has not seen the average prices of products change up or down appreciably outside of typical fluctuations. "Any comparison of a small number of products does not reflect prices more broadly across the hundreds of millions of products available on Amazon," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. Numerous consumer companies have warned of tariff-led price hikes, including the largest U.S. retailer Walmart. Department store chain Macy's said it was selectively raising prices to offset tariffs. Nike, which recently started selling on Amazon after a six-year break, said it would raise prices across various products starting June 1. Trump has defended tariffs as necessary to rebalance global trade and boost U.S. manufacturing output. Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy said in May the company worked with sellers to move orders to the U.S. ahead of tariffs, and it remained "maniacally focused" on keeping prices low. At the time, he said average selling prices had not appreciably risen. Retailers have been cautious in passing along the cost of tariffs due to weakening U.S. consumer sentiment and high interest rates. Retail trade sales dipped 0.9% in May from April, while consumer spending also fell unexpectedly in the month, according to federal data. "We think that firms are likely opting to delay price increases," Claudio Irigoyen, economist at Bank of America Securities, wrote earlier this month. U.S. tariffs currently in place include a 10% universal tariff, 50% on steel and aluminum products, and 25% on cars and auto parts. Additional steel tariffs took effect on June 23, which could cause "further price pressure on cookware, kettles, small kitchen appliances, and other household essentials in the next few months," Bettadapura said. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Walmart to close Sam's Club fulfillment center in Texas, affecting hundreds of employees
By Siddharth Cavale NEW YORK (Reuters) -Walmart said on Thursday it is closing a fulfillment center that services online orders for its warehouse club chain Sam's Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and sources familiar with the matter said the move could result in job losses. Walmart confirmed the closure to Reuters but said it could not estimate the number of possible job losses until employees make their decisions on relocation. "We're continuously evolving our fulfillment network to improve service for our customers and members as their needs change," the retailer said in a statement. "We are relocating operations ... to other facilities within our fulfillment network," it added. Volumes that were handled at the fulfillment center known as DFW4 will be relocated to a high-tech fulfillment center in Lancaster, Texas, and three other Dallas-area facilities, a spokesperson said. Walmart has significantly ramped up investments in its e-commerce operations to accelerate delivery times and better compete with In the first quarter, these efforts paid off as the retailer reported its first-ever profit from its online business. Sales at Sam's Club - Walmart's membership-based warehouse chain - surged 27% during the same period. The company also noted that more than 50% of its members now use digital transactions in some form with Sam's Club. The DFW4 facility's relocation will be completed by summer, the spokesperson said, adding that the retailer has roles for all affected people, if they choose to continue with Walmart. Sources familiar with the DFW4 facility, including one who applied for a position there in February, said the center employed hundreds of workers. The hourly pay for a freight handler position at the facility showed a wage range between $21.60 and $25.10 per hour, according to Walmart's career portal. The retailer said it would help employees obtain jobs at surrounding Walmart facilities, including stores. It said it will also offer a $7,500 transfer bonus and relocation benefits to those who choose to move to any of its Walmart high-tech fulfillment centers in the country.
