mediarithmics and Easyence merge. The group becomes the key player in Retail + Media, find out more.
What happens when shopping stops being a search — and starts being a conversation?
That’s exactly what Walmart is exploring with its latest partnership with OpenAI. The world’s largest retailer just announced that customers can now shop and pay for products directly from within ChatGPT.
No website navigation, no checkout pages — just a few words exchanged with an AI assistant that knows your preferences, helps you plan your meals, and restocks your household items with a single tap.
As Walmart CEO Doug McMillon put it: “There is a native AI experience coming that is multimedia, personalized and contextual.”
We couldn’t agree more. At mediarithmics, we see this as a clear signal that retail is entering a new era — one where data, collaboration, and real-time intelligence are the foundations of every customer experience.
For over two decades, ecommerce has looked roughly the same: a search bar, a list of results, a basket, a checkout. But now, that entire workflow is being compressed into a single interaction. You might soon say:
“ChatGPT, I’m planning a dinner for four — make it easy.”
And just like that, a curated basket appears.
For retail media, this is massive. It means the context of shopping — intent, preference, and emotion — becomes as important as the click. Recommendations will emerge not through ads or listings, but through AI-driven dialogue. And the quality of that dialogue will depend entirely on the data that powers it.
If AI assistants become the new storefront, data becomes the new shelf space. Retailers and brands that can organize, connect, and activate their data in real time will be the ones appearing in those curated recommendations.
That’s where a composable Customer Data Platform (CDP) like mediarithmics comes in.
In this new AI-first retail world, a composable CDP isn’t just a marketing tool — it’s the engine that ensures:
With these capabilities, Walmart can connect its AI assistant (Sparky), ChatGPT interactions, and in-store data into one continuous feedback loop — learning and adapting to every customer in real time.
OpenAI’s latest move — launching a common standard for brands to integrate directly into ChatGPT — changes the game.
Shopify, Etsy, and now Walmart are showing that AI assistants could become the new retail media networks, where product discovery, content, and commerce all happen in a single, conversational flow.
But to play in this ecosystem, retailers need to share insights without sharing raw data.
That’s why data collaboration and clean room technology are becoming the cornerstone of modern retail media strategies. They allow retailers and brands to:
The Walmart–OpenAI partnership shows what’s next: AI isn’t just making shopping easier — it’s making it more human. When a chatbot can remember your preferences, predict your needs, and personalize your experience, it blurs the line between service and relationship.
But this only works if the underlying data infrastructure is robust, governed, and interoperable.
That’s the challenge — and the opportunity — that we at mediarithmics are helping retailers and media networks tackle every day.
As AI becomes the interface between people and products, data agility becomes the true competitive advantage. The brands and retailers that thrive will be those that can connect, govern, and activate their data across every channel — in real time, and in full compliance.
The age of conversational commerce is here. The question is no longer “What do customers want?” It’s “How well does your data understand the conversation?”
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