Nearly six in ten Gen Z and millennials say they’d trust an AI agent to recommend products and compare prices. That tells you everything about how fast shopping habits are changing. Today's customer moves through a series of connected moments: an AI chat for advice, a scroll through Instagram for inspiration, a quick comparison online, and then a trip to the store.

The expectation? One seamless experience. No sense of “starting over.” Retailers must connect these moments so the shopper never feels the internal complexity it takes to support them.

That’s where SAP Emarsys comes in. We unify real-time behavioral, transactional, and contextual data into a single profile that updates with every interaction. AI is the secret sauce which lets retailers respond instantly with the next best action, whether it’s a personalized offer, a loyalty perk, or a timely message - across email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, TikTok Shop, and more.

And it works. Global sports brand Mizuno is proving what’s possible when personalization meets purpose. Historically reliant on seasonal campaigns, Mizuno wanted a more sustainable way to engage its diverse customer base across 10 product categories and multiple channels. By partnering with SAP Emarsys, Mizuno unified its customer data and used AI to create personalized journeys, turning one-off interactions into long-term relationships.

The results speak for themselves: 52% year-over-year increase in active customers, 62% increase in revenue from premium customers, 35% increase in customer win-backs, and 33% increase in number of orders.

The outcome is connected commerce that feels natural to the shopper and highly profitable for the brand. The future of retail is intelligent, adaptive, and human at scale.

Shoppers expect one continuous journey, even as retailers manage complex systems behind the scenes.