In April 2025, we hosted Lifecycle - our annual conference - where more than 300 retail marketers came together for an inspiring day of sessions all built to explore how technology is driving a momentous leap forward for the retail industry. 

And unsurprisingly, the impact that AI - from generative to agentic and beyond - is set to have on marketing was high on the agenda. 

As a result, we’ve heard first-hand how retail marketers are approaching AI right now. As expected from such a rapidly-evolving technology, perspectives are varied and diverse, with retailers all at different points in their AI journey. However, several key themes emerged from our discussions which reveal the most prominent perspectives on AI in 2025. 

Keep reading for an inside look at how retail marketers are currently thinking about AI.

Reporting, segmentation, and data analysis 

Opportunities

Right now, there’s a clear sense of excitement about deploying AI-driven automation in reporting, segmentation, and data analysis.

Key opportunities include:

• Speed and efficiency: AI can do in minutes what it would take a human marketer hours or days to achieve, and often with greater precision.
• Insight discovery: AI can surface patterns and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed, allowing teams to gain a deeper understanding of their customers.
• Automated reporting: Outsourcing the reporting process to AI, freeing teams up to do more creative, strategic work.

Risks

However, there’s a strong sense that AI is only as effective as the data it’s given. Without access to complete, consistent, and well-structured data, concerns remain that AI-driven reporting could lead to inaccurate or misleading outputs. As a result, breaking down data siloes and unifying systems is a critical first step before fully integrating AI into the reporting process.

Key takeaway

AI’s biggest immediate impact could be in streamlining the manual work of data analysis—unlocking time and insights that marketers can use to focus on strategy and creativity. However, accurate and complete data is an essential prerequisite to generate the best results.

Customer retention, loyalty, and personalization

Opportunities

Another key area of interest is using AI to improve customer retention, loyalty, and personalization. With acquisition costs climbing higher and higher, retention is increasingly becoming a priority for retailers to unlock longer-term revenue and cost savings, as we explored in  panel discussion, The Retention-First Mindset: Strategies For Building Unbreakable Loyalty in 2025. 

At the moment, there’s a lot of interest in using AI to send the ‘right message, on the right channel, at the right time’, enabling 1:1 personalization at scale. A particular use case that stands out is being able to identify customers at risk of churning ahead of time, allowing for proactive, targeted re-engagement to prevent them lapsing. 

Risks

Despite the excitement, a common concern is the risk of going ‘too far’ in personalization and crossing into uncomfortable territory for customers. To address this, the consensus seems to be that having humans work alongside AI to find the right balance for their specific audience is crucial.

Key takeaway

AI is giving retail marketers a wealth of opportunities to create highly personalized communications at a scale that just wasn’t possible before. However, getting the balance right to prevent overstepping customer boundaries or appearing ‘creepy’ will be key.

Brand, creative, and tone of voice

Opportunities

Many marketing teams are exploring the creative applications of AI, particularly in areas where it can support efficiency.

Common applications include:

• Generating and testing subject lines
• Creating message variants
• Drafting copy
• Simple image editing (rather than using Photoshop) and generation (e.g. UGC-style content)

Risks

There’s a clear consensus that brand tone of voice and creative execution should still be overseen by a human, rather than handed over fully to AI. 

Though many are open to using AI to speed up content generation, there’s widespread agreement that brand identity is too important - and too nuanced - for AI (at its current level of maturity) to replicate perfectly without significant human involvement. Some marketers are particularly firm on this point, seeing brand voice as a core part of their professional craft.

Key takeaway

When it comes to the creative process, AI is currently best placed to take on small tasks under human supervision. However, the final say on brand, tone, and visual identity should remain firmly with human marketers.

AI is bringing about a seismic shift for the retail industry, and with AI-powered solutions like Ometria’s CDXP, retailers can move beyond simple personalization and deliver unforgettable 1:1 marketing experiences that drive tangible results at scale.

Existing customers, please reach out to your customer success representative to explore how our AI functionality can benefit you.

Not yet with Ometria? Why not book a demo to start discussing the possibilities for your business.