HONEYWELL RESEARCH REVEALS MORE THAN 80% OF RETAILERS PLAN TO INCREASE AI CAPABILITIES IN THEIR OPERATIONS IN 2025

Retail Industry AI Adoption - More than 80% of retailers plan to increase the use of automation and AI across their operations to adapt to changing consumer behaviors, enhance employee skills, and improve efficiency [1] - 35% of major retailers plan to significantly increase their AI investment [1] - Retailers are increasingly investing in AI to address pain points such as improved return management, automating customer service, and monitoring product availability [2] AI Impact on Employee Experience - AI is being used to enhance employees' skills and improve their on-the-job experience, which could help fill over 580,000 projected U.S. retail job openings [3] - More than half of retail leaders believe AI improves employee retention and helps employees progress more quickly in their careers [6] - 55% of retail executives said AI tools increase job satisfaction, aligning with the industry's focus on employee satisfaction to support customer experience [6] AI Impact on Customer Experience - AI plays an increasingly important role in improving the customer experience, providing better access to information, speedier transactions, and easier price comparisons [4] - 66% of surveyed consumers have used AI while shopping, with price comparison being the most sought-after use case (53%), followed by checking product availability (41%) and seamless checkout (34%) [6] Survey Methodology - The Honeywell AI in Retail Survey included two Omnibus surveys: the Retail Executives Survey (100 U.S. executives) and the Retail Consumers Survey (1,000 U.S. adults) conducted from December 2 to December 8, 2024 [5]