When it comes to the holidays, tech giants like Google, Meta, and Pinterest have one message for retailers: Let AI do the heavy lifting.

Retailers are witnessing AI’s absolute fever pitch with new tools dropping at mind-blowing speed. At its Think Retail event, Google widened access to AI-powered tools like AI Max research campaigns and introduced new omnichannel buying features into Demand Gen to help retailers boost sales. The Demand Gen feature makes it easier to reach shoppers across YouTube and Google’s other visual platforms.

Meta, meanwhile, has taken its Reels trending ads out of beta, giving advertisers access to AI-curated, culturally relevant Reels inventory designed to pull in shoppers. And Pinterest is making its ads more shoppable with new where-to-buy links, letting users tap once to see multiple in-stock retailer options for a single product.

These ad platforms are positioning the tools as a way for brands to boost conversion rates, while driving ad revenue growth for the platforms themselves. Experts noted that while these tools are marketed as AI-driven, they are essentially upgraded versions of existing features.

Keep reading here.—VC

Best Buy is all set to offer brands a new way to engage with shoppers across its physical stores in the US.

At its first-ever Best Buy Ads Showcase—held virtually as part of its “We Got Next” event on Tuesday—the electronics retailer announced the launch of takeover packages, a premium in-store advertising solution that enables brands to own key moments of the customer shopping journey.

Takeover packages will let brands appear on a range of physical and digital touchpoints at Best Buy stores—including window displays, entrances, checkout counters, TV walls, PC monitor displays, and interactive screens.

Keep reading here.—VC

Target said 20,000 new items—“twice as many as last year”—will be available to customers this holiday season, as the retail giant tries to lure customers with “more new, on-trend, and affordable gifts.”

The company created a Target Deals page where shoppers can explore the latest promotions. The page organizes deals by category, such as “Halloween” or “household essentials,” with sections for special deals available only to Target Circle members.

The landing page comes as Target seeks to freshen its holiday assortment.

Keep reading here.—AV

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