As computer scientist Alan Kay famously said, “the best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Kay was probably not thinking about online shopping powered by AI, but Walmart and Amazon appear to be applying the idea as they try to build the future of online shopping with AI.

The two companies started building out their businesses from contrasting positions. Amazon built its identity as a tech company that sells almost everything online, while Walmart’s roots were firmly based in operating as a big-box retailer across physical stores.

Last year, Walmart started integrating new technologies like generative AI into its e-commerce plan as part of a larger reset. Now, with AI embedded into new channels, platforms, and touchpoints at Walmart, the “everyday low price” retailer is steadily positioning itself as a formidable tech rival to Amazon.

Over the past decade, Walmart has transformed from a brick-and-mortar giant into an omnichannel force under outgoing CEO Doug McMillon’s leadership. When McMillon took over in 2014, Walmart’s digital capabilities lagged significantly behind Amazon’s, but McMillon rebuilt the company into one of the world’s largest omnichannel retailers.

More recently, Walmart rolled out Sparky, its generative AI shopping assistant, that offers product recommendations, summarizes reviews, and handles a range of other shopping needs. Walmart’s SVP of tech strategy and emerging tech, Desiree Gosby, wrote in a company blog post that “Sparky is more than a feature—it’s a foundation for what’s next.”

As the rollout of AI continues, the next chapter of Amazon vs. Walmart will presumably write itself. And an oft-mentioned buzzword in retail circles, “personalization,” could determine whether Walmart has better functioning AI tools than Amazon, or vice versa. But if there’s one burning question on every retail geek’s mind, it might be this: Can Walmart’s agentic AI strategy help it catch up with Amazon?

Keep reading here.—VC

Mondelēz International, the company behind popular brands like Oreo and Chips Ahoy!, is baking up something new…and we aren’t talking about cookies.

In 2024, Mondelēz’s board of directors greenlit a $1.2 billion multi-year project to revamp its global ERP and supply-chain systems. Mondelēz CTO Chris Hesse told IT Brew the project, which is expected to wrap by the end of 2028, is intended to unify the company’s fragmented systems across its global operations.

“We have different technical configurations per region. We have different operating systems, different databases, different data centers or clouds,” Hesse said. “There’s a lot of disparity.”

Keep reading here.—BM

On Wednesdays, we wear pink spotlight Retail Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Evan Smith, a former Starbucks exec, is co-founder and CEO of AI-powered retail tech company Ethosphere.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? We have an incredible CTO and world-class tech team, which means I do everything else that is not tech. An average day involves both the exciting—spending time designing the future with our retail brand partners and updating investors on our vision—as well as the mundane—balancing the books and making sure our HR benefits are in order. Good news for us—I am both the CEO and head of HR, so I should be clear to go to Coldplay concerts.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I play bass guitar in a dad rock band. Basically a few guys with kids who play the ’80s and ’90s hits we want to play in a local Seattle bar every few months. Startups are a ton of work, but if you don’t have some outlet to maintain your sanity, you won’t be in a great place to support and lead your teams. The band was a total Covid accident, but we’re not half bad!

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I was part of the team who brought the Starbucks delivery business to life. Some at Starbucks used to call me “The Godfather of Delivery.” In 2017, there was great skepticism in the C-suite that customers desired lukewarm lattes delivered to their doors 20 minutes after they ordered them. I took on the challenge of building a pilot to test these assumptions and proved that in fact this was exactly what our customers had been missing! We were able to take our adorable, one-market pilot to a national, and then international business, and stand up what continues to be the fastest-growing business channel for Starbucks even through to today.

Keep reading here.—EC

Who said desk calendars have to be boring? Introducing the Morning Brew 2026 Daily Games Desk Calendar. It’s perfect for desks, nightstands, and kitchen counters, so give yourself (or others) the gift of entertaining coffee breaks.