AI adoption crawls: 80% of european retailers still grappling with basics

Retailers are placing a stronger emphasis on artificial intelligence in marketing over pricing strategies and supplier negotiations, traditionally seen as high-value areas. Trailblazers like Zalando and Asos are restructuring their organizations to seize profitability. The retail sector in Europe is making very slow progress in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). Macroeconomic figures point to massive potential, which the recent report *Rewiring Retail in Europe: The AI Imperative* by EuroCommerce and McKinsey & Company estimates at €320 billion. However, it also reveals a significant maturity gap: “While 40% of organizations report having an AI strategy in development, less than 30% have reached established or integrated levels, and more than 80% remain in the emerging or developing stages of AI literacy and adoption.”