One More Thing We’re Watching
Independent retailers are going AI-native on the marketing side, and it’s no longer a one-off. We’re seeing it across different verticals: owners generating their holiday promo concepts with AI, and one service retailer running AI-written front-desk scripts that recommend mid-tier services first, lifting the average sale. We think that’s a good thing. AI is fast and cheap at marketing ideas, and the owners getting the most out of it are the ones backing those ideas with planning discipline: clean data, an honest open-to-buy, and a forecast they trust. That combination is exactly what M1 is here to build with you.
The Takeaway
May confirmed the recovery and widened the gap. The retailers above the line share the same traits they did in April: clean inventory, a markdown cadence with a rule behind it, and buying decisions made from data instead of hope. The retailers below the line are mostly fighting category-specific battles, aged inventory, vendor turbulence, stretched lead times, and those battles are winnable with a plan.
