NEWS
New Gen launches AI-ready infrastructure to power fashion brands in the age of agentic commerce
With the global AI retail market expected to grow from
US $ 7.3 billion in 2023 to over US $ 51 billion by 2030, fashion brands need the right technologies to remain visible and competitive.
New Gen’ s platform transforms catalogues into structured, AIreadable data and layers a generative interface on top. Customers receive instant answers via natural language, while AI agents gain direct access through AI-specific subdomains.
New Generation( New Gen), a technology company building infrastructure for the AI Internet, announced its agentic AI infrastructure platform has launched for the fashion industry, helping brands engage in conversational commerce and ensure their products are discoverable in the age of machine-driven shopping.
“ Conversational commerce can act as a low-lift entry point,” said Co-founder, Jonathan Arena.“ Brands running pilot projects are already uncovering valuable data, revealing the questions shoppers ask, the products they compare and the points of friction that block purchases.”
AI-driven traffic is reshaping the path to purchase, but most brands are not ready. Data shows traffic to US retail websites from Generative AI sources has increased by over 4,700 %, yet today’ s infrastructure is not built for AI interactions.
“ Even without a fully deployed AI strategy, brands can – and should – start future-proofing today,” said Adam Behrens, Cofounder of New Gen.“ That begins with clean, machine-readable product catalogues. AI agents depend on consistent inputs like price, availability, materials, fit and sustainability data to recommend products.”
Payment outages threaten £ 1.6 billion in UK retail and hospitality sales
Payment system failures are costing UK retail and hospitality businesses an estimated £ 1.6 billion annually, according to new research from FreedomPay and Dynatrace in partnership with Retail Economics.
The study highlights how frequent outages are undermining day-to-day operations, with UK firms reporting an average of five major disruptions each year. Critically, 61 % occur during peak trading periods, amplifying financial losses. Despite the scale of the problem, one in five businesses still lacks a secure digital backup.
“ Consumer-facing businesses are operating in increasingly unpredictable conditions,” said Chris Kronenthal, President, FreedomPay.“ From extreme weather and power failures to cyberattacks and system outages, disruption is no longer the exception, it’ s becoming the norm. The lack of planning by businesses, coupled with fragile infrastructure, is creating a perfect storm for revenue loss and reputational damage.”
The research found most consumers tolerate just six minutes of disruption before frustration sets in, with 22 minutes the limit. Yet the average outage lasts 84 minutes. By the 22-minute mark, revenue losses could hit £ 1.17 billion, or 74 % of all sales at risk.
Other findings include rising reliance on card and mobile payments, with fewer than 30 % of consumers always carrying cash and a quarter of businesses having no backup beyond cash or none at all.“ Seamless payment experiences are nonnegotiable,” said Richard Lim, CEO, Retail Economics.“ Our research underscores the critical need for retailers and hospitality businesses to prioritise payment resilience. The financial impact of outages is significant, but the erosion of customer trust and brand loyalty can cause long term damage. Investing in robust, fail-safe payment infrastructure isn’ t just about mitigating risk; it’ s about safeguarding future growth and maintaining a competitive edge.”
12 www. intelligentretail. tech