The Retail AI Hype Grind: Holograms, Photo-Based Pizza Orders, and a Company That Still Cares About Fabric Dustbags

A pink-suit-clad AI hologram named Mike waits in a plastic tube, answering questions with a three-second delay—because the future of retail might not need humans to care if it’s even interesting.

Hypervsn’s AI hologram 'Mike' uses ChatGPT to engage audiences with a 3-second delay, serving as a 'storefront icebreaker.' Retailers increasingly request non-human holograms (e.g., a rhyming medieval gnome) to avoid AI job-replacement fears. Google announced the open-source Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to enable AI-powered cross-platform shopping in 'AI Mode.'

Papa Johns integrates AI chatbots for pizza ordering with features like photo-based group size detection and dietary recommendations. Solum/SpaceVision’s in-store digital ads track shoppers’ demographics and engagement (e.g., Global ID 485, 18–29 female) for real-time retargeting.

Equapack’s CEO Eran Rothschild criticizes AI’s 'added bulk' in retail, favoring tactile packaging solutions like reusable luxury dustbags.

Equapack CEO Eran Rothschild noted:

"We prefer making samples and making that tactility. No one’s going to purchase something that they can’t see."