AI for personalisation in retail: Insights from Big Data & AI World 2025

The 2025 Big Data & AI World conference was full of innovation, thought-provoking discussions, and game-changing insights. The event covered a wide spectrum of topics, many of which were important for one of the big opportunities for AI: AI-driven personalisation in retail. In addition to this, here are some key themes largely discussed at the conference.

AI’s impact on personalisation across industries

This came out clearly in one of panels on AI’s impact across industries like charities, insurance, and fashion. Tia Cheang, speaking from the insurance sector, highlighted that personalisation is one of AI’s biggest opportunities, enabling tailored experiences, dynamic pricing, and proactive customer engagement.

The challenge for retailers: Unlocking data for AI

Retailers want to embrace AI-powered personalisation, using data-driven insights to recommend products, optimise inventory, and enhance the overall shopping journey. However, as many speakers pointed out, the success of AI in retail hinges on having clean, well-structured data. It was very clear that AI/GenAI + enterprise data is where most organisations are seeing the value right now and in the future.

Common data challenges holding retailers back

This really resonates with our experiences in creating AI-powered personalisations for customers. For many organisations, whilst the data may be there, it’s locked away. We find:

• Fragmented data – Many businesses still operate in silos, meaning customer interactions across different touchpoints aren’t connected. This limits AI’s ability to build a full picture of individual preferences.
• Lack of data accessibility – Even when the data exists, it’s often locked in legacy systems or difficult to use in real-time decision-making.

This data needs to be made available to build and refine your models, and also available for the personalisation software powering your purchase experience.

The importance of AI literacy

Another of the strongest themes at the conference was AI literacy—the ability to understand and effectively use AI tools. AI can personalise experiences, but if employees, decision-makers, and even customers don’t know how to leverage AI, its potential remains untapped. Tia Cheung raised an important point: data professionals often struggle with UI/UX design, making AI tools difficult to use for non-technical users. For retailers, this is a crucial takeaway: if AI-driven personalisation tools aren’t intuitive and user-friendly, they won’t deliver value.

Key takeaways for retailers embracing AI-driven personalisation

The biggest takeaways from Big Data & AI World 2025? Retailers who want to succeed with AI-driven personalisation need to invest in both their data infrastructure and their people.

1. Get your data in shape – AI can’t work effectively without high-quality, well-structured data. Retailers should focus on data governance, accessibility, and integration before scaling AI-powered personalisation.
2. Enhance AI literacy – Employees need to understand AI beyond just the buzzwords. Training teams to effectively use AI tools and interpret AI-driven insights is crucial.
3. Make AI user-friendly – If AI solutions are too complex, adoption will stall. Ensuring that AI-powered personalisation is intuitive and seamless for customers and employees alike will drive real impact.

As AI continues to evolve, the retailers who get personalisation right will create deeper customer connections, drive sales, and build brand loyalty like never before. The key? A strong data foundation and a workforce that knows how to use AI to its full potential.

What do you think? How is your business preparing for AI-driven personalisation?