UK retailer John Lewis has announced it will be making investments into AI-powered shopping, including products being easily discovered and purchased through AI tools and apps.
The move is a part of John Lewis’ £800 million multi-year transformation programme aimed at revolutionising its tech stack, stores and customer experience, and wider ambitions to position itself as ahead of the curve in the next era of AI omnichannel commerce.
In a statement, John Lewis said it would be extending its partnership with commercetools, an AI-focused digital commerce platform – helping the brand build a foundation that enables agentic and machine-readable infrastructure.
John Lewis will also be launching on TikTok Shop in a 90-day trial aligned with Mother’s Day to make products seen on the platform instantly shoppable.
Both of these ventures, the retailer hopes, will put the John Lewis brand name and products on channels where they can be easily discovered – going beyond traditional online shopping.
This means that John Lewis’ products will be available to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s AI Overviews and Mode.
AI Shopping and Commerce
Consumers are increasingly turning to AI tools for impartial and rational advice on products and services.
The move from John Lewis means that customers will be able to discover products, and eventually purchase, through AI tools.
A 2025 study from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business found that 60 percent of consumers use AI to discover products to purchase.
Dom McBrien, Chief Digital and Omnichannel Officer at John Lewis, said the new venture will help its customers find products more easily, right where they want to discover them.
“These investments will mean that we are right there when customers are looking for ideas,” McBrien said. “Being able to quickly and easily buy in a few clicks is a gamechanger.”
