Retailers are under pressure to do more with less – faster decisions, leaner operations, and smarter customer experiences. AI is often seen as the answer. But choosing the right AI consulting company can make the difference between a project that delivers real value and one that drains time and budget.
More often than not, we’ve helped retailers navigate this decision. Here’s our practical guide to what retailers should look for when selecting an AI consulting company.
1. Choose a Company That Understands Retail
Not all AI consultancies are created equal. A strong AI consulting company should demonstrate a clear understanding of the retail landscape.
Look for one that:
- Knows the pain points across supply chain, inventory, marketing, and operations
- Can give real examples of improving basket size, reducing stockouts, or streamlining processes
- Understands seasonality, omnichannel challenges, and cost pressures
💡 Tip: Ask how their solutions map to KPIs you already track – like margin, footfall, or average transaction value.
2. Look for Data Integration Expertise
Retailers often have a wealth of data, but it’s messy, scattered across systems, and hard to action.
A good AI consulting company should:
- Be comfortable with legacy systems and fragmented data sources
- Help you unify data from platforms like POS, CRM, and eCommerce tools
- Offer solutions that don’t require a complete tech stack overhaul
- Prioritise data privacy and compliance
Pro Insight: Don’t fall for the “clean data first” myth; many AI consulting companies can work with imperfect data.
3. Focus on Measurable Business Value
You’re not investing in AI for the sake of innovation, you need tangible results.
Your chosen AI consultancy should:
- Be clear on what outcomes you can expect (and when)
- Help you calculate ROI: time saved, costs reduced, revenue lifted
- Give a full picture of costs including training, integration, and long-term support
Red Flag: Avoid firms that speak in abstract terms without clear success metrics.
4. Ensure They Can Work With Your Existing Tools
The best AI consulting companies meet you where you are; they don’t force new systems or massive change before you’re ready.
Look for a partner who:
- Offers solutions that plug into your current tech stack
- Works with your teams, not around them
- Helps you move at a pace that suits your business
They should combine short-term wins with a roadmap to long-term transformation.
5. Prioritise People, Not Just Platforms
Even the smartest AI strategy won’t work if your team isn’t on board.
A strong AI consulting company will:
- Help drive internal buy-in from stakeholders and frontline staff
- Provide onboarding, training, and simple documentation
- Stick around to support your team; not just hand over a solution and disappear
Change management is critical, and your partner should be ready to support you every step of the way.
6. Choose a Partner That Consults and Builds
With the rapid rise of open-source AI tools and flexible frameworks, strategy alone isn’t enough. Retailers need a partner who can both guide and deliver, someone who doesn’t just recommend solutions but actually builds and integrates them.
A modern AI consulting company should:
- Have hands-on engineering expertise to prototype and build AI solutions
- Be fluent in open-source models and tools, not locked into a single vendor or platform
- Customise solutions to your needs, not just plug in off-the-shelf products
- Iterate quickly, helping you test, learn, and evolve
In today’s market, the ability to build is a competitive advantage. You want a partner who can move from PowerPoint to production fast.
How to Choose the Right AI Consulting Company
Retailers don’t need hype, they need help. The right AI consulting company will bring technical expertise and retail insight, deliver quick wins and long-term value, and integrate seamlessly with your people, tools, and goals. Most importantly, they won’t just advise; they’ll build. From idea to implementation, your partner should turn strategy into working solutions that deliver real results.
At Ignite AI Partners, we specialise in helping retailers move from AI readiness to AI ROI by combining strategic thinking with hands-on delivery. If you’re exploring where AI can make the most difference in your business, we’re here to guide (and build) with you.
Beth brings two decades of experience in customer experience, data-led storytelling, and AI. At Ignite AI Partners, she helps retailers turn complex technology into practical, measurable results.
This article was written by Beth with support from generative AI tools, combining human expertise with AI-assisted writing.
An AI consulting company helps retailers identify where artificial intelligence can deliver the most value, whether it’s improving customer experience, streamlining operations, or making better use of data. The best consulting companies go beyond advice: they design, build, and implement AI solutions tailored to your business, often using open-source tools to create scalable, cost-effective systems that actually work in the real world.
Look for a consulting partner that understands retail, works with your existing data and systems, focuses on delivering real results, and supports your team throughout the process. Crucially, choose a company that doesn’t just consult but also builds, one with hands-on expertise to create and deploy working AI solutions, not just recommend them. Avoid companies that promise quick fixes without understanding your business challenges.
Not necessarily. A good AI partner can work with the data you already have, even if it’s incomplete or spread across multiple systems. They’ll help you connect, clean, and prepare data as part of the process, so don’t let messy data hold you back.
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