PERSPECTIVES

The fanfare surrounding Artificial Intelligence can be reminiscent of breathless advertisements for do-everything kitchen gadgets: "But wait! There's more!!"

Amidst all that, we were intrigued to read about Scott Tannen*, the CEO and co-founder of the luxury bedding and home brand Boll & Branch. The company launched in 2014 as an online-only direct-to-consumer brand. 

• "When we first started the business, I don't think we ever envisioned having any physical stores whatsoever," said Tannen. Then, in 2018, they opened their first permanent store. "We saw this massive performance change in the business, because customers could touch and feel the products," Tannen discovered. 

So Boll & Branch added more stores, and recently has turbo-charged their brick-and-mortar strategy. In just the past year, they have grown from 8 stores to 15. 

But here’s what captivated us: how they decide on store locations.

They use Zillow.

When you’re running a store, your days are already packed with ringing sales, juggling vendors, calming staff, and keeping the lights on. 

That’s why so many independent retailers have been slow to jump on past waves of technology — e-commerce platforms, fancy POS systems, or social media dashboards. The tools were costly, fiddly, and frankly, not built for stores like yours.

But here comes AI. Might this wave be different?

• It’s accessible. No IT department needed; a curious owner can try it on their laptop tonight.

• It’s fast. From drafting an email to analyzing last month’s numbers, AI can take the drudgery out of tasks that bog you down.

• It’s (relatively) cheap. Many AI tools cost less per month than a case of shopping bags.

You can’t open a business magazine—or your inbox—without seeing breathless headlines about AI. “Retail is being revolutionized!” “Predict your customer’s every move!” “Automate everything!”

Tempting? Sure. But here’s a gentle reminder:

Your biggest risks—and your biggest opportunities—are still right there on your shelves, in your reports, and on your balance sheet.