The "innovation hangover" following AI Brasil Experience is real. Essentially, the event, held at Distrito Anhembi, fulfilled its mission of demystifying AI and focusing on its real-world applications in retail, finance, and much more. As a result, for e-commerce managers, it became clear that Artificial Intelligence has moved beyond hype and become an indispensable operational tool.
Fortunately, part of the e-Plus team was present on both days of the event, filtering the most important debates for our reality. Therefore, we have compiled here the 3 highlights of the AI Brasil Experience that you need to understand and apply to your operation . After all, by the end of this reading, you will have practical lessons from giants like iFood and Casas Bahia to transform AI into a revenue engine.
1. The AI mindset is more important than the tool.
Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated panels was that of Diego Barreto , CEO of iFood , entitled " How much AI is in an iFood order? ". However, what drew the most attention was not (just) the impressive numbers, but the company's mindset.
To begin, Barreto explained that the key to the company's innovation was adopting a mindset that sees the world as cyclical, not linear, citing cycles of technological disruption. In other words, the world is in constant motion, and the company's culture needs to embrace that.
The lesson for e-commerce: iFood adopts a culture of ambidexterity , that is, the ability to maintain what already exists (day - to-day operations) while simultaneously obsessively seeking out the new.
- Test > Idea: Barreto statednot liking ideasInstead, he encourages the team to test solutions for the problems they identifyUltimately, this is how one learns and identifies a trend in practice.
- Results: Thanks to this strategy, they created their own AI model, the LCM (Large Commerce ModelToday, the iFood makes 14 billion predictions monthly and saw a A 30% increase in revenue since the model was created.
Therefore, the lesson from iFood is clear : before hiring an AI tool, change the culture . Encourage curiosity, testing, and learning from mistakes.
2- Marketing is Mathematics and the End of the "Prompt Madman"
Secondly, the lecture by Bruno Melo , co-founder of ManyContent , was a reality check for marketing managers. Basically, he started with a provocative statement: “ Marketing is mathematics. AI is too .”
According to him, both marketing and AI depend on data analysis , not intuition . However, the biggest problem in the market is the " laziness of looking at the data ".
The lesson for e-commerce: in Brazil, where 66% of consumers research a brand's profile before buying , a digital presence is "proof of existence." However, with the advancement of AI, content production has increased by 40%, but engagement has fallen by 28%.
- The problem: The "prompt madman" , which generates volume without strategy, is losing the battle to the algorithm."
- The 90/10 rule: Melo emphasized that “Follower doesn't pay the bill.Therefore, he defended the "90/10 Rule": 90% of the content should be educational or inspirational, and only 10% focused on direct conversion.
- AI with purpose: AI should not replace strategy. but rather to amplify what is already good.
3- WHERE AI REALLY GENERATES ROI
Finally, Renato Franklin , CEO of the Casas Bahia Group , brought the strategic vision that is lacking in many retail operations. After all, according to him, 95% of AI projects do not yield a return because they are implemented without a clear objective.
At Casas Bahia , AI is used as a means to make smarter decisions , especially in two areas:
- Product assortment: The company uses an algorithm with demand predictor variables to define the ideal product mix for each physical store, based on the local profile. As a result, they had a 30% increase in productivity per SKU.
- Dynamic pricing: They adopted a solution that optimizes prices based on business objectives and elasticity. In other words, AI allows for the simulation of scenarios and the intelligent adjustment of margins.
The lesson for e-commerce: the clearest case was Black Friday 2025. Franklin explained that the retailer's offers are data-driven . In other words, they are defined by observing user searches and real-time behavior on the e-commerce platform , allowing the sales team to act surgically to convert purchase intent.
CONCLUSION: AI IS THE TOOL, THE STRATEGY BELONGS TO THOSE BEHIND IT.
The AI Brasil Experience left a clear message: the AI revolution is, above all, human . As Pedro Chiamulera , founder of ClearSale , said at the opening: " AI doesn't feel, it doesn't get emotional ," and this is the moment to embrace our human side to innovate.
In summary, the 3 highlights of the event show that :
- The culture (iFood): You need to test things out and be curious.
- Marketing (ManyContent): It's necessary to have a strategy and focus on the 90/10 goal, using AI to do the basics well.
- The operation (Casas Bahia): It is necessary to have a clear objective (ROI) for each AI project.
Therefore, AI is not a magic solution , but rather the most powerful tool we have to amplify a well-defined strategy.
Do you need help implementing an AI strategy that goes beyond the hype and generates real results for your e-commerce business? [Learn about e-Plus' Generative AI Consulting] and let our experts analyze your operation.
