How to Deliver Contextual AI That Matters for Retail

As enterprise leaders navigate a sea of GenAI pilots, prototypes, and hype cycles, one question rises above the rest: How do we turn artificial intelligence into real business value?

In this episode of CXO Spotlight powered by Flywheelr, host Chirag Khanijau sits down with Vishal Shukla, CEO of Rysun Labs, to answer that question head-on.

Rather than chasing experimentation for its own sake, Rysun Labs is charting a different course – one focused on ROI-driven, contextual AI that transforms how retail organizations engage, operate, and grow. Vishal shares how he is leading Rysun’s evolution from traditional product and data engineering traditional product engineering to pioneering contextual, business-aligned GenAI adoption that delivers ROI in weeks.

Rysun’s journey began as a traditional product engineering company, serving industries from hospitality & entertainment to retail. But over time, the team observed a clear trajectory: code led to data, data to analytics, and analytics to AI and Machine Learning. By 2022, with the rise of large language models, it was clear that GenAI would be the next foundational shift – not just in technology, but in how businesses interact with their customers.

That evolution led to the development of Rysun’s proprietary platforms: Ron, a secure orchestration platform for enterprise-grade private LLMs, and ShopMate, a conversational AI assistant purpose-built for commerce. Both are designed not just to process queries, but to understand the nuances of customer intent – turning generic search bars into intelligent, two-way dialogues.

“We’ve gone from demographics and keywords to understanding aspiration,” Vishal explains. “Whether it’s someone remodeling their home or planning a hiking trip, our AI guides them in a way that feels human – but at technology scale.”

A central theme in Vishal’s strategy is focus over flash. In one example, Rysun was approached by a global oil and gas company to build a GenAI-powered HR assistant. The client’s initial scope spanned 25 different use cases – but Rysun helped them narrow it to five, ensuring high adoption and demonstrable value within weeks of launch.

This kind of discipline – starting small, aligning tightly to workflows, and delivering quick wins – is what we see missing in many GenAI initiatives today.

“A lot of leaders think they can DIY their GenAI strategy,” he said. “But if it’s not grounded in domain expertise and human-centered workflows, it won’t deliver.”

While most conversations around GenAI focus on hallucinations or data privacy, Vishal highlights a more overlooked challenge: experience risk of the human in the loop.

“You can have the best model in the world, but if it disrupts how teams actually work, they won’t adopt it,” he warns.

To mitigate this, Rysun designs each AI deployment to fit within existing enterprise environments – not just from a technical standpoint, but from a behavioral one. That includes integration into familiar systems (like Zendesk or ServiceNow), as well as change management efforts to ensure users are ready for what GenAI brings.

Why intent beats keywords: Retail journeys must go beyond demographics to understand behavior, aspiration, and occasion.

Rysun Labs is a CMMI Level 5 consulting partner, using AI, Data, and Digital solutions to help retailers and brands unlock measurable growth through contextual, AI-driven innovation.

From personalized product discovery to dynamic shopping experiences and intelligent retail operations, Rysun blends deep industry expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver business impact. Headquartered in the US and trusted by leading retail and e-commerce companies, we help businesses stay ahead by turning complex data into connected, human-centered experiences.

For more information, visit www.rysun.com

Contact

Neeta Jain
Rysun Labs Inc
info@rysun.com