Innovate or die: How AI Is rewriting the rules of retail

Unlocking Retail’s Future: How AI and Keychain are Revolutionizing Product Creation

At Web Summit Lisbon 2025, Mr. Oisin Hanrahan, Co-founder and CEO of Keychain, highlighted the immense commercial power of “add to cart,” driving billions in annual commerce. He introduced Keychain as the leading global platform for brands and retailers to manufacture products, leveraging his experience building online marketplaces like Handy and leading Angie’s List.

Mr. Hanrahan underscored the rapid innovation in consumer products, with 160,000 new items launched annually in the U.S. This pace forces major Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies, such as Pepsi and Kraft Heinz, into unprecedented restructuring, including mergers and de-mergers, to adapt to evolving market demands.

The shift in consumer preferences is a primary catalyst. Traditional purchasing, driven by mainstream TV ads, favored economies of scale. Now, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have fragmented media consumption, fostering diverse tastes and increasing demand for innovative, niche products from emerging brands, disrupting old models.

This dynamic market necessitates a faster product development ecosystem. The process is complex, involving ideation, supplier sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and inventory management. Notably, 70% of U.S. brands and retailers rely on third-party manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and packaging companies, highlighting the intricate and often slow supply chain.

Keychain addresses these complexities by offering an operating system that accelerates product time-to-market. The platform supports product ideation, manufacturer sourcing, production management, and inventory optimization. Since its launch, Keychain has facilitated over a billion dollars in monthly projects, proving its vital role in streamlining the industry’s product creation pipeline.

The platform boasts widespread adoption, serving over 20,000 brands and retailers, including 8 of the top 10 U.S. retailers (Walmart, Amazon, Costco) and 65% of the top 100 U.S. brands. These industry leaders depend on Keychain to identify optimal manufacturers and develop superior products, adapting to dynamic customer demands effectively.

For manufacturers, Keychain provides dual benefits. It boosts revenue by connecting them with brands, addressing current overcapacity in Western manufacturing, a legacy of COVID-19 overinvestment. Additionally, it offers an AI-enabled operating system to enhance facility management, substantially reducing waste throughout the production process and improving efficiency.

Mr. Hanrahan envisions a future where AI further revolutionizes retail, potentially enabling autonomous sourcing and buying agents. He emphasized the growing imperative for sustainability in product development, advocating for more efficient and affordable processes. Keychain aims to contribute by enabling healthier, more sustainable products on shelves through a streamlined product lifecycle, reducing time and environmental footprint. The platform’s AI-enabled sourcing engine is pivotal to connecting brands and retailers with suitable manufacturing partners to achieve these ambitious goals.