In conversation with Vladimir Razuvaev, Chief Executive of Yango Tech, on how company’s AI ecosystem transforms stores into living systems

1. How do you see brand’s AI-powered solutions reshaping the retail and e-commerce landscape in the UAE and wider region?

In a region where traditional offline retail has deep roots and e-commerce is expanding at an exponential pace, fragmented solutions are no longer sustainable. They are costly, complex, and unable to keep up with the speed of change.

Our ecosystem is designed to be the nervous system of retail: connecting AI tools, warehouse management, logistics and supply chains among other elements. This integration transforms a store from being simply a point of sale into a living organism, one that can sense its customers, understand their needs, and make smart business decisions in real time. This is particularly relevant in the UAE and wider MENA region, where retail is not just an industry but a vital part of urban life and culture.

2. How do AI agents differ from traditional machine learning, and why do they matter for physical stores?

Traditional ML tools are like powerful calculators, they process vast amounts of data with incredible speed and accuracy, but always within fixed boundaries. AI agents go a step further: they act more like colleagues. They can adapt, learn from context, and make decisions dynamically.

That ability to sense, decide, and act makes AI agents transformative for physical retail.

3. How does Yango Tech make personalisation effective and culturally relevant in MENA?

In MENA, personalisation is not just about suggesting the right product, it’s about understanding and respecting context. Family values, religious traditions, and the rhythm of daily life play a defining role in how people shop.

At Yango Tech, we design personalisation to speak the local “language”. That means knowing which colors are seen as festive, how buying patterns differ between parents and younger audiences, and which products are most often purchased together. We go beyond simple adaptation, we aim to speak the cultural dialect of retail.

4. What innovations will impact retail and e-commerce in the coming years?

With the UAE’s e-commerce market projected to exceed AED 48.8 billion by 2028 and Saudi Arabia’s set to reach USD 29 billion by 2030, the region is on the verge of a retail transformation.

I see three innovations shaping the next five years.

AI agents: they will turn retail into a self-regulating “living system”, capable of sensing, learning, and acting without constant human input.

The fusion of online and offline: the current divide between physical and digital retail will dissolve. Instead of separate managers for each channel, we’ll see unified experiences where the store becomes one seamless organism.

Invisible commerce: purchasing will increasingly blend into daily life. Your car will order fuel when it’s needed, your fridge will restock milk automatically, and your wardrobe might even replace your sneakers before you realize they’re worn out.

5. What key milestones is the brand most proud of in its regional expansion?

What we value most is that Yango Tech hasn’t become “just another international player” in MENA. Instead, we’ve embedded ourselves in the regional innovation ecosystem, working across both B2C and B2B.

Among the milestones we’re proud of: launching pilots with local retail chains that proved AI can cut fresh product waste by tens of percent and building solutions that bring real structure and efficiency to transport logistics.

But perhaps the most important milestone is still ahead of us: the moment when the conversation shifts from “AI is being integrated into retail” to “retail without AI feels unthinkable.”