The Week In News, But Shorter
August 24 – 30, 2026

A Weekly PropTech Newsletter bringing you industry updates from across the real estate spectrum

As we’ve discussed, advanced parking technology is reshaping the shopping-mall experience by making it easier to locate available spaces, manage traffic, process payments, and improve overall access for visitors. These systems can reduce congestion and give property owners better insight into parking demand, but their benefits depend on how thoughtfully they are implemented. Recent news highlights how some of the same technology can create frustration when malls use it to introduce premium parking fees or charge shoppers for spaces that were once free. When pricing is unclear, fees feel excessive, or premium areas appear to be the only convenient option, parking technology can shift from a useful amenity into a source of dissatisfaction and distrust among visitors. How are you handling parking at your properties? Is there room for improvement? Check out our thoughts on our website, or DM us on LinkedIn.

Also this week, more thoughts on the growing delivery wars in the skies, the role of 3D printing in property construction, and, of course, the latest on how AI is changing …well, everything.

Digital Meets Physical

Retailers Report AI-Driven Sales and Bigger Baskets in Q2 Earnings [PYMNTS] It’s early for artificial intelligence shopping tools, but the results are already showing up in bigger orders and more spending, and major retailers said so this earnings season.

Amazon, Uber, DoorDash, and Walmart are taking the delivery wars to the skies [Fortune] After more than a decade of experiments, regulatory hurdles and technical setbacks, some of America’s biggest delivery companies are now making much bigger bets that drones are finally ready for prime time.

Fashion Brands Must Adapt as AI Changes Product Discovery [WWD] AI is moving from an experimental shopping tool to a reliable source of traffic for retailers, and the “high-intent” shoppers it sends to websites are buying. AI-referred traffic rose 62 percent year-over-year, while those visits converted at a rate 60% higher than traffic from non-AI sources.

Why more companies are investing in same-day shipping [ModernRetail] Companies are upping the ante on shipping speeds. Both Target and Walmart boasted about increases in same-day deliveries during their earnings calls, while The Home Depot and Amazon rolled out new fulfillment options that get products to customers’ doors within hours of ordering.

3 in 4 diners open to restaurant AI, PAR survey finds [QSR Web] Consumer discomfort with AI in restaurants is rapidly declining, dropping from 41% in 2025 to 27% today and stating that nearly three in four diners are open to AI playing a role in their restaurant experience.

Agentic commerce: How AI is becoming retail’s new front door [Retail Insights Network] AI shopping assistants are changing how consumers discover and compare products, creating a new route into retail that could reshape customer relationships and product visibility.

PropTalk

Shopping malls are charging for prime parking. It’s not going well [USA Today] Scoring a great parking spot used to take luck or determination. Now it takes a credit card. Shopping malls across the country are roping off parking spaces closest to main entrances and food courts to make a few extra bucks. “Since when do you have to pay to park at the Willowbrook Mall?” asked one frustrated TikToker.

Does Anyone Actually Shop at the Oculus? [Curbed] A few weeks ago, I conducted an informal inventory of the hub’s storefronts that seemed to confirm my suspicions about how the mall is faring: Of the 103 shop spaces I observed, 26 were empty, amounting to a vacancy rate of 25 percent or three times higher than the national mall average of 8.5%.

Walmart is 3D printing the future of big box stores [Fast Company] For the last two years, contractors working for Walmart have used 3D-printed construction at a handful of sites across the U.S. The walls for five additions to existing stores have been completed in this fashion so far.

Reconsidering the Role of the Retail Store: Are Shoppers Tired of ‘Feeling Predicted’? [RetailWire] American shoppers are growing fatigued of excessive AI navigation and involvement in the shopping process, as well as an overload of screens, noise, and other sensory features.

Simon launches retail media network [Chain Store Age] Simon Property Group has launched Simon Media Network, a “next-generation” commerce media platform that aims to help brands reach consumers across Simon’s portfolio of more than 200 retail destinations.

AI Is Quietly Reshaping the Economics of Property Management [Propmodo] AI has reshaped one industry after another over the past three years. Property management has been slower. Not because the workflows are less suited to automation, since a business built on documents, communications, scheduling, and recurring processes is close to an ideal candidate, but because of a structural quirk in how the industry is organized that has muted the incentive to invest.