Implementing generative AI in e-commerce operations requires more than enthusiasm and budget—it demands systematic preparation across data infrastructure, organizational capabilities, and strategic alignment. Over the past several years working with AI deployments in competitive retail environments, I've observed that successful implementations follow remarkably similar patterns while failures often skip fundamental preparation steps in their rush to deploy cutting-edge technology. The difference between transformative results and expensive disappointments rarely comes down to algorithm selection or vendor choice. Instead, it hinges on whether organizations complete unglamorous groundwork: cleaning data, aligning stakeholders, establishing measurement frameworks, and building organizational capabilities before rather than after deployment. This comprehensive checklist distills those essential preparation and implementation steps into a practical framework that e-commerce teams can ...