Retail’s Reality Check

AI adoption in enterprises is stalling not from lack of access but from low engagement, argues IHL Group VP of Technology Jerry Sheldon, echoing Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar’s view of AI as a worker tool, not a replacement. Sheldon urges retailers to embed LLMs into recurring workflows and use disliked tasks as an AI testbed, while highlighting future A2A (agent‑to‑agent) commerce as a key opportunity.

Full Article ›

Eileen Fisher is replacing its legacy POS with Aptos One, a cloud-based, mobile-first platform to unify customer interactions across stores, e-commerce, and fulfillment channels. The sustainable apparel brand will gain real-time data synchronization, unified promotions, and mobile workflows to enhance service, flexibility, and circular retail operations.

Full Article ›

Restaurant Brands Europe (RBE), operator of Burger King®, Popeyes®, and Tim Hortons® in Southern Europe, selected RELEX Solutions to automate demand forecasting and ingredient replenishment across 1,350+ restaurants in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The system enhances availability control, reduces waste, and supports RBE’s multi-brand, multi-country expansion.

Full Article ›

Lazada has launched RedMart Now, a new grocery delivery service through its RedMart supermarket arm in Singapore, offering deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes. Building on RedMart’s two- and six-hour delivery options, this feature lets customers choose between scheduled or urgent grocery needs, supported by Lazada’s design, tech, and operations teams.

Full Article ›

Affirm is expanding its partnership with Wayfair to offer its flexible, transparent payment options to shoppers in the UK and Canada. Building on their October US launch, this move extends Affirm’s “buy now, pay later” tools to more Wayfair customers for online and in-store purchases, emphasizing no hidden fees or surprises.

Full Article ›

Arena Milano, a key venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics, has launched four of six AiFi-powered frictionless checkout stores—the first of their kind in Italy. AiFi executives Chryssi Soteriades and Simon Woods highlighted the deployment as a milestone in venue retail innovation and fan experience.

Full Article ›

itoo, a cloud-native PoS and unified commerce platform, has partnered with Danish omnichannel fashion retailer Message. Message is using Sitoo’s technology to streamline operations, reduce admin tasks for store associates, and enhance the customer experience while maintaining its focus on sustainability and responsible fashion practices.

Full Article ›

Estée Lauder is advancing its Beauty Reimagined restructure with a new Accenture partnership to deploy enterprise AI services. Building on collaborations with Microsoft, Google, Adobe and Shopify, the initiative aims to enhance efficiency, speed to market, and productivity through standardized processes and expanded tech-enabled operations.

Full Article ›

Albertsons outlined four AI priorities for 2026—digital customer experience, merchandising, labor, and supply chain. Partnering with Google, OpenAI, Databricks, and Microsoft, it’s using tools like the Ask AI search and an AI shopping assistant to boost efficiency, predict demand, optimize labor, and enhance personalization across operations.

Full Article ›

Morrisons is deploying Ecrebo’s real-time engagement platform to deliver personalised offers via digital and paper receipts and other channels. The tool supports loyalty efforts, drives spend and frequency, and boosts advertising revenue. It follows Morrisons’ wider digital initiatives with Tata Consultancy Services and its new digital ad screen network.

Full Article ›

Wizard, the AI-native shopping agent cofounded by Marc Lore and CEO Melissa Bridgeford, has launched publicly after a $50M Series A led by NEA. Built from Stylust’s conversational commerce tech, Wizard simplifies online shopping through AI-driven curation and native checkout, debuting its consumer agent partnership with Best Buy.

Full Article ›

Wesco, a Michigan-based convenience retailer, expanded its digital commerce with Vroom Delivery to include DoorDash marketplace orders. Using Vroom’s Automated Menu Management and Marketplace Loyalty Proxy, Wesco doubled online sales to nearly $6 million annually across 57 stores. SNAP/EBT payments and new ad monetization features further boosted margins and customer rewards.

Full Article ›

Upside partnered with The Save Mart Companies to bring personalized cash-back offers to about 200 Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx stores in California and Nevada. Using Upside’s digital engagement platform, the grocer aims to attract new shoppers and strengthen value-driven loyalty amid increasing competition for grocery trips.

Full Article ›

B&Q is collaborating with Colostomy UK to install stoma-friendly toilets across its stores, featuring shelves, disposal bins, hooks, and mirrors for accessibility. The retailer will also introduce Stoma Aware training for staff, with facilities listed on Colostomy UK’s platform to help customers plan visits and access suitable amenities.

Full Article ›

Lipari Foods has chosen RELEX Solutions to overhaul its supply chain planning and replenishment operations. Using RELEX’s AI-driven platform and Advanced Diagnostics, Lipari will manage 23,000 SKUs, gain visibility into spoilage and stockout risks, automate forecasting, and improve inventory accuracy across grocery, deli, bakery, and specialty categories.

Full Article ›

White Castle piloted Interface Systems’ AI-powered Virtual Perimeter Guard at a high-risk St. Louis location, cutting vandalism, loitering, and late-night incidents by 91% through AI detection and live voice deterrence. Big Brand Tire & Service also saw trespassing and break-ins end after deploying the same solution.

Full Article ›

Target and Williams-Sonoma are among the first retailers in OpenAI’s Ad Pilot Program, testing contextual ads in ChatGPT. Target’s Roundel media ads appear in shopping conversations, complementing its mobile shopping and Google UCP work. Williams-Sonoma combines ChatGPT ads with Salesforce Agentforce 360 bots to enhance personalized customer engagement.

Full Article ›

Lush Cosmetics is partnering with Instacart to offer same-day delivery in as fast as one hour from 250 stores across the U.S. and Canada. This expansion adds to its existing delivery partnerships with Uber, Uber Eats, Postmates, and DoorDash, enhancing online access to over 600 eco-friendly bath and body products.

Full Article ›

Heineken has expanded its digital transformation with CoBrain, a generative AI-powered platform enabling brewery employees to access process and standard information instantly. Part of its Connected Worker initiative across 150 breweries, CoBrain links people, data, and machines while supporting diagnostics, demand forecasting, and energy optimization via IoT and digital twin technologies.

Full Article ›

Amazon has introduced Pay by Bank on amazon.co.uk, enabling UK customers to make purchases and soon pay for Prime directly from their bank accounts. Using customers' banking apps for biometric or PIN verification, the service speeds refunds and supports the UK's account-to-account (A2A) payments initiative for safer, faster transactions.

Full Article ›

Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is digitizing alcohol promotions by integrating Swiftly’s alcohol cashback program into its myPerks platform, replacing mail-in rebates with instant PayPal, Venmo, or Visa rewards while ensuring state compliance. The retailer also uses Upside’s personalized cashback and Upside Pay mobile payment tools to enhance digital engagement and convenience.

Full Article ›

Cheech and Chong’s Cannabis Company is deploying Flowhub’s POS and retail operations platform across its partner dispensaries. The integration links with the Headset analytics engine, giving independent operators enterprise-level tools for sales, compliance, and customer engagement under the brand’s reverse licensing model.

Full Article ›

L.L.Bean is replacing its legacy CRM systems with Amperity’s Customer Data Cloud to unify omnichannel shopper data and enable personalized customer interactions. The platform will power predictive insights and coordinated multi-channel campaigns across email, web, loyalty, and catalogs to enhance responsiveness and deepen customer relationships.

Full Article ›

Albertsons is piloting beacon-equipped shopping carts and baskets in 80 stores to track customer movement and dwell time near in-store media displays. The initiative, part of Albertsons Media Collective, gathers anonymous data (no loyalty link) to test how engagement drives incremental sales, expanding to 800 stores in 2026.

Full Article ›

OpenAI has begun testing ads in ChatGPT’s Free and Go tiers, with Target and its retail media arm Roundel as early partners. Ads appear contextually in shopping-related chats but remain clearly labeled and separate from responses. OpenAI says ads fund free access while maintaining privacy and user control.

Full Article ›

Germany’s beverage logistics provider Trinks Group has selected RELEX Solutions, implemented with partner Wysupp, to optimize demand forecasting and inventory planning across 16 distribution centers. The AI-driven RELEX platform enables real-time, weather- and event-based forecasting, improving product availability, sustainability, and supply chain efficiency for Trinks’ returnable beverage operations.

Full Article ›

Corvus Robotics has launched Corvus One for Cold Chain, an autonomous drone-based inventory system engineered to run continuously in freezers from minus-20°F to ambient, re-architecting thermal management, sensing, stability, and perception to handle frost and airflow. Kroger is deploying the system in live freezer operations to gain consistent real-time inventory visibility and cut manual cycle counts in sub-zero conditions.

Full Article ›

Colruyt Group has chosen NCR Voyix as its new platform partner, replacing its current system with the NCR Voyix Commerce Platform. The partnership underscores retailers’ growing confidence in NCR Voyix’s unified platform strategy and comes ahead of EuroShop 2026, where European retail momentum is accelerating.

Full Article ›

Giordano’s has adopted Cartwheel’s delivery management platform across corporate and franchise stores to handle high-volume events like Super Bowl weekend and National Pizza Day. The system routes orders between in-house and third-party drivers, keeps customers in Giordano’s branded interface, and enhances operational control and delivery flexibility.

Full Article ›

Levi Strauss & Co. is collaborating with Microsoft and Google to expand its AI capabilities. The company’s new Outfitting feature in its app recommends personalized style combinations. Levi’s also uses Microsoft’s tools for internal “super agent” automation and Google Cloud’s AI-powered Business Messages to analyze global data and enhance customer communication.

Full Article ›

Lowe’s is advancing its AI strategy under SVP Chandu Nair by testing an AI-enabled voice agent across stores to handle common customer calls, freeing associates for in-person service. At CES, Nair highlighted focus areas like 3D spatial modeling, physical AI in robotics, and automation within Lowe’s Innovation Labs.

Full Article ›

Meritage Hospitality Group is expanding its partnership with digital marketplace Upside to 367 Wendy’s locations nationwide after a successful pilot showed increased traffic and profit margins. Using Upside’s data and attribution tools, Meritage will target new diners and boost repeat visits across major U.S. markets including Atlanta and Memphis.

Full Article ›

1-800-Flowers.com has partnered with Instacart to offer same-day delivery of fresh bouquets and gifts from over 700 U.S. florists, timed for Valentine’s Day. This expands the retailer’s on-demand strategy, which already includes DoorDash and Uber Eats, enhancing speed, accessibility, and support for local florist partners.

Full Article ›

Ditë e Natë, an Albanian pharmacy chain with 100 stores, has selected Quant as its unified space and demand planning, shelf label management and planogram compliance platform, using its AI-driven floor planning, demand forecasting and automatic replenishment to optimize layouts, tailor assortments to local customers and support scalable growth.

Full Article ›

Walmart is investing over $330 million to automate its Opelousas, Louisiana regional distribution center as part of its plan to modernize all 42 RDCs. Using Symbotic robotics and automation technology, the upgraded site will double shipping capacity and shift workers into higher-skilled tech roles with state incentives supporting the project.

Full Article ›

Ecrebo has partnered with UK grocery retailer Morrisons to enhance personalised customer engagement and loyalty. Morrisons will use the Ecrebo platform to deliver real-time, tailored offers and communications at the Point of Sale and post-purchase, strengthening shopper connections and delivering greater customer value.

Full Article ›

Sainsbury’s has discontinued its standalone on-demand delivery app, Chop Chop, shifting quick commerce orders to its main app. The retailer, led by Head of Experience Design Jim Banks, aims to simplify shopping while continuing rapid delivery partnerships with Deliveroo and Uber Eats for groceries within 60 minutes.

Full Article ›

Belgian retailer Extra Shop has chosen Vusion to deploy its digital platform and electronic shelf labels across 40 stores, contributing to over 1,700 Belgian locations using Vusion technology. The solution integrates with Cisco-Meraki infrastructure to enhance pricing, promotions, geolocation-led restocking, and operational efficiency across Extra Shop’s network.

Full Article ›

DTLR, formerly Downtown Locker Room, deployed Jumpmind Commerce’s POS platform across 640+ DTLR and Shoe Palace stores under JD Sports North America. The mobile-first POS supports fixed and mobile registers, boosting agility and scalability. Makira served as system integrator, aiding DTLR’s expansion and City Gear store rebranding.

Full Article ›

Coty partnered with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT Enterprise across its operations, enhancing creativity and efficiency while emphasizing responsible AI use. Employees will use the software for daily tasks, supported by training programs. The move reflects Coty’s digital transformation amid leadership changes and recent revenue declines.

Full Article ›

Staples Canada modernized its fulfillment centers by deploying Locus Robotics’ Robots-as-a-Service and adopting Manhattan Active warehouse management. The upgrades doubled productivity, improved order accuracy by 73%, and cut training time 70%. Rapid installations in Vancouver and Ontario centers improved employee ergonomics and efficiency, with further expansions planned in 2026.

Full Article ›

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen opened a new Yukon, Oklahoma, location featuring a modern interior and enhanced digital experience. The site debuts menu updates like Spicy Korean BBQ Steak and noodle substitutions, plus a redesigned app with streamlined ordering and tiered rewards, advancing Pei Wei’s national expansion and “Wei More” value philosophy.

Full Article ›

RaceTrac is upgrading its RaceTrac Rewards loyalty program using Capillary Technologies’ AI-driven loyalty platform across 600+ stores. The enhanced program features tier-based recognition, offer stacking, and advanced targeting for personalized experiences. Separately, RaceWay launched its own loyalty program on the Par Technology Par Retail platform in July 2025.

Full Article ›

Durham University has partnered with Lolly to deploy over 90 EPoS terminals across 30 campus sites, supporting 190 front- and 65 back-office users. The Lolly EPoS system modernizes catering operations and will expand to include self-service kiosks, AI tray scanning, and a new loyalty and cashless app launching by Freshers 2026.

Full Article ›