Retail Reality Check

Big Brand Tire & Service used Interface’s AI-based Virtual Perimeter Guard to curb burglaries and vandalism at a high-risk store. Using existing network infrastructure, the solution’s automated strobe lights, audio warnings, and live security intervention reduced trespassing by 65%, with 91% of incidents resolved automatically.

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Amazon’s One Medical now offers a 24/7 Health AI assistant in its app. Developed with One Medical clinicians, the AI provides personalized, HIPAA-compliant health guidance, appointment booking, and medication renewal options through Amazon Pharmacy. Built on agentic AI, it connects users to providers for virtual or in-person care when needed.

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Amazon has proposed a 229,000-square-foot big-box retail store in Orland Park, Illinois, resembling a Walmart superstore but featuring tech-enabled shopping. Customers can order items via app or kiosk for pickup. The project extends Amazon’s Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh experiments and highlights its push into physical retail to rival Walmart.

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Amazon unveiled upgraded Just Walk Out RFID lanes featuring automatic gates, real-time cart displays, and dynamic pre-authorization for faster, portable checkout at pop-ups and events. Deployed at 17 pilot sites with retailers like Proof of the Pudding and Amazon Music, these lanes expand Amazon’s presence to 360+ global locations, including Nissan Stadium and Wrigley Field.

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Authentic Brands Group has built Authentic Intelligence, a proprietary AI platform on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, to optimize marketing, brand management and legal workflows across 50-plus brands. The 15+ specialized agents are used weekly by about 80% of relevant staff to generate brand-aligned creative, text-to-video content, partner profiles and contract reviews, driving 60% higher marketing ROI and faster, more consistent enterprise-wide execution.

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BJ’s Wholesale Club is expanding its use of Looma’s in-store digital platform with new interactive in-aisle advertising screens offering personalized wine and cocktail recommendations. Similarly, Kroger is rolling out Looma screens in nearly 600 stores’ alcohol sections after a pilot boosted category sales, brand awareness, and ad ROI.

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Blue Yonder unveiled new AI-powered innovations across its supply chain planning and execution tools—enhancing inventory forecasting, order orchestration, and warehouse optimization. Updates include advanced AI agents for merchandise, inventory, logistics, and fulfillment management, all integrated via the Blue Yonder Platform and Network to improve efficiency and profitability.

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Amazon-owned Bee, co-founded by Maria de Lourdes Zollo, is evolving into a wearable personal AI companion that processes real-time conversations privately to provide insights and actions. Since joining Amazon, Bee added Voice Notes, Actions, Daily Insights, and Templates, integrating with Alexa+ to expand Amazon’s “ambient AI” ecosystem.

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Costco’s AVP of Retail Media, Mark Williamson, unveiled the retailer’s full ad-tech stack at NRF’s What’s In Store for Retail Media, emphasizing transparency and merchant-first strategy. The stack includes Google Cloud, MetaRouter, LiveRamp, Transcend, GrowthLoop, Criteo, The Trade Desk, Habu, and PRN via Stratacache—tools designed to accelerate sales velocity, not just media revenue.

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CVS Health unveiled an AI-native consumer engagement platform linking CVS Pharmacy, Caremark, Aetna, and care delivery services. Built with embedded AI for personalization, automation, and predictive insights, it connects digital and in-person care. CVS plans to commercialize this “engagement-as-a-service” tool for employers, payers, and partners.

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Jumpmind Commerce’s mobile-first POS platform now powers over 640 DTLR and Shoe Palace (City Gear) stores under JD Sports North America. The migration, completed in one day with no on-site staff, uses Adyen Castle S1E2L Android devices. System integrator Makira oversaw the deployment, enhancing store agility and customer experiences.

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Authentic Brands Group expanded its partnership with longtime Eddie Bauer licensee Outdoor 5 (Oved) to lead Eddie Bauer’s e-commerce, wholesale, design, and product development in the U.S. and Canada. Catalyst Brands will continue operating retail and outlet stores, aligning digital, wholesale, and retail strategies for sustainable growth.

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Edgbaston Stadium will be the first UK venue to deploy Aucxis’s STAR RFID smart-return technology with partners Levy and Event Cup Solutions. Launching this spring, the system automates cup deposit refunds, eliminates queues, improves fan convenience, and supports sustainability through RFID-enabled, high-capacity smart collection points.

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Amazon has launched QLD1, its first Amazon Now rapid delivery hub in the UK, bringing its quick commerce model from India and the UAE to London’s Southwark. The service, led by Elisa Michelin Salomon’s EU Quick Commerce team, delivers groceries and everyday essentials in as fast as 30 minutes via a new last‑mile network and 57 supporting partner teams.

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Five Guys is partnering with ezCater to add about 800 locations to the catering platform, expanding its national corporate catering reach. The collaboration enables workplaces to order customizable burger bars and group bundles, helping Five Guys scale its catering business and meet rising workplace demand for branded meal experiences.

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Frasers Group is merging Sports Direct membership into its Frasers Plus credit payment platform to create a unified rewards and payment system. Launching in February, Frasers Plus will integrate loyalty programs across brands including Sports Direct, FLANNELS, and FRASERS, plus 16 partners such as LOOKFANTASTIC and Myprotein.

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Genesco Inc., parent of Journeys, Johnston & Murphy, Schuh, and Little Burgundy, is transforming its IT operating model to boost speed, scalability, and AI-driven innovation. Partnering with a global technology provider, Genesco aims to enhance digital and omnichannel capabilities while aligning technology with evolving business priorities.

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Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to enable AI-driven purchases directly within Google Search and Gemini apps. Developed with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Target, Walmart, and others, UCP standardizes agent-to-merchant transactions using Google Pay or PayPal, shifting online shopping control and checkout execution into Google’s ecosystem.

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Hassett Ace Hardware, operator of six Bay Area stores, is expanding its use of Wildix’s X-Hoppers AI-powered retail communications platform with a new mobile app. The app extends headset-based communication, enabling managers to collaborate, monitor store activity, and access real-time AI transcriptions remotely across multiple locations.

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The Home Depot has launched the Home Depot Creator Portal, a centralized hub that connects digital creators with the retailer to monetize home improvement, DIY and décor content while fueling future brand and supplier partnerships. The platform offers training resources, best practices, branded hashtags, curated collections, product catalogs, storefront capabilities, special perks and product gifting, and debuts with a sports-focused “starting lineup” delivering tailored soccer content tied to backyard matches and viewing parties.

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Best Buy, Target, and Nordstrom highlighted at NRF 2026 how their online marketplaces are driving growth and assortment expansion. Target uses marketplace “curation at scale,” Best Buy grew SKUs elevenfold since launch, and Nordstrom uses its platform to fill product gaps and test new categories as part of enterprise-wide digital strategies.

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Macy’s Media Network partnered with Amazon’s Retail Ad Service (RAS), built on AWS technology, to streamline ad buying and enhance credibility using Amazon’s ad-tech tools. Since launching the pilot, Macy’s has attracted 175 new brands to its sponsored product program, positioning itself as a tech-enabled media solution amid growing retail media competition.

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Wonder, led by founder Marc Lore, is scaling its multi-restaurant “mealtime platform” using Grubhub data, Spyce’s Infinite Kitchen automation, and digital kitchen systems to simplify operations across 30 brands. EVP Jason Rusk says Wonder plans to reach 200 locations in 2026 by leveraging AI tools, fractional demand insights, and diversified cuisine offerings.

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Ingenico and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions partnered to launch a mobile checkout solution combining Ingenico’s Moby 5500 payment device with Toshiba’s TCx® M7 handheld and TCx® M11 tablet. The integrated system enables secure, mobile payment acceptance in-store, reducing checkout friction and enhancing flexibility for North American retailers and grocers.

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Fashion retailer Subdued has partnered with XY Retail to unify its global operations using XY Retail’s cloud-native Retail Operating System and PoS. After rollout in Italy, the platform is expanding worldwide, replacing legacy systems and providing a single real-time view of inventory, customer data, and store operations across 130+ locations.

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Checkpoint Systems signed a multi-year global deal with JD Sports Fashion to roll out its RFID inventory management software, ItemOptix, across JD’s Sports Fashion Group stores. Following a successful 2024 pilot, the SaaS solution now covers 400+ stores in the UK and Ireland, expanding toward 1,000 European stores by 2026.

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JD Sports is launching an AI commerce platform in the U.S., built with commercetools, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT and Stripe. The system integrates product search, discovery and payments in one click, optimizing inventory and pricing while enhancing real-time shopping experiences across its retail brands.

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Swiftly has partnered with Key Food Stores Co-Operative, which operates over 460 supermarkets across eight U.S. states, to deploy Swiftly’s App & Web platform integrated with Alcohol Cashback solutions. The collaboration aims to enhance shopper engagement, boost loyalty, and drive retail media and revenue growth across all Key Food locations.

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Kroger and Uber have launched full-store online grocery delivery from over 2,700 Kroger banner stores—including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, and Harris Teeter—through the Uber Eats, Uber, and Postmates apps. The partnership expands on their prior sushi and floral delivery and complements Kroger’s services via Instacart, DoorDash, and Ocado.

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Children’s pajamas brand Little Sleepies and Frasers Group are enhancing their AI-driven shopping visibility using Algolia’s AI search platform with Microsoft Copilot, Bing Shopping, and Edge tools. These upgrades streamline product data, pricing, and inventory management as both brands prepare for the agentic commerce boom projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030.

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LuisaViaRoma has chosen XY Retail to power its next-generation store strategy, using XY Retail’s Retail OS to unify commerce and enhance omnichannel operations. The upgrade introduces endless aisle, ship-from-store, reservations, and BORIS capabilities, boosting real-time inventory visibility and in-store productivity across LuisaViaRoma’s global boutiques.

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StoreSprint has deployed its digital operations platform across several McDonald’s restaurants in Sweden to replace manual checklists with a unified system for routines, follow-up, and communication, giving teams better oversight, higher quality, and more efficient task management while boosting staff engagement.

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Meijer has entered the telehealth market through a partnership with digital healthcare platform WellSync, offering $29.99 virtual visits for common ailments via its website and pharmacy app. Board-certified professionals provide treatment recommendations, expanding Meijer’s convenience offerings alongside peers like Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger.

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At CES 2026, Nvidia introduced Alpamayo, decision-making software for autonomous driving, with Mercedes-Benz as an early adopter integrating it into the MBUX system. BMW showcased an Alexa+-enabled voice interface, while Sony Honda Mobility unveiled its Afeela 1 SUV, emphasizing interior digital displays over traditional controls.

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Wegmans is facing scrutiny for using facial recognition technology in its New York City stores to deter theft, raising privacy concerns. Other retailers like Macy’s, Whole Foods (via Amazon One), Fairway, and Westside Market also use biometric tools, though experts warn regulations lag behind this rapidly expanding retail surveillance trend.

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At NRF 2026, Papa Johns unveiled its partnership with Google Cloud and Google Maps Platform to power an AI-driven delivery and ordering ecosystem across 6,000 stores. Using Gemini Enterprise’s Food Ordering agent, Papa Johns will launch an agentic, multimodal, multilingual AI ordering system to streamline operations and boost customer engagement.

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RF 2026: Retail’s Big Show highlighted practical applications of agentic AI, emphasizing ROI and data quality. Retailers and vendors like Verizon showcased tools that streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and strengthen “phygital” experiences. The takeaway: effective AI depends on clean data, integrated workflows, and meaningful business outcomes.

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OAKBERRY, the global açaí and smoothie chain, has chosen Qu’s unified commerce platform to power its U.S. expansion. The deployment includes Qu’s POS + Notify, kiosks, Kitchen Display System, and AI-enabled Business Edge “Qube,” improving order accuracy, uptime, and scalability while enabling streamlined, data-driven operations across locations.

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Regional burger chain The Filling Station is automating food preparation using Aniai’s Alpha Grill system across its New York and New Jersey stores. The robotic grill cooks multiple proteins in under two minutes using sensors, precise temperature control, and auto-cleaning. Other adopters of foodservice robotics include Aramark, Donatos Pizza, and Chipotle.

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Oracle unveiled its new Oracle Retail Supply Chain Collaboration cloud solution at NRF 2026, integrating with Oracle Retail Merchandising Foundation Cloud Service (MFCS) to enhance retailer-supplier collaboration, compliance, and efficiency. The platform uses AI-driven insights for forecasting, disruption alerts, workflow automation, and sustainable supplier management.

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RetailROI’s 17th annual “Super Saturday” at Microsoft’s New York headquarters spotlighted AI’s growing retail role and humanitarian efforts. CI&T’s “Retail Tech Reality Check” survey revealed consumer enthusiasm for AI-assisted shopping. Ise AI’s CEO Vanessa Yan showcased AI-driven fashion design, while Shopify’s Genesis Miranda Longo shared her inspiring personal journey.

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DHL is redefining e-commerce returns as a strategic opportunity through its Strategy 2030 and expanded DHL ReTurn Network. Leveraging 42,000 electric vehicles, 170,000 access points, and labelless QR code returns, DHL enables sustainable, efficient operations that help retailers recover value from returned goods while enhancing customer convenience and conversion rates.

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Exotec is outfitting Renault Deutschland’s Brühl warehouse with its Skypod robotics system and Deepsky execution software, enabling automated spare parts distribution across Germany. The facility will deploy 89 Skypod robots to process over 1,600 containers per hour, going live in June 2026 as Renault’s first automated warehouse in the country.

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Stater Bros. Markets is expanding its partnership with Afresh to extend AI-driven replenishment beyond produce into other fresh departments and its distribution centers. Using Afresh’s DC Forecast and Fresh Replenishment solutions, the grocer aims to unify inventory management, reduce food waste, improve forecasting, and optimize store and procurement efficiency.

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Stinker Stores boosted 2025 employee tenure by 45% and cut turnover 37% by offering DailyPay’s earned wage access as a core financial wellness benefit in its rewards package. DailyPay lets convenience store associates access earned wages after each shift, supporting retention across Stinker’s 105 c-stores and related operations.

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Utah-based grocer Harmons deployed Simbe Robotics’ “Tally” autonomous shelf-scanning robots across 17 stores to optimize inventory and enhance customer service. The robots capture real-time shelf data on product availability and pricing, reducing pricing errors by 75%, saving up to 30 labor hours weekly, and boosting e-commerce basket size by 230%.

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Target is partnering with Google to enable direct shopping in AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app. Powered by Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol, co-developed by Target, the tool lets consumers browse and purchase products conversationally. Walmart offers a similar Gemini integration for seamless in-app shopping.

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Coca-Cola, Nike, and Starbucks are redefining retail with AI tools. Coca-Cola’s GPT‑4 and DALL‑E‑powered “Create Real Magic” campaign used Microsoft Azure AI to reach 43 markets. Nike uses RFID and Nike Fit for personalised shopping, while Starbucks’ Microsoft Azure‑based Deep Brew platform boosts ROI and engagement across 38,000 stores.

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Topshop has launched a dedicated European website on Shopify, expanding to 23 EU countries including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The site offers its full collection across denim, tailoring, dresses, and accessories, providing a localized shopping experience beyond its existing global presence on Asos.com.

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UK wholesalers Parfetts/Go Local and J.W. Filshill have adopted Wholepal, an AI-powered platform founded by Victoria Lawson, to modernize grocery supply chain data sharing. Wholepal automates product onboarding, ensures accurate data, and reduces admin from weeks to minutes, improving efficiency and supplier collaboration across the wholesale sector.

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Eagle Eye secured a multi-year contract with Wakefern Food Corp., the largest U.S. retailer-owned supermarket cooperative, to deploy its AIR platform and AI-powered Personalised Challenges and Promotions solutions. Launching mid-2026, the tools will enhance loyalty and personalization across Wakefern’s 380 stores under banners including ShopRite and Price Rite Marketplace.

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PYMNTS Intelligence reports Amazon captured 56% of U.S. eCommerce spending in Q3 2025, nearly six times Walmart’s 9.6%. However, Walmart’s online sales grew 27.2% year-over-year—three times Amazon’s pace. Walmart’s digital sales now make up 19.9% of total revenue, reflecting its accelerating digital transformation.

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Walmart is expanding its drone delivery program with Wing, Alphabet’s on-demand drone delivery provider, launching service in Greater Houston on Jan. 15, 2026. Customers can receive Walmart essentials within 30 minutes. The partnership will reach 150 more stores nationwide, targeting 270 drone delivery hubs by 2027.

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Walmart and Google announced a new AI shopping experience integrating Google’s Gemini with Walmart and Sam’s Club via the Universal Commerce Protocol. The tool enables personalized recommendations, conversational product discovery, and rapid delivery—building a seamless, agent-led shopping journey within the Gemini app for U.S. customers first.

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Wayfair has partnered with Google to launch an AI‑powered checkout experience using Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). The open standard allows shoppers to complete Wayfair purchases directly within Google Search or the Gemini app, streamlining discovery and payment while keeping Wayfair as the merchant of record.

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AI innovation dominated the NRF 2026 Big Show, with retailers like Walmart partnering with Google’s Gemini for AI-assisted shopping, while REI, Ulta Beauty, Macy’s, and others explored blending AI with human expertise. Executives debated data ownership, platform dependence, and AI’s impact on customer experience and organizational agility.

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Zalando has joined Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open-source standard enabling AI-driven shopping. The integration lets users discover and checkout Zalando products directly via Google Search and the Gemini app using Google Pay. UCP keeps retailers as sellers of record and will soon support loyalty integrations.

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Advertima is deploying thousands of AI-powered sensors across hundreds of Walmart Connect Mexico stores in what’s being called the world’s largest in‑store audience intelligence rollout. Using Advertima’s Audience AI, Walmart will gain real-time audience demographic insights to plan, measure, and optimize both digital and non‑digital in‑store media.

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