Milestone moments and seamless solutions: December’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from December, including StrongPoint, VusionGroup, Primark, Zippin, M&S, First Insight, Best Buy, Rokt, Puma, Sitoo, Halfords, Aptos, Sobeys, Pricer, Royal Mail, Simbe, One Stop, and Snappy Shopper.
StrongPoint and VusionGroup
StrongPoint, a retail technology provider, reports an international, multifaceted partnership with VusionGroup, a specialist in digitalisation solutions for physical commerce.
This will see VusionGroup integrate StrongPoint’s end-to-end e-commerce platform into its Retail IoT Cloud platform, making it available to retailers internationally. Additionally, the latter will serve as a value added reseller of the former’s retail technology solutions, starting from 28th June 2025.
“This partnership is an incredible opportunity for StrongPoint to bring its e-commerce solutions to an international stage, reaching regions far beyond our core markets. For StrongPoint, as a VusionGroup partner, it will allow us to offer our current and future customers across our nine markets an even broader range of in-store digital retail technologies. This is truly a milestone moment in the history of StrongPoint,” says Jacob Tveraabak, CEO at StrongPoint.
“Enabling physical retailers to increase their e-commerce performance through store digitalisation is one of the key pillars of our strategy, and this partnership represents a wonderful opportunity to accelerate that.”
“By integrating StrongPoint’s e-commerce technology into our platform, we are not only enhancing our offering but also enabling our customers to unlock new levels of efficiency, profitability and growth potential in a rapidly evolving retail landscape,” says Sébastien Fourcy, SEVP EMEA a VusionGroup.
Puma
Puma has chosen Sitoo to power its stores globally and enable the provision of a unified shopping experience to customers.
The sports brand says that the move will bring all its stores together with one seamless global solution, with the aim of simplifying processes, integrating physical and digital commerce, and enabling store associates to provide the best possible customer service.
“Before choosing Sitoo, we conducted a comprehensive review of all available solutions in the market,” says Baris Bölükbasi, Senior Director Global Retail at Puma Group. “After an extensive evaluation, we concluded that Sitoo was the best choice for us. The roll-out in our UK stores has already delivered good results, confirming that Sitoo is the right partner to help us achieve our goals.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Puma, one of the most iconic and biggest brands in the world,” says Jens Levin, CEO and Co-Founder at Sitoo.
“This partnership and the trust it has placed in us, is a testament to the strength of our solution. We look forward to working together to shape the future of retail and create exceptional experiences for Puma’s customers around the globe.”
Best Buy
Rokt has announced a partnership with Best Buy Ads Canada.
Best Buy Ads Canada will use its technology to power relevant messages from third-party brands, whose products and services the company does not directly sell itself, on the confirmation page of the Best Buy Canada e-commerce site.
"Our partnership with Rokt gives us a new way to enhance the online customer experience by presenting shoppers with offers and messages that are relevant to them," says Tara Wilkinson, Director of Strategy, Best Buy Canada.
"Ad personalisation is critical to the online customer experience. Rokt's technology delivers superior ad engagement which speaks directly to relevance, and that's why we chose to partner with Rokt - their offering is refreshingly unique."
Halfords
Halfords has extended its use of Aptos software to support its customer engagement and store operations strategies. The retailer is leveraging upgraded versions of the firm’s PoS, CRM and Sales Audit applications.
“We view the customer journey in a very holistic way,” says Adam Gerrard, Chief Data & Information Officer at Halfords. “With the majority of people in the UK living in close proximity to a Halfords location, we leverage our store network to connect on a deeper level with customers through unrivalled expertise and services and an unbeatable range of products.”
“We recognise the importance of taking a digital first approach.” Gerrard adds, “We have made it easier than ever for people to find us online, and we’ve invested in high performance websites. The greatest benefit is then linking up digital and store experiences in a way that is completely seamless for the customer.”
“For example, a customer browsing online for a product can quickly and easily arrange for Click and Collect at their local store. We view Aptos as an omnichannel technology specialist, and we are pleased to continue our long standing partnership with this firm.”
Sobeys
After a first wave of 50 stores, Sobeys is entering into an agreement with Pricer’s partner, JRTech Solutions, for an expected deployment of five million electronic shelf labels across Canada at an expected order value of 485 MSEK.
The initial order from Sobeys for deployment of ESLs in 50 of its stores, that was reported in June as an order from a Tier 1 North American grocery retailer, was the first large scale full-store deployment of four colour labels in North America.
Sobeys is one of the largest grocery chains in North America with over 1,500 grocery and pharmacy stores.
The roll-out of Pricer’s in-store automation and communication solution, consisting of the cloud-based platform Pricer Plaza and electronic shelf labels, is expected to be completed by 30th April 2026.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail has launched its first owned parcel locker in the UK, and announced plans to have many thousands more.
"With continued growth in online shopping, it is important that we expand our range of services and become more convenient than we have ever been for our customers," says Jack Clarkson, Group Strategy & Transformation Director at Royal Mail owner IDS.
"Customers will now have 24/7 access to drop off and collect their parcels, and can even print their parcel labels at the locker itself. We're always open! This is great news for online shoppers, small businesses and the UK public in general."
One Stop and Snappy Shopper
Snappy Shopper has announced an expansion of its partnership with One Stop, with an additional 280 stores joining the quick commerce platform.
Following an initial 250 store launch in October, this will bring One Stop’s total to 530 stores on the Snappy Shopper platform, enabling more communities across the UK to access rapid grocery delivery.
In addition, One Stop is launching Snappy Rewards, an exclusive loyalty programme available at participating stores. This will allow customers to unlock perks based on tiered spending, including free products and discounts on future purchases with Snappy Shopper and One Stop.
Country Supplier
US retailer Country Supplier is expanding its use of Simbe technology chain wide at all C-A-L Ranch stores and Coastal Farm & Ranch stores in six states.
The deployment marks Simbe’s expansion into a new sector, farm supply.
Country Supplier’s decision follows a proof of value with the company, which had the following results: 25% improved on-shelf availability; 90% improved price accuracy; two weeks’ work dedicated from manually scanning 100K+ products.
In a LinkedIn post, Simbe said: “Country Supplier joins retail champions across many sectors and sizes who enhance the associate and shopper experience by automating manual, labour intensive inventory tasks with in-store intelligence. It is playing to win, and nothing speaks louder than customer success! We’re so proud to power the most retail banners in the world.”
Harvey Nichols
OSF Digital has unveiled a centralised platform for UK luxury fashion retailer Harvey Nichols. The initiative aims to equip Harvey Nichols' marketing team with advanced tools and insights, driving increased return on investment (ROI) and customer engagement.
"We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Harvey Nichols and Salesforce, delivering a transformative centralised platform that redefines customer engagement,” says Gerard Szatvanyi, CEO at OSF Digital.
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to leveraging Salesforce's robust capabilities to empower Harvey Nichols with a unified customer view, driving innovation and growth in the luxury retail sector. Together, we are setting a new standard for personalised customer experiences that align with Harvey Nichols' esteemed brand heritage.”
OSF Digital has previously implemented a Salesforce Loyalty Management system for Harvey Nichols. Building on this, it is now enhancing the retailer's capabilities with Salesforce Data Cloud and MuleSoft integrations.
Goals include engaging existing customers, boosting retention, and attracting new leads through a centralised platform that enables marketers to elevate segmentation and targeting. By unifying customer data across all channels, Harvey Nichols aims to enhance engagement, personalisation, and conversion while enabling its CRM team to increase efficiency without IT dependency.
M&S
First Insight is expanding its partnership with M&S.
Initially launched in 2015 with a focus on the lingerie category, the tie up now encompasses the retailer's entire Clothing & Home business, allowing it to boost customer engagement and brand perception across all categories.
"Our partnership with First Insight has supported our strategy to reshape for growth, as we maintain and extend our lead on quality and value and continue to drive style perceptions.” says Richard Price, Managing Director of Clothing & Home at M&S.
"First Insight’s AI driven intelligence has empowered us to get closer to our customers and offer a more compelling fashion led experience as we seek to become more relevant, to more people, more often."
Cannon Beach, AZ
Cannon Beach, AZ, a new mixed use destination in the US, is deploying Zippin’s checkout-free shopping experience.
Spanning 37 acres, Cannon Beach is anchored by the Revel Surf park, the world’s first to feature both a large traveling wave and a stationary rapid surf wave.
The development also includes a four story hotel, office buildings, co-working spaces, a fitness centre, experiential dining, retail shops, and community spaces complete with fire pits, cabanas, splash pads, and outdoor games.
With Zippin’s checkout-free technology, guests can enter, pick up what they need, and leave, whether they’re grabbing a post-surf snack or stocking up on essentials. The autonomous store will be placed in the Cloud 7 Family Entertainment Center at Cannon Beach AZ.
Walmart
Some Walmart store employees are now wearing body cameras as part of a pilot programme that is focused on worker safety and not loss prevention or theft.
The retailer is currently testing this out at a a few stores in the Dallas area.
“While we don’t talk about the specifics of our security measures, we are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” Walmart said in a statement. “This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions.”
Primark
“It's been great to see such a positive reception to the new service from our colleagues and customers, and to be part of bringing the best of Primark to more people. Watch this space after the Christmas break for more launches,” says Grace Fisher, Click & Collect Lead.
Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark, says: "We’re already seeing strong uptake for Click & Collect as we continue to roll-out the service nationwide, and we expect this demand to grow as we head into the busy festive shopping season. We hope our customers up and down the country find their shopping experiences just that little bit easier this year thanks to the added convenience our service brings.”
"Now that Click & Collect is available at more than half of our British stores, we’re pleased to be offering shoppers more opportunities than ever to enjoy our great value, affordable fashion."
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