Including Nomitri, Sensei, and Bambuser: RTIH rolls out this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including the end of the road for Pandion, a new beginning for Nomitri, and an autonomous stores first for Sensei.

1. Five year journey comes to an end as Scott Ruffin founded online delivery startup Pandion shuts down

Just ten months ago, Pandion, which was started in 2020 by former Amazon and Walmart executive Scott Ruffin, raised $41 million, with sales forecasted north of $200 million. But the parcel network designed for e-commerce residential delivery has now closed abruptly, after talks with potential acquirers and investors proved unsuccessful. Employees will be paid through to 15th January without severance.

In a LinkedIn post, Ruffin, the founder and former leader of Amazon Air., said: “This decision is profoundly personal for me. Five years ago, Pandion began as nothing more than an idea. Since then, we’ve achieved remarkable milestones. We generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue, built innovative technology from the ground up, and developed concepts and technology that advanced the operations industry, which will endure long after our journey ends.”

He added: “From delivering over 100,000 packages a day to developing world class technology, I’m immensely proud of everything we accomplished. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, I remain grateful for the incredible work and dedication that made these achievements possible.”

2. GK Software buys Nomitri with founders Trinh Le-Fiedler and Max Fiedler remaining in managing positions

GK Software, a provider of commerce solutions for retailers, has acquired Nomitri, a Berlin-based AI self-checkout technology startup.

It says that the transaction will expand its commerce capabilities with out of the box SCO (self-checkout) and store operations solutions to expand the company’s global portfolio of retail customers.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Nomitri will continue to exist as a wholly owned subsidiary of the GK Software Group. Founders Trinh Le-Fiedler and Max Fiedler will remain in managing positions. The Nomitri solutions will be presented as a new product suite within GK’s product portfolio under the name ‘GK Vision’.

“Nomitri has been an integral part of the GK partner ecosystem for some time, and its innovative capabilities have consistently impressed both our team and leading retailers," says Michael Scheibner, CEO at GK Software.

"Retailers are demanding fast, scalable, and cost-effective self-checkout solutions, and Nomitri has delivered time and time again. Today, we’re proud to take this partnership to the next level by welcoming Nomitri’s groundbreaking technology into the GK portfolio as GK Vision.”

‘With a strong foundation of collaboration and trust, we are ready to scale GK Vision and redefine the self-checkout experience for retailers worldwide. Integrated into our GK CLOUD4RETAIL commerce platform, this addition further cements our commitment to providing cutting-edge, end-to-end solutions for our global customers."

3. All eyes on Leiria, Portugal as Sensei and MC Sonae lay claim to world's largest autonomous supermarket

Sensei has partnered with MC Sonae on the opening of a new Continente Bom Dia location, in Leiria, Portugal, pitched as the world’s largest autonomous supermarket.

In a LinkedIn post, Sensei said: "This revolutionary achievement is a record breaker on so many levels, setting a new benchmark for the future of retail: 1.676 cameras; 1,200 sq m2; 2,000 scales; 21 servers; 10.000 SKU’s."

"With democratic entry (no app or card tapping needed), assisted sales (fresh fish counter), simplified real-time basket checkout, discrepancy detection (a first!), and many more, bringing the shopping journey to a whole new level."

It concluded: "We changed everything, challenging the retail status quo, without changing anything – except for the groundbreaking checkout process, it’s just a really simple, smooth and seamless shopping experience."

4. Currys Connected Media teams with STRATACACHE owned PRN to expand offering into UK and Ireland stores

Currys has announced the expansion of Currys Connected Media into all its UK&I stores. It has partnered with in-store media specialist PRN (a STRATACACHE company) on this.

The retailer will, as a result, enable brands to advertise on displays within its stores. Powered by PRN’s technology, the networked screens will deliver targeted adverts. With over 100 screens in many locations, the national network hopes to deliver around 40 million annual impressions.

This opportunity is available to brands sold in all Currys’ 297 UK&I stores, as well as to other brands wanting to connect with its shoppers.

The proposition is a key element of the broader Currys Connected Media landscape.

5. WSS stores go live on Aptos ONE PoS with more locations set to adopt retail technology solution in 2025

WSS has deployed Aptos ONE PoS across its store operations and customer engagement strategies. Dozens of WSS stores went live on it immediately prior to the holiday shopping period, with the remainder set to adopt the solution in early 2025. 

Based in Gardena, California, WSS is a subsidiary of Foot Locker and operates more than 140 stores nationwide.

“We are a visionary organisation, and our technology investments reflect that,” says Sarah Derba, Senior Director, Information Technology, at WSS. “Modern software architectures are important to us, and so is field performance. When evaluating PoS systems, we put a lot of consideration into questions like ‘how is this going to perform in the field?’ and ‘is this going to make the job easier and better for our employees?’”

“Now that we’re live with Aptos ONE, we’re seeing firsthand the positive impact that it has on employee and customer satisfaction and the overall energy in our stores,” Derba adds. “WSS employees can ring up transactions, add loyalty points, access real-time inventory and customer data, complete omnichannel orders, and much more – all from a single, mobile-first device.” 

“What has impressed us the most has been the speed and ease of serving customers, and the speed and ease to configure, update and deploy the application. Aptos ONE proves that enterprise grade PoS applications can be fast and easy to use while still offering deep functionality. Our adoption of Aptos ONE has been fantastic.”

6. The Very Group's Skygate automated fulfilment centre produces results over Christmas and Black Friday period

The Very Group, a digital retailer chaired by former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, has released its Christmas and Black Friday period trading results for the seven weeks to 27th December 2024.

Sales at core brand Very rose 2.3% year-on-year, with overall group retail sales up 0.5%. Excluding the impact of Nike sales, Very UK sales rose by 4.5%, and group sales grew by 2.8%.

6.9 million items were processed at Skygate, the group’s automated fulfilment centre. 218,000 items were processed on 29th November, the busiest day of its peak period, and beating last year’s busiest day of 205,000 items. 

The fastest order during the peak period was processed and despatched in 16 minutes. The Very Group says it maintained its next day delivery service throughout the peak period, with a cut-off of 7pm on 23rd December for delivery before Christmas.

7. Amazon claims UK’s biggest ever order of electric trucks and moves onto Britain’s electric railways

Amazon has announced the expansion of zero exhaust emission deliveries in the UK, with its largest ever order of electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs). For the first time, its packages are now also being transported at scale on the UK’s electric rail network. In addition, the company has launched on foot customer deliveries for the first time in central London, with trolleys that can be restocked while on the go.

“Decarbonising our transport network is key in helping us achieve our goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 and today’s announcement is an exciting and major step forward for us in this mission, says Nicola Fyfe, EU VP at Amazon Logistics.

“The combination of our - and the UK’s - biggest ever order of eHGVs, the UK’s electric rail network now being used to transport customer packages, and the launch of restocking on the move on-foot deliveries, all alongside our partners’ fleet of electric vans and e-cargo bikes, will help us move more customer orders across our fulfilment network with zero exhaust emissions. This is a win for our customers, the environment and our business.”

8. Bambuser enters China as it works with fashion retailer Zara on livestream and video commerce strategy

Bambuser has announced ts first launch in China with a dedicated platform for Zara that integrates livestream shopping and video commerce across its e-commerce channels.

The partnership is timed with the launch of Zara’s ‘Chinese New Year’ collection, which was launched on 9th January, and is available for purchase through shoppable livestreams.

In China, 54.7% of consumers shop through livestreams, according to the 53rd Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development. Bambuser’s platform enables brands to integrate shoppable videos and livestreams across their online channels.

“China is the dominant market for live shopping, which is traditionally run on marketplaces and third party platforms. However, brands are increasingly shifting toward direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies to offer the same engaging live video shopping experiences on their own platform," says Maryam Ghahremani, CEO at Bambuser. 

“Zara is one such brand embracing this shift, and our expansion into this market is empowering Zara and other brands on their D2C journey, enabling them to deliver seamless, high quality livestreams directly to their audiences in every channel.”

In 2024, Zara teamed up with Bambuser to launch ‘ZaraStreaming’, a debut livestream shopping event that allowed western-based consumers to buy directly from a live video experience. The pair lay claim to thousands of customers being drawn in by the appearance of supermodel Cindy Crawford and her daughter, Kaia Gerber.

9. Refund tech firm Reshop brings in Afterpay Co-Founder Anthony Eisen as CEO and bags $17m in funding

Reshop, a startup that focuses on the refund process for both consumers and retailers, has announced Anthony Eisen as its CEO, as well as a $17 million fundraise. 

Eisen most recently served as Co-Founder and Co-CEO at FinTech firm Afterpay, which he launched alongside Nick Molnar in 2014 and listed on the ASX in May 2016.

The $17 million fundraise, meanwhile, features investments from Matrix Partners, Sound Ventures (a venture capital firm co-founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary), Woodson Capital, and Touch Ventures. As Reshop continues to expand its network of partner retailers (which currently includes Alo Yoga, Steve Madden, Dolce Vita, and Cara Cara), the cash will be used to accelerate go-to-market and scale. 

"With Afterpay, our mission has always been to power an economy in which everyone wins, and that holds true with Reshop as well," says Eisen.

"The refunds space is ripe for disruption and in need of a solution that benefits both retailers and consumers, which is what we're providing with Reshop. I'm proud of the progress the team has already made since launching earlier this year and am excited to help shape the next chapter in their journey."

10. 2025 the year of immersive commerce: Walmart notches up Zepeto first as it learns what resonates with community

Walmart has launched Zepeto's first ever e-commerce experience for real world items.

In a LInkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, said: "You read it here first… 2025 is the year of immersive commerce! Users are now able to buy real-world No Boundaries items directly on Zepeto by logging in to their Walmart account for a secure buying experience. The purchase of each real-world item also comes with a free virtual twin."

"This is our third drop since launching on Zepeto in October. In a short period of time, we’ve learned what resonates with the community, what tactics drive increased engagement, and so much more. Here are some results to date: 3.6M+ try-ons of our 20 previous virtual items; 1.87M+ pieces of user generated content shared; 180K+ item likes and 67K+ item saves for future purchase. All data provided by GEEIQ.”

He added: "Our strategy to continue investing in emerging platforms and immersive commerce isn’t because they're shiny new objects to test with. It’s driven by data and insights about the next generation of consumers, such as: 56% of Gen Z say visiting a brand’s virtual experience improves perception; 53% of Gen Z gamers spend more than $20 every month on virtual items; 42% of Gen Z use their virtual avatar to test fashion items they might buy IRL.”

The launch is complemented by ten new items, available for real-world or virtual purchase, from the spring No Boundaries collection and a self-love themed photobooth backdrop for additional content creation."