Disrupting the rapid delivery disruptors: these are our most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including TikTok Shop, Snappy Shopper, Pixevia, Perfect Corp., Farfetch, Trigo, Legion, Ecomtent, and Cerve.

'Re-shapping future of e-commerce': TikTok Shop aims to reign in Spain amid social commerce boom

TikTok Shop ended 2024 by announcing its official launch in Spain.

In a LinkedIn post, Marta Gil Cáceres, Head of Fashion and Home & Living at TikTok Shop, said: "For those who do not know us yet, TikTok Shop is not just an e-commerce platform - it´s a place where creators, brands, shoppers come together to redefine how we discover and enjoy products."

"A huge thank you to all the incredible teams involved in making this happen. Special mention to my team. You are a constant source of inspiration. Your hard work, creativity, and dedication have been instrumenal in bringing TikTok Shop to life. Let´s keep having fun and re-shapping the future of e-commerce."

AI powered autonomous retail technology startup Pixevia bags €340,000 in funding for global expansion push

Pixevia, a Vilnius, Lithuania-based startup that specialises in automated retail stores and analytics using AI and cameras, has raised €340,000 in a bridge round extension.

The funding was led by Coinvest Capital, contributing €170k, with the remainder from new and existing investors.

“This funding allows us to allocate more resources to specific countries and accelerate deployments, reaffirming our dedication to revolutionising retail with AI powered technologies,” says Mindaugas Eglinskas, Founder and CEO at Pixevia.

This builds on a €1.5 million funding round in May 2024. With the additional €340k, Pixevia is targeting roll-outs in Taiwan, Belgium, Italy, and Poland, while bolstering its operations in the APAC region, Europe, and the US.

Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital, says: “Pixevia’s capacity to innovate has been remarkable. Our partnership with Pixevia aligns seamlessly with our mission to back technology driven ventures that disrupt industries. This funding round reflects our confidence in Pixevia’s AI solutions and their potential to become a global leader in retail transformation.”

Snappy Shopper CTO talks quick commerce market disruption as price hikes and rider pay protests loom large

Quick commerce is here to stay but industry giants like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat need disrupting, specifically due to their price hikes and poor fleet compensation. That's the view of Lisa Venter, Chief Transformation Officer at UK-based Snappy Group.

Earlier this year, Deliveroo achieved its first ever profit. It earned £1.3 million in the first half of 2024 - a sharp turnaround from the £82.9 million loss it made during the same period last year.

This came as Deliveroo (alongside Uber Eats and Just Eat) branched out from takeaway food to also focus on grocery and retail deliveries.

It also conincided with rider strikes and other protests calling on the rapid delivery industry to improve pay for a group of workers who are often classed as self-employed.

Snappy Group's Snappy Shopper business, meanwhile, announced an expansion of its partnership with One Stop, with an additional 280 stores joining the platform.

Retail technology big hitter Zebra Technologies set to acquire 3D vision technology firm Photoneo

Zebra Technologies has announced its intention to acquire Brightpick subsidiary Photoneo, a developer and manufacturer of 3D machine vision solutions.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. It follows the creation this year of an OEM relationship for Photoneo’s cameras that expanded Zebra’s 3D portfolio offering.

“This acquisition addresses the needs of customers globally who want to maximize the potential of machine vision within their frontline operations,” says Bill Burns, Chief Executive Officer, Zebra Technologies.

“Building on our proven expertise in autonomous data capture, inspection software and deep learning AI capabilities, this combination expands our portfolio of highly differentiated 3D sensors and advanced 3D machine vision software."

"What a bittersweet moment this is. This must be what it feels like watching your child grow up and leave the nest," says Jan Zizka, Founder and CEO at Brightpick.

"On one hand, I’m incredibly proud to see our baby, which we started literally in Tomas Kovacovsky's (CTO) garage, grow into the market leader in 3D vision guided robotics and be acquired by a major US corporation."

"On the other hand, it’s difficult to say goodbye to 120 amazing colleagues and friends who have been by our side through thick and thin. While it’s impossible to name everyone, this would not have been possible without their dedication and hard work."

Perfect Corp. inks deal to buy virtual try-on technology and digitalisation solutions firm Wannaby from Farfetch

Beauty and fashion tech solutions firm, Perfect Corp., has entered into an agreement with luxury fashion marketplace, Farfetch, to acquire Wannaby, a digital immersive experiences specialist.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wannaby, known for its virtual try-on technology and digitalisation solutions, has worked with over 30 luxury brands.

Alice Chang, Founder and CEO at Perfect Corp., comments: "By welcoming Wannaby’s capabilities into our portfolio, we are poised to enrich our digital solutions and reinforce our presence in the fashion tech landscape. This expansion into new fashion categories such as shoes and bags demonstrates our commitment to innovation and our ability to deliver exceptional value to clients across diverse sectors."

This acquisition also marks the beginning of a collaborative relationship between Perfect Corp. and Farfetch. After completion, the latter will continue to tap Wannaby’s solutions. The acquisition is expected to be finalised in the coming months, subject to customary closing conditions.

Trigo takes the wraps off real-time AI powered retail loss prevention over CCTV

Trigo Vision has announced an addition to ts technology suite, introducing a CapEx free loss prevention solution.

Trigo has leveraged its frictionless retail technology, used by the likes of the UK’s Tesco and Germany’s REWE, to help those struggling to balance shrink reduction with a free flowing and non-intrusive customer shopping journey.  

Its system tracks shopping journeys and human-product interactions in real-time, even with partial camera coverage. This eliminates blind spots by connecting the dots between different camera angles in store aisles to detect potential theft or unintentional checkout errors. 

"Traditional retail security creates an impossible compromise between prevention and customer experience. Caught in a Catch-22, retailers must prioritise creating an enjoyable shopping experience while still safeguarding inventory," says Trigo CEO Daniel Gabbay. "Our technology eliminates this tradeoff by delivering unprecedented visibility without treating customers like suspects."

One to watch: REWE takes loyalty into its own hands as retailer bids farewell to Payback platform

REWE and Penny are ending their loyalty partnership with Payback as rivals Edeka, Netto Marken-Discount, and Marktkauf get ready to join the latter's network.

REWE is planning to launch its own loyalty programme in 2025, called REWE Bonus, with CEO Lionel Souque last week teasing the move with the following post on LinkedIn: “From tomorrow, 29th December, ‘Blue’ will become ‘Eucalyptus’ and ‘Dragonfruit.’”

Oleksandr Koshovyi, Product Owner at REWE digital, added yesterday: “Unbelievable how quickly time has passed. Exactly two years ago, we started with the idea for a new customer loyalty programme. Today, at 00:01 on Sunday, I was able to collect my first bonus at the airport – an incredible feeling!”

“I am infinitely proud of the outstanding team effort at REWE digital with over 400 colleagues who were involved in product development. Now I'm looking forward to seeing how our programme resonates with our customers and what added value we can offer them in the future.”

As for Payback, Germany’s largest loyalty platform with 30 million users, it is set to expand its network significantly with the addition of Edeka and Netto. In addition, a new partnership with Sparkassen will enable its customers to automatically earn Payback points through their Girocards in 2025.

Troy Cox, Chief Product Officer at BigCommerce: examining Generative AI’s retail impact in 2025

The retail e-commerce space is evolving rapidly, with technologies like generative AI now at the core of many of its innovations. Generative AI is expected to deliver a value of $400 billion to $660 billion a year and its potential applications range from providing a more seamless customer experience to helping strengthen omnichannel operations.

GenAI’s effects are already visible across many aspects of retail, and this trend is not going to end soon: over the next 12 months, we will see increased adoption of even more advanced AI models that will produce better results and content for brands. These are the key retail AI trends I expect to see in 2025. 

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.

Including Legion, Ecomtent, and Cerve: 12 retail technology funding rounds you need to know about

RTIH rounds up 12 retail systems ventures who have recently secured significant investments in their businesses, including rediem, Movopack, Mantis Robotics, Justt, HappyRobot, Pixevia, and Reconome.