You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby: our biggest retail tech articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we power past the 30,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Patchworks, Boxbar Tech, Blackpool Football Club, Raising Cane's, Emperia, Rovertown, Morrisons, VusionGroup, EE, Sensei, and the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
2025 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced, including Tesco, White Stuff, and EE
VoCoVo, Everseen, Sensei, Gander, Iceland, Olio, Trust Retail, East of England Co-op, Lekkerland SE, Poq, Mamas & Papas, Varner, Sitoo, and Zebra Technologies were among the winners last week at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, STRATACACHE, VenHub, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show.
We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our 2025 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended last week's gathering.
2025 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced. Congrats to our winners including @poqcommerce @LiveRamp @Nextail_co @currys @hanshowofficial and thanks to our sponsors, judges, event attendees and the legend that is @tiffstevenson for hosting #RTIHAwards25 https://t.co/YtWksWh6NE
— Retail Technology Innovation Hub (@RTIH_RetailTech) October 17, 2025
NOS Cinemas tests out checkout-free smart store powered by Sensei retail technology
Portugal’s NOS Cinemas is piloting a new store within a store concept, developed by Sensei, which works through its 5G and is being tested at its NorteShopping location.
With no checkouts, no need to order products or register them, this uses machine vision algorithms and sensors to detect interactions with the shelves and, through artificial intelligence, identify the items recalled.
This pilot project is part of a Smart Retail consortium, implemented under a Recovery and Resilience Plan, which aims to develop, demonstrate and industrialise technologies to create innovative retail formats that improve the consumer experience.
EE returns to Elgin with Scotland’s first Experience Local store following St Giles Centre closure
EE has opened a new Experience Local store in Elgin, northeast Scotland, following the closure earlier this year of the St Giles Centre, which left it and 14 other businesses looking for a new home.
The first of its kind tech hub in Scotland is returning to permanent premises in the town’s high street, including an in-store pop-up designed to help traders displaced by the St Giles Centre closure.
In January, 15 businesses had to abandon their outlets at short notice and, nine months on, only four have relocated. Many have been unable to afford the cost of leasing new premises in the town and have become online only businesses.
EE initially opened a temporary mobile truck stationed in the town centre. And now the new Experience Local store invites people to get hands on with the latest connected tech launches and receive expert advice from EE Guides.
It is part of the company’s revamped retail strategy, which places innovation, personalised experiences and community initiatives at the core of its activity on the UK high street.
Blackpool Football Club teams with BoxBar Tech to boost bar experience at Bloomfield Road
Blackpool Football Club's Bloomfield Road ground has become a Boxbar Tech venue as it looks to elevate the bar experience for fans.
The project involved: Fixed wall installation, three points of sale and six serving taps, triple the number of serving points within the existing space, serving capacity of up to 720 pints per hour, San Miguel and Guinness, and payments integrated with Global Payments.
In a LinkedIn post, Boxbar Tech said: "The result? Faster service. Happier fans. And a smoother matchday experience. It’s been fantastic collaborating with the team at Blackpool FC, who are so committed in driving real innovation and investing in the supporter experience. There’s an exciting energy around the club and we’re proud to be a part of that journey."
VusionGroup inks deal to equip Morrisons stores with over 10.8 million electronic shelf labels
Morrisons is partnering with VusionGroup to roll-out electronic shelf labels across all of its 497 stores, becoming the first large UK supermarket group to adopt the technology across its entire estate.
VusionGroup will install 10.8 million smart electronic shelf labels in total.
These will eliminate traditional paper labels throughout the store, providfing price and product information. ESLs will also ensure Morrisons More Card savings and offers are instantly communicated to customers at the shelf edge.
The technology will integrate with Morrisons digital shelf-edge cameras, to guide colleagues to product gaps, speeding up shelf replenishment and integrating with e-commerce applications to make online picking easier and more accurate.
Morrisons will also work with VusionGroup to explore how to leverage the data generated across various initiatives, with the aim of identifying new opportunities to enhance store operations and customer experience.
Doubling down in 2025: RTIH brings you its latest Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List
The latest edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List launched earlier this year, sponsored by 3D Cloud.
The list has seen a surge in popularity over the past few years, to the point that we’ve decided publishing it once a year is no longer enough. Here, then, is a revised edition for 2025, with some names dropping out of the top 100 and some new names coming in.
RTIH has scoured the retail technology world to find the most influential figures for this comprehensive round up of people and trends that shape the industry and help drive it forward.
We’re witnessing a seismic change in shopping habits. Retailers are doubling down on innovative technologies like AR, AI, machine learning, robotics, and automation, and finding ways to use them to boost business efficiency and make customer experiences more exciting and dynamic.
Which is where the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List comes in, presented, we should stress, in no particular order.
Such disruption requires new ways of problem solving and thought leaders who can both evangelise and execute on the likes of digital transformation and omnichannel excellence.
We hope you enjoy reading through it and, as always, if you would like to give feedback or believe that there are some glaring omissions, please feel free to get in touch.
Many thanks to 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualisation software trusted by top furniture and DIY retailers, for sponsoring the report.
THANK YOU - Honored and humbled to be once again on the @RTIH_RetailTech Innovation Hub Top List of Retail Technology Influencers.
— Paul do Forno 🛒 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇵🇹 (@dofornop) October 21, 2025
CONGRATULATIONS to the ALL the tech leaders on this list including @MGTalksRetail @retailgeek https://t.co/1mOKiG5r8D pic.twitter.com/PtT8jAM9z8
Retail iPaas specialist Patchworks bags £5 million in funding as it eyes North American growth
Patchworks has closed a £5 million funding round led by Gresham House Ventures, its main investor, with growth lending from Palatine Growth Credit.
Bringing the total funding to date to £16.3 million, this will be invested in expanding sales and marketing to reach more enterprise retailers and brands, driving growth in the North American market, building on early traction in the region, and investing in product development, including new AI features.
The company helps retailers integrate systems across e-commerce, ERP, PoS, PIM, CRM, CDP and fulfilment, with the aim of avoiding common issues like overselling, delayed orders, and inefficient manual data entry.
Jim Herbert, CEO at Patchworks, says: “This follow on investment is a huge vote of confidence in our platform and our strategy. Retailers and brands need flexible, future-proof infrastructure to stay competitive, and Patchworks gives them the power and speed they need.”
“We’re doubling down on the US market, scaling our partner ecosystem, and continuing to enhance the platform with AI and other innovations so our customers can connect, adapt and grow faster.”
Green Valley Grocery’s former Marketing Director Amanda Yaw joins mobile apps firm Rovertown
Rovertown reports that Amanda Yaw has joined the company as Customer Success Manager.
She will be based in Las Vegas, where she previously served as Marketing Director at Green Valley Grocery.
“As a former Rovertown customer, I couldn’t be more excited to make this move,” says Yaw. “The platform gave us the tools to quickly build something that resonated with customers, reaching 10,000 app users before we even launched a loyalty programme. That experience showed me what’s possible with the right digital strategy, and I’m excited to help other retailers write their own success stories.”
In her new position, Amanda will play a key role within Rovertown’s Customer Success team, supporting retailers across the United States. She joins a team that recently welcomed Erin DaSilva (formerly of SunStop) as Customer Success Manager and Michael Caldwell (formerly of Yesway) as Customer Success Manager - Enterprise.
E-commerce firm Visualsoft appoints company veteran Lucy Dixon as Chief Financial Officer
E-commerce agency, Visualsoft, has announced the appointment of Lucy Dixon as Chief Financial Officer.
She joined the company six years ago from KPMG, where she trained and qualified as a chartered accountant before moving into industry.
Since then, she has played an integral role in guiding it through one of the most significant transitions in its 25 year history: evolving from a proprietary e-commerce platform to a Shopify focused agency model.
When Dixon first arrived, the finance function - and much of the business - was built around Visualsoft’s own technology. Over time, she’s helped reshape that foundation, introducing new systems, improving visibility of client profitability, and building the analytical infrastructure needed to make data led decisions.
She says: “When I joined, there wasn’t a lot of reliable data available. Decisions were often made on instinct. Now, we’re able to use data to really understand where we create value, how we grow sustainably, and how we can increase enterprise value over time.”
Raising Cane’s taps Emperia technology for Halloween themed virtual restaurant experience
Raising Cane’s is inviting customers to step inside a haunted version of its restaurants in partnership with Emperia. It has created its first ever haunted restaurant Halloween virtual experience, an interactive, limited time digital adventure anchored around a collectible Cane’s glow in the dark cup.
Designed to bridge the real life experience with the digital world, this features:
Gear Room - browse exclusive Cane’s merch in a virtual shopping experience and discover a mystical crystal ball. Customers can answer five questions about their Halloween habits to reveal a personalised Cane’s Horoscope - their spooky alter ego for the season.
Capture the Bats Game: Four hidden bats haunt the restaurant. Each discovery unlocks progress, and completing the set delivers a digital reward straight to your inbox.
Arcade Machine: Step up to Cane’s very own retro style arcade. Play the Cryptic Combos Game and advance beyond level one to unlock additional rewards via email.
Menus with a Twist: Just like in a real Cane’s, menus are placed throughout the haunted restaurant, letting customers order their favourite meals. By creating an immersive platform, Cane’s says it can now extend seasonal celebrations and retail moments into dynamic digital spaces - connecting physical products, like the glow in the dark cup, with interactive play, rewards, and social sharing opportunities.
Customers can explore the Haunted Cane’s experience starting 15th October by scanning the QR code on their limited edition Halloween cup.
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