Starring Lush, Primark, and Morrisons: RTIH presents 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 tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Talon.One, VoCoVo, PayPal, Abercrombie & Fitch, Retail Technology Show 2026, and Lincolnshire Co-op.

1. Lush works with Talon.One on launch of 'truly omnichannel' app-based rewards programme

British cosmetics retailer Lush has gone live with a new rewards club offering. It worked with Talon.One to bring this to market.

Customers can download its app, earn points when they shop with Lush and unlock rewards. They will also get first access to shop new product launches on the app.

It will also be possible to get rewarded for each item of eligible plastic packaging they return to stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Taniya De Abrew, Global Head of Digital Marketing & Programmes at Lush, said: “The Lush Rewards Programme has officially launched in the UK and key markets. It has taken over three years of work and a significant collaborative effort from teams across the business to bring it to life.”

She added: “I first met Nindi Kalsi and the Talon.One team at Braze Forge London in 2022, who helped us finally build a truly omnichannel solution - with our app at the centre of the experience. Our customers have been asking for a rewards programme for decades, and I couldn’t be prouder to see it live today. A huge thank you to the Lush teams who have and are continuing to launch this worldwide."

2. Christmas comes early as Asda pilots Zebra Technologies TC53E RFID device in first store

Asda is testing out new Zebra Technologies TC53E-RFID solutions in stores.

The mobile device features integrated short range UHF RFID functionality. Made with 25% post-consumer recycled plastic and equipped with the SE4720 1D/2D Scan Engine, this aims to enhance worker capabilities and versatility in indoor environments.

In a LinkedIn post, Max Parker at Technical Product Owner at Asda, said: "After an exceptional week, we’ve started the pilot of the new TC53E-RFID within our first store. It’s as if Christmas has come early."

"With RFID capability built into it, a larger screen and a generally quicker device our colleagues will be pleased to see the older clients dissapear."

3. Lincolnshire Co-op teams with SOLUM on food store electronic shelf edge labels roll-out across stores

Electronic shelf edge labels (ESELs) are being rolled out across all 100 Lincolnshire Co-op food stores, as part of a £4 million food technology transformation project.

Approximately, food store colleagues manually change 550 labels a week which can rise to 2,000 during an ambient promotion changeover week. Moving to a digital system removes the need for colleagues to print and replace labels manually, meaning hours of their time will be saved to help shoppers and colleagues can also react faster to pricing changes.

The electronic labels will also save over £100,000 on paper, toner and printing per year, contributing to Lincolnshire Co-op's sustainability strategy.

They were first trialled in Lincolnshire Co-op's The Bridge Food store in Newark during October.

Jane Wheeler, The Bridge Food Store Manager, says: “I can’t speak highly enough of the new electronic labels - they’re easy to use and incredibly reliable. It’s a massive but positive change to how the team continues to deliver exceptional customer service and, when new promotions arrive, we’re confident our store will be ready to trade.”

4. Auchan Retail works with IBM Consulting on smart green pallets roll-out in warehouses and stores

Auchan Retail is rolling out 50,000 IBM Smart Green Pallets across warehouses and stores.

The pallets are recyclable, lighter than standard offerings, and fitted with connected sensors that track geolocation, temperature and shocks in real-time.

The technology allows the retailer to: better preserve the freshness and quality of products, especially refrigerated products; limit the risk of food waste; reduce the emissions linked to our logistics flows and therefore the environmental impact; improve the daily life of the teams, thanks to lighter and easier to handle pallets.

Franck Descamps, Director of Logistics Procurement at Auchan Retail, says: "We are taking a new step towards a more responsible, more connected and future oriented supply chain."

5. Morrisons connects with Bauer Media Outdoor UK for first move into digital out of home space

Bauer Media Outdoor UK has secured a new contract with UK grocery giant, Morrisons, with plans to install and operate 300 digital screens across its nationwide supermarket estate, rolling out from Q1 2026.

This marks a seven-year partnership and Morrisons’ first move into the digital out of home space.

In a LinkedIn post, Colin Horan, Strategic Partner, FMCG at Bauer Media Outdoor, said: “The network will feature our state-of-the-art Waferlite digital screens at store entrances, giving brands the opportunity to speak directly to shoppers at the most influential moment in their purchase journey.”

He added: "This reinforces our position as the UK’s largest DOOH retail network and represents a significant expansion of our footprint alongside the established Adshel Live network. It strengthens our ability to connect the shopper journey from streets to store, offering brands a powerful platform that delivers both nationwide reach and meaningful retail impact. A big moment for our business, and an exciting one for the advertisers we work with.”

6. Author, podcast host and event speaker Andrew Grill joins 2026 RTIH AI in Retail Awards judging panel

We're hugely pleased to announce the addition of Andrew Grill to the judging panel for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.

Andrew is a leading AI expert, combining over 30 years’ experience at IBM and high tech startups with degrees in engineering and business strategy. He was a Global Managing Partner at IBM, and works with C-suite teams at Kingfisher, Shell, Dell, Intel, Vodafone and the NHS.

Andrew has delivered over 600 keynotes in 50 countries on generative AI, quantum computing, and digital transformation and in 2025, he was named to the AI 100 UK List for responsible AI. He is the author of the international best seller Digitally Curious, hosts a popular podcast, and appears regularly on BBC, Sky News, and in major publications.

Welcome onboard, Andrew!

Don't delay, enter today!

Time is running out to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.

7. VoCoVo boosts senior leadership team to support its international growth and AI powered CX plans

Retail communications specialist, VoCoVo, has announced two key senior appointments.

Dan Creed joins the C-Suite as Chief People Officer, while Theo Theodorou has been appointed Customer Experience (CX) Director.

Creed will focus on strengthening employee engagement, well being and talent development with the aim of fostering a high performance culture that scales in line with VoCoVo’s expansion and growth plans.

Bringing 25 years of HR leadership in scaling technology businesses such as TM Group (UK) and Celesio to the role, he joins from CV Library, where he served as People and Culture Director.

Creed says: “Fast growth opportunities are where my passion lies, and VoCoVo is an incredibly exciting phase of growth. The business has already invested heavily in its people, building a highly talented and engaged team. My focus now is to build on that foundation, strengthening our high performance culture and implementing the frameworks and tools that will help our people thrive.”

8. Retail Technology Show 2026 open for registrations as event returns to London ExCel in April

Registration is now open for the 2026 edition of Retail Technology Show. Taking place on 22nd and 23rd April at London’s ExCeL, RTS is gearing up to welcome over 16,000 senior retail professionals to the event.

With a new disco theme, RTS 2026 will bring together retail’s movers and shakers and the hottest tech redefining the sector, helping retailers harness disruption to fuel growth and power long-term performance.

Over 450 tech providers will showcase solutions covering every part of retail - from agentic AI and retail media to supply chain evolution and next-gen customer engagement and loyalty.

As well as Start Up Superstars, which spotlights new tech from the startup community, it will also feature a new dedicated Cyber & Loss Prevention Zone. This will feature cutting-edge innovation to help retailers navigate rising cyber risk, prevent loss, reduce crime and keep colleagues and customers safe.

The conference programme, meanwhile, will provide a platform for retail’s brightest minds to discuss the hottest topics and issues shaping the sector. 125+ industry experts - from retail leaders and brand trailblazers to thought leaders, analysts and influencers - will take to the stage, covering key topics selected and vetted by an advisory board.

9. PayPal enables merchants including Abercrombie & Fitch to become discoverable within Perplexity

Abercrombie & Fitch held a Q3 earnings call this week, during which CEO Fran Horowitz announced a partnership with Cymbio and PayPal, making it one of the first brands in the world to be purchasable within AI chats like Perplexity.

"We're very excited about a new partnership with PayPal and Cymbio, our technology and marketplace sales partner that will enable agentic commerce and AI answer engines like Perplexity, where customers can seamlessly complete transactions directly within their AI conversation without even leaving the chat,” said Horowitz.

US users exploring Perplexity's shopping experience can transition from research to purchase, leveraging PayPal’s identity verification, purchase and seller protection, and payment processing, without leaving the answer engine. In addition to Abercrombie & Fitch, Ashley Furniture, Fabletics, Adorama and NewEgg are onboard, with more to come.

“We are building for the next era of commerce by connecting PayPal’s trusted payments and buyer protection directly to AI powered shopping,” says Michelle Gill, General Manager, Small Business and Financial Services, at PayPal.

“Our collaboration with Perplexity is the opening act of our innovation in commerce for the agentic era. This is the continuation of our decades long commitment to make AI driven commerce seamless and interoperable across every platform.”

10. Primark launches proof of concept for cash and card payments self-checkouts at its York store

Primark has gone live with a proof of concept for self-checkouts that accept both cash and card payments at its store in York.

The retailer started to roll-out self-checkouts across its stores in 2022. But while some shoppers welcomed the quicker and easier process, others were unhappy about the limited number of traditional tills and the inability to pay with cash.

So it’s no great surprise to that this trial is getting underway, and it will be interesting to see whether it will move beyond the York store and across the UK estate.

In a LinkedIn post, Connor Button, Product Leader at Primark, said: “An amazing thing happened in York this week; the launch of our proof of concept for cash amd card self-checkouts.”

He added: “A fantastic initiative where Technology and Retail Operations have collaborated together to deliver an innovative and cost effective solution that will drive learnings on customer behaviour and operational execution.”

“I'm excited on the positive impact this will have on further elevating our great customer and colleague experience. It has been great working with so many talented people to deliver a fantastic outcome.”