RTIH AI in Retail Awards Physical Stores category finalists announced including Trigo

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards physical stores innovation category.

This award focuses on technology deployments enabling physical spaces to thrive via AI powered solutions, even as online shopping continues to grow. 

We were looking for examples of reducing friction in the customer journey, offering improved experiences, blurring the lines between channels, and boosting the way in which employees work.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process. We received a huge number of impressive entries highlighting 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.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, taking place  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, presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Lucy Porter.

To book your place at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, click here.

Our 2025 runners and riders as follows:

Orquest

Orquest is an AI powered workforce scheduling solution that helps physical retail stores optimise operations, boost productivity, and control labour costs.

It ensures the right employees are in the right place at the right time by forecasting demand with high accuracy and generating optimized, compliant schedules in minutes.

Retailers such as H&M, Kiabi, and Dior, as well as food service brands like McDonald’s and Burger King, use Orquest to improve team performance and enhance the in store experience by aligning workloads with skills, availability, and legal constraints.

Today, it schedules over 280k employees in more than 90 countries with consistent, measurable results.

Reckon.ai

Reckon.ai is a PE backed scale-up from Porto, Portugal. It offers smart coolers and fridges using AI powered software to detect purchases with input from weight sensors and cameras.

AI is furthermore used to train the machine very quickly (minutes) on new products which saves the operator lots of time versus traditional ways. Via an intuitive back-end management tool, Reckon´s customers can manage their devices remotely both technically as well as commercially and gather valuable insights regarding shopper behaviour.

Retail-AI

Retail-AI empowers physical stores with an industry leading anti-theft solution. Monitoring stock in real-time, uts system detects theft and unwanted behaviours instantly. True to its motto, "it all starts with audio", the company deploys targeted audible warnings to deter perpetrators, correcting actions without confrontation. 

At the core lies "RaiD10 Data Cube". This centralised hub offers retailers vital security alerts and customer demographics. Uniquely, it optimises operations by assigning staff tasks; from mopping to maintenance, verifying their completion through AI overwatch. Retail-Ai provides a safer, more efficient retail environment for customers, staff and owners.

Sensei

The retail sector faces increasing pressure to deliver faster, more convenient shopping while managing labour shortages and operational inefficiencies. Sensei partnered with Sonae MC to launch the world’s largest autonomous store, an ambitious goal never before attempted at this scale.

As a leader in autonomous retail, it faced new challenges due to the size and complexity of the operation. Deploying its technology in a 1,200 m² store with over 11,000 SKUs demanded unprecedented precision and robustness.

Sensei had to ensure accurate tracking of a high volume of daily baskets using 1,676 ceiling mounted cameras and 2,000 shelf sensors, while delivering a seamless experience even at fresh counters like bakery, fishmonger, and butchery.

The store environment pushed the limits of existing systems, particularly around real-time basket accuracy at supermarket scale. This was not just about implementing proven technology; it was about pioneering a breakthrough to prove that autonomous retail is both scalable and operationally viable.

Spacture Al

Spacture AI has revolutionised physical retail security through its real-time AI Vision Agent system that powers person recognition and suspicious activity detection.

Every individual entering a store is analysed, and store owners receive instant alerts for abnormal behaviours such as shoplifting, eating from shelves, or loitering. A powerful watchlist feature notifies businesses the moment flagged individuals return.

By detecting threats before they escalate, the firm’s AI Vision Agent enables proactive loss prevention. This technology bridges artificial intelligence with retail operations to minimise shrinkage, improve safety, and deliver real-time, actionable insights, redefining how modern retailers secure and manage their environments.

Tahina

Tahina is creating a new kind of food retail experience, an autonomous, AI powered grab and go store designed to make shopping fast, easy, and completely checkout free.

The flagship store, planned for London, will use smart shelving, motion sensors, and AI to let customers pick up high quality, globally inspired meals and leave without queues or cashiers. Built with inclusivity and sustainability front and centre, Tahina aims to change how people think about physical stores.

This concept offers a fresh, scalable approach that blends convenience with environmental responsibility and accessibility, setting a new standard for the future of food retail.

Trigo

Trigo delivered a fully autonomous store for Etisalat, the UAE’s largest telecom brand, inside Dubai Mall, one of the planet’s busiest retail hubs.

Shoppers can enter, pick up smartphones, SIMs and accessories, while watching their basket update live as they shop via our new mid‑journey feature, adding or removing items the instant they’re moved, and simply walk out to make payment.

Ceiling cameras, shelf sensors and computer‑vision AI build a real‑time digital shopping basket that delivers item level accuracy and instant checkout while protecting privacy. The concept’s success has already led the operator to commission a third site, proving its commercial and technological impact.

VenHub Global

VenHub Global is revolutionising bricks and mortar retail with the fully autonomous Smart Store, designed for 24/7 operation, zero on-site staff, and maximum efficiency.

Its modular units combine AI, robotics, and robotics arms to eliminate labour costs, reduce shrinkage, and operate in high-traffic or underserved areas where traditional retail fails. Four Initial deployments across California include a landmark store at LAX Airport / Metro Transit Center and one at the Hollywood Bowl.

VenHub is more than innovation - it’s a blueprint for the future of retail. By solving the biggest challenges facing physical retail, VenHub enables a sustainable, scalable model that empowers entrepreneurs and redefines what’s possible in convenience commerce.

VusionGroup

VusionGroup is redefining how retailers use data and artificial intelligence to optimise operations, reduce waste, and enhance the customer experience.

Through platforms like Memory, Captana, and VusionLive, retailers can use real-time in-store data to make better decisions, faster. Bringing together electronic shelf-labels, real-time shelf availability monitoring, shopper behaviour, basket insights and automated pricing, VusionGroup’s AI and data analytics platforms can turn these insights into actions that improve retailers’ bottom line.

Alongside improved profits, there is a tangible benefit to in-store associates, the customer experience, supply chain efficiencies and sustainability. Together, VusionGroup’s cutting-edge AI and data analytics are transforming physical stores.

Wildix

x-hoppers has transformed how Herron Foods associates communicate on the shop floor.

Outdated systems are gone, replaced with smart, wireless, AI powered headsets to talk, solve problems and get support on the spot and in real-time. This shift has empowered frontline workers to act faster and more independently.

Common tech issues get fixed 50% faster. Shrink is easier to track and prevent. Help desk calls are down. And customers spend less time waiting. With full adoption in new and refurbished stores, x-hoppers has become key to how Heron Foods runs its business: more connected, more efficient, more in control.