Robots on rise at RTS 2025: these are our biggest retail technology 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 towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Prime Markets, Simbe, Vista Technology Support, Walmart, Citi Trends, Invent.ai, Company Shop, Pricer, Ocula Technologies, Levy UK and Ireland, and AiFi.
Prime Markets becomes first retailer in Saudi Arabia to bring Tally inventory robot to stores
Simbe reports a partnership with Universal Cold Store (Prime Markets), a grocery retail chain in Saudi Arabia, involving the introduction of its autonomous robot, Tally.
In a first for the region, the aim here is to enhance inventory management, improve pricing accuracy, and elevate the customer experience across select Prime Markets locations.
Tally autonomously roams store aisles and scans shelves multiple times a day. Using AI and computer vision technology, it identifies out-of-stock items, pricing errors, and misplaced products, collecting product data. With its insights, store teams can ensure that customers’ desired items are adequately stocked and priced correctly, while also enabling faster fulfillment of online orders.
“We are committed to delivering the highest quality shopping experience for our valued customers, and Tally is a power tool for taking that to the next level,” says Nooman Hussain, IT Director, Prime Markets. “Based on Tally’s proven performance in stores around the globe, we’re excited to bring this technology to our stores in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
John Allen joins fusefabric in CTO role after spending time in the technology trenches at Asos and Missguided
John Allen has joined Shopify e-commerce and integration partner, fusefabric.
Allen's CV includes stints as Chief Digital Officer at In The Style, CEO at Nobody's Child, and CDO/CTO at Missguided.
In a LinkedIn post, Simon Hamblin, Co-founder at fusefabric, said: "I’m beyond excited to welcome John Allen as our new Field CTO. John has been in the trenches leading technology and digital transformation at some of retail’s biggest names. Asos, Missguided and Nobody's Child, he knows firsthand what it takes to scale, innovate, and deliver results in enterprise retail."
He added: "We’ve built our reputation on execution - and with John onboard, we’re doubling down on technical leadership. He’ll be shaping how we tackle complex enterprise integrations while also working closely with our team as an associate, bringing deep expertise to our initiatives."
"His experience navigating the complexities of enterprise retail technology is exactly what our clients need. In a world where tech can make or break a business, we’re making sure our clients are always ahead of the curve."
Walmart Skyward experience goes live ahead of A Minecraft Movie theatrical release during April
Walmart has launched its first ever server on Minecraft Java Edition.
Walmart Skyward is being released in the run up to A Minecraft Movie hitting cinemas in April.
It is pitched as an action packed, story driven server on Minecraft Java Edition where players embark on a space adventure to find a lost friend. It will run over the course of six weeks, with a new chapter being released each week, taking players on a journey across galaxies to uncover the secrets of an interstellar civilisation.
"While Walmart Skyward is not an official Minecraft service, we’ve created a truly immersive experience for players and YouTube content creators alike, offering endless content creation possibilities with our chapter-based format. Walmart is also players' go to destination for Minecraft products, including exclusive items from The Minecraft Movie," says Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart.
"This activation is a significant step in our growing commitment to the world of gaming. With over three billion gamers worldwide and even more gaming content consumers, gaming is more than just entertainment - it’s a culture. From Minecraft lovers to YouTube creators, we're here to make gaming even more accessible, creative, and unforgettable."
US value retailer Citi Trends taps Invent.ai tech to transform inventory management processes
Invent.ai has been selected by Citi Trends, a value retailer of apparel, accessories and home trends primarily for African American and multicultural families in the US, to provide AI powered inventory solutions for allocation and replenishment.
Invent.ai’s AI and machine learning capabilities will help Citi Trends optimise inventory and enhance efficiency across nearly 600 stores and two distribution centres.
“We are excited to partner with invent.ai to transform our inventory management processes,” says Ken Seipel, Chief Executive Officer at Citi Trends. “By embracing AI and data driven decision-making, we are confident that we can significantly enhance our operational agility, improve our bottom line, and deliver exceptional experiences for our valued customers.”
VTEX CEO Mariano Gomide de Faria slams 'dogmatic' MACH Alliance as his company pulls support
VTEX Founder and Co-CEO Mariano Gomide de Faria has announced via LinkedIn that his company is temporarily suspending support of the MACH Alliance, a non-profit profit group whose members include software vendors, systems integrators, agencies, and individual experts known as "Ambassadors", advocating for open technology ecosystems.
This has sparked some lively debate, with the MACH Alliance President, Casper Aagaard Rasmussen requesting an open conversation, and others sharing similar sentiments of composable commerce regret.
In his post, the VTEX boss says the firm will continue to support MACH, the day it stands for the following topics: Lean and simple architecture; OOTB fully connected software ecosystem; No middleware or minimal middleware integration layer; Defend the best interest of retailers and brands (not the provider's best interest).
He comments: “The MACH Alliance emerged with noble intentions, promising to break the stranglehold of monolithic platforms through its gospel of microservices, API first, cloud native, and headless architectures. Its vision of modular commerce - stitching together 'best-of-breed' solutions - appeared revolutionary at first glance (and it has been for some). But what began as a technical liberation movement has instead led us down a treacherous path paved with hidden costs, operational nightmares, unfulfilled promises, and financial ruin.”
He adds: “Let's be brutally honest: The pure best-of-breed MACH approach has created as many problems as it has solved. What began as a crusade for technical freedom has morphed into a complex web of challenges:”
And he concludes: “The MACH Alliance served its purpose in breaking us free from monolithic thinking. Now it's time to break free from MACH dogma itself. The future belongs to organisations that can balance technical capability with business reality, creating solutions that don't just work in theory but deliver in practice.”
“The future is based on highly connected (OOTB connections) backbones that provide a sustainable, reliable, and business driven solution Let's stop chasing composable extremism and start building solutions that work for business.”
Vista Technology Support and Simbe team up to bring Tally in-store robot to RTS 2025 attendees
The event takes place at London ExCel on 2nd-3rd April, with the pair teaming up to present in-store autonomous robot Tally to visitors.
You can visit them at stand G55 - opposite the Champagne Bar.
Company Shop deploys Pricer in-store solution based on ESLs across its UK store estate of supermarkets
Surplus supermarket, Company Shop, has partnered with Pricer to roll-out the firm’s in-store solution based on electronic shelf labels (ESLs) across its entire UK store estate.
Company Shop sells discounted surplus from over 800 brands, retailers and manufacturers to its members who meet specific criteria. Each year, it redistributes over 100 million items across multiple categories and prevents 122,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Its assortment of shorter shelf-life goods changes rapidly, often multiple times daily, requiring frequent updates to product information at the shelf-edge. Additionally, its commitment to offering its members the best value meant store colleagues were conducting several manual pricing changes throughout the day.
This required significant labour hours, and the installation of Pricer’s in-store solution for communication and digitalisation will create operational efficiencies, enabling store colleagues’ time to be used elsewhere.
Partnering with Pricer, Company Shop has ushered in dynamic pricing and markdown capabilities. The centrally controlled ESLs deliver automated real-time pricing updates direct to the shelf-edge throughout the day.
Levy UK and Ireland's Harry Ridley talks frictionless retail innovation journey with AiFi
Harry Ridley, Head of Technology at Levy UK and Ireland, recently took to the stage at the Coliseum Global Sports Venue Alliance European Summit at the Arsenal F.C Emirates stadium, alongside Damian Ritter from AiFi.
In a LinkedIn post, Ridley said: "Together, we shared our journey of innovation and collaboration, showcasing how we started - taking learnings from over three years of pioneering frictionless starting at Flutter Entertainment HQ and Defence Academy of the United Kingdom laid the foundation for our successful launch at Leicester City Football Club, first frictionless stadium bar in Europe, followed by Aston Villa Football Club. These milestones marked a huge step forward and set the stage for frictionless innovation across the industry."
Do not underestimate the power of space planning and optimising fan flows in the design of frictionless outlets, proving that any space can be transformed, Ridley stressed. "I believe the future is no gates - just seamless, open trackable spaces be it lounges, VIP or even GA+ areas, reimagining the fan experience."
He added: "Always enhance and upgrade your back of house infrastructure, crucial to seamless operation and increase pick up and re-stock speed. Partnering with the experts at Benchmark Designs has been absolutely essential to deliver optimal layouts, high quality fit out and finishes."
"Frictionless technology, such as AiFi ensures 99.4+% accurate transactions, eliminates shrinkage, prevents stock outages, and enhances operational efficiency, creating the best possible fan experience. Fully immersive venues such as the Intuit Dome (Levy Restaurants) are leading the charge."
Brook Mays Music enlists Ocula Technologies as third generation business enters new era of AI innovation
Ocula Technologies reports a new partnership with US retailer Brook Mays Music.
Founded in 1901, Brook Mays specialises in musical instrument retail. In a LinkedIn post, Thomas McKenna, CEO at Ocula Technologies, said: "We will be supporting the brilliant Ray Everitt (President at Universal Melody Online) and his team as they take this iconic third generation business into a new era of AI innovation."
"We offer a huge range of musical instruments, but keeping product information accurate and optimised across our site has been a challenge. Ocula’s AI is helping us create high quality, consistent product content while boosting SEO and traffic. Excited to see the impact," says Everitt.
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