Omnichannel influencers assemble!: it can only be 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 systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Studenac market, Walmart, VTEX, MACH Alliance, Prime Markets, Simbe, Very, fusefabric, Gap's Old Navy, and Ikea.
1. Studenac market focuses on digital solutions and sustainability with new logistics and distribution centre
Croatian retailer Studenac market has provided an update on the status of construction of a new logistics and distribution centre in Velika Gorica, pitched as a key step in strengthening its supply chain.
On 36,000 square metres of warehouse space, with an investment of over €10 million, the aim here is to optimise distribution, improve logistics processes and create over 400 new jobs.
In a LinkedIn post, Studenac market said: "In addition to advanced digital solutions, we also focus on the energy efficiency of the building, so about 80% of the roof will be covered with solar panels. In this way, we continue to raise our logistics and distribution to the highest level of excellence."
"By mid-2026, we will operate as many as two completely new, technologically advanced, sustainable and environmentally efficient facilities. While the works in Velika Gorica are progressing, in the meantime, a contract has been signed for the new LDC Split in Dugopolje, which will cover 23 thousand square metres. Ready for the future - because growth never stops!"
2. 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."
3. 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."
4. 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.”
5. 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.”
6. Ikea unveils its largest fulfilment store after extensive revamp project in Budapest, Hungary
Ikea has uunveiled its redesigned Soroksár store in Budapest, pitched as a major step in the retailer’s efforts to adapt its physical locations for an omnichannel world.
For the first time ever, it has merged the Market Hall and the Showroom into one floor, dedicating the other floor to online fulfilment.
The latter area brings under one roof automation and digital solutions that Ingka Group, the biggest Ikea retailer, has tested separately in different markets but not until now utilised together in one place. The result is its biggest fulfilment store in Europe, and the largest fulfilment store in the world by 2026.
The nearly Euro 50 million investment has doubled the store’s online sales capacity to almost a million orders a year, and aims to enhance in-person shopping and e-commerce fulfilment while ensuring a full product range remains available for customers in the store.
“It’s really a different kind of experience if you’re going through the Soroksár store compared to any other Ikea store around the world. The shopping journey is shorter, more interactive and automated, and it still offers our customers the full Ikea experience - complete with our entire product range, expertise of our co-workers, and of course delicious food,” says David McCabe, Country Retail Manager & Chief Sustainability Officer at Ikea Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Features like the Rug Projector tool bring products to life, while digital kiosks and the Ikea app simplify browsing, in-store navigation, and post-purchase engagement.
7. Gap's Old Navy taps RADAR to implement real-time inventory tracking tech into 1,200+ US stores
RADAR, whose platform combines RFID, AI and computer vision technology to track and locate in-store inventory in real-time, has announced a partnership with Gap's Old Navy brand.
Old Navy's multi-year plans include a phased roll-out of RADAR's technology across its nationwide store fleet to provide its store associates with real-time inventory information to locate items anywhere in the store and deliver an improved customer experience.
"We're excited to partner with RADAR, which offers a sophisticated platform and analytics that will give our teams greater real-time inventory visibility to provide an even better in-store shopping experience," says Haio Barbeito, Old Navy President and CEO.
"Building on the rigour and discipline that is now core to how we operate, this new technology can place power in the hands of our frontline teams to better serve our customers - an important factor in our long-term strategy to make Old Navy the most loved apparel brand in North America, standing for on-trend style, consistent quality, and frictionless experience, all at an accessible price."
8. Omnichannel thought leaders: RTIH presents its latest Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List
Here are the people who made a splash in 2024 and are set for a barnstorming 2025.
RTIH has scoured the retail technology world to find the most influential figures for this comprehensive list of people and trends that shape the industry and help drive it forward.
We’re living in unprecedented times.
In a post-Covid world, we’re witnessing a seismic change in shopping habits. Retailers are taking innovative technologies like AR, AI, machine learning, 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 success.
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 (a contact us form can be found at the end of this article).
Many thanks to 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualisation software trusted by top furniture and DIY retailers, for sponsoring the report.
9. Primm Valley Resorts taps AiFi tech for first cashierless checkout experience at Star of the Desert Arena
AiFi has announced a partnership with Primm Valley Resorts to power the Star of the Desert Arena’s first cashierless store, Swipe & Go, in the Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino.
Affinity Gaming, which operates Primm Valley Resorts and Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino, has been working on refurbishments for two years with new slot machines, restaurants, etc. for both properties but was interested in developing additional amenities that lined up with both the customers' and staff’s needs.
It identified AiFi’s solution to simplify the checkout process and expedite the experience. The Swipe & Go store in the Star of the Desert Arena will be located as you enter the venue.
“We’re thrilled to launch our partnership with AiFi as we continue to implement technology driven services at the Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino,” says Steve Neely, Vice President and General Manager at Primm Valley Resorts. “Our goal is to consistently seek ways to enhance our offerings, and AiFi’s spatial intelligence will not only elevate the fan experience but also drive concession sales growth in the arena.”
The Star of the Desert Arena tested its Swipe & Go store with AiFi’s technology at a recent concert and says it outsold the four other standard concession stands combined sales. The resort and casino franchise hopes to expand AiFi into other stores within the arena this year based on the initial success so far.
10. Online retailer Very launches new Beauty Hub as part of major cloud-based Skyscape system deployment
Digital retailer, Very, which is operated by The Very Group, has unveiled its new Beauty Inspiration Hub, a collection of educational and aspirational blog style content for its customers.
This follows the introduction of Very’s Beauty Studio earlier this year, which overhauled how customers navigated and experienced the retailer's beauty range.
The hub wouldn’t have been possible without the new cloud-based system, Skyscape. This is pitched as the biggest tech transformation it has taken on, involving the complete re-platforming of all the technology which powers the customer experience. Set to be completed this summer, the Beauty Inspiration Hub is the latest element to be launched.
It has been built with responsive, reusable and fully accessible components from The Very Group’s Fuse design system, all served and updated via the new Amplience content management system. Through engaging blog style content expert tips and trend spotlighting, Very aims to help customers make more informe purchases, bringing more of the instore experience to the digital world.
Sam Wright, Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer at The Very Group, comments: “We know our customers are busy and are looking for quick and easy ways to find the perfect products for them. Our innovative new beauty hub housed on Skyscape will allow us to give them inspirational and educational content in a convenient and easy way. This means customers can shop with greater confidence and more readily find the products they love."
“The vast majority of our customers who buy from our beauty ranges also buy from other categories. However, even though brand consideration for our beauty category is up, just one in seven fashion customers shop Very’s beauty ranges. We hope that the launch of the inspiration hub will educate our fashion first customers on the wonderful beauty ranges we have available.”
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