Sports brand adidas has been added to i love it, a recommendation led shopping app curated by AI

i love it has added adidas to its shopping app.

The venture was co-founded by Ella d’Amato, the former interim CEO of online marketplace Notonthehighstreet.

In a Startup Stories interview, she told RTIH last year: "With my e-commerce experience, I wanted to build a better retail future, driven by purpose and community. I believe businesses can do better and use AI for good.”

“I love it rewards everyday people for their recommendations, with influencer level commissions. Corporate giants profit from people's passion everyday, but we get nothing back. I love it changes that, offering a marketplace curated around what you love, powered by people you trust and admire, where everyone wins."

She added: "Shopping socially is the new high street - the problem is who and what we can trust? Paid ads, paid influence, #sponcon, and the rising use of inauthentic product recommendations all make shopping a minefield.”

“Often the people promoting a product haven't even tried and tested it. Some are even in contracts that mean that they can't actually tell people what they really think about a product or alternatives they like. It is also incredibly hard for smaller brands, even if they are brilliant at what they do, to get any visibility, because huge giants like Shein or Temu dominate ad spaces. Just getting discovered is so tough."

"The number of times I hear from brands, shoppers and friends that they don’t trust social media platforms or influencers, is staggering too. A recent study suggested 77% of us don’t trust influencers. What we do, however, trust is our friends, family and those with real experience and passion. For me, this was the start of our story. When you know that a person genuinely loves something, what they share matters more - to themselves, brands and others. It is the most valuable thing for all."

"We wanted to harness that, and believe people should be rewarded for it, so ultimately they can do more of what they love in life. This was the foundation of i love it."

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

i love it was among the winners at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last week’s gathering.