Asos makes progress but many challenges remain: presenting the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Alipay, DPD, Cloud Retail, Currys, Screwfix, InPost, Yodel, Aldi UK, HappyOrNot, Spur, and the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
100 million...Alipay Tap!, a QR code-based contactless payment and customer engagement solution introduced by Alipay in China in June 2024, has picked up over 100 million users within an 11 month period.
Users tap their unlocked phone against a merchant’s terminal or an Alipay Tap! Tag, eliminating the need to open an app, scan a code, or click through multiple screens.
Data from early adopters shows the solution also allows merchants to integrate customer engagement tools more seamlessly into the experience. FamilyMart, a nationwide convenience store chain, reports that membership sign-ups at checkout tripled post-integration.
According to Cyril Han Xinyi, CEO at Ant Group, the company has committed RMB 10 billion to grow the Alipay Tap! ecosystem.
“From leadership in payment innovation to extensive investments in agentic AI solutions, Alipay is accelerating the two flywheels for its growth: digital payment and 360° digital connectivity,” said Han in a message to Alipay's 80 million merchant partners at the 2025 Alipay Tap! Ecosystem Summit. “We believe Alipay Tap! and more similar exciting new initiatives will continue to transform the checkout moment into a wider gateway to enriched consumer experience and merchant business growth.”
The service is also available to international visitors to China, who may now bind their international cards to an Alipay account to pay and travel like a local across the country.
£200,000...Parcel delivery firm DPD has partnered with the charity Make-A-Wish UK to raise £200,000 to help enable 100 wishes to be granted for critically ill children in the UK.
As DPD's nominated staff charity, staff across the UK will be raising funds for Make-A-Wish UK for 12 months through a variety of events and challenges. The company has pledged to match pound for pound the money raised by staff with the overall target set at £200,000.
Elaine Kerr, CEO at DPD UK, says: "This is a very special partnership for us. Every year DPD people amaze me with their ability to challenge themselves, organise incredible events and give their time so generously for our nominated charities, but I think everyone is really up for this one."
"It is impossible to really understand what families go through when a child is critically ill, but all of us can imagine how difficult it must be and how important it is to try and create joy and some incredible memories. To be able to contribute in any way to that is all the motivation we need this year to absolutely smash our target.”
£1.3 billion...Asos’ underlying like-for-like revenue fell 13% to £1.3 billion for the 26 weeks to 2nd March 2025. Underlying cash profit (EBITDA) improved by £58.8 million to £42.5 million.Net debt fell by £73 million to £276 million.
Aarin Chiekrie, Equity Analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown, comments: “The online fashion powerhouse is on its way to delivering exactly what investors want - better profitability. Don’t worry too much about the double digit sales decline for now. It’s part of the strategic shift, as Asos chose to remain firmer on pricing by not moving as many items to the sales racks during the period. While that’s making for some tough comparable sales numbers, profitability is starting to reap the benefits, with underlying cash profits landing well ahead of last year."
"There is still a long way to go and a lot of challenges to navigate as Asos looks to turn its fortunes around. Active customer numbers and order numbers are still heading in the wrong direction. That’s partly due to the reduction in discounting activity and the shift in focus away from less profitable customers. Tariffs are another worry."
"Asos decided to close a large fulfilment centre in the US last year, meaning many US orders are now fulfilled from warehouses in Barnsley and Berlin. The group says it’s got the flexibility to tweak its sourcing and distribution model in response to tariffs, but the potential financial impact isn’t clear yet.”
$3 million...Cloud Retail, an e-commerce software platform formerly known as Jiffy, a London-based 15-minute delivery company, has secured $3 million in seed funding.
The round was led by Somersault Ventures with participation from Pre-Seed to Succeed, backed by AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks, Smart Partnership Capital, and I2BF Venture Capital, as well as AddVenture and business angels.
“Founders who dare to visualise their product’s global expansion and set realistic milestones ahead are a gem for investors. It was a dealmaker in the case of Cloud Retail,” says Igor Ryabenkiy, Co-founder at Pre-Seed to Succeed, Founder and Managing Partner at AltaIR Capital.
Cloud Retail transitioned from its q-commerce origins in 2022, when it operated 21 London stores and delivered over 4,500 orders daily, to focus on developing e-commerce solutions. Since then, it has developed a software stack to cater to a wider range of industries, including electronics, beauty, fashion, and pharmaceuticals.
Today, it is an all in one e-commerce platform, including customer web and mobile development, building headless e-commerce platforms, warehouse management system (WMS), demand forecasting and replenishment (S&OP), 3PL and delivery management, and business analytics platforms. Cloud Retail has also developed a proprietary AI solution that helps launch a retail business from scratch.
2.7 million...Screwfix's quick commerce service, Sprint, has now delivered more than 2.7 million products.
In a LinkedIn post, Nick Burton, CIO at Screwfix, said: "We're not stopping there - it's now faster than ever! Order with Sprint and we will deliver over 8,500 products in as little as 20 minutes, only via the Screwfix app: 480+ stores; 58% UK population coverage; 80,000+ customers."
He added: "I'm incredibly proud of this service and the work my amazing UX, app and platform teams have done to add real-time tracking to the experience, and want to thank all our store colleagues for the work they do to make this amazing experience possible."
$7.8 million...Neurolabs has raised $7.8 million in Series A funding, led by Nauta and joined by existing investors LAUNCHub, Lunar Ventures, and Techstart Ventures.
"We started Neurolabs to build the most comprehensive visual AI system for real-world challenges in retail and CPG. From warehouse picking to shelf monitoring in supermarkets, our AI is built to handle it all - accurately, reliably, and at scale," says Paul Pop, Co-founder and CEO.
"As the world is running out of data to train AI on, we’ve built the largest 3D model library of CPG products. This allows us to train our AI entirely in simulation, outperforming traditional computer vision approaches in the field."
He adds: "With this funding, we’re expanding across the UK, Europe, and the US, building toward full coverage of the retail shelf - over one million CPG products, end to end."
2 million and 120,000...Currys recently launched a social media account dedicated to gaming, and has now reported its first big engagement win.
In a LinkedIn post, Dan Rubel, Brand & Marketing Director at Currys, said: "We've have stepped up our social game... on gaming. We now have a dedicated social account on gaming - which makes a lot of sense given the breadth of interesting stuff to talk about in the world of gaming (and given the tribal nature of gamers)."
He added: "And last week we had our first really big engagement win, a post that appeared on our Instagram gaming account generating two million views and 120k likes on the post (plus >55k likes in the comments)."
"It’s a cracking post, jumping on not one but two trends to shout about how customers can pre-order the hot new Nintendo Switch2 at Currys. Well done to Ryan Todd who heads up our social crew (part of Sarah Leat’s wider marketing, promo, social and PR group). And a big thanks to Rickesh Solanki and Fabric Social who are the orchestrators of our gaming engagement plans."
75%...Glimpact has released a new study assessing the true ecological cost of apparel from leading brands, including Patagonia, Reformation, H&M, Ralph Lauren, and Alo Yoga.
The findings challenge conventional assumptions about sustainability in fashion, showing that carbon emissions account for just 23% of a typical product’s environmental footprint.
Using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method, a science-based approach adopted by the European Union to standardise environmental assessments, Glimpact evaluated more than 100 apparel items across 16 environmental impact categories. These include particulate pollution, fossil resource depletion, and water use, which together make up over 75% of an apparel product’s total footprint.
Among the study’s findings:
Reformation’s Tessa Hoodie, made from 100% organic cotton, had the highest impact of the women’s sweatshirts tested. It surpassed Alo Yoga’s Accolade Hoodie (which makes no sustainability claims) and Patagonia’s Fitz Roy Icon Uprisal Hoody, made entirely from recycled materials.
Packaging and distribution, frequent focal points in ESG strategies, account for less than 7% of total product impact on average.
Raw materials and manufacturing contribute more than 90% of a product’s impact, making them the most effective targets for sustainability interventions.
The study highlights the nuance behind material choices. For example, simply changing the source of cotton used in Reformation’s hoodie could reduce its footprint by up to 40%. Similarly, changing dyeing processes, a major impact hotspot, could shrink Patagonia’s hoodie footprint by over 10%.
7...The seventh edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show, is now open for submissions.
The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our latest winners will be revealed at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
Key dates
Friday, 12th September: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 16th September: 2025 finalists revealed
Wednesday, 17th September - Wednesday, 1st October: Judging days
Thursday, 16th October: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
£321,000...UK e-commerce companies are investing significant capital in AI to improve the customer experience, however, many are yet to realise significant gains. That's according to a new survey of senior executives at 300 large and mid-sized e-commerce companies in Europe and the US by headless CMS Storyblok.
UK businesses have spent an average of £321,000 in the past year on developing or implementing AI solutions to enhance their digital customer experience, with 21% spending more than £500,000. Yet 44% state that their AI investment has only made a slight improvement to their customers’ digital experience.
Surprisingly, nearly all of UK business leaders (93%) say that their AI investment has delivered a good return on investment (ROI), of which 28% perceive it as a very good ROI. This potentially indicates businesses are taking a longer-term view of AI investment to improve their digital offering.
The research also explores the most popular use cases for AI amongst UK business leaders, which were cited as website content creation (59%), customer service (53%), marketing analysis (51%), translation services (49%), and marketing content creation (48%).
61%...Research from TheyDo flags a growing disconnect between enterprise ambition and AI readiness. Despite doubling down on data and AI, many large organisations are finding that the more they rely on data, the less equipped they feel to act effectively on it.
The research is based on a survey conducted by Sapio Research in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, featuring the opinions of 500 leaders in industries including financial services, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing.
These rely on an average of eight data points to measure performance, compared to 5.4 across all businesses. Meanwhile, they consider 52% of the data points they measure as “critical” to their business versus the average of 43%.
61% of enterprise leaders say they feel overwhelmed by data, 11% higher than the overall average of business leaders, despite most estimating they only effectively utilise around half of all insights in the business.
Poor and inconsistent data quality was cited as the top reason among enterprises for not fully leveraging all data within their business, something that is reflected in their AI adoption concerns, with a lack of AI ready data ranking as the second biggest barrier for enterprises to effective AI integration. Not having AI ready data worried 39% of enterprise leaders versus a 28% average.
$140 million...Manychat, a specialist in onversational AI and automation across social and messaging platforms, has announced a $140 million growth capital raise led by Summit Partners.
This brings its total funding to $163.3 million since its founding in 2015, including its first institutional investment of $18 million in 2019 by Bessemer Venture Partners.
Manychat says that it powers billions of messages annually on Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other platforms, helping more than a million businesses in 170+ countries automate customer interactions, maximise engagement, and unlock monetisation potential.
"Manychat was founded with a mission to help businesses grow by building meaningful customer relationships,” says Mike Yan, Co-founder and CEO. “We also take pride in our ability to package and simplify new foundational technologies for the benefit of our customers.”
“The more useful and effective our technology becomes, the more our customers can focus on delivering exceptional value in their space. This new funding, along with Summit Partners’ guidance and expertise, will support our continued innovation in the realm of agentic AI and intelligent automation, helping our team and our products deliver true value for businesses and creators around the world."
Manychat, which claims to be a profitable company, will use the funding to accelerate its global expansion, invest further in R&D, enhance marketing and customer support capabilities, and advance AI agent features across new and existing channels.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: "In 1990, we opened our first store in the UK with a simple idea: bring great value and quality to communities. There were no barcode scanners, no middle aisle, and certainly no Kevin the Carrot! Back then, our store managers wore white coats, and if you needed to update a price you reached for a pen and showcased your best handwriting."
Fast forward to today, and Aldi UK has grown to over 1,050 stores across Britain.
Hurley commented: "We've seen some big changes, like the debut of our now famous Specialbuys, and the shift from handwritten price cards to electronic shelf labels. But despite all of these innovations, the things that matter the most to us haven’t changed: amazing quality products, at simple everyday low prices - made possible by our incredible colleagues and supported by the loyal customers who’ve been with us every step of the way."
He concluded: "We’re incredibly proud to have been part of British communities for 35 years, and we believe everyone should have access to an Aldi store nearby. From our humble beginnings to our award winning products and middle aisle that’s become a national favourite, we’re still the same Aldi - committed to providing award winning quality at the lowest possible prices. Here’s to the next 35 years and beyond!"
3...Theisen’s Home Farm and Auto has introduced Tally, a shelf-scanning inventory robot, to three of its stores: Theisen’s of Dubuque, IA; Dyersville, IA; and Jefferson, WI.
Using AI and computer vision technology, Tally identifies out-of-stock items, pricing errors, and misplaced products, collecting product data and providing quick actions for Theisen’s associates.
“We are committed to delivering the highest quality shopping experience for our valued customers, and Tally is a powerful tool for taking that to the next level,” says Steve Jensen, CMMO. “Bringing Tally to our Dubuque, Dyersville, and Jefferson locations is an exciting step forward. This technology makes daily tasks more efficient, so our teams can focus on what matters most—taking care of customers.”
18...Ocado Group reports that CEO Tim Steiner will temporarily lead Ocado Solutions, the company's technology sub-unit.
The move comes as current boss, John Martin, steps down after 18 months in the role, having taken over in 2023 from Luke Jensen.
James Matthews, the current CEO at Ocado Technology, will also become Deputy CEO of the wider group.
£90 million...Marks and Spencer is to invest £90 million to open 17 new and improved stores across this and next year. The pipeline of locations is set to create 450 new jobs in the capital from zones one to six.
The investment builds on the £50 million in stores across the Northwest of England reported last month and is part of the retailer's focus on having the right stores in the right places.
Sacha Berendji, Operations Director at M&S, says: “London has always been a special place for M&S, growing from penny bazaars in the early 20th century into fresh Foodhalls like the one in Brixton we reopened last year."
"We serve thousands of customers in the capital across our full line offering in larger stores on Oxford Street, which are soon to be redeveloped, to food on the move in train stations and we are always looking at what we can do next. Our pipeline of stores demonstrates our continued investment in London, and we will continue to bring the very best of M&S to customers from Brixton to Barnet for years to come.”
$4.5 million...Spur, which provides e-commerce retailers and travel booking platforms with AI powered quality testing that emulates real consumer shopping behaviour, has raised $4.5 million from investors including First Round, Pear VC, Neo, Conviction, Liquid2Ventures, and Predictive Venture Partners.
Other notable angel investors in the round include Mihika Kapoor, Director of Product @Figma, Shyamal Anadkat, Applied AI – OpenAI, Ayush Sood, Director of Eng at Figma, Matt MacInnis, Chief Operating Officer, Rippling, Arash Ferdowsi, Dropbox CEO, Kulveer Taggar, CEO at Zeus Living, and Sachith Gullapalli, Director of Engineering at Rippling.
Spur will use the cash to continue to build out its AI QA Engineer and hire for roles in applied AI, business ops and GTM.
“QA testing is the bane of existence for every single company,” says Sneha Sivakumar, Co-founder and CEO at Spur. “QA tools have never lived up to expectations, but Spur is leveraging AI fully to really make a big swing in the space.”
“We are already seeing massive success and ROI today with our clients - putting QA on complete autopilot, 10Xing release cycles and catching business critical bugs before hitting production, saving our customers millions of dollars. We are thrilled to work with this set of investors who have deep expertise in AI and QA and really understand and support our mission.”
95.5%...Polish parcel locker company InPost has announced the acquisition of Yodel, a UK-based parcel delivery firm. It will buy 95.5% of Yodel parent Judge Logistics' share capital, with PayPoint retaining a minority stake of 4.5%.
The deal will see InPost UK's market share increase to about 8%, with 10,000 automated parcel machines and more than 18,000 out of home pick-up points. It positions the company as the third agnostic e-commerce logistics carrier in the UK, and follows the acquisition of Menzies Distribution in October 2024, which gave it full control over its entire logistics process in the UK.
It also builds on a tie up established between InPost and Yodel in October 2024, when the latter began providing last mile services through the latter’s locker to door service.
57 million...HappyOrNot, a specialist in customer feedback solutions and creators of those smiley faced feedback buttons you have definitely seen in stores, airports and public spaces, has released a report based on over 57 million feedback points collected from across the globe throughout 2024, offering analysis on customer satisfaction, retail performance, emerging technologies and industry trends.
Key findings:
Happiest time for customers: 7 - 8am
Least happy time: 6 - 8pm
Happiest days of the week: Tuesday and Wednesday
Least happy day: Sunday
Top customer challenges:
1. Prices
2. Checkout processes
3. Product availability
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