Amazon enters the humanoid robot business: last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Aéropostale, Currys, VoCoVo, Morrisons, YOOBIC, Boardriders, NewStore, Levi Strauss & Co., Interflora, and Checkout.com.

Aéropostale

Aéropostale latest native mobile app, built on the poq platform and integrated with Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud, have officially launched.

Sam Biswas, SVP of Digital Technologies, Engineering, and Data at Aéropostale owner, SPARC Group, says: “We’re excited about this launch and its timing. Our goal has been to enhance the shopping experience for Aeropostale customers through a robust and intuitive native app. Working with poq, we were able to achieve this goal efficiently and effective."

Tiffany D’Amato, Group VP, Digital Product & Operations at SPARC Group, comments: “With this new app, we’re elevating the Aeropostale customer experience by offering a seamless, intuitive, and engaging mobile shopping journey. Partnering with poq enabled us to bring this vision to life quickly and effectively. We’re confident this app will drive stronger customer engagement and long-term growth for the brand.”

Morrisons

YOOBIC has been selected by Morrisons to power task management and communication across all the UK grocery giant’s stores nationwide for its employees.

As part of this roll-out, Morrisons will leverage YOOBIC’s all in one mobile platform to digitise store operations, streamline task execution, and improve real-time communication among frontline teams.

The platform will play a central role in driving operational efficiency and enhancing performance across Morrisons' store network while providing store colleagues with the tools they need to succeed in a fast paced retail environment. 

“This is a landmark partnership for us and a strong validation of our leadership in the grocery market,” said Fabrice Haiat, CEO and Co-Founder at YOOBIC. “Morrisons is a household name in UK retail, and we are honored to support their journey toward a more efficient, connected, agile, and empowered frontline workforce.”

“We’ve become the partner of choice for the world’s top grocery chains that want to improve efficiency in stores, powering top brands like Lidl, Carrefour, Food Lover’s Market, Pick n Pay. We are so proud to add Morrisons to that elite group.”

Amazon

Amazon is reportedly building a team of eight individuals, which includes its own employees and members of Covariant, to design and build humanoid robots. The team will increase in size over the coming weeks.

That’s according to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive, who, in a LinkedIn post, states his belief that the US online retail giant entering this market will lower the valuation of Figure and other robot manufacturers.

Citing unnamed sources, Ladd flags up use cases for the robots that include loading and unloading trailers, moving pallets, fulfilling orders, and other tasks that occur inside Amazon's warehouses. The company is also creating use cases for leveraging the robots inside of homes, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and other uses. Incorporating Alexa into the robots will be tested.

He adds: “The plan is to use simulation to assess different designs. For example, one version of a planned humanoid robot will leverage wheels, while other designs will be bipedal and able to walk. Simulation will take place by early fall if not sooner. It’s possible that one or more design prototypes “can be ready later in the year,” according to a team member.”

He observes: “I'm glad Amazon is entering the humanoid robot business. Unlike other companies in the market, it should be able to build robots that legitimately can work in warehouses and in manufacturing plants. Its robots for use in homes, hospitals and other businesses, should also be much more practical than the humanoid robots that have been created.”

DPD and YEEP!

DPD is expanding its UK out-of-home (OOH) network, adding 8,000 parcel lockers over the next five years, as part of a partnership with YEEP! 

The initiative will see DPD add to its existing network of 12,000 Pickup parcel stores and lockers across the UK. 

The YEEP! network comprises open, battery powered parcel lockers, enabling consumers to pick up and drop off parcels within their local communities. DPD UK's parent company, Geopost, is a partner of kernTerminal, a technology provider for turnkey projects of agnostic network solutions. DPD UK says that this puts it in a unique position to offer its customers access to the most developed pan-European OOH network across 28 countries, consisting of 128 000 points (lockers and parcels shops). 

Flagship and Mejuri

Flagship, creator of a digital visual merchandising platform, has announced its expansion into the US market with an unnamed performance apparel brand, in addition to several retail partnerships, including Mejuri, and Mad Happy.

The company also recently closed a $3.75 million seed funding round led by Coreline and Veridical Ventures, with participation from Tidal Ventures and Macdoch Ventures.

"Visual merchandising has historically relied on manual processes and instinct," says Simon Molnar, Founder and CEO at Flagship. "Our platform brings data driven decision-making to store optimisation, allowing retailers to maximise revenue while maintaining the creative elements that define physical retail."

Flagship's platform connects store design with precise data analysis, creating digital twins of each store location that enable retailers to optimise product placement while providing automated revenue mapping.

“As a global jewelry brand on a mission to redefine luxury at every touchpoint, Mejuri has partnered with Flagship to implement a technology-first approach across our 40+ stores,” says Kari Beiswanger, Senior Product Manager at Mejuri.

“This collaboration empowers data driven decision-making and optimisation, while championing global best practices in visual merchandising. With Flagship’s expertise, we are elevating the in-store experience and driving efficiency and consistency as we scale."

Currys

Omnichannel tech and electrical retailer Currys is implementing a range of new store technologies and safety programmes, which represent its largest ever investment programme in this space, alongside a Safety Week for store colleagues across the UK.

These include upgraded specification public display monitors in high risk stores, trialling and rolling out new approaches to product security, investment in intelligence collection and analysis, and increased spend on guarding and surveillance.  

In partnership with VoCoVo, colleague headsets are currently being trialled across selected stores and rolled out to all locations by the end of May. Feedback so far has been positive, with colleagues noting that being able to instantly talk to their peers across large stores makes them feel safer, especially when confronted with shoplifters.  

It is also improving in-store experience for customers, who can request assistance by clicking a button at the store front that notifies the shop floor team via their headsets.  

Currys is teaming with Auror to introduce crime reporting software. The platform speeds up and improves the accuracy of crime reporting, with the aim of driving focus on repeat offenders to prevent crime and reduce loss.

Boardriders

Unified commerce platform, NewStore, and Boardriders, an action sports and lifestyle company, have  announced the launch of a Quiksilver shopping app.

This is now available on iOS and Android across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

"We’ve experienced incredible results since launching the ROXY app with NewStore, and the early success we’ve seen with Quiksilver has already proven the value of this continued partnership," says Nur Ghossien Martin, IT D2C Director at Boardriders.

"The rapid ROI speaks to how well these apps resonate with our customers, while the advanced features enhance their shopping experience. NewStore will continue to be a key partner as we advance our digital strategy."

Levi Strauss & Co.

.Levi Strauss & Co. has boosted its DTC first strategy, with the expansion of its member programme, Levi’s Red Tab, into four new European markets. Consumers in Poland, Ireland and Denmark, can now access exclusive membership benefits, while Switzerland will be joining in June.

Since launching in 2020, Red Tab has grown to over 38 million members globally. With this expansion, the programme will be available in 12 countries in Europe (France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland).

Leona De Graft, VP of E-Commerce at Levi Strauss & Co. Europe, says: “Expanding our Red Tab Member Programme is a key enabler of our DTC first and omnichannel evolution. By integrating digital and in-store experiences, the program strengthens our ability to deliver a connected, convenient, and rewarding shopping journey across all touchpoints.”

“But we are not just driving loyalty - we are building lifelong Levi’s fans through unique benefits such as our in-store tailoring service to both customise and repair denim garments. With Red Tab, our members truly Live in Levi’s.”

Interflora

Checkout.com is working with Interflora to deliver high performing payments at scale. The partnership has enabled a 95.4% acceptance rate across the company's European markets - its highest ever.

Interflora connects local artisan florists with customers across the world, helping people buy flowers via digital methods, whether through app, mobile, or desktop. Checkout.com enables customers to pay using Apple Pay and Google Pay, which now account for 20% of mobile transactions. In 2025, it will support the roll-out of in-app payments across France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, and Denmark.

Checkout.com also provides the infrastructure behind Interflora’s newly launched digital gift card in France, offering a wide range of payment methods including Cartes Bancaires, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

In 2025, Interflora will enter Sweden and Denmark with the company as its payments partner, ensuring local payment preferences are fully supported from launch. This includes potential integrations with regional favourite payment methods like Swish in Sweden and Dankort in Denmark.

"Checkout.com brings the local expertise and performance we need to deliver on our mission to connect local artisan florists with customers all over the world, especially at key moments like Mother’s Day. It’s so important for us to have one reliable payments provider who can help us serve customers in many different markets,” says Manu Arjó, Head of Product at Interflora.