Retailers don't need more technology amid hype surrounding AI. They need the right tech, used well

The best technology supports people and improves experience. The worst just adds noise and becomes someone else’s problem to clean up next year. So says Graham Broomfield, COO at Neve Jewels Group.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "There’s a lot of noise in retail right now about transformation, innovation, AI, automation... the list goes on. But here’s the thing transformation without clarity is just expensive confusion.”

“I’ve seen tech rolled out that no one uses, tools that sound great in theory but collapse on the shop floor, and platforms that looked good in a boardroom demo but never delivered anything meaningful. You don’t need more tech. You need the right tech, used well."

So what, according to Broomfield, is worth your time and what’s not?

The tech that’s genuinely useful:

✔️ A proper unified commerce setup

One that gives you a single view of the customer, inventory and order history across every channel. It shouldn’t feel like different systems patched together.

✔️ Customer insight tools

Not just surveys, but behavioural tools that help you understand what customers are doing not just what they say. If you're guessing, you're wasting time.

✔️ Smart, useful automation

Live chat that helps, not frustrates. Personalised content that makes sense. Campaigns that run without daily micromanagement.

✔️ Sales tools that work in-store

Virtual try-ons, digital receipts, video consultations, and product info at your fingertips. Tools that help store teams give better service.

✔️ Simple operational systems

Task tracking, training tools, scheduling. Not glamorous but they keep things running and save hours of admin.

And then there’s the stuff you’re probably wasting money on:

✘ Over-engineered CRMs

You know the ones. Huge systems nobody updates, marketing can’t extract insight from, and the frontline team avoids.

✘ Too many dashboards

One for each team. No one agrees on the numbers, and half the data’s outdated.

✘ Gimmicky in-store tech

Touchscreens that don’t work, AR that confuses, or flashy displays that don’t add value. Theatre matters but it must support the experience, not distract from it.

✘ Endless marketing tools

If your campaign, email, and reporting platforms don’t talk to each other, you’re burning time and budget.

✘ AI experiments that solve nothing

A chatbot no one trained. An algorithm that makes no sense. If it’s live but delivers no impact, why is it there?

✘ Innovation with no owner

“No one measuring it. No one managing it. No one accountable. That’s not innovation just a budget line with a logo,” says Broomfield.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.

This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.

Please email our Editor, Scott Thompson, if you have any questions or need further information: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com

Key 2025 dates

Friday, 18th July: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 22nd July: 2025 finalists revealed

Wednesday, 23rd July - Friday, 8th August: Judging days

Wednesday, 3rd September: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, to be held at The Barbican in Central London.