Transformation without clarity is just expensive confusion: our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we power towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Voyado, Viking, Carrefour, VusionGroup, Oh Polly, PMC, Simbe, London Tech Week, Retail247, PlayDesign, AllSaints, Dixa, and Neve Jewels Group.
Swedish AI powered retail technology platform Voyado lands new majority investor as Viking jumps onboard
Voyado has secured backing from investment firm Viking, in a deal that puts its valuation at SEK 3.5 billion (approximately £260 million). This makes Viking its new majority shareholder.
Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
“We’ve never tried to be everything to everyone - we build solutions for a sector we know inside out. That focus on retail is exactly what made Viking see the potential in us,” says Johan Bäckarlin, Co-Founder at Voyado.
Having gained traction in the Nordics, over the past 18 months Voyado has inked partnerships with several UK retailers across fashion and lifestyle, including Cutler and Gross, Pour Moi, Ellis Brigham, and Silver Cross. It says that it aims to scale further in the UK by providing retailers with AI driven solutions for loyalty, personalisation, and product discovery, all tailored specifically for the retail sector.
Retail technology specialist PMC secures investment from BGF to support company's expansion plans
Technology services provider, PMC, has secured undisclosed investment from BGF, to help with the expansion of its services, supporting customers' digital transformation initiatives, across both digital and physical platforms.
Founded in 2001, by Paul Mason, PMC provides consulting, professional services, digital engineering and managed services, to over 120 retail, commerce and technology customers, across 24 countries. The 500-strong team from the UK and India has built a customer base that includes WHSmith, National Express, Primark, Crew Clothing and World Duty Free.
“BGF was a natural choice for us, as we take this next step in our growth journey. We look forward to working with their team closely, as we continue our global expansion and further develop our services for our growing commerce customer base," says Richard Lowe, CEO at PMC.
Former Kingfisher executive Paul Worthington will remain on the company’s board, as a Non-Executive Director, together with Mason.
We’re excited to share that BGF has backed PMC as we accelerate our global expansion and digital commerce services.
— PMC (@pmccommerce) June 17, 2025
As our Chair Paul Mason said: “It was important to find a partner that really understood our approach...”
Read more:https://t.co/p74XXry5xh pic.twitter.com/ThSJmOiNBJ
Carrefour first major European grocer to adopt VusionGroup EdgeSense tech, following Walmart roll-out in US
VusionGroup has announced a partnership with Carrefour to trial what is pitched as a new generation of connected stores powered by EdgeSense technology.
Carrefour becomes the first major European grocer to adopt the tech, following its deployment by Walmart in the US. Combining AI, computer vision, smart rails and digital shelf labels, EdgeSense delivers real-time shelf monitoring, stockout detection, pricing compliance and precise product geolocation.
The partnership is currently being piloted in Carrefour’s hypermarket in Villabé, France, where approximately 70,000 electronic shelf labels, 500 cameras, and 7,000 EdgeSense rails have been installed, with a second site launching soon.
Oh Polly Tech Project Manager Kya Jones talks challenging technology deployment at new flagship retail store
In a LinkedIn post, Kya Jones, Tech Project Manager, said: "Within two months of joining Oh Polly as a Project Manager, I was asked if I could operationally open our first flagship store in Los Angeles, CA.”
“With the mindset of “there’s nothing I can’t do”, I willingly agreed. While the store was well into it’s design, the gap was ensuring it could operationally and technically function. Less than seven months later, the store is open and in business."
In this time frame, the following has been delivered: A PoS system that natively syncs with the customer base; Tech to understand customer demographics which will support its marketing and central teams in targeting the correct customer base; Software to allow customers to book and hold fitting rooms in advance; Built a fully functional retail operation connecting the LA store to warehouses and factories around the world.
Jones concluded: "And that’s just touching the tip of the iceberg! I’m confident it’s the shared “can do” attitude across the business that got our flagship live and functioning successfully. We may be operational but there is always room for continuous improvement."
London Tech Week: How women are leading in AI and why inclusion is important for innovators
An all female panel at London Tech Week shared how their work in technology is shaping retail’s future - and why inclusion should be a priority for all organisations.
Oge Opara-Nadi, Vice President of Engineering at fashion search engine Hey Savi, described her company’s platform as “Shazam meets Spotify, but for fashion”. The personalised, AI powered platform connects customers and retailers, helping users find the exact fashion item they want, in stock and in their size.
She said one of the biggest challenges for AI use in retail is “the mystery around it,” with many companies struggling to describe precisely which mechanisms are powering the latest innovations.
Rosie Bailey, CEO and Co-Founder at AI powered negotiation platform Nibble, said that many people are surprised by the simplicity of the technology powering platforms such as hers. “Nothing is that complicated under the hood,” she commented.
Retail247 Archean.OMS helps retailers modernise fulfilment and streamline omnichannel operations
Retail247, a provider of SaaS solutions, has announced the launch of Archean.OMS, a new order management solution designed to help retailers optimise fulfilment across increasingly complex, omnichannel environments.
Built on the firm’s Archean platform, the new module offers intelligent order routing, real-time stock visibility and integration with e-commerce, ERP, PoS and warehouse systems.
Retailers can deploy Archean.OMS on its own or alongside the platform’s existing stock management and purchase order tools, creating a single, scalable platform for managing the full retail operations lifecycle.
It supports all major fulfilment methods (including Click & Collect and dropship) and assigns orders to the most efficient location based on delivery speed, cost and availability. A cloud native, API first architecture ensures rapid deployment and resilience, especially during peak trading periods.
Curious about how our stock management solution, Archean, can transform a retail business?
— Retail247 (@Retail247_) December 17, 2024
Read our new booklet to find out 👇https://t.co/67xm9xMX2Y pic.twitter.com/GAxVsTWwu0
New Simbe study flags urgent need for intelligent retailers to digitise stores using AI and automation
Retailers are hemorrhaging $162.7 billion in lost margin each year due to in-store inefficiencies - a 27% increase from 2024 - and pressure is rising, according to a new study from Coresight Research and Simbe.
This highlights an urgent need to digitise stores using AI and automation, with the findings demonstrating how top retailers are closing the execution gap and why others risk falling permanently behind.
“Industry leaders are no longer asking if stores will become intelligent, but when,” says Brad Bogolea, CEO and Co-founder of Simbe. “Retailers need a real-time view of what products are on shelves, where they are, and whether they’re priced correctly. We built Simbe to help retail teams answer those questions - automatically, at scale, and without guesswork.”
Former Zabka Polska exec Patryk Powierża launches 3D powered omnichannel PlayDesign platform
Patryk Powierża, former Chief Growth & Innovation Officer at x-kom and Head of Growth at Zabka Polska, is launching PlayDesign, pitched as an ecosystem where brands showcase products in 3D, and customers design their spaces like they would in a game.
In a LinkedIn post, Powierża said: "An omnichannel platform that combines web, real-time 3D, AI models, photorealistic rendering, AR and VR technologies to transform how we present products, design interiors and make purchases. In the coming weeks, we'll show you some magic."
"Most importantly, we're building this with an incredible team - Piotr Wit Voelkel (CEO at Vox Capital Group), Marcin Barański (co-founder), Szymon Gatner (CTO), and our entire crew. From the labs to the streets!"
Done and dusted in three weeks: British fashion retailer AllSaints wraps roll-out of Dixa customer service platform
AllSaints has gone live with Dixa's CX platform.
In a LinkedIn post, Mads Fosselius, Dixa founder, said: "Live in three weeks! Some brands need no introduction. AllSaints is one of them. Walk down any major UK high street today and you’ll see them… the brands that have shaped British style for decades."
"What you won’t see is what’s powering the experience behind the scenes... a choice that has become the go to CX platform for premium retail and e-commerce brands. Born in Shoreditch, raised on the high street, AllSaints has become retail “royalty” with 30 years of influence, attitude and style. We’re so proud to welcome them to Dixa."
He added: "Massive congratulations and thanks to SJ Grabiec (Global Head of Customer) whose leadership has shaped AllSaints’ customer focus, and the rest of the stellar team for the warm welcome and collaboration and to our fantastic team for making it happen."
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.
He comments: "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."
Continue reading…