Understanding the physical retail world with precision: RTIH's most read articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including AiFi, Microsoft, Voyado, Oh Polly, Whole Foods Market, Rohlik Group, Ocado Group, Albertsons Media Collective, DoorDash, Sofa Club, Walmart, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Pinterest.
AiFi and Microsoft target retail sector as they team to bring ChatGPT level capabilities to physical world
AiFi, a spatial intelligence platform enabling businesses to deploy autonomous solutions, has announced a collaboration with Microsoft that promises the delivery of real-world artificial intelligence.
Built on Microsoft Azure, this integration taps AiFi’s proprietary spatial intelligence engine, trained on over 90 petabytes of real-world data collected annually. Unlike conventional vision systems, AiFi creates a real-time, context aware digital twin that doesn’t just see what’s happening, it understands where it’s happening, who’s involved, when, and why it matters.
“Understanding the physical world with precision is the next frontier of AI,” says Steve Carlin, CEO at AiFi.
“That’s what this collaboration is about. By combining AiFi’s spatial intelligence with Microsoft’s cloud scale and enterprise reach, we’re enabling AI to help businesses understand everything that is happening in the spaces that matter to them. Working with Microsoft gives a startup like ours an opportunity to take advantage of cost structures associated with scale, and gives Microsoft the ability to access new capabilities for their agentic layer strategies for their cloud services and analytics.”
Sofa Club CEO Louis Rose passes away after fighting cancer with 'grit, determination and bravery'
Sofa Club co-founder Louis Rose has passed away at the age of 35, after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Earlier this year, Rose revealed that he was undergoing treatment for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). This came after a fight against cancer that began in November 2023, when he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer.
Following months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he was initially told this had gone. However, in October 2024, he received the news that it had returned. Rose then underwent a 13-hour operation with Professor Paleri and his team at the Royal Marsden in London. The surgery was declared a success, but then came the APL diagnosis.
e.l.f. announces launch of colour e.l.f.nalysis immersive digital experience along with curated Pinterest boards
e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty, has introduced ‘colour e.l.f.nalysis’, an immersive digital experience for personalised beauty.
With this tool, users can discover makeup shades that harmonise with their unique features and get matched with a curated Pinterest board featuring shoppable e.l.f. products tailored to them.
They can snap a selfie (or upload one from their camera roll), and the tool analyses their hue (warm or cool), value (light or deep contrast), and chroma (bright or muted) to reveal their colour season and custom board.
“colour e.l.f.nalysis is about breaking down beauty barriers and making personalised colour analysis accessible to every eye, lip, and face - for free,” says Patrick O’Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Communications Officer at e.l.f. Beauty.
“This tool, developed with Pinterest and in collaboration with real-life colour experts, complements - not replaces - the human touch. It’s a smart, seamless, and fun way for our community to discover what works for them, and find their perfect e.l.f. product matches in just a few taps.”
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.
Albertsons Media Collective hits Cannes Lions 2025 in France for launch of in-store digital display network
Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm of Albertsons Companies, has announced the launch of its in-store digital display network during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France.
In partnership with STRATACACHE, Albertsons Media Collective will power its new solution through a fleet of digital screens, with the aim of promoting product discovery and creating media offerings that allow brand partners of all sizes to engage their customers.
“We’ve identified a significant opportunity to enhance our in-store customers' shopping experience by delivering relevant and impactful messaging at the point of purchase,” says Jennifer Saenz, Chief Commercial Officer at Albertsons Cos. “Our partnership with STRATACACHE enables brand partners to engage directly with our shoppers at this key moment, providing them with compelling offers, meal inspiration and timely information.”
A pilot will launch this summer in select Albertsons Cos. stores in two key regions, featuring large format premium displays in high traffic areas at impactful touchpoints during the customer journey, such as the entrance and produce department.
DoorDash Canadian customers can now earn PC Optimum points on restaurant meals, grocery deliveries
PC Optimum, a Canadian rewards programme, and quick commerce platform, DoorDash, have announced a partnership whereby the former's members can earn five points for every dollar spent on the latter's eligible orders delivered from restaurants and Loblaw banner stores (including Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Loblaws, and Shoppers Drug Mart).
"PC Optimum has always been about rewarding Canadians for the things they buy most often," says Lauren Steinberg, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Loblaw Companies.
"By partnering with DoorDash, we're extending the value of our programme beyond our stores and into even more moments of everyday life. Whether it's groceries, everyday essentials, pharmacy, or now your favourite restaurant meals, we're making it easier to earn rewards wherever and however you choose to eat. This is another step in solidifying PC Optimum as the most rewarding and relevant loyalty programme in the country."
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."
Whole Foods Market slammed for hypocrisy as it preps micro fulfilment centres in select stores that hold CPG goods
Whole Foods Market is planning to install automated micro fulfilment centres (MFCs) inside the back rooms of select stores. The MFCs are from Amazon and Fulfil and will hold CPG products like Coke, Tide, and Oreos. This will allow customers in the stores to place an order for CPG products, with the MFCs fulfilling the order.
It’s a move that not only reeks of hypocrisy, but will also be a waste of capital. So says Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.
In a LinkedIn post, he notes that the robotic systems are stocked with exactly the kinds of products Whole Foods refuses to sell in its aisles and on its shelves - from sugary sodas to ultra-processed snacks.
“Why the change? Reality. Kroger, Walmart and other retailers have increased the amount of organics that they sell, and they're luring away Whole Foods customers. In addition, according to internal data, 97% of its customers leave the stores to finish their grocery shopping at a competitor, usually Kroger or Walmart. Whole Foods is losing billions of dollars annually because it won't stock and sell the CPG products its customers love,” Ladd wrote.
“Amazon, who owns Whole Foods Market, has executives smart enough to understand that it would be best for Whole Foods to keep its customers in its stores. Amazon is the reason why micro-fulfillment centres are being installed. However, did Amazon make the right decision? No, it didn't.”
The gloves are off in grocery automation space as Rohlik Group parks its tanks on Ocado Group's lawn
Rohlik currently delivers over 1.3 million monthly orders and generates €1.1 billion in annual revenue.
Developed and refined within its grocery operations, Veloq is now launching as an independent company, bringing the technology to grocers worldwide. Built on a proprietary software stack and robotics, Veloq unifies the entire grocery fulfillment process into a single modular platform, according to those involved.
This includes automated picking, intelligent routing, inventory forecasting and personalised customer engagement. An AI engine powers every layer of operations, including dynamic queue and labour management within fulfillment centres, supply chain forecasting and real-time last mile logistics optimisation.
It’s a bold move that sees Rohlik Group parking its tanks on Ocado Group’s lawn.
Walmart and Soda Health team on AI powered personalised nutrition and wellness insights
Walmart and Soda Health have announced a collaboration to launch the Walmart Everyday Health Signals programme to select Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members.
The initiative helps participating flex card members by providing personalised nutrition and guidance based on retail shopping insights and analysis.
This includes key nutritional information for purchases like fruits and vegetables and identifying products to help reach wellness goals, along with customised healthy recipes and shopping lists.
After selecting a wellness objective, members will receive guidance tailored to their goals and personal shopping habits. They will be provided data driven guidance to help navigate food choices and lifestyle change. Information may also be used by health plans to identify additional benefits which support the members’ overall health and wellness.
For example, insights may be used by plans to facilitate care coordination and identify additional benefits in support of the member’s overall health and wellness
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