Asos bins customer accounts over excessive online returns: RTIH's most read articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Walmart, Scandit, Diebold Nixdorf, Sofa Club, Co-op, Just Eat, Macy's, GXO Logistics, Sainsbury's, Celonis, and the RTIH AI in Retail Awards.
Asos comes under fire as disgruntled customers' accounts are closed due to their online returns activity
Online fast fashion giant Asos has recently been deleting customers' accounts due to high levels of return activity. This is the result of an update to its fair use policy.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, disgruntled customers have taken to social media to vent spleen.
For instance, Rhea Sangha, Senior Marketing Manager at John Lewis Partnership, said in a LinkedIn post: "This morning I received an email from Asos to inform me they were closing my account. I was pretty gobsmacked as I am die hard, loyal fan and have been a regular customer for years. It’s my go to for holidays, weddings, parties and I bloody love Topshop!!"
"Yes, I’m a big shopper so yes as a result I probably do send a fair amount of returns (which I pay for!) but isn’t that the nature of online shopping? Isn’t that what happens when you can’t feel the material/see the quality/check the sizing/try on the clothes to see how a style suits your figure. And as a curvy girl - NOT easy! Clothes unfortunately do not fit me like a glove…"
She added: “I spend hundreds of pounds year with Asos, in the last month alone I’ve purchased 12 items and spent £350+. I know quite a few other friends this has happened to who have complained for several months to Asos with no real clarity or solution. Is this really how retailers should be treating their best customers? Is this what loyalty should feel like?"
"Very disappointing. Working in fashion retail myself I know how important it is to protect and reward your most frequent, loyal shoppers so I’m pretty disappointed (hence the post!) Please engage with my post if you agree and let me know what you think?"
Don't miss your chance to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, deadline for submissions 18th July
Time is running out to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, with deadline for submissions being Friday, 18th July.
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 hosted by the rather excellent actress, writer, presenter, and comedian Lucy Porter.
Time is running out to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 18th July. Our 2025 winners will be announced at an evening event at @BarbicanCentre in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September #ai https://t.co/YnOwZgTVOc pic.twitter.com/CnEx2ZKQHb
— Retail Technology Innovation Hub (@RTIH_RetailTech) June 23, 2025
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.
Co-op onboard as Just Eat announces full UK launch of JET Go delivery-as-a-service platform
Just Eat has announced the full UK launch of its delivery-as-a-service platform, JET Go.
This enables partner brands to receive customer orders through their own channels while tapping into Just Eat’s technology infrastructure and network of independent couriers to offer on-demand, same-day and scheduled deliveries.
As the official launch partner, Co-op has rolled out the service across hundreds of stores. Customers within a five-mile radius can shop through its online shop or the Just Eat app. People can purchase everything from a full shop to forgotten or top-up ingredients for a midweek meal, or treats for evenings at home.
Delivery-as-a-service is also live on Just Eat’s platforms in 15 countries including Canada, Australia, Bulgaria and Spain and more big UK brands are set to come online across in the coming months.
Asos taps Celonis technology as online retailer looks to unlock full potential of its supply chain
Process mining specialist, Celonis, has announced an expanded collaboration with Asos involving its supply chain operations.
Through the Celonis Process Intelligence platform, Asos says it is connecting its end-to-end supply chain to provide full visibility, transparency and accountability, enabling reductions in process variation, increasing speed to market, and improving the customer experience.
“Asos is a prime example of how leading retailers can use Process Intelligence to transform their operations,” says Rupal Karia, General Manager for UKI and MEA at Celonis. “With Celonis, it gets unprecedented visibility into its end-to-end supply chain and can identify and act upon opportunities for improvement in real-time. Together, we’re unlocking the full potential of Asos supply chain to deliver faster, smarter, and more efficient operations at scale.”
Tom Edwards departs Capri Holdings for Chief Finance Officer and Chief Operations Officer at Macy's
Macy’s has announced Tom Edwards as its new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
He joins from Capri Holdings, a luxury fashion group consisting of brands Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors, where he held the same role.
The addition boosts Macy’s CEO Tony Spring's turnaround efforts, which have focused on cost cutting and boosting luxury sales.
In a LinkedIn post, Macy’s said: “Tom is an accomplished leader with deep financial and operational acumen from nearly 40 years of experience in the retail, consumer goods and hospitality industries. He will lead finance, technology, supply chain, and call centres - driving our Bold New Chapter strategy through innovation and operational modernisation.”
GXO Logistics raids DHL Supply Chain as it brings in industry veteran Patrick Kelleher as its new CEO
GXO Logistics, a pureplay contract logistics provider, has announced the appointment of Patrick Kelleher as Chief Executive Officer.
Kelleher brings 33 years of global supply chain experience and leadership to GXO, having held senior executive roles at DHL Supply Chain, a division of Deutsche Post DHL Group. Most recently, he served as CEO, North America.
Brad Jacobs, Chairman of GXO’s board of directors, says: “Patrick is a world class operator with the relevant experience to lead GXO through its next phase of growth. His proven track record and deep expertise in engineered solutions, automation, and cutting-edge contract logistics make him uniquely qualified to drive value for our customers and shareholders. We’re thrilled to welcome him as our new CEO.”
We’re thrilled to announce the appointment of seasoned supply chain leader Patrick Kelleher as chief executive officer of GXO Logistics, effective August 19.
— GXO (@GXOLogistics) June 20, 2025
Patrick joins GXO from DHL Supply Chain where he served as CEO of North America. His distinguished career spans more than… pic.twitter.com/2KLhK7jC2v
Sainsbury’s Tech Con 2025 wraps as CX focused UK grocery giant hails its biggest and best event yet
Sainsbury’s Tech Con 2025 took place this week. with the one day event focusing on the UK grocery giant’s three-year Next Level strategy.
Tech partners including StrongPoint, VusionGroup, and Zebra Technologies were in attendance.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive, said earlier this year: “We launched our Next Level Strategy almost a year ago and are totally focused on making good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day.”
“As a result, we’re seeing real momentum across our business, with a best ever value position, leading quality and increasing market share. As we accelerate into year two and beyond of our strategy, we are facing into a particularly challenging cost environment which means we have had to make tough choices about where we can afford to invest and where we need to do things differently to make our business more efficient and effective.”
Smart data capture firm Scandit announces renewal of Walmart tie up across retailer's US stores
Scandit has announced the renewal of its relationship with Walmart.
Since first being deployed in 2022, Scandit’s Smart Data Capture software has been integrated into several Walmart associate apps, helping to optimise operational tasks like order fulfillment, stock replenishment, out-of-stock detection, product information look up and receipt checks for self-checkout customers.
Scandit CEO and Co-founder Samuel Mueller, comments: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Walmart. Empowering associates by putting best-in-class technology in their hands is how retailers can drive meaningful change.”
The user interface of the MyWalmart app, designed by Walmart with input from Scandit, streamlines associate onboarding and helps make associates’ day-to-day tasks easier, regardless of role, tenure, and workflow.
EDEKA Beckesepp store taps Diebold Nixdorf retail technology for AI powered self-service checkouts
Diebold Nixdorf has equipped a new EDEKA Beckesepp store in Waltershofen, Germany with self-service checkouts featuring its Smart Vision technology-based solutions for automated fruit and vegetable recognition and age verification.
With Vynamic Smart Vision | Fresh Produce Recognition, customers can capture products without barcodes, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, directly at the self-service checkout. A camera placed on top of the scale, combined with algorithms, identifies items and their quantities, which is then shown on the display. This eliminates the manual selection of fresh produce for customers or weighing and affixing a price label in the fresh produce section.
The Vynamic Smart Vision I Age Verification solution allows customers to automatically check their age.
When an age restricted item is scanned, customers are given the option to opt for automatic age recognition. Once consent is given, a camera installed in the system analyses the customer's facial characteristics using AI algorithms to determine their age.
The transaction can be continued if the customer’s age is above a predefined threshold. The attendants in the store during daytime operations can check customers who fall below this age limit or opt out of automatic age recognition. This system is GDPR compliant as the process does not involve facial recognition, nor does it store images or other customer information.
If customers wish to purchase age restricted items outside of the daytime opening hours, access to the store happens via an ID card, which then authorises them to make the purchase.
Continue reading…