Ocado is mad for it, M&S is going viral, and Gopuff is in demand: this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Carrefoure, Reckon.ai, Wolt, MediaMarkt, Delaware North, Lush, Google Cloud, Argos, M&S, ghd, Argos, Pandora, Snapchat, Oasis, THG Fulfil, and Huddled.
Snapchat and Oasis
Snapchat and drinks brand Oasis have unveiled an AR powered ‘Venting Machine’ to help de-stress and refresh workers visiting Birmingham’s Bullring and London Kings Cross station on 9th and 10th July and 16th and 17th July respectively.
Built by Snapchat’s AR Studio, this take on the traditional vending machine uses Snapchat’s AR mirror technology to transform pent up frustrations into an Oasis drink or exclusive prize in return for a scream.
The Oasis Venting Machine is pitched as the first of its kind to use decibel detection in an AR mirror. It listens to how loud you scream and unlocks one of three custom Snapchat Lenses - each reacting in real-time to your scream level.
Users can then scan a QR code on screen to download a video recording of their scream experience to take home and share. Internet personality Troy Hawke will be on hand to encourage passers-by to get involved on 9th July in Birmingham and 16th July in London.
Carrefour
Carrefour Belgium has developed a new autonomous micro-store concept, BuyBye, in association with Reckon.AI, with the aim of tapping into opportunities beyond traditional retail.
And now Carrefour and Accor are launching one of these in France. In an ibis Styles hotel near Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, guests can now visit a BuyBye microstore day and night. This is pitched as the first of its kind in a hotel environment.
In a LinkedIn post, Carrefour Belgium said: “This microstore works completely autonomously thanks to AI and smart refrigerators that automatically recognise, weigh and pay for the chosen products. It’s ideal for travellers arriving late, or departing early and looking for a nice breakfast, quick lunch or snack.”
It added: “Our Belgian expertise paved the way for this first in France. We first launched BuyBye at Belgian locations, including NATO's SHAPE base in Mons. In short, a great example of how we use retail innovation to make consumers' lives easier. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this!”
Wolt and MediaMarkt
Technology company and delivery company Wolt has announced the expansion of its partnership with electronics retailer MediaMarkt.
The pair are now partnering in two key markets - Hungary and Austria - to deliver small electronic devices and accessories directly to customers’ doorsteps in as little as 35 to 90 minutes.
Following a pilot in Budapest, Wolt customers across Hungary can now order from 40 MediaMarkt stores via the Wolt app. The selection includes thousands of products, from Bluetooth speakers and gaming controllers to chargers and fans.
In Austria, MediaMarkt has integrated Wolt Drive as a delivery option on its own webshop, starting with Vienna. Customers browsing the MediaMarkt website can now select rapid delivery via Wolt for eligible items - from coffee machines to headphones - and have them delivered within 90 minutes.
Ocado
Online groceries giant Ocado is tapping into the hype surrounding the Oasis Live 25 reunion tour, which kicked off last week.
It has launched limited edition delivery vans and also taken to TikTok and the streets of Manchester to see if Oasis fans really know their stuff.
In a LinkedIn post, Andrew Hendry, Social Media Lead at Ocado, said: “Alright Rkid? Keep an eye out for Ocado’s limited edition ‘Deliver Forever’ vans, now on the roads in the Manchester area.”
“We also took to the streets to find out if Oasis fans know their Champagne Supernova from their Masterflan. Truly incredible work across teams: Olly Wastnage (Social Creative Campaigns Manager), Annette Harada (Consumer PR), Alicia Hardy (PR Executive), Caroline Swaith (Senior Legal Counsel), the legends at Fabric Social and Mischief and our colleagues at Ocado Logistics.”
Fellowes
Fellowes, which operates in the contract interiors and architectural solutions space, has rolled out new 3D modular and product configurators for its Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in partnership with 3D Cloud.
Fellowes provides its dealers and independent sales representatives with 3D product configurators and 3D modular configurators, with the aim of driving more sales in the competitive contract office furniture market.
The new configurators are now available on its website.
"Launching 3D configurators for our most complex product lines is a mission-critical part of helping our dealers create great experiences for their clients through fast, easy, and accurate 3D visualisation tools," says Todd Holderness, General Manager, Contract Interiors at Fellowes Brands. "3D Cloud has been an outstanding partner in helping us to bring 3D product configuration experiences to our dealer community with speed and accuracy.”
Delaware North
Foodservice company Delaware North has launched a checkout-free bar at London Stadium, powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
Bar Tap, which is is located by kiosk three on level zero, is designed to reduce queues and speed up service, giving people more time to enjoy football matches and live events. They can tap in, grab a drink, and get straight back to the action.
It made its debut at the recent sold-out Iron Maiden concert, and offers the likes of beer, cider, spirits and soft drinks.
THG Fulfil and Huddled
THG Fulfil, THG Ingenuity’s fulfilment and courier management solution, has announced a partnership with circular economy e-commerce group, Huddled Group.
THG Fulfil will provide Huddled with fulfilment, courier management, and warehouse storage solutions, enabling it to offer fast and reliable delivery for its customers, including extending UK next-day delivery (NDD) cut-off to 1am, seven days a week.
Huddled can also leverage the use of THG Ingenuity’s THG Studios facility, to assist in building live e-commerce solutions using AI technology combined with live presenters to deliver more frequent live sales broadcasts.
New Gen and Visa
New Generation (New Gen), which was founded by former product leaders from Meta, Stripe, and Patreon - in partnership with Visa - is launching what is pitched as the first payment layer that lets AI agents shop and pay on behalf of consumers.
New Gen’s rails are built for any AI agent and any brand. It is working with Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, and fashion brands to power intelligent storefronts that go from “I need breezy linen pants for a beach wedding” straight to purchase.
“Shopping behaviour is changing rapidly, and brands are having a hard time keeping up. Now, shopping starts with a conversation, not a search bar,” says Adam Behrens, Co-founder at New Gen.
“We’re starting by helping brands serve AI agents and people in the same place, with personalised, structured storefronts built for natural language. That means turning product catalogues into structured, AI readable data, so brands are equipped to welcome the next wave of customers, both human and AI.”
Currys
Currys has announced the roll-out of a new crime reporting tool to all its UK&I stores, following a trial.
The technology and electrical retailer conducted a 12-week trial, across two different regions. It identified ten repeat offenders and resulted in three arrests. The Auror tool also prevented stock loss, saving over £20k worth of product. These results contributed to the decision to proceed with the full roll-out.
Since Currys announced its largest annual investment in store safety measures earlier this year, it claims there has been a 58% reduction in reported aggressive thefts, compared to the year before.
With the Auror solution, stores can record information about crimes and the perpetrators, which are then matched and connected with offences nationwide. As a result, store colleagues are better informed about current threats, and law enforcement has more comprehensive information to build cases.
AliExpress
AliExpress, the international online retail marketplace of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, is launching an hourly UK delivery service for household products, food, and beverages.
Beginning this month, customers in Greater London can order via the AliExpress app and get same-day delivery. The service is set to expand to other UK cities this year.
Hungry Panda, a grocer and delivery service, is the first to launch its product range on AliExpress. A curated collection of daily essentials, drinks, snacks and cupboard staples is now available for hourly delivery, including Coca-Cola, instant noodles and toilet paper.
AliExpress has also announced that the platform is now open for local suppliers and businesses to join, supported by a streamlined onboarding process, one to one operational support and a discounted commission fee.
For consumers, this means faster delivery on a wider selection of products, including furniture, large lighting, garden accessories, kitchen gadgets, and more. Orders shipped locally can be delivered within three days at the earliest.
Lush
Lush has announced a collaboration with Google Cloud.
Previously, its staff had to memorise hundreds of products to manually enter them at the till. This led to slower transactions and long lines, especially during busy seasons.
To solve this, Lush decided to bring the AI from its Lens app feature, which lets customers scan products with their phones, directly to its in-store tills.
Using Google Cloud Storage to host a library of over half a million product images and built with Gemini via Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform, to train its recognition model, Lush tills can now instantly identify any unpackaged product held up to the camera. What was once a manual lookup is now a split second scan, those involved claim..
ghd
ghd has launched an AI powered curl finder, allowing users to select their desired looks with the brand’s styling tools.
A quiz, available on the ghd website, features a range of AI generated hair looks across different hair textures, lengths and colours.
Throughout the AI development process, the ghd professional education team played a crucial role in approving each look. All imagery showcases real models with real hair,
“The beauty tech industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the increasing integration of artificial intelligence” says Jeroen Temmerman, ghd CEO. “We are strategically integrating AI to enhance consumer experiences, education, and personalized recommendations - while staying true to our craft.
Simba
A snapshot of Britain’s hidden child bed poverty crisis has been brought to life in a new AI generated video - laying bare the bleak reality facing millions of children growing up without a bed of their own.
The short film has been released by sleep technology firm Simba following new research that reveals more than one in ten children in the UK now live in bed poverty; a situation caused by a lack of proper bedding, shared sleeping spaces or overcrowded homes.
Titled No Room for Rest, the short film uses immersive, generative AI to visualise the invisible effects of child bed poverty - confronting viewers with the harsh physical and emotional toll of sleep deprivation over 24 hours.
The film follows a day in the life of a young child struggling through school, battling extreme tiredness and feeling isolated from the world around them - all because they don't have a proper bed at home.
Amazon UK and Gopuff
Amazon UK has announced a national roll-out of its partnership with on demand delivery specialist Gopuff.
Following an initial launch in Birmingham and Salford in May, Gopuff will now offer thousands of grocery products including alcohol and snacks, which will be delivered to Amazon customers directly by the quick commerce firm in under 60 minutes, and as fast as 15 minutes.
Russell Jones, Director of Grocery Partnerships at Amazon, says: “We are always working to give customers more choice and more convenient options to have their groceries delivered. Partnering with Gopuff and other grocery partners is an important way of offering Amazon customers their favourite stores and brands, ordered via our website. The new launch with Gopuff brings our customers access to a convenient and affordable way to access their everyday groceries.”
Warner Music Group
InPost UK has announced a partnership with Warner Music Group’s WMX involving what is pitched as a first of its kind merchandise experience, beginning with fans attending the Oasis Live ‘25 tour.
Marking InPost’s first move into the live entertainment space, this will see the introduction of fan merchandise Drop Shops across all 17 UK Oasis Live ’25 dates this summer, covering over 1.4 million concertgoers.
Located at the Fan Stores and stadiums in key cities, these Drop Shops will allow fans to shop official merchandise on-site and then send their items to an InPost point or directly to their home.
InPost will also be the official merchandise delivery partner for the Oasis Live ’25 e-commerce store. This is also the first move by WMX to utilise locker-based delivery. Plans are afoot to extend this to further Warner Music Group events.
For InPost app users, an exclusive fan offering will also be launched as part of the partnership, offering people the chance to win tour experiences.
Argos
Argos has partnered with social shopping experiences specialist StoryStream. This marks the latest phase of a tie up with Sainsbury’s Group that sees StoryStream powering UGC and fuelling content discovery across hundreds of product pages.
In a LinkedIn post, the company said: "Using our API, the brand can pull in authentic, rights approved UGC directly into their own fully native on-site experiences. No plug-ins. No widgets. Just seamless content curation at scale."
"The challenge? Sainsbury’s Group needed a way to deliver consistent, relevant social proof at scale across hundreds of product pages. The solution? A unified approach using our API to replace third-party plug-ins, allowing the team to power over 500 PDPs on Argos with authentic UGC, directly integrated into their own site."
“Social proof plays a vital role in helping our customers make confident purchase decisions, but the real challenge is delivering it in a way that feels authentic, consistent and scalable. Having proven the impact of using StoryStream on Sainsbury’s, we’re now scaling that approach across Argos, Habitat and TU Clothing - curating high quality UGC at scale while keeping full control of our on-site experience," said Tom Cusack, Group Customer Generated Content Manager, Product at Sainsbury’s Group.
M&S
Unless you've been living in a cave for the past week, you'll know that M&S has launched a limited edition strawberries and cream sandwich, which is inspired by the viral Japanese fruit sando.
The retailer is laying claim to a social media sensation, including one of its most popular ever posts.
In a LinkedIn post, Kathryn Turner, Director of Product Development at M&S Food, said: "Our Strawberries & Creme Sando landed in-store last week and I'm delighted that it's created such a buzz online and in-store.”
“Thanks to some brilliant innovation, the sandwich has made headlines and generated hundreds of pieces of coverage, including spotlights on national television. We've even seen our socials go strawberry mad, with 12.6 million views and 38.5k likes on Instagram, the sandwich has become our third most liked post ever."
Google has announced the launch of Doppl, a virtual clothing try-on app that uses generative AI to allow users to test out any outfit.
Available on iOS and Android in the US, Doppl develops on the capabilities of Google Shopping’s virtual try on offer, including the ability to upload outfits from pictures and screenshots. The app also uses generative AI to allow users to turn static images into dynamic video.
This means users can virtually try on any outfit as long as they have a clear, accurate picture. They can virtually try on outfits from a thrift store using photos of the items or clothing featured on social media using screenshots.
Doppl users can save looks and share them on social media.
Pandora
Riccardo Arnaldi has switched from Personalisation Manager to Agentic AI Product Manager at Pandora.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “After spending two years leading the Pandora personalisation initiative on web and CRM, mostly focusing on testing and scaling personalised recommendations across our global e-commerce platform, this transition feels like the natural next chapter.”
“Working as a stakeholder on AI initiatives showed me how AI agents represent an evolution of personalisation - providing hyperpersonalised interactions with customers through natural language interactions.”
He added that he is now focused on building a virtual shopping assistant powered by Saleforce’s Agentforce solution, something that he describes as “both exciting and challenging as I learn the nuances of product management…The intersection of AI, customer experience, and product strategy is fascinating, and I'm energised by the opportunity to shape how customers interact with our brand.”
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