Sydney Sweeney, 3D billboards, virtual try on and Snapchat: 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 Currys, Vyntelligence, Walmart, The Wholesale Group, ShopAI, B&Q, Winter Gardens Blackpool, Boxbar Tech, THG Fulfil, and AutoStore.
Currys
Vyntelligence, an agentic video intelligence work platform, reports what is pitched as a retail first partnership with omnichannel technology and electricals retailer Currys.
The tie up will allow integration of Vyn’s Video Intelligence Platform into Currys’ service delivery operations.
Based out of one of Europe’s largest tech repair centres, Currys engineers can now spot issues in advance, as each Vyn SmartVideoNote aims to improve first time fix rates, streamline workflows and reduce carbon footprint generated by unnecessary callout visits.
Customers can use video to show and describe any issues with their tech products. After initially speaking with the contact centre, they will receive a text linking to a report where they are prompted to record the issue and take a photo of the product serial number. As people submit their report, Vyn’s agentic AI tool will automatically summarise the key issues and share them with specialist repair technicians.
American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters has launched its Fall ‘25 campaign, headlined by actress Sydney Sweeney. The campaign, Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans, is pitched as “a return to essential denim dressing and a celebration of what the beloved brand does best: making customers look and feel good in AE jeans”.
The roll-out will be supported by 3D billboards where Sweeney will interact directly with passersby, a Snapchat lens where she speaks with Snapchatters and AI enabled try-on technology.
“This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic - trendsetting denim that leads, never follows,” says Jennifer Foyle, President and Executive Creative Director - AE & Aerie. “Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in. With Sydney Sweeney front and centre, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.”
Walmart
Walmart has announced the creation of two new leadership roles with the goal of accelerating AI driven innovation across the business.
According to Doug McMillon, President and CEO at Walmart, the aim here is to “move smarter and faster, putting AI and world class product management and design at the centre of everything we do”.
“I’m excited to welcome Daniel Danker as EVP, AI Acceleration, Product and Design. In this new global role Daniel will accelerate our AI transformation and lead all product management and design across the enterprise,” he says.
“In addition, we’re also creating a new EVP, AI Platforms role reporting to Suresh Kumar (Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer). This visionary role will help us build the future with AI, increase productivity, speed and innovation, own the AI platforms, and architect our intelligent systems stack to power our future.”
He concludes: “Artificial intelligence is changing how we work. I look forward to working with Daniel and seeing how these changes strengthen our business and improve experiences for our customers, members and fellow associates.”
Vintage vibes, modern exclusives. Collector Con drops today 7/24, don’t miss out! https://t.co/NTDRQKG9Wn pic.twitter.com/JrFy4OeIBL
— Walmart (@Walmart) July 24, 2025
Winter Gardens Blackpool
Winter Gardens Blackpool, an entertainment complex in Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities, has teamed up with Boxbar Tech to deploy four new self-serve bars, with go live taking place at the Betfred World Matchplay Darts tournament.
In a LinkedIn post, it said: “Taking just 30 seconds to order, pay for and pour two pints, these fast track bars, used alongside our traditional bars, will allow us to serve more customers faster than ever before.
Being used for the first time at the Betfred World Matchplay Darts, the self-serve bars have enabled our team to shorten queueing time and serve more fans without them missing any of the action.”
It added: “With a simple and straightforward five step customer flow, the fully branded mobile bars will not only allow us to serve higher volumes at future gigs and events but also to elevate customer experiences across the entire venue.”
The Wholesale Group
Working with startup ShopAI, The Wholesale Group has created Jake AI, a solution that aims to help its independent wholesale members and supplier partners better compete in an increasingly complex marketplace.
“The wholesale industry has always been built on relationships, data, and quick decision-making, and with Jake AI, we’re taking this a step forward,” says Tom Gittins, Joint Managing Director at The Wholesale Group.
“Jake represents a fundamental shift in how our wholesale members can access and utilise their data. Unlike traditional business intelligence tools that require technical expertise, due to its advanced modern language models, it can be used conversationally to make it easier than ever before.”
Members and suppliers can ask Jake questions such as ‘What’s driving the margin decline in frozen foods this quarter?’ and receive immediate insights that would previously have taken hours of analysis. The solution analyses market trends, identifies promotional opportunities, and correlates sales patterns across the entire network of 255+ members.
B&Q
B&Q is now offering a Click & Collect service for items sold by third-party sellers on the retailer’s B&Q Marketplace offering.
In what is claimed to be a UK first, a pilot has just kicked off and will be followed by a wider, phased roll-out across 300 B&Q stores by October.
In a LinkedIn post, Aimé Matondo Fundani, Marketplace Director at B&Q, said: “Our customers can now order an even broader range of products online and choose to collect them at their local B&Q store, making shopping on our marketplace more flexible and convenient.”
THG Fulfil
THG Ingenuity’s THG Fulfil offshoot has announced the launch of an AutoStore installation at its Omega warehouse in Warrington. It says that the move reinforces its position as the only AutoStore distributor offering Robots as a Service (RaaS).
RaaS allows customers to pay a monthly fee that covers the grid, ports, and robots. It is pitched as providing a more flexible, scalable approach to automation, allowing brands to access the technology without the high upfront capital outlay historically required.
The new AutoStore system features specifications including 120,000 bins, 100 R5 Pro robots, 20 outbound ports and six inbound ports. R5 Pro robots are equipped with rapid charging, enabling a significant reduction in charging infrastructure allowing for a robot count reduction of up to 15% compared to standard R5 robot grids, according to those involved.
The installation is projected to deliver a 25% performance uplift, compared to THG Fulfil’s existing AutoStore build at its Icon 2 warehouse in Manchester.
Allianz Stadium Twickenham
A deployment of Amazon's Just Walk Out technology has wrapped at Allianz Stadium.
A Guinness Patch Just Walk Out frictionless bar made its debut during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final on 14th June, serving over 7,000 products. In a direct comparison, it surpassed its neighbouring traditional bar by 20% and sales were 15% higher than what the location averaged prior to Just Walk Out implementation.
Customers experienced average transaction times of less than six seconds from entry to exit. As with traditional queuing methods, the bar allowed for multiple lanes for entry and exit, to improve customer flow and eliminate congestion.
Heading to #RWC2025 🌹
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 24, 2025
Congratulations to the eight #RedRoses players who have been included in a @rugbyworldcup squad for the first time! 👏
Retail Insight
Retail Insight, an AI powered analytics platform for grocery retailers, has announced enhancements to its WasteInsight platform with several new capabilities: Stock Exit Management, Intelligent Donation Enablement, and Food Safety Warnings.
This builds upon the company’s existing expiration date management solutions, Prompted Markdowns and Dynamic Markdowns, with a focus on food waste reduction and inventory optimisation.
"Food waste has moved from a backroom operational headache to a boardroom level priority for UK grocers,” says Alex Considine Tong, Chief Product Officer at Retail Insight.
“With razor thin margins and heightened consumer scrutiny, retailers can no longer afford to treat waste as a mere line item expense. Our expanded WasteInsight platform turns this challenge into an opportunity. We’re equipping our customers with not just better visibility, but enhanced AI driven foresight to act before stock becomes a problem. That’s a game-changer for retailers and a big step toward reducing both waste and risk."
M&S
Polytag reports that Marks & Spencer has become the first retailer to bring invisible UV tags to shelf, applying them to labels on its four-pint milk products, now available in stores across the UK.
Once recycled by households, the bottles will enter recycling facilities where they will be scanned by Polytag’s Plastic Detection Units, with the retailer able to view live recycling data.
Alice Rackley, CEO at Polytag, says: "Retailers and brands can no longer afford to lose sight of packaging the moment it leaves their supply chain. With EPR now in effect, we’re entering a new era where real data is not just helpful, it’s essential.”
“By tagging products and tracking their journey through the recycling system, we’re creating a clear line of sight from shelf to sorting facility. M&S taking this first to shelf step signals not only a commitment to transparency, but a real shift in how the industry approaches responsibility. It’s a major milestone for the Ecotrace Programme and for the wider UK recycling industry.”
Currys
Currys has launched a new colleague led ideas platform, the Pitch, powered by AI.
Since its launch across the retailer's supply chain and services teams, the initiative has gained momentum, with over 450 ideas submitted to date. More than 100 of these are already in progress with 41% delivering measurable results, saving over 3,000 hours and unlocking six-figure cost efficiencies. Colleague engagement is strong too, with adoption rates tracking 3% above the market average.
As a result, Currys has set plans to expand the platform, which is fully embedded in Microsoft Teams, to an additional 9,000 colleagues, bringing the total number of users to 14,000 by the end of this financial year. The investment spans stores, support functions, digital operations, contact centres and extends to Currys’ third-party partner, Concentrix.
The system is powered by AI, which streamlines the ideas by automatically grouping similar suggestions and surfacing trends. This approach helps teams save time, spot patterns faster and collect the best ideas from the outset.
Built on Sideways 6’s Microsoft integrated platform, the Pitch aims to make it easy for colleagues to suggest improvements, flag inefficiencies and solve everyday problems.
Continue reading…