Robots vs seagulls and the past vs the present: here are 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 Ocado, Oh Polly, KFC, Homebase USA, Simbe, Alpro, Bojangles, Bread Ahead, Zapp, Trigo, Pinterest, Guitar Center, Domino's, and Boston Dynamics.

Ocado

Ocado.com is now fully running on OSP (Ocado Smart Platform), the online grocery retailer’s technology platform, following a legacy system migration. This is an end-to-end e-commerce, fulfilment and logistics solution that taps artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation.

In a LinkedIn post, Peter Thomas, VP of Engineering - E-commerce at Ocado, said: “I’m sure you’ll agree it looks and feels great, but the UX is just the start. It's a complete front to back tech transformation that will enable us to deliver even better experiences for customers and partners.”

He added: “The migration from our long standing and well loved legacy platform has been a massive undertaking. From the earliest prototypes through to final migrations, there’s been a cast of hundreds who’ve worked tirelessly to make it happen.”

“Congratulations to everyone in Ocado Tech, Solutions and Retail who’ve been a part of this. Tremendously proud of this and, of course, all the e-commerce tech teams here at Ocado Tech. Well done all. A true milestone.”

Oh Polly

Oh Polly has notched up a company first with the roll-out of interactive product detail pages (PDPs) on its e-commerce site.

In a LinkedIn post, it said: “Exciting updates to share as our teams continue to push boundaries. We officially launched our first-ever interactive PDPs as part of our ‘Soft Season ‘collection, allowing products to interact on our website, creating an immersive and dynamic storytelling experience.”

It added: “A huge well done to our teams for their visionary thinking and flawless execution in transforming a traditionally static touchpoint into a viral moment! We’re just getting started - stay tuned for more to come.”

KFC UAE

Dubai now has its first ever multilingual AI powered order taker at a KFC drive-thru, operated by Americana Restaurants.

Fluent in both Arabic and English, the assistant is powered by Sodaclick and runs on Intel Core Ultra processors. According to those involved, it is delivering: up to 75% of customers saying yes to upsell suggestions, +8.5 AED average increase per order, and a faster, smoother, and more personalised drive-thru experience.

“Excited to share that we have launched the first multilingual conversational voice AI for a KFC drive-thru in the UAE, in collaboration with Intel Corporation and Americana Restaurants,” says Nina Mustafa, Business Development Manager at Sodaclick. “Huge thanks to the mighty and awesome team at Sodaclick, especially our marketing star Salwa Al-Tahan, and our visionary leaders Ihsan Jan and Ibrahim Jan.

Homebase USA

HomeBase USA is testing out Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform, which includes the Tally autonomous shelf-scanning robot, at its locations in Copperas Cove, Texas, and Laramie, Wyoming.

Tally captures real-time data on product availability, pricing, and placement, with the aim of achieving fewer out of stocks and an improved customer experience. The Laramie store introduction marks the first deployment of the robot in Wyoming.

Simbe said: “HomeBase joins other farm and ranch retailers already using me to make shopping smoother and team jobs easier. Together, we're ensuring the right items are always in the right place, at the right price.”

Caitlin Allen, SVP of Market at Simbe, added: “For store associates, repetitive inventory checks can eat up hours each week, and aren’t exactly anyone’s favourite task. Automating those checks means teams can focus on what really matters: helping customers and keeping the shopping experience smooth. Excited to watch HomeBase unlock even more efficiency and team impact with Tally in the aisles.”

Mark Dremel, District Manager at HomeBase, commented: “Getting inventory right is fundamental to our business, and with Tally, we’re equipping our teams with the insights they need to succeed. This pilot is an exciting step toward improving both operational performance and the in-store experience, and we’re eager to see Tally’s impact as we look to scale.”

Busy Beaver

Onebeat, an AI driven inventory optimisation platform, and Zipline, a retail execution and communication specialist, have announced a strategic integration offering, the pair say, “a connected system that ensures smart inventory recommendations are understood and acted on by store teams, at speed and at scale”.

"Forecasting isn’t enough anymore. Retailers need to be able to leverage the real-time, store-specific data already available to them. More importantly, they need the tools and capability to act on that data quickly and consistently - that’s what this partnership delivers,"  says Yishai Ashlag, CEO and Co-Founder at Onebeat.

"By connecting Onebeat’s dynamic AI driven inventory decisions with Zipline’s execution platform, we’re closing the loop between insight and action and empowering retailers to move faster, perform better, and stay ahead of demand.”

Busy Beaver, a home improvement retailer with more than 19 locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, adopted the integration to optimise store-to-store inventory transfers. By connecting Onebeat’s real-time recommendations to actionable tasks in Zipline, it says it streamlined product moves between store, reducing excess stock while ensuring customers find what they need on the shelves.

Bread Ahead and Zapp

London-based bakery business Bread Ahead has announced a new partnership with quick commerce app Zapp. For the first time, customers can now get a selection of Bread Ahead’s baked goods delivered in minutes, 24/7.

The company was founded in Borough Market in 2013.

Matthew Jones, Owner and Founder, says: “We started Bread Ahead to bring great bread to Londoners and have always focused on keeping things simple and honest. Partnering with Zapp gives our customers the chance to enjoy our bakes wherever they are, whenever they want them. We are excited to be taking this next step.”

Alpro

Danone’s plant-based food brand, Alpro, has partnered with Appetite Creative to launch a new immersive connected experience that aims to educate customers about the nutritional benefits of its new Alpro Kids range.

A web app-based experience, accessed via on pack QR codes, embodies a classic adventure video game style. By dashing through different levels, players can collect key Alpro flavoured ingredients, while trying to avoid falling into giant gaps. It gives people choices of alter egos in the form of their favourite Alpro superhero, including Miss Berry, Oatino and Soystorm. 

Users are encouraged to compete against each other to achieve a high position on the leaderboard. Winners will be selected weekly, during the back to school timeframe from end August to end October, based on user skill and high scores. In the UK, winners will receive one of ten £100 Lego toy gift vouchers, one prize will be available each week across ten weeks. 

Debenhams Group and Pinterest

As part of its shift to a marketplace model, Debenhams Group, the online retailer behind brands including Debenhams, PrettyLittleThing, boohoo, boohooMAN and Karen Millen, is tapping search and discovery platform Pinterest to increase brand awarenesss through its suite of AI tools.

Debenhams is the first group brand in the UK this year to launch a campaign on Pinterest, a move that has resulted in: Enhanced brand discoverability and increased instant shopping for its 15,000 brands on site; Conversion of consumer attention into commercial action creating measurable business results; 75% better click through rates, compared to category benchmarks for a bridal campaign.

Dan Finley, CEO at Debenhams Group, says: “Staying relevant is key for shoppers today. Rather than just keeping up with trends, they’re looking for inspiration and ways to get ahead of the curve, and are using Pinterest to do so.”

“Through our work with Pinterest, we’re ensuring that the wide variety of brands found on Debenhams are easily discovered, which is enabling us to reach new customers, and ensure we are the go-to destination for new fashion, home and beauty trends.”

OSY Group and SHARPAK

OSY Group has agreed a commercial partnership to apply its technology on to packaging for soft fruits predominantly sold through UK supermarkets.

The collaboration with packaging manufacturer SHARPAK Aylesham aims to extend the shelf life of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapes.

OSY Group says that its antimicrobial coating enables food to stay fresh for longer by leaving microscopic pins on packaging surfaces which puncture and kill microbes, slowing the natural spoiling process that affects the produce within.

Ocado Retail

Ocado Retail says that it has become the first UK grocer to scale packaging traceability through a partnership with Polytag, using UV invisible tag technologies with the aim of supporting a more transparent, data led recycling system.

The online grocery retailer’s roll-out  includes the full Ocado Retail milk range. The UV tags are invisible to customers but readable at material recovery facilities (MRFs) and supply Ocado Retail with accurate, item level data on where and when packaging is recycled.

The move builds on its position as a founding partner of Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme. In parallel, more than 100 of the pureplay’s own label products now feature Polytag QR codes that provide consumers with clear recycling instructions and sustainability information.

Through the programme, Polytag has installed a network of plastic detection units (PDUs) in high volume MRFs across the UK and Northern Ireland. These units are now capable of monitoring nearly 50% of the UK’s household recycling stream, detecting UV tagged items automatically and sharing live, verified data via the Polytag dashboard.

Bojangles

American fast food firm Bojangles is expanding its Spanish language ordering capabilities for online ordering, its mobile app, in-store kiosks and drive-thru AI assistant, known as Bo-Linda.

At the drive-thru, Bo-Linda offers a fully Spanish spoken experience at more than 400 locations, with Bojangles claiming that it is one of the first major QSR brands to deliver bilingual functionality at this scale. Additionally, about 35 locations will feature kiosks with this option.

“This is about more than just technology - it’s about making every guest feel welcomed and understood,” says Jose Armario, CEO at Bojangles. “As a Hispanic leader, I take pride in ensuring our brand reflects the communities we serve. Language should never be a barrier to hospitality.”

Trigo

Trigo reports that its loss prevention AI is now available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

In a LinkedIn post, the company said: “Turn your existing CCTV cameras into a real-time profit protection engine. Our platform detects: Self-checkout discrepancies like non-scans and barcode swaps; Theft of highly stolen goods; Unpaid items, whether visible or hidden. Easy to deploy, results from day one.”

Sawhorse Productions and Warner Bros.

Sawhorse Productions has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery in conjunction with Chartis to bring the upcoming movie Weapons to Fortnite across four custom creative maps, blending cinematic horror with interactive storytelling.

Weapons is written, produced, and directed by Zach (Barbarian) Cregger, and stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. The film follows the case of 17 children from the same classroom who mysteriously disappear overnight at the exact same time, with their teacher being the main suspect.

With the Fortnite activation, players can: Collect props; Uncover hidden clues; Encounter haunted NPCs; Face the mysterious 2:17 AM event. All while navigating chilling gameplay mechanics, jump scares, and custom assets.

Domino's

Domino’s has worked with Boston Dynamics on a robotic ‘guard dog’ that delivers pizza to customers on the beach. After delivering the food, it will stand guard and fend off seagulls.

A trial took place in Eastbourne during June and more tests will be carried out throughout the summer season.

Domidog can autonomously navigate its environment using onboard sensors, stereo cameras, and localisation technology and includes features like 360° perception to avoid obstacles.

A spokesperson for Domino’s says: "Seagulls have claimed too many seaside snacks, and it’s time we did something about it. As the original delivery experts, we’re always exploring new and innovative ways to keep your pizza as hot and fresh as possible on its delivery journey. That’s why we’re trailing Domidog this summer: a clever, tech driven answer to an age old beach problem.”

Guitar Center

Guitar Center has launched Rig Advisor, claiming that the move makes it the first music retailer to introduce an AI powered shopping assistant directly onto the store floor.

Now live in locations in the US, Rig Advisor is a mobile-based tool that helps customers discover, compare, and explore gear in real-time by prioritising products available at that specific store location.

“Rig Advisor is like having a professional gear consultant in the palm of your hand, delivering lightning fast answers as you explore our music stores,” says Gabe Dalporto, CEO at Guitar Center. “It will turn our stores into tech powered music hubs where creativity, curiosity, and inspiration lead the way.”

Customers scan a QR code in-store, type in an artist, song, tone, or gear related question, and the solution delivers instant recommendations based on what is in stock at that specific location.