AR glasses payments and social commerce capabilities: last week’s biggest retail tech plays

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Fayt The Label, Instant AI, Ant Group, Lounge Underwear, Order Editing, THG Commerce, A.F Blakemore & Son, Sailing Group, Faire, Uber Eats, and Dollar General.

Fayt The Label

Instant AI, which provides e-commerce brands with an AI powered marketing manager, reports that it launched this week with Fayt The Label.

In a LinkedIn post, Liam Millward, Co-founder and CEO at Instant AI, said: “The calibre of brands adopting Instant AI is wild! Moving away from Klaviyo, we now send their cart abandonment emails on a shopper by shopper basis > meaning every shopper now gets a unique email, based on what they viewed (previously impossible).”

He added: “Ridding the generic email copy that doesn’t convert. And! The designs look great too. Demo call at 2pm yesterday, and first email sent/live by 3pm today. Excited to see the results.”

RayNeo and Ant Group

RayNeo and Ant Group have announced a partnership to develop digital payment solutions globally.

Beginning with in-store payment scenarios, the augmented reality (AR) firm will collaborate with Ant Group to explore AR glasses solutions for a range of applications, including everyday services and cross-border payments.

Building on AR glasses payment technology that enables in-store transactions by scanning Alipay QR codes, RayNeo’s latest X3 Pro AR glasses are pitched as the first to support payments through the Alipay Tap! merchant terminal in China. This capability will also be introduced to RayNeo’s other product lines, including the RayNeo V3 and V3 Slim.

Lounge Underwear

Lounge Underwear has gone live with Order Editing, whose self-service portal lets customers make changes to their online orders.

In a LinkedIn post, Hamish McKay, Co-founder and CEO at Order Editing, noted that Lounge Underwear has a combined following of over six million on socials, more than 100 staff at its head office, and 25 orders per second at the peak of BFCM.

He added: "I first met Dominic Hague (Head of Systems of Lounge Underwear) just 11 days into quitting my job and going all in on our Shopify app. We weren't ready to handle their scale. Not yet. Nine months later and we were smashing it with other $100 million+ brands and I came into the head office to say hello.”

Farmfoods

UK frozen food retailer Farmfoods is rolling out YOOBIC across 340 stores to give 5,000 colleagues access to one digital platform for: Streamlined comms; Smarter task management; Bite-sized, engaging training; Digital store audits and KPI tracking; Stronger compliance and engagement.

In a LinkedIn post, YOOBIC said: "Thank you to the Farmfoods team for trusting us to support this exciting transformation. We can’t wait to get started!"

"Huge thanks to everyone who made this possible, including Nick Edwards, George Herd, and Chris Marshall at Farmfoods, and Oliver Malik, Bradley Capon, Michael Harris, Libby McKivigan, and Harry Lawns from the YOOBIC team. Excited for what’s ahead."

John Bell & Croyden

Trust Retail, part of the Trust Payments Group, has announced implementation of Pennies micro-donation technology at John Bell & Croyden, a London pharmacy dating back to 1798 and a Royal Warrant holder since 1958.

The Pennies functionality has been fully integrated into John Bell & Croyden's PoS application and payment devices, allowing customers to make micro-donations during purchases.

Unlike the standard fixed donation amount used in many retail environments, this deployment will offer variable donation suggestions based on transaction value - recognising the premium nature of many purchases at John Bell & Croyden's Wigmore Street location. The pharmacy has operated at this site since 1912.

A.F Blakemore & Son

A.F Blakemore & Son, the UK’s largest SPAR retailer and wholesaler, has ramped up its investment with RELEX Solutions to unify its retail planning operations.

Building on its use of the firm’s technology for wholesale and distribution centre forecasting and replenishment, A.F. Blakemore will expand this to its retail business and implement RELEX space planning capabilities across its convenience store network.   

Operating nearly 250 SPAR stores across England and Wales and supporting a large network of independent retailers, its stores offer essential services and a wide selection of fresh, chilled, and locally sourced products. 

Its expanded use of RELEX’s unified, AI driven platform, including weather aware forecasting, seasonal planning, and automated replenishment, will enable faster, smarter decisions across the product lifecycle. This allows for dynamic adaptation to changing conditions and demand shifts, better promotion planning, and more effective clearance strategies. 

The platform also brings planogram optimisation at both store and cluster levels. This alignment between supply chain and store execution enables scalable expansion into trade partner locations, with consistent performance and efficiency across formats. 

THG Commerce

THG Commerce, an e-commerce solution from THG Ingenuity, has announced the expansion of its social commerce capabilities, alongside achieving official TikTok Shop Partner Status.

Its enhanced offering provides an end-to-end managed service, designed to navigate a dynamic landscape and reduce complexity for brands. Services now include social strategy development, live commerce execution, content creation, influencer and affiliate marketing, community management, and social analysis and reporting.

Richard Ward, CEO, THG Ingenuity, says: “The future of retail is inherently social, and brands must adapt to where consumers are spending their time and making purchasing decisions. Our expanded social commerce capabilities, combined with our official TikTok Shop Partner status, underscore our commitment to providing brands with the tools and expertise needed to thrive in this exciting new era. We offer a holistic solution ensuring a frictionless path to purchase for consumers.”

THG Commerce is now a recommended TikTok Shop Partner for key services including shop management and strategy, content creation and live selling, influencer and affiliate marketing and paid media.

Sailing Group

Visual Art has inked a five-year agreement with Salling Group, the Denmark-based grocery retailer with brands such as Netto, Føtex, and Bilka.

The deal includes Visual Art’s digital signage software, full technical migration, remote and on-site support, and integration with Salling Group’s current ad tech platform. The pair will also explore new functionalities related to audience data, campaign measurement, and sensor-based activation.

“I meet many companies working with in-store retail media, but Salling Group’s drive and innovative mindset truly stand out. They have a purposeful and forward looking approach to how digital communication should create value every day. We look forward to building a long-term partnership together,” says Andreas Lind, Chief Commercial Officer at Visual Art.

Faire

Faire, an online wholesale platform which launched in the UK in 2021, is expanding into New Zealand and 14 additional countries across Europe, making its network of curated brands and business tools available to independent retailers across nearly 35 countries worldwide.

“Independent retailers are the heart of local economies around the world, and our mission has always been to help them thrive,” says Max Rhodes, Co-founder and CEO at Faire.

“This expansion doubles our reach across Europe and extends our community of retailers and brands into New Zealand - giving thousands more shop owners access to the products, tools, and support they need to grow. We’re proud to continue building a global network where local retail can flourish without borders.” 

The European expansion includes launches in Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

Uber Technologies and Dollar General Corporation

Uber Technologies and Dollar General Corporation have announced a partnership that will bring more than 14,000 Dollar General and pOpshelf locations to the Uber Eats platform.

Starting last week and expanding this month, DG and pOpshelf customers can tap to order a mix of affordable essentials, food, and fun, on-trend items delivered straight to their door - on-demand or scheduled - via Uber Eats.

“Our customers will enjoy even greater convenience through our Uber Eats partnership, accessing everything from food to essential household items, saving them valuable time and money,” says Tony Rogers, Dollar General’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Providing communities with affordable, fresh, and accessible food options delivered right to their front door is aligned with our mission of Serving Others.”

Futon Company

Wincanton, a UK-based supply chain provider, has announced a new three-year partnership with space saving furniture retailer Futon Company.

Futon Company currently has 24 stores in the UK and also sells online. It has selected Wincanton as part of a wider drive to increase efficiency and future fit its systems development.

“Our new partnership with Wincanton marks a significant development in meeting our customer experience objectives,” says David Kirby, Commercial Director at Futon Company. “Their extensive history in our market, and their logistical expertise, will provide us with the ability to continue our evolution whilst maintaining a first-class service for our valued customers.”

Wincanton will provide end-to-end warehousing and distribution operations for Futon Company from its specialist omnichannel fulfilment centre in Corby, UK. It has expertise in multi-channel stock management, delivery optimisation and seamless customer experience, which Futon Company says will be key in supporting its ambitions.