Including Sodaclick and Trigo: 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards AI finalists announced

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards AI UK and Rest of World categories.

We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process!

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, taking place  at The HAC in Central London.

The event will be held on Thursday, 16th October and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

Book your place at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, 16th October here.

Our 2025 runners and riders as follows:

UK

Amperity

Amperity was founded on a bold vision: to help every brand turn complex customer data into business value. Using patented AI powered technology, Amperity unifies fragmented customer data, which is often spread across numerous touchpoints and systems, to create complete profiles.

This empowers retailers, enabling them to segment customers, predict future behavior and personalise cross-channel interactions. With better data, brands can identify high value audiences and make smarter, real-time decisions that drive measurable business results.

East of England Co-op and Retail Insight

In partnership with Retail Insight, East of England Co-op introduced the AI powered Prompted Markdown feature within the WasteInsight solution to tackle food waste and improve operational efficiency.

This technology uses cognitive AI to identify near-expiry products and alert store colleagues in real time, streamlining markdown processes and driving significant reductions in food waste. Integrated with electronic shelf-edge labels (ESLs), the system boosts labour productivity and simplifies in-store tasks.

The roll-out led to a 13% increase in sell through rates, saving over 1.8 million meals from going to landfill and avoiding 4,880 CO₂e emissions across our Food store estate.

FoundIt!

B&Q transformed its two million product marketplace using FoundIt's AI powered intent led commerce platform. As its product catalogue expanded exponentially, customers struggled with overwhelming choice, leading to increased abandonment and declining conversion rates.  

The AI solution deployed intent led navigation across 21,000+ category pages and 250,000+ search pages, analysing millions of customer intent signals to create contextual shopping journeys. AI also enriched product data by understanding how customers want to shop each item.

Results delivered 72% conversion rate improvement, 24% average order value increase, and 112% revenue per user growth, proving AI can scale complex marketplace experiences while maintaining customer satisfaction.

Kindred

Kindred operates the world’s largest database of coupon/promo codes.

With over 140 API network integrations across hundreds of thousands of retailers in 180 markets, our database is refreshed, QA’d and validated daily, Kindred is the white label technology and data behind browser-based discount/savings services from global partners including Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, ITV, O2, Etisalat, Telecom Italia  et al.

For its submission the key initiative is the proprietary direct integration of this data and technology into AI platforms and AI powered shopper/advertising platforms.

Retail-AI

Retail-AI has pioneered the world's first privacy first anti-theft system combining audio technology with AI to modify behaviour rather than criminalise individuals.

Unlike traditional surveillance that monitors people, our solution tracks products in 3D space, providing real-time audible alerts within three to five seconds when theft is detected. This approach has resulted in reduced criminality through behaviour modification.

Retail Express and Metcash

Metcash, the largest independent supermarket network in Australia, sought to transform its promotional operations in the face of rising consumer expectations and competitive pressures.

Partnering with Retail Express, the company launched Metproms, an AI enabled promotional platform which now automates and standardises promo planning across more than 1,200 stores, unifying operations across numerous trading banners.

Through Retail Express’ underlying tools, Metcash now benefits from precise forecasting, improved workflows, sharper supplier collaboration, and seamless media and catalogue promotion – leading to significant time saving, greater efficiency, and stronger partnerships.

ShopAi

ShopAi revolutionises business communication through the world's first omnichannel Ai-mediated platform, creating intelligent partnerships that amplify human capability rather than replacing it.

Unlike closed ecosystem solutions, ShopAi operates as independent middleware, integrating seamlessly with existing enterprise systems while providing dual Ai assistance during video conferences - enabling private consultation alongside group collaboration.

The platform features conversational document retrieval, template-based intelligent automation, and real-time multilingual translation across 40+ languages. Deployed from QR codes to voice activation, ShopAi transforms static touchpoints into dynamic business intelligence interfaces.

Real implementations like Jake at The Wholesale Group demonstrate measurable ROI, achieving 150ms response times while serving 255+ wholesale members and suppliers with instant tender generation, gap analysis, and competitive intelligence - proving Ai can enhance rather than eliminate human business relationships.

thortful

FaceSwap by thortful reimagines personalisation in greeting cards by blending AI ingenuity with creator talent. It developed proprietary face swapping technology that lets customers seamlessly place their faces (or loved ones’ faces) into cards, creating one of a kind designs that are as funny as they are personal.

Launched app first as an initial test, FaceSwap proved so successful it is scaling to web in 2025. thortful says it is staying true to its backbone by working with its community of creators to build content that complements AI capability. The result? A sustainable, scalable innovation that cuts through online overwhelm and makes connection simple, meaningful, and fun.

Rest of World

Constructor

Constructor provides an AI-based platform for e-commerce search and product discovery - helping shoppers find products they need and love.

Global retailers use Constructor to personalise shopper journeys - across search, browse, recommendations, landing pages, product-finder quizzes and more - while also optimising for key metrics like conversions and revenue.

A trailblazer in AI for e-commerce, Constructor has delivered standout innovation in the last year - with its award winning AI Shopping Agent (ASA), a conversational tool for natural language search, and AI powered Retail Media Suite, becoming the first to optimise organic and paid listings from a single, unified platform.

Legion Technologies

Legion Technologies is transforming workforce management for hourly workers through an AI native platform that integrates cutting-edge AI technologies and robust data pipelines to enable intelligent automation across every workforce function.

Legion AI revolutionises labour planning by calculating and injecting real-time employee productivity data into the optimisation process before generating schedules. Legion’s optimisation engine, backed by machine learning, crafts compliant, budget conscious schedules that meet the business's needs, employee preferences, skills, and incorporate employee productivity.

Legion WFM automates over 70 workforce use cases using AI, supporting operations in 25+ countries and 28 languages, and is proven to deliver up to 13x ROI.

Riskified

Riskified is changing the game by preparing merchants for the coming "agentic AI" revolution. Its new AI tools and capabilities are designed to help businesses safely use AI shopping agents while blocking sophisticated new fraud.

To quote the company: “We're a step ahead, not just reacting to fraud but building the framework for a future where autonomous agents buy on behalf of customers. By combining our AI with our partnership with HUMAN Security, we're making sure that as AI changes commerce, trust remains at its core.”

RNV.ai

RNV is transforming retail by harnessing the power of AI to help retailers make faster, smarter decisions. Its platform analyses data from thousands of sales points, customer interactions, and inventory systems in real-time, enabling retailers to optimise operations, anticipate demand, and enhance customer experiences.

With unmatched integration speed and a focus on actionable insights, RNV empowers businesses to adapt quickly to market shifts and stay competitive in a dynamic landscape. It provides retailers with the tools to unlock hidden opportunities, improve efficiency, and deliver the seamless, personalised shopping journeys today’s customers expect.

Scientific Games

Scientific Games’ breakthrough GameChoice innovation is transforming self-service retail with personalised lottery game recommendations powered by AI and SG Analytics. By suggesting dynamic lottery game recommendations in real time, GameChoice modernises a traditionally static purchase into an engaging shopping journey that broadens choice and player satisfaction.

Within weeks across one US state lottery’s retail network, GameChoice generated game recommendations in nine million shopping baskets, driving $9.8 million in sales and an estimated $105 million annually. The innovation makes lottery self-service more intuitive, appeals to digital native players, enhances transparency for retailers and sustains vital lottery-funded programmes in education, health and welfare.

Sodaclick

Sodaclick developed and deployed the Middle East's first multilingual, conversational AI order taker for KFC operated by Americana Restaurants.

Its AI seamlessly handles orders in both Arabic and English and can understand different regional dialects with speed and accuracy. The technology bridges the gap in language barriers, improving the customer experience and driving both operational and business benefits with efficiency and significant upsell success.

Trigo Vision

Trigo delivered a fully autonomous store for Etisalat, the UAE’s largest telecom brand - inside Dubai Mall, one of the planet’s busiest retail hubs.

Shoppers can enter, pick up smartphones, SIMs and accessories, while watching their basket update live as they shop via a new mid‑journey feature - adding or removing items the instant they’re moved, and simply walk out to make payment.

Ceiling cameras, shelf sensors and computer vision AI build a real‑time digital shopping basket that delivers item‑level accuracy and instant checkout while protecting privacy. The concept’s success has already led the operator to commission a third site, proving its commercial and technological impact.

WorkJam

WorkJam’s AI powered digital workplace has transformed training and engagement at Priceline Pharmacy, Australia’s largest health and beauty retailer. Previously reliant on 470 managers to cascade updates across 8,000+ staff, Priceline deployed WorkJam to deliver direct, mobile first communication and learning.

The launch of Pink Pathway, a structured onboarding and training program, drove 107,000 e-learnings and 1.6 million minutes of learning in just nine months, alongside 259,000 assessments and 200,000+ emails eliminated.

This innovation has simplified compliance, improved consistency across 470+ stores, and strengthened employee engagement - resulting in better execution, reduced friction, and a more consistent customer experience.