RTIH AI Awards Tech Implementation of the Year finalists include B&Q and Nextail

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Technology Implementation of the Year category.

This award recognises AI technology project excellence, both in delivery and outcomes. Judges will be looking for clear project objectives, effective and innovative implementation and tangible and demonstrable results.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process. We received a huge number of impressive entries highlighting companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, taking place  at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January.

This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room, presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Lucy Porter.

To book your place at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, click here.

Our runners and riders:

FoundIt! and B&Q

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.

LatentView Analytics

A global e-commerce player specialising in home goods partnered with LatentView to build a scalable, automated Competitor Intelligence Platform specifically for B2B competitor sites, where product data, wholesale pricing, and inventory visibility sit behind authenticated business portals.

The initiative began with an AI driven approach using web automation, ML-based product matching (text embeddings, cosine similarity, GenAI/BERT), and pricing intelligence reporting.

Once validated, it engineered a production grade implementation capable of securely logging into B2B portals, bypassing bot detection controls, scraping structured data at scale, and consolidating insights into a GBQ - Looker Studio ecosystem. The platform now delivers continuous visibility into competitor pricing and assortment, enabling faster and more confident commercial decision-making.

Nextail

Nextail revolutionises fashion retail by using AI and machine learning to optimise inventory management, demand forecasting, and merchandising decisions. Its platform helps retailers reduce overstock, avoid stockouts, and maximise sell-through by predicting demand at the SKU store level.

Since its launch, Nextail has delivered up to 40% sales growth and operational efficiency improvements for global brands such as Guess or Gina Tricot. This AI driven solution turns reactive retail into proactive, data led strategies that enhance profitability, customer satisfaction, and reduce waste.

Panoptyc

Panoptyc is a video AI asset protection leader, helping 20,000+ stores cut self-checkout and cashier theft by an average of 30% per year. Fortune 500 and small business retailers alike in grocery, convenience, and home improvement trust its AI technology to safeguard their assets.

Its proprietary video AI platform transforms ordinary security cameras into intelligent theft detection systems, providing real-time alerts and actionable insights. By leveraging advanced computer vision and machine learning, it delivers measurable ROI through reduced shrinkage and enhanced loss prevention - revolutionising retail asset protection through accessible AI innovation.

Peak and Debenhams Group

Peak’s partnership with Debenhams Group revolutionised its approach to pricing through AI powered optimisation. Leveraging Peak’s Pricing AI application, the retailer - starting with with PLT and BoohooMAN, and expanding to Boohoo, Karen Millen and Debenhams - transitioned from manual, conventional pricing to a sophisticated, strategic, data led process.

This initiative delivered significant operational efficiency gains. It reduced stock overhang and improved customer experiences. With a scalable, line level pricing model powered by AI, Debenhams Group is now equipped to make more value optimised decisions for every product. This has empowered teams, enhanced commercial performance and positioned the group as a digitally driven retail leader.

Prezzee

Prezzee’s always exploring innovative ways to spark human connection through gifting moments. Its 2024 Magical Messages experience brought the magic of Santa to life through a hyper-personalised digital experience designed for consumers of all ages.

Powered by AI and audiovisual synthesis, users entered a few personal details to receive a unique video message from Santa, confirming they’d made his ‘Nice List’. Set in a snowy, whimsical digital Santa’s workshop, the experience blended tradition with technology to deliver joyful, emotional moments during the festive season. The result was surprise, delight and holiday magic, powered by AI and made meaningful by Prezzee.

Rokt

Rokt is a leading e-commerce company using machine learning and AI to make the shopping experience more relevant to each customer. In 2024, it launched ACE (Adaptive Content Engine), a generative AI tool that helps advertisers boost return on ad spend by automatically creating tailored ad messages for every customer.

ACE adjusts headlines, copy and calls-to-action in real-time, while giving creative teams full control to review or edit each version. Rokt works with leading brands including Live Nation, Macy’s, Ulta, PayPal, Uber and more to improve ad performance.

Versori

70% of sellers drop off during onboarding due to manual, error prone mappings.

Onboard any SKU instantly with 99% accuracy using Versori's taxonomy tuned AI models and marketplace integrations. Versori has transformed the world's largest retailers' marketplaces using AI at the core.