RTIH Innovation Awards back with a bang in 2026: the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail technology news? Then this is the article for you. Including Specsavers, osapiens, American Express, Papa Johns, Google Cloud, Wing, Walmart, Royal Mail, Post Office, Pacsun, WHSmith North America Media Network, Topshop, and TCS.
€800,000…Helsinki-based product growth automation platform Skene has closed a €800,000 pre-seed round led by Superhero Capital and with participation from NVIDIA executives. With its first agent now live, Skene CEO Teemu Kinos, Co-Founder of GetJenny, aims to use the funds to cross €1 million ARR and expand the offering to support growth across the full user journey by spring 2026.
“Most legacy products rely on human shaped sticking plasters in the form of sales, CS, and manual workflows to execute growth strategy, yet when it comes to AI agents capable of fixing these problems at scale, they hesitate,” says Kinos.
“The opportunity for exponential product led growth (PLG) is in the hands of AI native teams looking for ways to ship at a speed and scale manual growth strategies can’t match. Skene automates the path to growth at every step, constantly improving user outcomes with every release.”
23...Topshop has announced the roll-out of its dedicated European website, launching in 23 EU countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Built on Shopify, the site offers customers access to the latest collections across Topshop’s hero categories, including its cult denim, elevated tailoring, dresses, evening wear, footwear and accessories.
Michelle Wilson, Managing Director Topshop and Topman, says: “We're excited to bring Topshop directly to our European customers. Topshop is already available worldwide on Asos.com, but this new site gives our community access to our full brand experience.”
“Customers can get access to the latest collection, shop bestsellers, browse our curated edits or sign-up to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with fashion moments and product launches. We'll be adding new features to the site every month to make the experience even more engaging and convenient.”
The 23 EU countries as follows: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Spain.
8...The eighth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards will open for entries in April. The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our latest winners were revealed at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Key dates for 2026
Tuesday, 7th April: Awards open for entries
Friday, 11th September: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 15th September: 2026 finalists revealed
Wednesday, 16th September - Wednesday, 30th September: Judging days
Thursday, 15th October: Winners announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.
£26.9 billion...UK shoppers splashed out a total of £26.9 billion online this holiday season (1st November – 31st December), up 4.1% YoY, with over £500 million spent on Boxing Day alone as bargain hunters continued to search for the best deals, according to Adobe Digital Insights.
Across 2025, online spending reached £118.5 billion, up 2.8% on 2024 and setting a new record for online spending.
“While online spending for the year grew by a modest 2.8%, UK retailers will be encouraged by a strong end to the year and a particularly good festive period,” says Vivek Pandya, Lead Analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. “Strong online discounts across categories encouraged higher levels of spending, and this year saw consumers lean more heavily on AI to research products and find the best prices.”
£1.2 million...Specsavers has opened the doors to its new Tottenham Court Road store in the West End of London following a £1.2 million investment.
This is one of its flagship stores, and the investment has enabled the installation of the latest diagnostic testing equipment and digital screens showcasing offers.
Specsavers has part of the West End for over 26 years, having previously been based across the road. The new store is situated at 237-247 Tottenham Court Road.Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, joined in with the celebrations and cut the green ribbon.
$100 million...osapiens has entered into an agreement for Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek, to lead a $100 million Series C fundraising round, subject to regulatory approvals.
Decarbonization Partners will join existing investors Goldman Sachs Alternatives, which fronted a $120 million Series B in 2024, and Armira Growth, which headed up a $27 million Series A investment in 2023.
osapiens provides software that enables companies to manage regulatory compliance, sustainability, and operational efficiency across their entire value chain on a single platform. Customers include Coca-Cola North America, Lidl, Carrefour, and OTTO.
The proceeds from the latest investment will be used to accelerate product innovation and fuel growth in existing and new international markets.
Research from American Express shows that 29% of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed either plan to, or will consider using, AI assistants and tools when they shop this year, rising to 37% for younger consumers aged 18-34.
For these younger consumers, AI is rapidly becoming woven into everyday shopping decisions, as they use it to compare prices (31%) and track deals (25%), along with boosting their research confidence by surfacing reviews and key product details (31%) and uncovering new brands and alternatives (27%).
The impact of AI extends beyond material purchases. One in five consumers say AI is helpful when looking for inspiration for new experiences, from activities and events to travel ideas. More broadly, the research found that 46% of Brits are entering 2026 with a New Year’s spending resolution, with commitments such as shopping around for deals, tracking their spending more closely and buying from eco-friendly brands.
The research also suggests competition for consumer loyalty is set to intensify among retailers, with savvy shoppers increasingly looking to rewards and incentives when deciding where to spend. Two-thirds of respondents say they have used loyalty or rewards points to get a better deal in the past year and plan to continue doing so through 2026.
350...In-Store Marketplace (ISM) has announced a partnership with WHSmith North America Media Network, powered by SMG (WHS Media), which has a US airport footprint of more than 350 stores.
WHS Media will combine ISM’s programmatic retail media platform with Mood Media’s hardware to deliver a turnkey, fully managed solution. It says that this will enable it to monetise in-store digital screens and audio assets more efficiently while offering advertisers access to travellers with long dwell times and strong spending power.
The new network will activate across WHS Media’s US airport stores, bringing together approximately 700 in-store digital screens and audio channels. Early adopters, including PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay and Bose, are now activating campaigns, with additional premium brands expected to follow.
6...Royal Mail and Post Office are partnering to introduce parcel lockers at Post Office branches across the UK. The six-month trial will see lockers installed outside stores with 24/7 availability.
These offer another option to send, collect and return parcels and feature label printing. To use them, customers need to pay for postage online and get a QR code, or request a QR code if they are returning a purchase.
Royal Mail now has over 24,000 locations where customers can drop off and collect parcels, including 2,400 lockers, 11,500 Post Office branches, almost 8,000 Royal Mail Shop outlets, 1,200 Royal Mail customer service ooints and 1,400 parcel postboxes.
Anna Malley, Director of Partnerships and Acquisitions at Royal Mail, says: “Post Office is one of Royal Mail’s most important partners, and this is an exciting step forward in how we work together. The trial reflects our commitment to meeting a wide range of customer needs whilst also maintaining existing options. It’s about making life easier for our customers by giving them a choice that suits their individual preferences.”
1...This week at NRF 2026, Papa Johns announced that it is the first partner for Google Cloud's newly expanded AI solution, Food Ordering agent, which is helping the pizza brand deploy a fully unified voice and text AI ordering system aimed at removing friction across customer touchpoints.
The Food Ordering agent is a part of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience.
Moving beyond its initial deployment in drive-thru automation, this is an omnichannel platform that enables brands to deploy voice AI agents across mobile apps, websites, telephones, kiosks, and in-car systems.
150 and 40 million...Wing and Walmart are expanding their drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores in the US over the next year, bringing this to more than 40 million Americans.
The pair will establish a network of over 270 drone delivery locations by 2027, stretching from Los Angeles to Miami. This builds on operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Metro Atlanta.
New service areas will include metropolitan hubs such as Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami, with others to be announced at a later date. This expands on previously slated expansion markets: Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and Charlotte, which continues later this week when Wing and Walmart start operating in Houston on 15th January.
“Drone delivery plays an important role in our ability to deliver what customers want, exactly when they want it. Whether it’s a last minute ingredient for dinner or a late-night essential for a busy family, the strong adoption we’ve seen confirms that this is the future of convenience,” says Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President of Digital Fulfillment Transformation at Walmart.
“By expanding drone delivery to new major metro areas, we are helping more customers solve for their last minute needs faster than ever before.”
1...Pacsun reports the launch of its proprietary digital platform, PS Community Hub, pitched as a first to market concept.
It says that, unlike traditional retail apps or loyalty programmes, this integrates social connection, creator monetisation, and co-creation opportunities with a focus on youth culture.
The announcement was made as part of a discussion at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show in New York City focused on Gen Alpha and Gen Z research, with Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson and Business of Fashion's Sheena Butler-Young.
"The creation of PS Community Hub demonstrates our purpose driven retail strategy, putting creators and our youth community at the heart of our plan to fuel sustainable growth, cultural relevance, and innovation in retail," says Olson.
"Our deep generational listening and Insights from the Pacsun Youth Report have been instrumental in shaping this initiative, ensuring that we address the evolving needs and aspirations of our young consumers and remain at the forefront of technology and social commerce."
The study reveals only 24% of retailers currently use AI for autonomous decision-making, while 85% have not yet begun implementing, or are even planning for multi-agent AI systems. What’s more, to address the most strategic objectives, such as driving profitable growth and improving customer experience and loyalty, retail executives consider AI initiatives their most or second most preferred tactic.
And the more financially successful a retailer is, the more initiatives they have in the pipeline. Based on responses from more than 800 senior retail executives across 18 countries and five major subsectors, the study highlights the operational pressures currently shaping retail transformation.
Executives identify the ability to sense market shifts in real-time and utilising adaptive AI powered decision-making among their top priorities for the next one to two years, a signal that retailers increasingly see digital intelligence and agility as inseparable.
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