Drone deliveries and AI agents: our most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out our most clicked retail technology articles from last week, including Winn-Dixie Company, Amazon Just Walk Out, Tennessee Titans, Walmart, Google Gemini, JD Sports Fashion, commercetools, Zalando, Nectar360, osapiens, and Wing.

Adam Kirk follows Southeastern Grocers with store operations role at Winn-Dixie Company

Adam Kirk is starting a new position as Chief of Store Operations at The Winn-Dixie Company.

He was previously at Southeastern Grocers, where he spent almost ten years, most recently serving as Chief Customer and Digital Officer.

The move comes as Southeastern Grocers steps into a new era as The Winn-Dixie Company, uniting under one brand with a renewed focus on its home state of Florida.

Milestone for Amazon Just Walk Out tech as Tennessee Titans boost fan experience

Amazon reports the largest single venue deployment of its Just Walk Out technology to date.

This will see Tennessee Titans’ new Nissan Stadium become the first NFL stadium to go frictionless across all 40+ concession locations with Just Walk Out technology.

In a LinkedIn post, Amazon said: “We are setting a new standard for sports retail innovation. What this means for Titans fans: More time cheering, less time waiting in lines; Seamless shopping powered by advanced computer vision and AI; Grab what you need and get back to the action - no traditional checkout required.”

It added: “This comprehensive partnership transforms every retail touchpoint and demonstrates the future of frictionless fan experiences. Congratulations to the Tennessee Titans on this groundbreaking partnership. We can't wait to see this technology enhance game day for fans when the new Nissan Stadium opens in 2027.”

Walmart and Google Gemini team on AI discovery and shopping experiences push

Walmart and Google are gearing up to launch a new experience built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol.

Gemini will automatically include Walmart and Sam’s Club in-store and online products when it’s relevant. For example, when a customer asks for advice on camping equipment for the spring season, it will return items from the retailer’s inventory of products. And since people talk back and forth with Gemini, there are more opportunities to show relevant products and services throughout the conversation.

When customers discover items in Gemini, Walmart helps them move from inspiration to purchase , all within the familiar Walmart and Sam’s environments. When customers link their accounts, the retailer will recommend complementary items based on their past online and in-store purchases, combine their order with other items they’ve put in their carts, and provide all the benefits of their Walmart+ and Sam’s Club memberships.

Customers and members can get in-store and club items delivered, with hundreds of thousands of locally curated products delivered in under three hours and as fast as 30 minutes.

JD Sports Fashion first retailer to use commercetools and Stripe AI technology

JD Sports Fashion is using commercetools’ Agentic Jumpstart solution and Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Suite (ACS), with the former’s AI Hub acting as the connective foundation for agentic workflows.

It is the first enterprise retailer to deploy the ACS, connecting LLM powered shopping to checkout and payments, without replatforming or added complexity.

Its customers in the US will be able to purchase directly through AI platforms including Copilot (Microsoft), Gemini (Google) and ChatGPT (OpenAI).

“This agreement places JD right at the forefront of AI commerce. We want to reach customers wherever shopping decisions are happening, and make it easy for them to complete a purchase,” says Regis Schultz, Group CEO at JD Sports Fashion.

“As AI becomes a real entry point for commerce, our partnership with commercetools and Stripe will allow customers using AI for searches to find and transact with JD quicker and easier, at the click of a button through those channels, without adding complexity to our operations. This strengthens our digital proposition for customers, and keeps us moving in line with the fast changing retail landscape.”

“We see AI as a real opportunity to improve our customers’ experience with JD, as well as making our own operations more efficient, and so I’m really pleased that with this big step forward we are putting our words into action.”

Zalando taps Google’s UCP offering with new online checkout feature the first use case

Zalando is getting onboard with Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open source standard for agentic commerce that allows AI agents and merchant systems to work together.

As a first use case, UCP will soon power a new checkout feature, rolling out for eligible retailers in the US now.

Users will be able to discover and checkout Zalando’s products in AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app, allowing newbies to discover Zalando while offering existing ones a faster way to shop making the move from discovery to checkout seamless.

In a LinkedIn post, Zalanda said: “The UCP integration is centred on trust and built on two specific pillars: Seller of record: the retailer remains the seller, preserving their direct relationship with the customer and maintaining full control over fulfilment and service standards.”

“Secure checkout: shoppers can buy securely using Google Pay, leveraging payment methods and shipping info already saved in their Google Wallet to complete orders instantly. In the coming months, the protocol will also provide additional capabilities such as integration of loyalty. UCP can simplify the path from inspiration and discovery to purchase, while bringing maximum value to customers and brand partners.”

Enterprise software firm osapiens secures $100 million in funding and bags unicorn status

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.

"This investment is a strong validation of our strategy and our long-term vision," says Alberto Zamora, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at osapiens. "It demonstrates that sustainable growth and AI driven efficiency remain top priorities for global investors.”

“Decarbonization Partners is an exceptional partner for us. With a focus on sustainability and the combined global presence and investment expertise of BlackRock and Temasek, they bring exactly the perspective and scale we need for our next phase of growth to become the indisputable global category leader in sustainable growth for enterprises of all sizes."

Kiran Sheena departs dunnhumby for B2B Marketing Director role at Nectar360

Kiran Sheena has joined Nectar360 as B2B Marketing Director. She was previously at dunnhumby where she spent almost three years, serving as Head of Client Marketing, Tesco Media & Insight Platform.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: "It's been an amazing timeworking at Tesco Media & Insight Platform , thank you to everyone who made it such a special time! With some career milestones like winning Media Brand of the Year at the Media Week Awards to incredible Tesco Media Upfronts but I've very happy to share that I’m starting a new position as B2B Marketing Director at Nectar360 - here's to an exciting 2026 ahead."

Nectar360 owns and operates Nectar, a UK loyalty programme. It manages Sainsbury’s shopper marketing services, utilising its insights and media expertise to connect the grocery giant's businesses, FMCG brands and their customers.

Wing and Walmart set to expand drone delivery to 150 new stores across the USA

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.”