Keeping it simple and personal: RTIH rounds up this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Sainsbury's, Lazada, RedMart, InPost, Amazon, Loblaw, OpenAI, Kroger, Alipay, Colruyt Group, and NCR Voyix.

1. Sainsbury's drops Chop Chop as UK grocery giant bins Tesco Whoosh rapid delivery rival

Sainsbury’s has pulled its on demand delivery service, Chop Chop, which it launched in 2016 and had been available at 50 stores across the UK.

Quick commerce orders will now be made through Sainsbury’s main app. Chop Chop was its answer to same‑day offerings like Tesco’s Whoosh. Whilst the plug has been pulled, Sainsbury’s continues to work with the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats on speedy deliveries.

Its Head of Experience Design, Jim Banks, said: “Customers shouldn’t have to think about which app to use. One place to do the weekly shop. One place to get groceries in as little as 60 minutes.”

"Less friction. Less mental load. More getting on with life. This is a big step forward in simplifying our ecosystem, making shopping feel easier, calmer, and more human.”

2. Morrisons taps Ecrebo platform to power real-time personalised engagement with shoppers

Ecrebo and Morrisons have announced a new partnership that aims to enhance personalised customer engagement, strengthen loyalty and deliver greater value to the UK grocery retailer’s shoppers.

The tie up will see Morrisons adopt the Ecrebo platform to improve how it communicates with customers at the Point of Sale and beyond, delivering tailored, relevant offers and communications in real-time.

"We are thrilled to partner with Morrisons to bring real-time, personalised engagement to millions of shoppers. By combining Morrisons' focus on customer value with our proven platform, we can help deliver more meaningful experiences at the moment they matter most - at checkout and post-purchase,” says David Buckingham, CEO at Ecrebo.

"Delivering value for our customers is at the heart of everything we do. This partnership with Ecrebo will help us build deeper connections with shoppers by providing more relevant, timely offers that enhance their experience and reward their loyalty,” says Matt Mclellan, CCO, Group Customer and Data Officer & Marketing Director at Morrisons.

3. Alipay AI Pay solution hits 120 million transactions as Chinese shoppers tap agentic commerce

Alipay reports that AI Pay, a solution that enables payment through AI agents, exceeded 120 million transactions in the past week.

Launched in 2025, this has expanded into various use cases, including AI agents in apps and mini programmes for bricks and mortar retailers like Luckin Coffee, as well as in AI smart glasses like Rokid.

In December, Alipay collaborated with Rokid to enable developers to integrate AI payment into the AI agents they build on Rokid’s Lingzhu platform. Based on the MCP model, developers can access this capability and deploy it on smart devices through natural language rather than complex coding.

In January, Alipay launched the Agentic Commerce Trust Protocol with partners, including Alibaba’s consumer facing AI application Qwen App and Taobao Instant Commerce. Qwen App became the first platform to adopt the Protocol, connecting with Taobao Instant Commerce and Alipay’s AI payment service. Users can chat with Qwen App’s AI to place food and beverage orders directly within the app.

According to a press release issued by Alipay: “As digital services evolve in this AI era, Chinese consumers are developing new expectations for convenient and intelligent payment methods.”

4. Second Amazon Now speedy groceries and essentials delivery site launches in London

A second Amazon Now site has gone live in London. This is a new ultra-fast delivery service offering thousands of groceries and household essentials in about 30 minutes or less. It is being tested in select postcodes in Southwark and East and Central London, with plans to roll-out further in the coming months.

Amazon Now is available seven days a week through the retailer’s app and website. Customers in eligible postcodes can shop such everyday essentials as milk, eggs, fresh fruit amd veg, toothpaste, pet treats, nappies, and over-the-counter medicines.

In a LinkedIn post, Elisa Michelin Salomon, Ops Lead, EU Amazon Now, said: “I’m incredibly proud to share that we have launched QLD3, the second Amazon Now site in London, less than three weeks after the first launch. A major milestone that reflects the speed, focus, and teamwork powering Amazon Now.”

She added: “With QLD3 live, fresh groceries and everyday essentials can now be delivered in as fast as 30 minutes across East-Central London, including Canary Wharf, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Hoxton and Holborn, while Southwark remains already available from our first launch. And we’re just getting started - already working to extend coverage further in the coming months.”

5. Out of home delivery and automated parcel locker specialist InPost prepped for takeover

A consortium fronted by Advent and FedEx is set to buy InPost for 15.60 euros per share, valuing the European parcel locker company at 7.8 billion euros ($9.2 billion). The transaction to expected to close in the second half of this year.

Advent and FedEx will each own a 37% stake in the parcel locker specialist. The investment company of InPost’s founder and Chief Executive Rafał Brzoska will own 16% and PPF, the Czech investment firm of the Kellner family, will hold the remaining 10%. Advent bought a majority stake in InPost from Brzoska in 2017 before listing the business in Amsterdam in 2021, in what was one of the largest European IPOs of the year.

“Building on our success in Poland, this transaction will support our next phase of growth as we continue to grow across Europe,” says Rafał Brzoska, CEO/Founder at InPost.

“By partnering with the long‑term financial and strategic investors of the consortium who know our business and the industry well, we benefit from the expertise, stability and resources needed to capitalise on the strong tailwinds including increasing e-commerce penetration, rising consumer demand for speed and convenience and the shift towards more sustainable delivery solutions.”

“Together, we will strengthen our network and reach more consumers with enhanced fast and flexible delivery options as we continue our objective of redefining the European e-commerce sector. I remain fully committed to leading InPost in the years ahead.”

“Our headquarters, our brand, business management and the core of our innovation capabilities will remain in Poland, which continues to be the blueprint for our successful strategy. With the support of our partners, I believe we can unlock InPost’s full potential and further grow our position as an e-commerce enabler in Western Europe.”

6. Lazada RedMart Now service makes promise of groceries delivered within 30 minutes

Lazada, an e-commerce platform operating in Southeast Asia, has launched a speedy grocery delivery service within its RedMart supermarket arm.

In a LinkedIn post, Craig Massingham, Product Design Leader at Lazada, said: “RedMart Now is live! Groceries in as fast as 30 minutes. Most grocery trips aren’t planned. They happen when you realise you’re missing snacks before guests arrive, or essentials right before dinner. Those moments are driven by urgency, not weekly planning. That’s why we launched RedMart Now.”

Going live in select postcodes in Singapore, this builds on RedMart’s Express, two-hour, and six-hour delivery options. “Together, these services allow us to support a wider range of shopping missions; from planned stock ups to truly last minute needs,” said Massingham. “From a product and design perspective, this wasn’t just about speed. It was about expanding what RedMart represents.”

7. Loblaw connects with OpenAI to integrate PC Express grocery delivery app into ChatGPT

Loblaw Companies is integrating its PC Express grocery delivery app into OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT.

Canadians can explore menu ideas, curate ingredients for meals and select suggested products from their local stores.

Loblaw will also equip its colleagues with ChatGPT Enterprise. This builds on its use of OpenAI models to build proprietary AI solutions across its business, such as Robin, an AI powered assistant for store owners and managers, as well as agentic solutions in supply chain management to improve inventory accuracy and logistics.

“Our team is pioneering incredible digital and AI innovation across our business, placing us at the forefront of leveraging technology to enable first-in-class customer and colleague experiences,” says Per Bank, President and CEO at Loblaw Companies. “As we continue to accelerate this work, it creates meaningful opportunities to elevate our retail leadership and meet the constantly evolving needs of our customers.”

8. Kroger taps Corvus One for Cold Chain autonomous inventory system in live freezer ops

Corvus Robotics has announced the launch of Corvus One for Cold Chain, an autonomous inventory management system that operates continuously in freezer environments ranging from minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit to ambient temperatures.

“Operating autonomous aerial systems continuously in freezer environments is an engineering challenge most robotics platforms were never designed to handle,” says Jackie Wu, Chief Executive Officer at Corvus Robotics.

“Corvus One for Cold Chain required re-architecting thermal management, sensing, flight stability, and onboard perception so the system could maintain autonomy and accuracy despite frost, glare, airflow, and extreme temperature swings. The result is a system that performs reliably in environments that have historically defeated automation.”

Kroger is using Corvus One for Cold Chain in live freezer operations, where, the retailer says, the system is delivering consistent inventory visibility and reducing reliance on manual cycle counts in sub-zero environments.

9. European retailer Colruyt Group opts to make jump to NCR Voyix Commerce Platform

Colruyt Group has selected NCR Voyix as a platform partner. The tie up will see the retailer replace its current system with the Voyix Commerce Platform.

In a LinkedIn post, NCR Voyix said: “This milestone reflects the continued trust leading retailers place in our unified platform strategy. We look forward to beginning our work with Colruyt Group.”

“With EuroShop 2026 approaching, momentum across Europe is stronger than ever. We’re energised by the conversations shaping the future of retail and the opportunity to help move the industry forward. More to come.”

10. New Pay by Bank offering powers Amazon purchases directly from shoppers' UK bank accounts

Amazon has launched Pay by Bank, a new payment method on amazon.co.uk that allows customers to complete retail purchases directly from their UK bank accounts, with the ability to do so for their Prime membership coming soon.

This avoids the need to enter or store card details by establishing a connection between customers and their existing banks. Security is maintained through the customer's own banking app, using their established biometric authentication or PIN verification systems.

The service also offers refund processing, promising the return of funds to customers' bank accounts within minutes after Amazon confirms receipt of returned items.

“Pay by Bank gives customers a new payment option, and a number of benefits including faster refunds," says Jonathan Boumphrey, Country Manager for UK & Ireland at Amazon. “It takes just seconds to setup and is part of our continuous work to enhance the shopping experience for customers and provide even more ways to pay securely.”

“The streamlined setup process takes just seconds, with customers selecting their bank from a list that includes more than 99% of UK banks. Pay by Bank also provides a checkout experience that customers will find familiar if they use mobile banking apps, but with the added advantage of expedited refunds and permanent payment credentials.”

The move supports the UK's National Payment Vision framework, which encourages the adoption of account-to-account (A2A) payments in e-commerce as part of the country's push to foster more efficient, secure, and competitive payment options for consumers and businesses.