Amazon Now expands and M&S embraces AI: here are 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 Amazon Now, Pinterest, Roku, Gap Inc., Waterstones, REWE, Uber Eats, Starship Technologies, Circa Resort & Casino, and VenHub Global.

1. Amazon Now hits Lewisham and Battersea as on demand delivery service continues London expansion

Amazon Now has gone live in Lewisham and Battersea in London. This follows the launch during January of QLD1 - the first Amazon Now on demand delivery site in the UK.

The service lets customers purchase thousands of everyday essentials, such as groceries and personal care items, that will be delivered within minutes. In India, it last year brought ten-minute delivery to Mumbai following launches in Bengaluru and Delhi, with 100+ micro-fulfilment centres operational.

In a LinkedIn post, Elisa Michelin Salomon, Ops Lead, EU Quick Commerce, said: "What an incredible day yesterday (19th March). We went live with two new Amazon Now sites in London. Fresh groceries and everyday essentials can now be delivered in as fast as 30 minutes in Battersea and Lewisham."

"A huge team effort behind the scenes - incredible coordination across multiple teams to successfully launch two sites on the same day. Proud to be part of this journey and excited for what’s next."

2. Pinterest teams with creators as it announces launch of first shoppable TV series on Roku

Pinterest has launched its first shoppable TV series on Roku. A new series, Bring My Pinterest to Life, turns users’ inspiration boards into real-life makeovers, while integrating QR enabled shopping experiences that allow viewers to instantly explore and purchase featured products.

Produced in partnership with B17 Entertainment, the six-episode series follows creators Drew Michael Scott (@lonefoxhome), Caroline Vazzana (@cvazzana), and Tay BeepBoop Nakamoto (@taybeepboop) as they help participants bring their Pinterest boards to life - from room redesigns and wardrobe updates to gathering spaces and small business concepts.

Each episode features on screen QR codes linking to curated Pinterest boards. Viewers can save ideas, explore inspiration and shop featured items from brand partners including Wayfair and eos.

“It’s an entirely new way to move from inspiration to action, right from your living room,” says Nadine Zylstra, Pinterest’s Global Head of Editorial. “Bring My Pinterest to Life offers Pinterest fans and newcomers an exciting opportunity to see what’s possible, while giving advertisers innovative ways to partner with us and reach viewers at home and beyond our app.”

3. Kanzen Skincare and other brands prep TikTok Shop livestream event on London's Oxford Street

What is pitched as the largest TikTok Shop livestream event in Europe is set to take place this Friday (27th March) on London’s Oxford Street. Kanzen Studios alongside six other brands will be bringing the world of TikTok Shop into the Future Stores physical retail space.

The Future Stores venue will host continuous TikTok Shop livestreams - offering hours of shoppable, real-time content directly to online audiences. Passersby can catch the action through the windows, while QR codes on-site provide instant access to the live streams.

“Live shopping is redefining how people discover and buy products online,” says Matthew Bellingham & Päivi Korvela, Directors at Kanzen Studios. “By bringing TikTok Shop livestreaming into a real-world retail space on Oxford Street, we show what the future of shopping looks like, where social media, brands and commerce all come together.”

Engin Celikbas, Managing Director EMEA at Future Stores, comments: “Retail spaces are no longer just places to display product. They are becoming platforms for attention, content and conversion. This takeover shows what happens when a storefront becomes a live media channel, and why the next chapter of retail will belong to formats that blend physical presence with digital commerce.”

4. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits deploys Corvus Robotics drone inventory system in USA

Corvus Robotics and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits have announced a technology partnership and expanded deployment of the Corvus One autonomous inventory management system across Southern Glazer’s distribution network.

Over the past 18 months, it has deployed more than 40 Corvus One autonomous drones across nine distribution centres in the US, with expansion planned.

Corvus One operates within warehouse environments, autonomously flying aisles to scan and validate reserve storage locations without disrupting case picking operations. According to Corvus Robotics, the result is hands free, high frequency inventory audits that sync directly with Southern Glazer’s WMS, freeing the team to focus on higher value tasks. The system has completed approximately 5,000 flights and identified over 35,000 verified discrepancies across deployed facilities.

5. M&S purchases 11,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences to equip employees with AI and Agentic AI tools

M&S reports that it is giving its store managers and support centre colleagues AI and Agentic AI tools, with the aim of making tasks like accessing data and analysis quicker and simpler, freeing up time to focus on customers and colleagues.

The retailer is purchasing 11,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences, supported by a training and development programme. A partnership with Microsoft is supporting the use of AI at scale across the organisation.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin says: “We’re already embedding AI across M&S - supporting stock forecasting and ordering, generating marketing materials, and powering a colleague help hub with AI agents. Now 11,000 colleagues will have AI support at their fingertips, pulling together summaries from multiple sources and giving them the data, analytics and insights they need in seconds.”

“As we reshape M&S for growth, scaling the use of AI is central to our technology transformation and today's announcement is just one of the steps forward on that journey."

6. Gap Inc. looks to push how AI technology can elevate its customers' online shopping experience

Gap Inc., the parent company of Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, has introduced two new AI technologies designed to boost the online shopping experience for its customers.

Built on Google Cloud data, these are personalised fit guidance from Bold Metrics’ Agent Sizing Protocol and support for Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), in a bid to enable more seamless conversational and agentic commerce experiences. 

“We are not pursuing AI for novelty,” says Sven Gerjets, Chief Technology Officer, Gap Inc. “These partnerships are about solving real customer problems - helping shoppers feel confident about fit and making it easier to complete a purchase. They also reflect the holistic AI strategy we’ve built to scale intelligence across the enterprise in a disciplined way that drives measurable value over time.” 

7. Circa Resort & Casino and VenHub Global team on first of its kind autonomous store deployment

VenHub Global and Circa Resort & Casino have announced a partnership that will bring the former’s autonomous smart store offering to the latter’s guests. Measuring 66 feet x 10 feet by 10 feet, the installation will debut at Circa Resort later this spring.

Circa will introduce what is pitched as a first of its kind retail attraction comprised of three VenHub autonomous smart stores customised into a single, integrated, and continuously operating solution.

This will give guests the ability to autonomously browse and purchase food, snacks, alcohol, and smokeless tobacco products at any hour, without wait times, checkout lines etc.

“We’re always looking for ways to stay on the forefront of what’s next and deliver experiences our guests can’t find anywhere else,” says Derek Stevens, Founder and CEO, Circa Resort & Casino.

“This is more than a retail concept, it is a one of a kind attraction that brings together cutting-edge technology, convenience, and entertainment in a way that’s unique to Circa. Just like Stadium Swim and The World’s Largest Sportsbook, this is about creating a true destination moment, and we’re excited to partner with VenHub to introduce something entirely new to Las Vegas.”

8. Luqmaan Musa departs Selfridges to take on Head of IT Service Delivery position at Waterstones

Luqmaan Musa has joined Waterstones as Head of IT Service Delivery. He was previously at Selfridges where he served as Head of IT Service Operations.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “After an incredibly fulfilling four years at Selfridges, I’m excited to share that I’ve begun a new chapter. I’m delighted to have joined another iconic British retailer, Waterstones, as Head of IT Service Delivery.”

“This is an exciting transformational role focused on modernising the service and operations landscape, and I’m looking forward to leading this work and contributing to the next stage of the organisation’s tech evolution.”

He added: “I’m grateful for my time at Selfridges, for the opportunities, experiences, and relationships that shaped my journey there, and for everyone who has supported me along the way.”

9. Uber Eats and Starship delivery robots arrive in Sheffield following roll-out in Leeds last year

Uber Eats and Starship Technologies are launching autonomous robot deliveries to 50,000 households in Sheffield.

This builds on a roll-out in Leeds last year. As part of the launch, Brits will also be able to submit their own 15-30 second long recordings of the track that the robots will play on the delivery to customers, for up to a month. 

The nationwide search runs until 30th April, with Uber Eats unveiling the winning track and its composer in May. The composer will bag a cash prize of £3,000 and a year’s supply of Uber Eats credits. Anyone in the UK is encouraged to submit their jingle - including choirs, schools and social clubs - so long as the applying representative is over 18 years old. 

"Our robots have been a much loved part of daily life for communities across the UK since 2018: picking up shopping, dropping off essentials, there when people need them. Cutting out the short car trips that add up, our robots have already saved over 500,000 kg of emissions across Europe. We're proud to bring that everyday convenience to 50,000 people in Sheffield, making robot deliveries just another normal part of the day,” says Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder at Starship.

"We’ve already proven that robots are a key part of the future of efficient, high tech delivery," says Merve Basci, General Manager at Uber Eats in the UK. "Now, we want to see if they can hold a tune. This moment is about more than just innovation; it’s about bringing a bit of unexpected joy to our customers’ doorsteps. Whether it’s a power ballad or a catchy hit, we’re letting the nation compose the soundtrack to their next takeaway."

10. German retailer REWE announces Drive&Go pick up service launch with two pilot stores up and running

REWE, a supermarket chain in Germany and the main brand of REWE Group, has launched a new Drive&Go pick up service in two pilot stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Clemens Uwe Bauer, Director of E-commerce at REWE, said:  “Your purchase. In three minutes. Without getting out. With Drive&Go, we are launching our new drive-in pick-up service. The first two pilot stores have been launched in the West, with a third to follow.”

Customers can order online, select a time slot, drive to a store, scan a QR code and the order will be delivered to their car within three minutes.

Bauer commented: “Sounds like a nice feature? It's more time for you and for us the next step in our omnichannel strategy. E-food is diverse. And the numbers prove us right: If customers also use an online channel, they reward us with loyalty. Omnichannel is not a buzzword, it's the business model.”

“Retailers often discuss the last mile. The Drive&Go in Euskirchen shows: E-food is not only home delivery, but also smart handover on site. We pilot, learn, scale - and consistently expand the technological infrastructure for this.”