Retail technology innovations of the week: starring Albertsons Companies, 3D Cloud, Odd Muse, and Swap

Retail Technology Innovations of the Week is a series brought to you by RTIH, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.

Every week, we showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, building up to the publication of the 2026 report later this year.

And this week we’re focusing on Albertsons Companies which has announced the launch of its patent pending Intelligent Quality Control tool, an AI powered solution that uses computer vision to support distribution centre associates in maintaining quality and consistency of fresh fruits and vegetables across the company’s supply chain. 

Built in house by its technology and supply chain teams, the tool uses Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise, including Vision AI and Gemini models.

“We built the AI powered Intelligent Quality Control tool to support our team of talented quality inspectors in our distribution centres, and early results show it’s been incredibly helpful in increasing the consistency of quality rating which is crucial for highly perishable products such as fruits and vegetables,” says Evan Rainwater, EVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Albertsons Cos. “This is just the latest advancement in how we are using AI within our multi-billion-dollar supply chain to improve operational efficiencies, improve product quality and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction.”

Integrating into the distribution centre workflow, the quality inspector feeds an image of the produce into the AI tool, powered by Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, which evaluates visual characteristics against Albertsons Cos.’s established quality standards. The system then provides an accurate, consistent rating and recommendation to the inspector for approval. 

Live now in select DCs, the tool is initially focused on quality inspections for strawberries and red and green grapes. The company is expanding the solution across the entire berry section with plans to scale the tool nationwide and incorporate more fresh products. 

And honourable mentions to...

3D Cloud

3D Cloud has announced the upcoming release of Chloe, an AI powered kitchen design assistant built on the company's recently minted AI patent for conversational AI-based design and the 3D Cloud Platform Visual Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) workflow.

Chloe is designed to help consumers co-create buyable, professional quality kitchen designs through interactive 3D visualisation.

The solution promises an accurate Visual CPQ for kitchen manufacturers and retailers that produces HD renders of the finished space and a complete PDF packet with a bill of materials.

"For decades, selling kitchens has been slow and dependent on expert designers," says Beck Besecker, CEO and Co-Founder at 3D Cloud. "We're combining AI with data driven 3D design tools to deliver faster service, improve the customer experience, and produce accurate designs that can be priced, turned into a bill of materials, and purchased in the same workflow."

"Customers expect faster answers and fewer steps. This approach aligns with that expectation and connects directly to how products are configured, priced, and sold. It's definitively the future of kitchen design."

Swap

Swap has launched a new AI powered sales channel that lives separately from a brand's existing website and aims to convert shoppers more effectively. 

Swap Storefront guides shoppers from product discovery to live virtual try-on to checkout in a single, fully branded experience. Launch partners include SIMKHAI, Retrofête, Odd Muse, Studio Nicholson, and Manors Golf.

"We believe Swap Storefront is the next evolution of commerce, and the results prove it," says Sam Atkinson, Co-Founder and CEO at Swap. "Consumers are using LLMs more every day and increasingly want that same interactive, guided experience when they shop, rather than static browsing. Swap Storefront puts that power directly in the hands of brands, helping them meet that demand while strengthening direct customer relationships and capturing valuable insights."

"As a founder led brand, every detail of how we show up to our customers reflects a specific point of view,” says Aimee Smale, Founder and Creative Director at Odd Muse. “Swap Storefront is the first AI we've used that amplifies that point of view rather than dilutes it - I'm even personally voicing our AI agent. Our customers are getting the exact brand experience we'd want to give them, at a scale we couldn't reach on our own."

Swap Storefront integrates directly with a brand's existing commerce stack, handling payment processing and connecting to the merchant's 3PLs, WMS, and OMS systems.

“We've always believed that our pieces should feel effortless to wear, and now with Swap Storefront, they're also effortless to discover,” says Jonathan Simkhai, Founder and Creative Director at SIMKHAI. “Our new agentic experience powered by Swap will bring the warmth of a personal styling conversation from our stores into the digital space.”