Tesco goes Purpl and Asos stays in style: presenting last week’s biggest retail technology plays
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including With Nothing Underneath, Retail247, Kwik Trip, Wahaca, Sona, Shoezone, M&S, Specsavers, Klarna, Superdrug, Pennies, Osprey London, B&Q, Taco Bueno, and Zipline.
Tesco
Purpl, whose platform offers discounts for disabled people in the UK, has teamed up with Tesco for an exclusive eight-week trial.
In a LinkedIn post, Purpl said: “Living with a disability or long-term health condition in the UK brings significant additional monthly costs, and accessing essential grocery items online should not be part of that barrier. This corporate partnership is a massive milestone for our community. Through this trial, Purpl members can claim a £5 discount code to use on online home deliveries, Click & Collect orders, or Tesco Whoosh rapid delivery.”
It added: “While this initiative is an eight-week trial to start, we hope it will pave the way for long-term changes, we are highly confident this collaboration will make a tangible, real difference to our members. A huge thank you to the team at Tesco for backing our vision and working with us to build a more inclusive, financially supportive environment for disabled people across the UK.”
With Nothing Underneath
Fashion brand With Nothing Underneath (WNU) has partnered with Retail247 to deploy the firm’s Origin and Archean solutions as part of its next phase of growth.
In a LinkedIn post, Retail247 said: “WNU has built a distinctive reputation as a modern womenswear brand rooted in effortless style, thoughtful design, known for elevating everyday essentials using quality materials and timeless silhouettes. As it scales, establishing strong retail and operational foundations is critical. By selecting Origin and Archean, it is bringing together a powerful combination of solutions designed to streamline operations, enhance visibility across channels, and support a more connected, data driven retail environment.”
It added that this integrated approach will enable it to: strengthen core retail processes; improve inventory accuracy and control; and build a scalable infrastructure to support continued expansion.
Tommy John
Cart.com has announced a partnership with apparel brand Tommy John to serve as its exclusive US fulfilment provider.
“As we evaluated our fulfillment strategy for long-term scale, consistency and customer experience were non-negotiable,” says Gernot Senke, CFO at Tommy John. “Cart.com delivered on both. Their team handled the transition with precision, and our customers never felt it.”
Cart.com’s Terrell, Texas facility serves as the central hub for Tommy John’s US fulfillment, providing, the pair claim, the geographic reach and operational capacity to support continued growth, improve inventory visibility and enable faster delivery nationwide.
“Tommy John is exactly the type of brand we built this network to support,” says Joe Barth, Chief Logistics Officer at Cart.com. “At their stage of growth, execution speed and operational precision matter. We stood up a complete fulfilment operation in weeks, took on the full scope of their operations, and maintained their customer experience end-to-end. That’s the standard we deliver for our partners.”
Just Eat
Just Eat has launched what is pitched as Europe’s first food and retail ordering service through WhatsApp, allowing customers to browse and place orders directly within a WhatsApp chat through its partnership with Meta.
A pilot will roll-out over the coming months in Spain and the Netherlands, allowing customers to message what they are looking for, such as “pizza for four” or “healthy lunch nearby”, and receive tailored recommendations powered by conversational AI before checking out through the Just Eat app.
This builds on the roll-out of an AI voice assistant in the UK and recent Alexa+ collaboration with Amazon.
Mert Öztekin, CTO at Just Eat, says: “By introducing Europe’s first WhatsApp ordering flow, Just Eat are not just adding a new channel; we are redefining the paradigm of convenience. This innovation is a core component of our evolution from a transactional menu application into a truly intelligent AI Life Assistant that understands customer intent in real-time. We are proud to be the first to market in Europe, proving that Just Eat is at the absolute forefront of AI driven transformation. We are a technology business first, our priority is to drive operational excellence through automation and smart technology that simplifies the lives of consumers."
Geraldine Bouma, Country Director Benelux at Meta, says: “Chatting to businesses to check travel plans, make a reservation or browse a catalogue is already a way of life for many people around the world. We’re excited that more people in Europe will soon have the opportunity to use WhatsApp to order food and get things done.”
Mars
Mars, Incorporated, whose brands include M&M's, Ben's Original, Extra, Snickers, Pedigree, and Whiskas, has announced a £190 million investment between 2023-2028 in its Slough factory in the UK.
The Slough facility, the birthplace of the Mars Bar in 1932, is a vital hub in the company's European network. In addition to serving the UK market, it is a key exporter to the EU. In 2025, it exported over 2.7 million kilograms of chocolate to Ireland and over 12.3 million kilograms to the Netherlands.
The £190 million investment will see the combination of robotics and AI with upgraded machinery, as well as advanced cooling systems and energy efficient utilities to improve performance and sustainability across the site. Mars will deploy digital twin technology to the Slough factory, using AI driven data to optimise production, ensure consistency, and reduce waste. The investment will also support workforce upskilling, creating new routes into advanced engineering, automation, and data enabled manufacturing roles.
Adam Grant, General Manager Mars Snacking UKI, says: "This investment reflects our confidence in the UK as a hub to manufacture and innovate. In taking a long-term view, we are ensuring our operations remain world class, competitive and fit for the future. Our Slough factory is deeply rooted in our heritage, and as a proud family-owned business, we are committed to investing in a future that creates lasting, positive impact for the communities where we operate."
Tesco
YEEP! has announced a partnership with Tesco, following the completion of a trial phase. This will see its solar powered lockers installed at 30 Tesco locations, with further expansion planned subject to performance and customer feedback.
Jamie Dickinson CEO at YEEP!, says: “We are incredibly proud to be partnering with Tesco to roll out YEEP! parcel lockers across their store network. As one of the UK’s most trusted retailers, Tesco shares our commitment to convenience, accessibility, and community presence, making this a significant milestone for us. This partnership marks an important step in our mission to make parcel delivery and returns simpler, smarter, and more accessible. By placing our lockers at Tesco locations, we are meeting customers where they already shop and providing secure, convenient parcel services that fit seamlessly into their daily routines.”
He adds: “Together, we are creating meaningful value for both organisations, supporting Tesco’s already strong customer experience, and driving additional footfall, while accelerating our national expansion. Most importantly, this collaboration makes sending, collecting, and returning parcels easier than ever for customers. We are excited about what this partnership represents today and the opportunities it creates for the future.”
The Raley's Companies
The Raley's Companies has launched an in-store retail media network with Grocery TV across 208 stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona. The roll-out spans the company’s banners including Raley’s, Bel Air, Nob Hill, Bashas’, Food City, and AJ’s Fine Foods.
“Our retail media business has been evolving quickly, and in-store was the clear next step," says Zac Wilson, Vice President of Digital Commerce, The Raley's Companies.
"With the Grocery TV partnership, what could have taken years to build, we were able to stand up in a matter of weeks. Speed is critical in an ever evolving and fast paced industry. That speed, combined with their ability to help us build advertiser demand as we grow, is critical to a successful partnership. Together, we're creating an in-store retail media experience that feels cohesive for both our brand partners and our shoppers.”
Superdrug
Health and beauty retailer Superdrug has announced the return of its fundraising initiative with Switchboard, a national LGBTQIA+ support line, via Pennies, the digital micro-donation charity.
Launching on 20th May and running until 14th July, the campaign will invite customers to donate 20p at tillpoint with each purchase across Superdrug stores.
This marks the second year Superdrug has worked with Switchboard through Pennies, as part of its eight-year partnership with the charity, which has supported the LGBTQIA+ community for over 50 years. Switchboard provides a safe, anonymous and confidential space for members of the community, allies and anyone questioning their gender identity or sexuality to talk openly about topics that can often feel difficult or taboo.
To help raise awareness of the campaign in-store, Superdrug is partnering with Tia Kofi and Ella Morgan, who will front the retailer’s Summer of Fun activity, encouraging customers to support Switchboard through small donations. Alongside Pennies, selected products available at Superdrug will also help support Switchboard when purchased, including products from brands such as Lynx, Britney Spears Fragrances, Eylure, Kylie Minogue Fragrances, Acnecide, Marc Jacobs and Garnier.
Kwik Trip
Kwik Trip, a convenience store chain in the United States, has partnered with Eagle Eye, a SaaS and AI technology company that delivers loyalty, personalised promotions and omnichannel marketing solutions for retail, travel and hospitality brands.
As a result, participating CPG brands will be able to engage Kwik Trip’s 5.25 million loyalty members through individually targeted and gamified promotions rather than broad discounts. Eagle Eye’s platform can provide campaign performance reporting to participating suppliers, supporting sales attribution and ROI measurement.
“Our CPG partners have always been central to how we deliver value for our guests, and the partnership with Eagle Eye gives us an entirely new way to work with them. With Personalised Challenges, we can offer brands a targeted, measurable promotional vehicle that drives real incremental behaviour. That's a win for our guests, our suppliers, and our business,” says David Jackson, Director of Loyalty and Digital Marketing at Kwik Trip.
Klarna
Klarna has launched a Shopping Search app in ChatGPT, bringing real-time product discovery directly into the conversation.
People can describe what they're looking for and instantly see visual results with up-to-date prices, availability, and offers from multiple merchants, all within the same conversation. The app then redirects users to the merchant’s site to complete their purchase.
Powering the experience is Klarna's Product Search MCP server, which connects ChatGPT to the company’s live commerce data of more than 100 million products and 400 million merchant listings across 13 markets, delivered directly inside ChatGPT so shoppers can find what they need before getting redirected to the merchant to buy. Retailers appear in organic results based on relevance, with options for sponsored placements to boost visibility.
"ChatGPT is where millions of people already turn when they're figuring out what they want," says David Sykes, Chief Commercial Officer at Klarna. "We're plugging our merchant network directly into that moment. A consumer who last week would have spent 20 minutes comparing tabs now gets a real answer in one conversation, creating a more seamless experience from idea to purchase."
Asos
Asos has launched Stylist, an app in ChatGPT that brings fashion discovery through products and video content to customers in the UK and US.
This helps customers discover Asos products directly in ChatGPT and shop them on the fast fashion giant’s website. It has been built using video commerce platform Bambuser.
Stylist uses Bambuser’s new Intelligence Layer capability and video player widget to turn Asos’ product catalogue and video library into structured, machine readable data that can be processed, retrieved, and returned, by large language models (LLMs) in real-time as shoppable videos. Shoppers can browse individual products or complete looks by category, occasion, or trend, receive styling guidance, and explore pieces from hundreds of brands.
For example, when Stylist responds to a prompt such as “show me pastel floral A-line dresses for spring” it instantly searches across Asos’ brand portfolio and returns a curated edit tailored to the context of the conversation. Customers can see products in motion through video, click through for more details, and continue their journey on Asos.com to explore and purchase.
The experience is designed to be highly visual, bringing immersive product imagery and video, including livestream content, directly into the chat. When customers click on a product this expands to show more details, including pricing, and customers can tap through to “Shop on Asos” to complete their purchase.
Osprey London
British luxury brand, Osprey London, says it has enhanced delivery experiences, streamlined fulfilment operations and reduced logistics costs with a solution from Ingrid.
Facing growing complexity from a patchwork of fragmented systems, its delivery experience was becoming increasingly limited, with fulfilment options restricted to generic tiered services and no integration between its delivery and returns infrastructure. At the same time, its customers were becoming more discerning in their delivery demands, increasingly expecting fulfilment flexibility and more delivery choices - both across carriers and channels - meaning the company’s legacy logistics stack was struggling to keep up.
“There was a fundamental shift in consumer expectations. It became critical for us to be able to offer ship-from-store, nominated-day delivery, accurate delivery times at checkout and exchanges,” says Ben Jones, Head of E-commerce & Technology at Osprey London.
Having re-platformed to Centra last year, which culminated in the launch of its new flagship webstore, it selected Ingrid as its new delivery and returns layer. Overhauling its delivery infrastructure, the move aimed to bring more control over its front-end checkout processes, as well as a single view of operations across delivery and returns.
B&Q
Developed by Kingfisher in partnership with Converteo, Core IQ is a data sharing platform and part of the group's retail media and wider digital strategy. Castorama and Brico Dépôt were the first of its brands to offer this service to vendors. And now B&Q has gone live with the solution.
Core IQ offers first and third-party vendors more autonomous and real-time access to precise data, store by store and product by product, relating to the performance of their products.
In a LinkedIn post, B&Q said: “We’re doubling down on data to build better customer experiences. This month, we’ve launched Core IQ - our new data sharing platform designed to strengthen our brand partnerships by giving them direct access to real-time insights. Developed with Converteo, CoreIQ brings together B&Q’s sales, stock, and supply chain data into a single, secure, self-service platform with the aim of transforming how we collaborate with our brand partners, by supporting forecasting, ranging, and operational planning.”
It added: “Our CoreIQ data sharing platform will enable: Faster, smarter decision-making; Real-time visibility into performance and customer behaviour; Fewer manual processes and better conversations with brand partners; Better experiences for customers, both online and in-store.”
“CoreIQ will also enable stronger, more effective retail media campaigns, ensuring every campaign is powered by insight. By bringing data and retail media closer together, we’re enabling our brand partners to stay agile, respond to customer needs, and drive growth. CoreIQ is the foundation of a broader data and insight roadmap. Our ambition is to make it a central tool for collaboration and over the coming months we’ll be adding more enhancements.”
Wahaca
Sona, an AI platform for frontline enterprises, has inked a deal with Wahaca, a restaurant group selling Mexican style street food that is based in London, England.
In a LinkedIn post, Gemma Glasson, CEO at Wahaca, said: “Efficiency has always been something I value hugely; how do you get an answer to problem's with clarity and in a timely way. Even better, when it comes to people, how can I do that in a way that feels creative, engaging and fun - and for bonus points can I nail multiple objectives at once!? We have always been pretty conventional in the way we plan and flex our rotas. All our restaurants are unique and we have a back of house, front of house, bar and manager crew we need to ensure are deployed correctly to drive SUPERFAN sales.”
She added: “As a business we are very in the detail - sometimes with daily discussions on sales and flex labour - but we knew there were smart cookies out there who had solutions that would allow us to spend less time in our rotas and more time driving our Guest Superfans. We also know with the Employee Rights Act and beyond; we are going to be up against even more on people compliance and reinforcing our Employee Value Proposition. So we are very excited to welcome Sona to the Wahaca family.”
“Pulling on a pool of historical PoS, bookings and sales info and using AI to smart forecast and deploy. I am excited to see what we can do together! We ran the team through a demo last week and there is lots of excitement. Plus the team interface is intuitive and adaptable for our business.”
Shock Absorber UK
AI powered platform Brarista has announced a new partnership with Shock Absorber UK, a sports bra brand based in the UK.
“Our goal was to remove the guesswork from sports bra shopping. By integrating Brarista, we wanted to provide our customers with instant, expert fitting advice ensuring every woman finds their perfect Shock Absorber style and a supportive fit with total confidence,” says Jessica Grace, Marketing Manager & Expert Sports Bra Fitter.
Shock Absorber has launched with Brarista's full AI fitting chatbot, giving every shopper access to expert, conversational fit guidance across its site. From sport specific recommendations and impact level guidance, to first bra purchases and post-surgery support, the chatbot handles the full range of questions that a generic AI tool or static size chart cannot.
In an online post, Brarista said: “Having worked with boobydoo - part of the same Active Apparel Group - since last summer, this feels like a natural and exciting next chapter in ou growing sports bra expertise. If the UK's number one sports bra brand is investing in AI bra fitting, it might be time to ask why yours isn't. As Jess puts it, “The Brarista team has been an incredible partner throughout our portfolio. Their support during the Shock Absorber setup was seamless; they are highly responsive, and understand our brand requirements.”
Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes has launched HomeByMe Kitchen Expert Suite, a cloud-based and AI powered solution. It says that this was developed to deliver rapid ROI by enabling retailers to double the number of web to store quotes and improve the efficiency of their omnichannel sales.
Kitchen Expert Suite combines web-based 3D planning, sales management and manufacturers’ catalogues in one omnichannel solution to design kitchens from customer inspiration through to the final delivery of a project. While the solution supports consumers’ online buying journey, its core strength lies in providing kitchen specialists and sales consultants with a suite of solutions to turn a customer's initial vision into personalised and precisely planned layouts, countertops, cabinets and other features from the catalogues, and visualise them in 3D renderings.
At the heart of this solution lies AI, designed to augment - not replace - in-store expertise. The integrated conversational virtual companion supports sellers in proposing kitchen layouts, automatically generating 3D plans, and alerting them to potential design errors based on built-in business rules.
With dedicated functionalities such as cabinet, worktop and wall panel editor, and modular block pricing, kitchen specialists can generate quotes, manage orders with manufacturers, and facilitate follow-up, while specialists can centralise and manage activities across their entire distribution network.
Shoezone
Online and in-store footwear retailer, Shoezone, has launched its first social shopping channel on TikTok Shop. It joins brands such as Puma, Soletrader and EGO on the platform.
Creators can now link to products directly through TikTok Shop, with the aim of helping connect trend led social content directly with product conversion.
Initial objectives for the strategy include increasing social reach and engagement, driving follower growth across Shoezone’s channels and growing product sales through TikTok Shop integrations and creator partnerships.
Alongside increased creator led product promotion through TikTok Shop partnerships, the retailer has expanded its TikTok strategy with the launch of new ‘street interview’ style content, featuring real consumers discussing their fashion preferences and relationship with the brand.
A spokesperson for Shoezone says: “TikTok continues to play an increasingly important role in how younger consumers discover brands and products. By combining vox pop content with creator led TikTok Shop partnerships, we’re able to create engaging social content while also delivering strong commercial results. The strategy allows us to react quickly to trends, connect with Gen Z audiences and continue growing awareness of the shoezone brand.”
Taco Bueno
Taco Bueno has launched a new delivery service in partnership with Zipline.
Residents within three miles of the 7400 block of North Beach Street in Watauga, Texas, can now order Taco Bueno through the Zipline app and have their Tex-Mex meal delivered by drone.
“The drone delivery partnership with Zipline is just one more example of the work we are doing to combine the heritage of Taco Bueno with innovations across products, service, technology, and customer experience,” says Taco Bueno’s Director of Marketing and Innovation, Dani Perales.
“This is just one more step in our goal to make Taco Bueno the number one choice for Tex-Mex food, wherever you are. This new partnership gives guests a faster, more convenient way to enjoy Taco Bueno’s fresh, made from scratch Tex-Mex favourites without leaving home.”
After positive early results from a pilot programme, Taco Bueno plans to expand drone delivery to its Frisco and Mesquite locations by the end of May, with an additional six to seven stores pencilled in before the end of 2026.
M&S
M&S has brought three new salad products to stores, grown indoors using vertical farming, where temperature, light and water are optimised to create consistent growing conditions year round.
Robotics are used to plant the seeds, which are grown with a growing substrate instead of soil to direct the exact nutrients needed to grow the perfect leaf. UV lights in the vertical farm maintain the perfect conditions for the leaves to grow.
M&S says that this approach not only enhances product quality and customer convenience - as the salads require no washing before consumption, but also supports more sustainable agriculture using 96% less water and eliminating the need for pesticides. Fertiliser use is also reduced by around 97%, and crops are grown without the use of pesticides.
The three salad varieties grown in this way - Citrus Sorrel Baby Leaves, Spicy Baby Leaves and Baby Garlic Kale - are exclusive to M&S Food stores. As the leaves are grown in a controlled environment and harvested without soil, they can be picked at the optimal moment for consistent quality and flavour and packed within 60 seconds of harvest. This results in salads that stay fresher for up to five days longer than an average bag of salad.
Andrew Clappen, Director of Technical for M&S Food, says: “The future of food is about finding new and innovative methods which put less pressure on the environment while delivering the best in market flavour and quality. These Collection salads are vertically grown exclusively for M&S and bring new flavours to our customers with a dramatically reduced water consumption - supporting our Plan A goal to reach net zero by 2040 across our supply chain.”
Specsavers
Specsavers has kicked off a £7 million expansion of its Kidderminster Vision Labs manufacturing site. It says that this investment will see weekly lens output increase by 22%, while adding space for new automated technology and delivering improved facilities for staff.
Announced at a ceremony attended by the Deputy Mayor of Kidderminster, Councillor Shazu Miah, work is now under way on two existing buildings at Vision Labs - one of three Specsavers manufacturing and distribution facilities in the town. When complete, the total building size will grow from 6,319 to 7,544m², and weekly lens production will rise from 139,000 to 169,000 units - helping to support the 900+ UK Specsavers stores that are supplied from the site.
New production technology will eliminate several steps in the current manufacturing process, increasing lens yield per square metre and requiring an up-skilling of the existing workforce. The expansion will also deliver more efficient electricity use, reduced water consumption and a lower overall carbon footprint for the site.
Shafi Ahmed, Head of Operations at Vision Labs, comments: “This expansion is a direct result of growing demand for Specsavers’ services in the UK. With bigger sites and better technology, we are strongly positioned to continue to deliver quality eye care to communities across the UK.”
Roblox
Billie Eilish has launched an immersive experience on Roblox in support of her recently launched 3D tour documentary, co-directed by Titanic, Aliens and Avatar helmer James Cameron.
Roblox’s virtual entertainment space The Block has transformed into Billie Eilish’s concert stage to promote her film, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour. There are interactive elements, including karaoke, with tracks like “Ocean Eyes” and “when the party’s over.”
In a LinkedIn post, TOPCAT founder Philipp Batura said: "We designed the official Billie Eilish UGC collab on Roblox! TOPCAT partnered with Roblox to create the artist’s virtual appearance on the platform as part of Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour film promotion."
"Our in-house team produced: Billie's official in-game avatar, featured during her performance at The Block (Roblox's virtual concert venue) and released on the Marketplace: ten semi-realistic UGC items designed around the artist's visual identity; a custom animation bundle inspired by Billie's signature movements Huge thanks to Interscope Records and Roblox for trusting us with this project."
