M&S splashes the cash and Ocada and Asda ink big deal: the biggest retail technology stories from May

May is done and dusted, June is up and running, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful month for the retail technology space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from May, including Asos, Shopopop, Morrisons, Vusion, American Eagle Outfitters, Amazon, Boot Barn, Aptos, Carrefour, GS1, and the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

1. Asos announces launch of Stylist app in ChatGBT powered by Bambuser video commerce technology

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.

2. France's Shopopop announces UK expansion plan and aims to onboard one major retailer this year

Shopopop, a crowdshipping platform headquartered in France, is officially launching in the UK (Europe's largest e-commerce market) and has set the target of securing a partnership with at least one major UK-based retailer by the end of the year.

Established in France in 2015 with the business recently achieving profitability, Shopopop has over 115 employees and a community of 350,000+ private individuals (‘crowdshippers’) which deliver groceries and goods to over 30,000 people daily across local communities. It has domestic partnerships with over 25 retailers and brands across 7,500 stores, including Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Decathlon, Colruyt and Interflora. To date, it has completed more than 17 million deliveries across Europe.

Shopopop says that it has initiated conversations with major retailers across the country (including Asda, Coop, Kingfisher, Morrisons and Tesco). 

Johan Ricaut, Shopopop’s CEO and Co-Founder, comments: “We are incredibly excited about bringing our crowdshipping model to the UK which is a market we have long admired. The UK is known for embracing new online delivery methods and together with its strong sense of community, we see our platform as the ideal tool for rural and hard to reach communities to come together and support one another, forming meaningful relationships in the process.

3. Christiana Hawes and Melissa Moore joins2026 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel

We're hugely pleased to announce the addition of Christiana Hawes, Senior Director Retail Experiences Technology, Worldwide Studio Tours & Retail, Warner Bros. Discovery to the judging panel for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

Christiana is a senior technology and data leader with international experience leading large scale digital and back office transformations and innovation initiatives. She has a proven track record of building high performing teams, and delivering measurable business impact across complex organisations. 

Recognised for her strategic vision underpinned by expertise in disciplined execution, Christiana partners with stakeholders of all levels to drive growth, operational excellence, and technology advancement. She is passionate about harnessing new technology and data to unlock competitive advantage and position retail organisations for sustained success in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Another new addition is Melissa Moore, a retail trainer and educator with over 27 years of industry experience.

She designs and delivers impactful training programmes and lectures, shaping the next generation of retail talent. Melissa works with teams across international markets to elevate performance through sales excellence, operational standards and customer experience.

An experienced conference chair and MC, she also hosts The Retail Tea Break podcast, bringing together retailers, brands and global industry experts. She has been recognised as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert and named in RTIH’s Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List.

Further information on our judging panel can be found here. In addition to Christiana and Melissa, it includes representatives from Walmart, JD Sports, East of England Co-op, Boots, Holland & Barrett, PoundFun, Austen & Blake, and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.

4. Carrefour deploys QR codes powered by GS1 across 50 of French retail giant's private label products

Carrefour reports that 50 of its private label products now feature QR codes powered by GS1.

The move builds on the French retail giant initially adopting the technology across its private label wine products.

“The barcode is 52 years (half a century!) of a system deeply rooted in the entire distribution chain. This is why cohabitation with 2D codes is a major transformation, far from being anecdotal for mass consumption,” says Miguel Ángel González Gisbert, Global and France Chief Digital Officer at Carrefour.

“The increase in possible data - from 13 characters to more than 4,000 - is not just a technical feat: it is an open door to concrete improvements for our customers, as well as for our employees in stores and logistics. At the level of a distributor like us, this lever has enabled us to anticipate regulatory changes, starting with wines and spirits, before extending to textiles and batteries.”

He adds: “Today we are taking a new step for our customers. Thanks to the great collaboration between the MDC and digital teams, 50 products from our own brands already have a QR code on their packaging. A little scan and hey presto, our customers discover everything: online purchase, product information and (soon) the history of the brand. It's easy transparency, without cluttering up our packaging.”

“This project is particularly close to my heart because it enhances our private labels. As a loyal customer, I am convinced that our private labels are among the best on the market, with nuggets such as Reflets de France. This brand embodies the richness of our terroirs with exceptional products such as Normandy shortbread, Espelette pepper pâté or Normandy Camembert. A real treat! These 50 or so references are only the first step in a profound transformation. The deployment of QR codes is intensifying in the coming months.” 

5. M&S to buy former Asos automated fashion distribution centre as retailer looks to double online sales

M&S has announced a conditional £67.5 million deal to acquire a new 437,000 square foot fully automated fashion distribution centre in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The former Asos site will become operational as part of the retailer’s network in 2027. It will employ 600 people.

It says that this will add capacity and process orders quickly, helping to realise M&S’ long-term ambition to double the size of its online fashion business. 

M&S Managing Director for Fashion, Home and Beauty, John Lyttle, says: “As we transform M&S Fashion, Home and Beauty, our ambition is to double online sales. To achieve this and serve our customers faster, more efficiently and with better availability, our 24/7 distribution network needs more capacity.“

"We’ve always said that we’ll deliver our transformation with highly disciplined capital investment, always mindful of spending shareholder money wisely. This acquisition does just that, delivering tangible business benefits that move our transformation forward, at a much lower cost compared to a new build option.”

6. Lifestyle retailer Boot Barn preps roll-out of Aptos ONE Point of Sale platform across US locations

Boot Barn Holdings is set to deploy the Aptos ONE Point of Sale platform across its 500-plus US locations. 

By transitioning to this mobile first solution, the lifestyle retailer is aiming to streamline IT operations while enabling associates to deliver cohesive, high touch shopping experiences. Beyond the store, Boot Barn will leverage Aptos ONE to power its large scale pop-up activations, including rodeos and music festivals.

“As a high growth retailer, scalability was nonnegotiable in our search for a next-generation PoS platform," says Julie Ting, Senior Vice President of IT at Boot Barn. "We required a flexible solution capable of evolving alongside our business. By adopting Aptos ONE, we are reducing technical debt and lowering our total cost of ownership, all while empowering our teams to go above and beyond for customers, whether in our stores or at a major pop-up event."

Aptos General Manager Jeremy Grunzweig says: “It is a privilege to deepen our longstanding partnership with Boot Barn as they embark on this exciting new phase of growth. Aptos ONE will give Boot Barn’s associates the tools they need to deliver exceptional experiences - in-store, at events and beyond - while providing the operational agility the business needs to scale confidently toward its long-term vision.”

7. Milestone for Morrisons in UK grocery retailer's Vusion technology powered digital shelf edge labels roll-out

Morrisons reports that it has installed its 50th store with digital shelf edge labels. 

In a LinkedIn post, Charlotte Rush, Senior Productivity Manager - Projects at Morrisons, said: "Through our strategic partnership with Vusion, we are leveraging technology to enhance the shelf-edge experience for our customers whilst driving operational efficiency. By automating historically manual processes, we are empowering our store teams to focus more on serving our customers." 

She added: "A massive thank you to the amazing team whose hard work and expertise have enabled us to deliver the roll-out at such a pace. I am looking forward to working with you all more as we continue the roll-out across the rest of our estate."

8. American Eagle Outfitters among first brands to tap Amazon Supply Chain Services offering

Amazon reports that it is rolling out Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) as it opens up its logistics network for other businesses to use.

The online giant says that it is extending its entire portfolio of freight, distribution, fulfillment, and parcel shipping solutions to businesses of all types and sizes. 

“Amazon is bringing the infrastructure, intelligence, and scale of its supply chain services, proven over decades, to businesses everywhere, much like Amazon Web Services did for cloud computing,” says Peter Larsen, Vice President at Amazon Supply Chain Services. 

“Supply chain wasn’t just a function at Amazon - it was core to providing an exceptional shopping experience. Our differentiator. The reason we could offer fast, dependable delivery that nobody else could. And with the launch of ASCS, we’re confident we can give any other business access to the same cost efficiency, reliability, and speed that we’ve built for Amazon customers.”

Procter & Gamble is using Amazon’s freight services to transport raw materials to production facilities and move finished goods across its distribution network; 3M is leveraging Amazon’s freight services to move products from its manufacturing sites to distribution centres worldwide.

Lands’ End, meanwhile, is tapping a unified inventory pool within Amazon’s network to fulfill orders across multiple sales channels; and American Eagle Outfitters is deploying the parcel shipping network to deliver online orders from its American Eagle and Aerie website directly to customers across the US.

9. M&S taps WalkSafe Pro app as it looks to support worker safety on the move

M&S is introducing a WalkSafe Pro app, with the aim of helping colleagues feel safer when travelling alone or commuting at night.

Powered by location-based insights from police, local authorities and community partners, WalkSafe Pro helps colleagues make more informed journey decisions by providing information based on both police data and precautionary insights from other app users. They can share their live journey with trusted contacts, while SOS alerts connect directly to Mitie’s 24/7 control centre, enabling real-time monitoring, assessment and a coordinated response where required. 

The app can also be used outside of work. Over time, M&S stores will also be marked as designated ‘safe spaces’ within the app, supported by colleague training. This means users will be able to identify nearby stores as a place to step inside, feel reassured and seek support if they feel unsafe during a journey. 

Thinus Keeve, M&S Retail Director, says: "Our colleagues’ need for safety doesn’t stop when a shift ends – and our colleagues have told us that travelling to and from work can be when they feel most vulnerable. WalkSafe is a simple but powerful way we’re responding. It’s another way we’re continuing to invest in security – helping our people stay connected and supported wherever they are. And as our stores will become WalkSafe Safe Spaces, we’re to extend our role into the communities we serve, helping to create safer environments for everyone."

10. Asda inks deal to use Ocado Group technology in move to overhaul its online groceries business

Ocado Group and Asda have announced a partnership to develop the former’s online business across the UK with the Ocado Smart Platform. The focus of the tie up will be to quickly replace and upgrade Asda’s existing e-commerce infrastructure, with Ocado’s solutions to be rolled out across both stores and dark stores from 2027. 

The pair plan to deploy Ocado’s end-to-end solutions across Asda e-commerce operations. These include Ocado’s front-end (webshop), In-Store Fulfilment, and software to support last mile planning and route efficiency. Go live is set for early 2027. Using Ocado’s Smart Platform, 

Asda say it will be able to offer a full range of online services, including scheduled and short lead-time orders, as well as Click & Collect. It will also use the platform to fulfil and deliver orders placed through aggregator platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat. 

Tim Steiner, CEO at Ocado Group, says: “We’re delighted that Asda has chosen Ocado to support the next phase of their online growth. The UK remains one of the world’s most competitive and fast-evolving online grocery markets, where technology, scale and continuous innovation are increasingly important for retailers looking to maintain leadership positions.‍ “Through this partnership, Asda will be able to deploy a technology platform already processing more than 70 million orders annually worldwide, supporting market leading customer propositions across 11 countries. Asda will also benefit from Ocado’s significantly evolved platform, giving them the flexibility to adapt as the market continues to develop.‍”

Allan Leighton, Executive Chairman, Asda, says: “We are the cheapest full range supermarket, as consistently shown by independent price comparisons from Which? and The Grocer, and have a large, well established online offer. We know that continued success in this highly competitive market is dependent on providing a positive experience for customers every time they shop. Partnering with Ocado will strengthen our online offer and provide a consistent and high quality experience for millions of shoppers, from order through to delivery, while supporting our formula for growth.‍”

Asda will be hoping that the move helps it tackle recent sales weakness under its private equity owners, TDR Capital and Mohsin Issa, and fight back against its rivals, including a buoyant Lidl GB. Its UK grocery market share has dropped from 14.3% before their 2021 takeover to 11.5%, according to Kantar data, leaving it just above Aldi on 10.8%.

It’s also a much need boost for Ocado Group, which has been ending mutual exclusivity contracts in most of the markets where its automation grocery tech is live, including in the US with Kroger.