Walmart Live extends beyond livestream moment: last week's most read RTIH retail technology articles
Check out our most clicked articles from last week, including Currys, Tilt, Rep AI, Bringg, Tottenham Hotspur, Gopuff, Walmart, and the first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100 List.
Fredrik Tønnesen appointed as Group CEO at tech retailer Currys following Alex Baldock's departure
Electricals and technology retailer Currys has announced the appointment of Fredrik Tønnesen as Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 3rd August.
He has served as Chief Executive of Currys’ Nordics business since March 2023, with responsibility for approximately 40% of group revenue. He brings over 20 years of experience with the company, having started his career on the shop floor as a sales assistant and subsequently serving as Managing Director for Norway and Nordics Chief Operating Officer.
Tønnesen replaces Alex Baldock, who will step down from the board on 3rd August and will support the orderly transition of responsibilities until his departure on 31st August.
Ian Dyson, Chair, says: “I am delighted to welcome Fredrik as our next Group Chief Executive. He has huge experience inside the business and has led an extremely impressive operating performance improvement over the last three years. He understands our customers, our colleagues and our culture from the inside, and brings the right combination of clarity, energy and leadership to take Currys forward, building on the strong foundations that Alex and the team have put in place."
Tønnesen says: “I'm incredibly proud to be leading Currys, a company that I joined 20 years ago on the shop floor and know extremely well. This is a great business comprising thousands of capable and committed colleagues, and it is hugely exciting to take on its leadership at a time of such strong momentum. My job, with the full support of the leadership team and all my colleagues, is to keep this momentum going and find every way to accelerate it. I can't wait to get started.”
Baldock comments: "Fredrik is an outstanding leader, and I’m delighted to see him take the reins at Currys. His experience and track record speak for themselves, most recently in leading the Nordics’ recovery. I look forward to watching Currys go from strength to strength under his leadership.”
Have your say and vote today! First ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100 List goes live, sponsored by 3D Cloud
In partnership with 3D Cloud, RTIH is pleased to announce the launch of its first ever Retail Technology Hot 100 List.
We have scoured the global retail technology world to bring you the hottest companies whose solutions and systems are helping drive the retail sector forward.
Our Founder and Editor, Scott Thompson, has drawn up a list of 150 companies that have consistently been on his radar over the past 12 months whilst bringing our community the latest retail tech news and views that matter. These companies operate across the omnichannel retail landscape (stores, online, mobile, supply chain, payments etc).
Our judging panel, including Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett, Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports, and Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots, will now provide feedback on those who have the most innovative, forward thinking technology offerings and are best addressing retailers' current challenges, painpoints, and opportunities.
And there will also be a public vote, with our community of retail tech enthusiasts invited to select their top five picks (one vote per person). The public vote closes on Friday, 26th June.
Based on the judging panel's feedback and the public vote, we will then draw up our first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100, aka the 100 hottest global retail technology companies during 2026, which will be published across our website, social channels, and the next edition of our printed magazine (to be published in August).
"RITH has long been at the forefront of recognising exceptional performance in retail technology. We’re proud to support this programme and to play a part in elevating the role of retail tech in shaping the future of the customer experience," says Leigh Davidson, Managing Director, UK and International at 3D Cloud.
Rep AI raises $6.2 million in funding to build AI operating system for e-commerce brands and retailers
Rep AI, an AI platform built for e-commerce brands and online retailers, has raised $6.2 million in funding. The round was led by Silicon Road Ventures, with participation from Osage Venture Partners, Flashpoint Venture Capital, and Zendesk.
This builds on the company's initial $8.2 million Series A round announced in August 2024. The new capital will be used to accelerate product innovation, expand market reach, and support enterprise growth as Rep AI.
"E-commerce brands are increasingly overwhelmed by disconnected technology stacks that create operational silos and missed revenue opportunities," says Yoav Oz, Co-founder and CEO at Rep AI. "This funding further validates our vision of building a unified AI operating system for e-commerce - one that helps brands better understand shopper behaviour, improve conversion, and deliver stronger customer experiences from first interaction through long-term loyalty."
"The industry is moving beyond isolated AI tools toward integrated systems that can influence the entire customer journey across e-commerce," says Shauli Mizrahi, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Rep AI. "Our focus has always been on building an infrastructure that drives measurable business outcomes while simplifying how brands deploy and scale AI."
George Hayworth joins last mile delivery firm Bringg following departure from Co-op earlier this year
George Hayworth has joined Bringg as Retail Director. This follows his departure from Co-op, where he held the role of Head of Quick Commerce Development, amid structural changes at the UK convenience retailer.
The move sees him reunited with Chris Conway, who joined Bringg from Co-op as Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMEA during April.
In a LinkedIn post, Hayworth said: “After an incredible journey of almost eight years at Co-op, where I had the privilege of helping build and scale our quick commerce proposition, I'm excited to begin a new chapter with a company at the forefront of delivery orchestration and last mile innovation.”
He added: “Throughout my career I've been passionate about creating customer centric solutions, building strategic partnerships, and driving growth in rapidly evolving markets. Bringg's vision, technology, and ambition make this a hugely exciting opportunity, and having seen first hand just how hard last mile delivery is to get right at scale, I'm looking forward to working alongside such a talented team to help customers optimise and transform their delivery operations.”
“A huge thank you to everyone who supported me throughout my time at Co-op. The people made it special. I'm excited for what lies ahead - if you're working in delivery, logistics, or retail tech, I'd love to connect.”
Kevin Charlesworth departs Enactor for PoS & Payments Manager position at Tottenham Hotspur
Kevin Charlesworth has joined Tottenham Hotspur Football Club as PoS & Payments Manager. He was previously at Enactor, where he spent just over 13 years, most recently serving as Product Manager/Head of Consultancy.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I’m looking forward to contributing to the payments and Point of Sale operations at one of the Premier League’s most iconic clubs over the next six months. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring my experience to a world class sporting organisation.”
Live selling app Tilt bags $26 million in funding with Vinted Ventures joining as new investor
Tilt, a live auction app where AI connects people selling products in real-time, has secured $26 million in fresh funding. Joining the round is Vinted Ventures, the investment arm of Vinted, alongside existing backers TQ Ventures, Balderton Capital, Earlybird, Seedcamp, and others. The additional capital brings the total funding raised to date to over $50 million.
“The next generation won't browse static listings the way their parents did - they'll discover and buy through video, conversation, and live interaction, across every category,” says Abhi Thanendran, CEO and Co-founder at Tilt. “What Vinted did for second-hand, Tilt is doing for live. Their backing is the strongest possible signal that this is where the category is going next - and beyond the capital, we'll be drawing on Vinted's operational expertise and learnings as we scale."
The platform is now live across the UK, Italy, Spain, and Poland, and lays claim to being the only major live commerce platform operating at scale in Europe. The capital will be used to accelerate Tilt's AI roadmap, expand the seller base across new markets, and continue scaling the team.
Martijn van Heeswijk, Corporate Development Principal at Vinted, says: “Our mission is to make second-hand the first choice worldwide. Through Vinted Ventures, we back founders building the next generation of re-commerce. Tilt is creating a genuinely differentiated experience in live selling, a format we believe has strong potential in fashion and beyond, and we are excited to support them on that journey.”
Gopuff and SpaceXAI launch AI powered shopping tool that predicts and delivers orders in minutes
Gopuff has announced the launch of Go, a personal shopping ‘genius’ built for the quick commerce venture’s app. Developed in collaboration with SpaceXAI, this fuses frontier reasoning, voice, and image generation models with Gopuff’s dataset of hundreds of millions of orders, plus real-time cultural signals from X.
Those involved claim that Go understands intent, inspires discovery, and delivers to customers in as fast as 15 minutes from Gopuff’s 400+ micro-fulfillment centres.
Go prepares a suggested cart the moment a customer opens the app. It quickly learns each individual’s shopping habits and automatically builds a personalised cart based on the time of day, location, order history, and real-time indicators. By anticipating intent, returning customers can check out with a single tap.
The experience blends content and commerce with a visual, TikTok style shoppable feed. A custom Imagine model uses Gopuff’s behavioral and local inventory data, plus real-time cultural insights from X, to generate hyper-personalized product moments. These scenes display products in context to help customers discover new items, get inspired, and check out in seconds.
For example, if a big game is happening in a customer’s city, wings and drinks may appear in a living room scene. On a snowy afternoon, the screen may fill with hot chocolate and cozy essentials. Customers can talk or type to Go like a human, thanks to its Grok voice integration, asking it for ”Snacks under 100 calories,” “a gluten-free sweet treat that’s not too heavy,” or “inspiration for an easy, healthy dinner.” It provides shoppable products directly within the chat so customers can build their cart in real-time. Plus, its voice integration works natively with SpaceXAI’s low latency intelligence, so customers can ask, adjust, and check out hands free.
"Thirteen years ago, we bet that instant delivery would change the world and built the infrastructure to enable that vision," says Yakir Gola, Gopuff's Co-founder and Co-CEO. "Today, we believe the greatest friction left in commerce is not delivery or instantaneous access to the essentials customers need. It's the moment before: the thinking, the deciding, the remembering. So, we're combining Gopuff's demand intelligence with xAI's frontier reasoning to create an everyday shopping experience that feels like a true extension of you."
Walmart Live experience moves beyond livestreaming and on to the big screen with Vizio devices launch
Walmart Live is a feature on the US retail giant’s website and app, enabling consumers to watch livestreamed shopping events hosted by influencers and celebrities. Vizio, meanwhile, is an American designer of televisions, soundbars, and related software and accessories owned by Walmart since 2024.
In a LinkedIn post, Walmart’s Justin Breton said: “As audiences continue to spend more time with streaming, gaming, and entertainment first platforms, we're exploring how content can do more than capture attention. It can also earn intentional time spent. By extending Walmart Live beyond the livestream moment, we're creating new opportunities for customers to discover products, learn something new, and be inspired through storytelling that feels helpful, relevant, and engaging.”
He added: “I've long believed that the future of marketing sits at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, the brands that win won't simply advertise to customers. They'll entertain, educate, and invite participation. The future of commerce isn't just shoppable content. It's content worth watching, whether a purchase happens immediately or not. That's the opportunity we're actively building toward.”
You can find Live in the Kitchen with Chef AB on Vizio WatchFree+, along with Live at Home with Landyn cutdowns across HOUSE, Fork & Flight, and Free Romance Network FAST channels, with more launches set to follow.
