Yankee Candle hits TikTok Shop in the UK: RTIH rounds up last week’s biggest retail technology deployments
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Murphy USA, White Castle, Sainsbury's, Facewatch, Ocado Group, nemig, Authentic Brands Group, Burger King, The Home Depot, Polytag, Heal's, Ikea UK, Wonder, and Serve Robotics.
Murphy USA and White Castle
Murphy USA, a retailer of gasoline and convenience merchandise with more than 1,800 stores located primarily in the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast United States, has announced an initial roll-out of an autonomous foodservice platform in select larger format stores, providing customers another way to access hot, branded food. The platform, developed by Automated Retail Technologies (ART), will launch featuring hamburger chain White Castle.
“We’re continually evaluating opportunities that create additional value for our customers while building on the strengths that have made Murphy USA successful,” says Scott Woodward, Murphy USA Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer. “This relationship allows us to introduce a new convenience offering informed by customer insights, while maintaining the operational discipline and focus on everyday value. We’re encouraged by the opportunity to drive incremental inside sales, traffic and basket growth.”
“We’ve spent more than a century finding innovative ways to bring our Crave to customers wherever they are,” says Audra Mazzeo, White Castle Vice President of Retail Sales. “This partnership creates a unique opportunity to meet customers during their everyday routines and deliver the White Castle experience in a way that is convenient, fast, and incredibly tasty.”
Customers place orders through a touchscreen interface and receive hot food in approximately two minutes. Behind the scenes, ART’s technology automates preparation, heating, and delivery within a self-contained system. The technology is also designed as a modular, multi-brand platform capable of supporting nationally recognised brands, regional favorites and a variety of food categories over time.
Ocado Group and nemig
Ocado Group reports that nemlig as the European national retailer announced as its latest partner on 21st July. The tie up will support the development and growth of nemlig.com in Denmark. Under the agreement, the pair will build a customer fulfilment centre (CFC) near Copenhagen.
The site will be equipped with the latest Ocado technology, including the 600s bot, On-grid robotic pick, and a fully automated freezer. nemlig will continue to operate its existing webshop and manage last mile delivery to its customers. The CFC will be fully integrated into these existing operations, with completed orders handed on to nemlig's third-party delivery partners.
Nemlig expects to quickly transfer its existing order volumes into the CFC in 2028.
QUAY
Eyebot, an automated vision test kiosk that provides eyeglass prescriptions, has announced a partnership with eyewear brand QUAY. Eyebot's kiosk is now available inside select QUAY retail stores, allowing customers to receive a doctor verified prescription in less than 15 minutes while shopping for new specs.
“This partnership is about removing one of the biggest points of friction in buying prescription eyewear,” says Tim Fern, Chief Commercial Officer at Eyebot. “Too often, customers are ready to buy new glasses but don't know or have their current prescription. By bringing Eyebot into QUAY stores, we're making it possible to update a prescription and complete the purchase in the same visit, so customers can spend less time scheduling appointments and more time finding frames they love.”
Sinclair Oil
US fuel retailer Sinclair Oil says it has enhanced its DINOPAY loyalty programme through game linked rewards powered by Mistplay technology. The initiative delivered improvements in customer visit frequency and engagement, with the LoyaltyPlay campaign driving 42% more site visits and a 9.7% increase in fuel purchases.
With the LoyaltyPlay solution, Sinclair embedded game linked offers directly into DINOPAY, allowing customers to earn fuel discounts by playing popular mobile games promoted within the app. Unlike traditional point-based mechanics, the programme ties rewards directly to purchases.
"LoyaltyPlay gave us a compelling way to motivate repeat visits and increase engagement through interactive customer experiences - all connected to Sinclair Top Tier Gasoline," says Nick Gauger, Manager, Loyalty & Marketing at Sinclair Oil. "The programme helped accelerate return trips and deepen engagement with the DINOPAY app."
Simba Sleep
Simba Sleep reports a 50% increase in average order value and a tenfold improvement in secondary finance approvals after introducing Snap Finance UK as part of its multi-lender checkout strategy.
The retailer launched Snap’s finance solution directly onto its online checkout via Snap’s bespoke Shopify plugin. Customers declined finance by Simba’s primary lender are directed to Snap’s payment options in a fully digital journey, with the aim of boosting approval rates and converting demand which would otherwise have been lost.
In six months since partnering with Snap, Simba has been able to approve 17% of first line declines, which represents a 10x higher acceptance rate compared to its previous second line lender. Alongside approving more customers, Simba has also made Snap’s finance available upfront and not just at the point of decline.
Yankee Candle
Yankee Candle has officially launched on TikTok Shop in the UK, giving customers the ability to discover and purchase its home fragrance products directly through the social commerce platform. The new digital storefront is being delivered in partnership with THG Commerce.
Lawrence Tickner, Senior E-commerce Manager at Yankee Candle, says: “We’re proud to announce the launch of Yankee Candle on TikTok Shop in the UK, in partnership with THG Commerce. As the social commerce space continues to grow, we are seeing a real appetite from consumers who want to browse, shop and engage with their favourite brands through social media platforms. Our mission is always to offer our customers a best-in-class retail experience, and we feel this launch is the logical next step in pursuing this mission.”
Exclusive offers, live shopping moments and tailored content sets are being lined up to support the launch.
Tilt
Live shopping app Tilt has launched Clips, a scrollable feed of short, buyable videos, enabling people to shop or sell, without waiting for a stream to go live. In what is pitched as an industry first, anyone can create a listing in under three seconds. AI handles the shoot and write up, so all that's left is a real person showing you a real thing.
Tilt says that this is its biggest launch since its $26 million in fresh funding from the likes of TQ Ventures, Vinted Ventures, Balderton.
"Machines are great at a lot of things. Getting you to buy from a stranger you've never met isn't one of them,” says Neil Shah, Co-founder at Tilt. "Trust is about to become the rarest thing on the internet. As AI floods the world with fakes, that gap only gets wider. Clips is how we close it: you see the item in someone's hands, every detail, and seconds later it's yours.”
"I held up a pair of shoes and it identified them straight away, the description was spot on," says Clips user Viraj Singhal. "It's a tenth of the time it'd take to list on eBay - a lot quicker and a lot more seamless."
Live stays at the centre of Tilt, while Clips gives buyers a way to browse and buy in their own time. Tilt says that Clips follows a simple bet: the next generation won't shop through static listings the way their parents did. They'll discover and buy the way they already watch everything else, through real people, on video, through a feed.
According to a press release: “TikTok did it for entertainment, YouTube did it for television, Instagram did it for photos: each turned a passive format into something anyone could make and everyone could scroll. Shopping is next. And just as those platforms turned viewers into creators, Clips turns shoppers into sellers.”
Burger King UK
Openr is now live across Burger King UK’s company owned estate (approximately 300 sites). Running one of the UK’s largest QSR businesses means managing pricing and product data across Oracle Simphony, Fourth RME and multiple customer facing channels. Openr now sits between those systems, giving the Burger King UK team one place to manage products and pricing, while working with the Oracle infrastructure already in place.
Burger King UK says that it went from project kick off to using Openr to support its World Cup pricing strategy in the space of eight weeks.
Clair Wentzel, Director of IT at Burger King UK, comments: “The onboarding with Openr was smooth and fast, they’ve delivered on our pricing strategies, and it’s felt like a real partnership since; responsive, collaborative, easy to work with.”
NECOA
ExperienceMINT reports that NECOA has deployed its ELEVATE retail experience platform in seven new stores across Texas as part of the Korean residential water care brand’s expansion in the US.
ELEVATE is enabled by ExperienceMINT’s Product Wizard and AI Agent. Product Wizard guides shoppers through NECOA's countertop and built-in purification systems, helping them compare features, determine which system best fits their needs, and evaluate monthly subscription and one time purchase options. Sales associates can also use the Product Wizard to walk customers visually through products, features and pricing.
Customers with additional questions can use AI Agent to ask about products, features, filtration, service and purchasing options and receive immediate answers through a conversational interface. A NECOA associate can step in whenever additional assistance is needed.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's plans to continue with its roll-out of Facewatch facial recognition technology to approximately 200 stores during 2026, despite a customer being wrongly challenged as a shoplifter and asked to leave a store earlier this month.
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said that this resulted from human error rather than a false match by the Facewatch system and that the retailer contacted the customer to apologise for his experience. "The incident was caused by human error, not the facial recognition technology. Customers can be reassured that the Facewatch system has a 99.98% accuracy rate, and every match is reviewed by a trained manager,” they added.
A Facewatch spokesperson commented: "We can confirm that our live facial recognition technology was not at fault in this incident. A correct alert was sent to the retailer, but was subsequently subject to human error in the way it was handled and communicated by the retailer."
Matt Arnold, 46, was buying items at a Sainsbury’s store in East Dulwich when he was stopped by management at a self-service checkout. He was waiting for a staff member to approve an alcohol purchase. Having scanned his items alongside his Nectar loyalty card, he waved an attendant over, but was instead approached by management.
"They came over and said I had to leave. The staff member said I'd been identified by the AI, and the cameras had flagged me," he told BBC London. "A shoplifter does not walk around with that much shopping, they don't scan it through, they don't put their Nectar card through. But what upset me was thinking this is what the future could be - people just listen to what the machine tells them to do without thinking about the consequences."
After being escorted off the premises, Arnold said he had looked back from the entrance and saw an overhead CCTV monitor alert with a red circle surrounding his face.
The Home Depot
The Home Depot has announced a US wide roll-out of its Express Delivery service. This is available for a small flat fee with no subscription or membership required. It leverages the retailer’s supply chain network with more than 2,000 US stores functioning as fulfillment hubs.
Customers can get items in three hours or less, including materials and supplies for professional construction projects. They can view Express Delivery eligibility on product pages and in the cart at checkout.
"Customers expect products to be available when and where they need them, and Express Delivery helps us meet that expectation with a fast, reliable solution," says Jordan Broggi, EVP of Interconnected Retail. "Whether you're a DIYer who needs one more bag of fertiliser to finish the yard or a pro running short on adhesives and caulk for a time sensitive job, Express Delivery makes it easier than ever for our customers to get the supplies they need, right when they need them most."
Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group has announced an expanded partnership with Luzern eCommerce, an e-commerce marketplace and retail media solutions provider.
This builds on Luzern eCommerce’s work supporting Reebok operating partners across key European markets over the past year and will provide Authentic’s network of brand operators and licensees with access to scalable marketplace and advertising solutions across Amazon, Zalando, OTTO, About You, Allegro, Asos, TikTok Shop and other regional platforms across Europe.
“We’re building a flexible marketplace ecosystem that empowers our operators,” says Tim Derner, Global Head of Marketplaces at Authentic. “Our partnership with Luzern eCommerce reflects that strategy. Their success growing Reebok across Europe’s leading marketplaces demonstrated the value they bring, and we’re excited to make those capabilities available across our broader portfolio.”
Max Factory Group
Vonage, a part of Sweden’s Ericsson, reports that Max Factory Group, an Italian retail chain with 48 stores across seven regions, is integrating its Messages API via WhatsApp and Vonage Conversational Connect, a multi-channel messaging platform that enables brands to create, launch, and manage personalised campaigns, across WhatsApp, RCS, and SMS.
Prior to partnering with the company, Max Factory's marketing relied on printed promotional materials that, while familiar, offered little ability to connect with customers in a targeted or measurable way. Printed flyers were failing to reach customers, and campaign performance was difficult to track without the infrastructure it needed to support growth at scale.
"Vonage gave Max Factory the tools to reach our customers efficiently and securely via the messaging channels that resonated with them," says Giacomo Cinelli, Head of Marketing at Max Factory. "Vonage’s solutions allowed us to deliver personalised, targeted promotions directly to customers, and empowered our team to tailor content dynamically based on individual purchasing history, location, and preferences - capabilities that traditional advertising channels simply cannot match."
Wonder and Serve Robotics
Wonder is partnering with Serve Robotics to bring autonomous delivery to customers in Chicago, Los Angeles and Alexandria on the Grubhub marketplace. The launch expands robot delivery across more than 100 participating merchants in Chicago and nearly 200 in Los Angeles, while also bringing the technology to Wonder’s Potomac Yard location in Alexandria.
"A year ago, our robots were delivering dinner in a handful of neighbourhoods. Today they serve three of the country's largest delivery platforms, they're rolling into new cities from San Jose to the nation's capital and their hospital cousins are showing up in health systems across the country," says Ali Kashani, Co-Founder and CEO at Serve Robotics. "Welcoming Wonder and Grubhub to our network is the clearest signal yet of where we are headed. Every new partner puts more robots to work and every delivery makes the whole fleet smarter."
"We're constantly looking for ways to make the customer experience more convenient and reliable," says PJ Poykayil, EVP of Customer Delivery Operations at Wonder. "Our partnership with Serve brings autonomous delivery to Grubhub customers in Chicago, Los Angeles and Alexandria while also enabling robot delivery from our Potomac Yard location in Alexandria. As we continue to grow, partnerships like this help us expand delivery options, improve efficiency and create a more seamless mealtime experience."
Ikea UK
Ikea UK reports the upcoming launch of a new platform: the Ikea secondhand marketplace. Available to Family members, this is a dedicated space where pre-loved products can find a new home. The platform will enable customers to connect directly with one another. The announcement builds on pilots in Spain and Norway.
An Ikea spokeperson says: “We are always looking for new ways to make life at home even better and help our customers discover products they love. With the launch of Ikea secondhand marketplace in the UK, we’re taking a meaningful step toward creating a destination that simplifies access to pre-owned Ikea furniture.”
“Our goal is to make passing on beloved Ikea pieces as seamless as possible. We’re creating a trusted and vibrant space to make it quick and easy for our Ikea Family members to trade directly with one another. We want the process for buying and selling pre-owned products to be simple, accessible and rewarding.”
Further information regarding the official launch and how customers can participate will be made available in the coming months.
Weigel's
Tote has announced a new partnership with Weigel's, an American convenience retailer, to bring its AI native Point of Sale platform to all 90 of its stores throughout Tennessee. "We're a big believer in the power of technology to make our stores better and our associates more productive," says Doug Yawberry, President and CEO at Weigel's.
"Tote AI gives us a platform that can grow and evolve as quickly as our business does. We're excited to build with a partner who shares our commitment to delivering the best possible experience for our customers and our store teams."
Zipline and Uber Technologies
Zipline and Uber Technologies have announced a partnership that aims to scale drone delivery across the United States. The first deployments will begin later this year, where Uber Eats customers will have the option to receive their orders in minutes via Zipline’s autonomous service.
Uber will also make an investment in Zipline with the pair aiming to reach one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029.
“Zipline has built incredible technology, and Uber connects many millions of people with local merchants every day,” says Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO at Uber. “Together, we’re shaping the future of delivery by creating a faster, more sustainable way for people to get what they need. We look forward to bringing this technology to more communities and making autonomous delivery part of everyday life.”
“Teleportation isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s becoming part of everyday life,” says Keller Cliffton, Co-Founder at Zipline. “Every great transportation revolution has changed where people live, how businesses operate, and how economies grow. Together with Uber, we’re taking the next step toward building a world where getting what you need is as fast and effortless as sending a text, no matter where you are.”
Parfetts
Parfetts has partnered with Cerve to introduce agentic AI across its supplier data. Under the multi-year tie up, Cerve will connect directly to emails, files and systems and turn the extracted data into a unified view of pricing, promotions, terms and product performance for Parfetts' trading team.
Cheryl Hope, Trading Director at Parfetts, says: “Our supplier relationships are central to the strength of our offer, but the volume and variety of commercial information involved can make it difficult to identify and act on every opportunity. Cerve will give our team clearer, more consistent insight without creating additional administration for suppliers. This will support better-informed data-led conversations, faster decisions and stronger joint business plans.”
Polytag
Polytag has extended its Ecotrace programme to N+P Crayford, the UK's largest materials recovery facility (MRF), expanding the reach of what is pitched as the UK's only nationwide plastic packaging tracking network. The addition of Crayford takes the total number of facilities in the programme to 14 UK wide.
Ecotrace combines Polytag's invisible UV tag technology with a nationwide network of detection units installed across strategically selected recycling facilities.
This enables barcode level data to be captured with up to 100% accuracy as plastic moves through the UK's recycling infrastructure, giving brands verified, real-world insight and certainty into where and when their packaging is recovered, via the Polytag platform. The technology is also compatible with enhanced optical sorting systems, creating the potential to combine packaging level traceability with more accurate identification and separation of materials within recycling facilities.
N+P Crayford processes more than 450,000 tonnes of mixed recycling each year and serves over two million households across Greater London and Southern England. Following a site upgrade, the facility now forms a key part of the Ecotrace network, extending its geographical reach into one of the UK's most significant population centres.
Principality Stadium
The first Amazon frictionless stores in Wales, named Now in a Minute, have gone live at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Developed in partnership with hospitality partner Aramark UK, the stores made their debut at the FA Community Shield on Sunday, 16th August.
Tapping Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, customers tap their payment card to enter, pick up what they want and leave. Sensors automatically identify the items selected and process payment, removing the need to queue at a traditional till. The stores will stock a selection of popular matchday favourites, including confectionery, pies, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Product ranges will be tailored to suit different events throughout the year.
The deployment builds on a series of recent investments at the stadium, including the installation of more than 20 self-service eBars.
Tomos Grace, Chief Commercial Officer, says: “We’re continually looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the experience for the millions of fans who visit Principality Stadium each year. The introduction of our new Now in a Minute stores gives supporters a faster and more convenient way to access food and drink on event days.”
Bullring Birmingham
Bullring Birmingham says it has transformed its website into a faster, mobile first digital experience designed to help shoppers find relevant brands, offers, and events before they arrive at the destination. The revamped platform has increased sessions to 1.6 times their previous level, improved page load speeds by 60% and is now handling around 1,000 searches every day; a 9x increase.
Analysis of the previous platform showed that a growing share of visitors were accessing the website through mobile devices, often in short sessions shortly before travelling into Birmingham. Rather than browsing casually, these visitors were looking to complete specific tasks. They wanted to find a particular brand, check an offer, discover an event or plan how they would spend their time once they arrived. Slow load times, dense layouts and limited discovery tools were creating friction at precisely the point shoppers were deciding where to go and what to do.
Working with AI website and personalisation specialist Firney, Bullring owner Hammerson redesigned the wider digital experience around these customer needs. The website’s structure and navigation were simplified, mobile journeys were prioritised and content was reorganised to make it easier for visitors to move between stores, offers, dining options and events without repeatedly restarting their journey.
AI powered search was introduced as part of this wider experience, helping visitors surface relevant information more quickly and navigate the breadth of the Bullring offering using natural, conversational queries. Shoppers no longer need to know the name of the store they wish to visit. Instead, they can search for something like “Friday night date night ideas” and be presented with relevant retailers and experiences.
Heal's
British furniture and homeware retailer, Heal's, has announced the launch of a new www.heals.com website. In a LinkedIn post, Mark Hammond, Head of E-commerce at Heal's, said: "It’s been a labour of love (and other emotions) over recent months, but I couldn’t be happier with how we’ve been able to bring the brand to life."
He added: "With us also rolling out Shopify POS across all stores, we now have a platform to move forward at pace with our omnichannel plans. Although, this is really just the beginning - watch this space. Thank you to Shopify, Swanky (a Shopify Platinum partner), NOVOS (an e-commerce agency), Fabric Analytics, and James Gurd (e-commerce replatforming consultant) for guiding us through this process, a truly collaborative approach across all parties. And a huge thanks to everyone at Heal’s, too many people to tag, but amazing to see everyone get stuck in with this shared goal in mind."
