Sainsbury's Tu taps RFID and Tesco makes key AI/CX hire: this week's biggest retail technology stories
It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including M&S, Dollar General, Asda, Vusion, Whataburger, Alcampo, Hanshow, JD Sports, HyperFinity, and The Home Depot.
1. M&S claims an AI first as it deploys animal welfare monitoring tools across dairy farms
M&S says it has become the first retailer to use AI powered monitoring systems on its entire Milk Pool to monitor animal welfare across 46 dairy farms. The tools use cameras to capture footage of dairy cows when they are indoors which is then analysed using an algorithm trained alongside vets to monitor welfare of dairy cows in real-time.
The technology uses AI powered video analytics to build an individual health profile for each animal, tracking mobility and body condition scoring over time to give farmers objective, consistent data on the wellbeing of their herd. The tools monitor the cow’s behaviour including lying time, feeding time, social interactions and mobility to generate a ‘cow comfort score’ which supports vets in their assessment of individual cow’s health. The cameras will assess body condition scoring to assess cows’ nutritional status over time.
Terry Canning, CEO of Cattle Eye says “Changes in body condition are early indicators of metabolic health, fertility, and overall wellbeing. Tracking those changes more regularly, across every cow, gives farmers a level of insight that was previously unavailable outside research environments.”
The algorithm supporting the tool has been tested and, according to those involved, found to perform to the same standard as a trained welfare assessor.
The tools are being rolled out following trials at a selection of M&S dairy farms, where farmers have used the technology to make changes to tailor care to individual cow’s needs. By measuring lying times, farmers have made changes to the bedding of individual cows to improve their comfort based on their specific size and shape. Feeding schedules have been adapted to reduce the amount of time cows spend standing and the design of some stalls has been adapted to improve cow comfort.
2. RELEX Solutions announces AI powered tie up with Dollar General for forecasting and replenishment
RELEX Solutions is partnering with Dollar General to implement forecasting, replenishment, and allocation capabilities across its North American operations.
Dollar General operates more than 21,000 stores and 34 distribution centres, managing approximately 18,000 SKUs, and continues to expand its store footprint each year. The AI driven RELEX platform will manage store replenishment, ordering schedules, lead times, supplier coordination, and fulfillment methods in one place. Sales patterns and other demand factors will be built directly into the planning process, allowing DCs and stores to work from the same data.
“We chose RELEX because it gives us a practical way to use AI in our planning and helps our teams focus on the issues that truly need attention,” says Jeff Vaughan, SVP Global Inventory Management at Dollar General. “The platform brings forecasting, replenishment, and allocation planning into a single environment, giving our teams greater visibility across the network.”
3. The Home Depot has bagged the Holy Grail of omnichannel retail with its latest AI shopping assistant move
The Home Depot has announced the US wide roll-out of new in-store capabilities for Magic Apron, its Al powered shopping assistant. Customers can open it in the retailer’s mobile app or scan a QR code on in-store signage.
"Customers come to The Home Depot for expert guidance, and we know they want their shopping experience to be easy and efficient," says Jordan Broggi, EVP of Interconnected Retail. "Magic Apron takes the best of our digital expertise and brings it into the physical store, creating a more connected shopping experience that helps customers find products, get project guidance and make decisions faster. Our associates remain at the centre of the shopping experience, and Magic Apron gives customers another way to access guidance and support while they're in our stores."
This is the Holy Grail of omnichannel retail, according to Michael Guzzetta, Retail Innovation & Strategy Leader at Cookie Plug San Antonio, and a former H-E-B executive.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “It's moments like these when an AI assistant stops being just another digital feature and starts making physical promises a reality. Customers can ask questions by text, voice, or image. Then, Magic Apron can provide project guidance, check local availability, and even point someone to a specific aisle and bay. The model is the visible part for the customer, but the harder job will be for the back end teams to keep several operating systems honest at the same time: Local inventory; Aisle and bay mapping; Product compatibility; Store specific knowledge; The handoff to an associate when the answer is incomplete or wrong.”
He added: “Anyone who has worked around store systems knows that “aisle 14, bay 6” isn’t just a helpful customer answer... It’s a promise built on receiving, stocking, planogram changes, shrink, inventory accuracy, and whatever happened on the floor ten minutes ago. Now zoom out to a nationwide scale and the important questions change."
"How quickly does local reality reach the assistant? How does an associate correct a bad answer? Who owns the recovery when the guidance is technically sound but the product isn’t actually there?”
Magic Apron is compelling because it connects advice to the physical store, Guzzetta argues. Its biggest test will be how often the store can keep the promise its digital friend just made.
4. Sainsbury's deploys RFID technology for Tu clothing range across 400 of its stores
Sainsbury's is rolling out radio frequency identification (RFID) technology across its TU clothing departments in approximately 400 stores, with the project set for completion by early September.
This follows a pilot earlier this year, which enabled the retailer to improve its stock level visibility, speed up replenishment and manage stock more efficiently.
“Really proud of my team and the role they’ve played in deploying this project across our stores. A huge amount of work, collaboration and energy behind the scenes to bring this to life,” says Gillian Ekin, Head of Transformation and Operational Development at Sainsbury’s.
RTIH has reached out to Sainsbury’s regarding specifics of the implementation, such as suppliers involved, and we will update this article when we receive a response.
5. Step change for customers and staff as Asda wraps Vusion ESELs roll-out at convenience stores
Asda has completed the roll-out of eSELs across its Asda Express petrol stations, Asda Express locations and Asda petrol station estate, with the deployment covering over 550 stores.
In a LinkedIn post, Anthony McCarron, Projects, Propostions & Comms Manager at Asda, said: "This is a massive achievement across so many internal and external stakeholders, so thank you - big shout to Daniel Pelissier for leading this project from start to finish on time and on budget."
"Our Vusion eSELs, installed by our delivery partner Renovotec, are delivering a real step change for customers and colleagues. Thank you to Elecomm, MADIC UK, and Evolve for the infrastructure support in achieving this huge milestone for our convenience stores."
6. Starbucks veteran Rob Dellinger joins Whataburger as its new Vice President of Restaurant Technology
American fast food chain Whataburger has appointed Rob Dellinger as Vice President of Restaurant Technology. He joins from Starbucks where he spent almost 26 years, most recently serving as Director PoS Application Development.
A spokesperson for Whataburger says: “Rob joins us after more than 25 years at Starbucks, where he helped modernise technology supporting more than 15,000 stores across North America. At Whataburger, he’ll lead the technology that powers our restaurants, making it simpler, stronger and more scalable for our employees and the guests we serve.”
“Rob is a seasoned innovator who has managed complex technology at scale and has the instincts to start where it matters: in the restaurant, listening to employees and understanding the work,” says Chief Digital and Technology Transformation Office Rohit Kapoor. “That combination will make him a tremendous partner as we strengthen the systems our restaurants rely on today and build for Whataburger’s continued growth.”
7. Sephora launches on TikTok Shop with pilot going live across US during September
Sephora has announced its debut on TikTok Shop. Piloting in the United States from 19th September, its Drop Shop experience will feature exclusive monthly drops, showcasing curated products from some of Sephora's most popular partner brands. Each featured brand will have a dedicated moment to bring its products to life, tell its story and connect with new audiences.
Each drop will include teasers, interactive experiences, and creator led content, encouraging consumers to guess the brand in the spotlight. The experience will culminate in an official TikTok LIVE with a celebrity host, brand founders, and creators to unveil the featured products, answer audience questions, engage with viewers in real-time, and showcase products available for purchase on TikTok Shop during the LIVE.
“Beauty discovery has always been core to Sephora’s ethos, and the rise of social commerce and digital marketplaces have reinforced the need to evolve how we engage with our beauty lovers. We already have an incredibly active beauty community on TikTok, so we are excited to take the next step and pilot the Sephora Drop Shop on TikTok Shop. This platform gives us a new way to interact with our existing customers, while extending our reach to a highly immersed beauty audience. Importantly, the launch signifies a natural progression in how we continue to lead and innovate in beauty retail,” says Artemis Patrick, President and CEO at Sephora North America.
Products featured in each monthly drop will launch exclusively through Sephora's TikTok Shop, with select items later rolling out to Sephora.com, in selected Sephora stores or through other retail partners. During the exclusive launch window, customers will still be able to preview the products on the Sephora site ahead of their wider availability.
8. JD Sports gets personal as it enlists HyperFinity to deliver actionable customer behaviour insights
HyperFinity has partnered with JD Sports to design and deliver a personalisation programme that aims to equip the retailer with a clear evidence base for its loyalty strategy.
It has designed a personalisation engine and trialled this to build a framework for JD Sports UK. The solution was trialled to prove: The value of ‘buy again’ category offers to assess how active customers respond to identify the optimal spend multiplier incentives; The optimal incentive mix for high and low spenders for cash-based rewards versus spend multipliers; The ability to drive incremental basket spend through cross-sell offers aligned to previous purchase history, testing product affinity and which category follow-ons drive incremental spend.
According to those involved, the trials established that relevance consistently outperforms simply increasing incentive value, and that higher spenders respond better to spend multipliers, while lower spenders react similarly to both. Alongside this, they identified that campaign spacing must be tailored to individual behaviour to avoid offer fatigue.
The partnership delivered a significant material impact on topline performance, including an uplift in total in-store loyalty sales across JD Sports UK during the trial period. Based on the results, JD Sports has identified a multi-million pound opportunity to grow in-store loyalty sales within the first year of scaling the programme.
In addition to the analysis, HyperFinity delivered a suite of assets, including measurement dashboards, customer segmentations, campaign templates, and product seasonality and affinity insights, enabling JD Sports to continue building on the programme.
9. Alcampo deploys Hanshow ESLs across supermarkets as part of modernisation push
Chinese firm Hanshow is working with Alcampo (Auchan Retail), a Spanish grocery retailer, on the roll-out of electronic shelf labels across 84 supermarkets.
With more than 560,000 ESLs being deployed, the initiative will help eliminate approximately 1,843 km of paper price strips annually, avoiding an estimated 8.4 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year while supporting Alcampo's broader sustainability goals.
Beyond reducing paper consumption, ESLs provide a centralised platform for pricing and shelf-edge communication, helping ensure accurate and up-to-date product information across stores. The solution is also expected to reduce time spent on shelf-label updates and allow store teams to focus more on customer facing activities.
A spokesperson for Hanshow says: “We're delighted to partner with Alcampo as it continues to modernise store operations and advance a more sustainable retail environment.”
10. Lucy Cooper departs THG Ingenuity and takes on Group Customer Experience & Agentic Director at Tesco
Lucy Cooper has joined Tesco as Group Customer Experience & Agentic Director. She was previously at THG Ingenuity where she served as Chief Commercial Officer. In a LinkedIn post, she said: “I’ve had a brilliant time at THG. Fast, ambitious, and occasionally bonkers (but never, ever boring).”
“I’ve learned an enormous amount, always at speed and leave with huge respect for the ambition of the business and the people building it. I remain of course a loyal shareholder and fan. But now - to Tesco!”
She added: “Few businesses have a bigger place in British life, serve more people, or have quite so much opportunity to use technology and data to change how millions of customers shop. That combination was pretty difficult to resist. The most interesting question in commerce right now isn’t how AI helps people shop. It’s what happens when AI starts shopping for them. The weekly shop might be the perfect proving ground… high frequency, habitual and highly personal.”
“Full of decisions most of us would happily delegate. There are opportunities abound across the rest of the group in Tesco Mobile, banking and health, all underpinned by the OG data platform, dunnhumby. I’m thrilled to be taking on remit for the group wide response. I’m excited to get started, meet the team, and work out quite how much I don’t yet know about groceries.”
