January 18, 2025

Chick-fil-A's lemon-squeezing robots cut over 10,000 labor hours per day
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. is cutting nearly 10,000 hours of work per day at its locations through the automation of lemon squeezing, which produces the juice used in one of the fast-food chain’s most popular drinks, according to reports. Read More

Google, Mercedes Partnership Adds Conversational AI to Cars
Mercedes-Benz is adding conversational capabilities to its virtual assistant with the help of Google. The expanded partnership between the carmaker and the tech giant will employ Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent and Mercedes’ MBUX Virtual Assistant. Read More

Target CEO tells shoppers to ‘get on board’ with ‘unique model’ as retailer is looking to open 300 more stores
TARGET CEO Brian Cornell has insisted artificial intelligence will create more jobs rather than replace workers, arguing people must “get on board” with technological advancements. Read More

Best Buy is launching a new third-party marketplace this year
Best Buy plans to launch a new third-party marketplace in the U.S. in mid-2025, and the opportunity to sell on the platform is gaining attention from brands, even those outside of consumer electronics. Read More

SSA Group Selects RELEX Solutions to Streamline Forecasting and Replenishment Processes
Leading U.S. cultural attraction retail provider selects RELEX to enhance supply chain efficiency and support continued growth Read More

Wendy's Drive-Thru AI Will Now Let You Order in Multiple Languages
Allowing customers to order in the language they feel most comfortable speaking is certainly one way to increase their chances of returning to the restaurant. And given that 42 million Americans speak Spanish at home, expanding FreshAI in this way only makes sense. Read More

Walmart unveils new generative AI-powered capabilities for shoppers and associates
At CES 2024, Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella introduced the new AI innovations to benefit Walmart customers. Read More

Agilence Launches Five New Analytics Modules That Address Inventory Losses and Enhance Safety
Agilence today announced the launch of five new modules for its Agilence Analytics platform: the RFID Module, Expiring Inventory Module, Physical Inventory Module, Alarm Module, and Cash Over/Short Module. Read More

NBA Detroit Pistons tap AI for immersive virtual fan experience
The team has launched a fully immersive virtual fan experience called the "Detroit Pistons World," created with AI-powered digital twin technology with partner MeetKai. Read More

Armani Group Elevates Global E-commerce and Unifies Online and Offline Stores with XY OMS Rollout Across 40+ Countries
The Armani Group has partnered with XY Retail to internalize its e-commerce operations with the deployment of XY Order Management System in over 40 countries. Read More

Omoda and Google Cloud to enhance online shopping with gen AI
Dutch fashion retailer Omoda has entered a partnership with Google Cloud to enhance its online shopping platform with AI. Read More

King Kullen Automates Refrigeration Compliance Management
King Kullen has selected Facilio’s Connected Retail software platform to automate its refrigeration compliance management and stay ahead of the upcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory changes, especially EPA’s AIM Act Emissions Reduction and Reclamation Regulations. Read More

Wayfair CTO on Bringing AI Into the Virtual Living Room
Optimization plays a central role in business growth, whether it’s through adopting new technologies, rethinking operational workflows or introducing innovative products and services. Read More

Ulta Beauty enhances personalization of loyalty program
The beauty giant recently implemented the Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Capabilities (CDP) solution in an effort to more effectively utilize loyalty program data to better understand the unique preferences of loyalty members and enable more detailed and accurate customer audience segmentation. Read More

RaceTrac Streamlines Store-Level Marketing
RaceTrac Inc. partnered with AccuStore to streamline its marketing process at the store level. Read More

Lloyds Pharmacy taps Slimstock AI platform to centralise forecasting, ordering and replenishment
Lloyds Pharmacy has announced the launch of a supply chain transformation initiative in collaboration with Slimstock. It is adopting the firm's AI powered planning platform across its 80 strong pharmacy network. Read More

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Selects Paytronix to Drive Loyalty Program
Paytronix announced that Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will be relaunching its guest engagement platform with Paytronix Loyalty. Read More

PacSun is keeping AI out of product design
CEO Brieane Olson said the apparel company wants to avoid producing a “sea of sameness” with AI. Read More

Jollibee chooses Qualtrics to predict, anticipate customer needs with AI-powered solutions
Jollibee has selected Qualtrics to provide the feedback collection (through digital surveys), omnichannel analytics (analyzing unstructured feedback like store reviews or customer service call logs) and recommends actions organizations should take to address friction points and market opportunities. Read More

Phillips 66 and Mach 1 Revolutionize Their Checkout Experience with NCR Voyix Halo Checkout Solution and Everseen Technology
Phillips 66 and retailer Mach 1 are transforming the checkout experience at fuel and convenience stores with the launch of an automated, AI-powered bulk scanning self-checkout solution. Read More

Buckle Adopts Aptos ONE POS to Bring Unified Commerce to 440+ Stores
The Buckle, Inc., will implement Aptos ONE as its new POS system to bring personalized and efficient interactions to every customer — and employee — in its 440+ stores across 42 states. Read More

Walmart GoLocal and IBM Collaboration Makes Last-Mile Delivery Easier for Retailers
Walmart GoLocal and IBM announced the integration of Walmart GoLocal into IBM Sterling Order Management, combining a leading order management platform with last-mile delivery. IBM retail clients that sign up with Walmart GoLocal can now quickly integrate Walmart GoLocal's suite of last-mile delivery solutions into their business system. Read More

Boden chooses ZigZag to take over its online returns process worldwide
Boden has switched to ZigZag to manage its global returns. Read More

Retailers Can Deliver Smarter Product Information During the Shopping Journey
The new consumer is here, and she wants her product info faster — not just when she types the word “wireless headphones” into her iPhone, but across all e-commerce and social commerce channels. Read More

Walmart innovating big on delivery, AI shopping assistant, shelf tech
Walmart is advancing technology on several fronts, from drone delivery to InHome Delivery expansion, development of a GenAI customer assistance tool and deployment of digital shelf labels. Read More

Fabryka Wełny Hotel & Spa does a Tech Overhaul
Kramer, a global audio-visual experience company, announced its advanced and multi-award-winning signal management solutions have been selected to deliver enhanced business opportunities and elevated guest experiences at the Fabryka Wełny Hotel & Spa. Read More

AI agents are boosting productivity at companies from OpenTable to Salesforce to Land O’Lakes
OpenTable is increasingly embracing the use of artificial intelligence agents to bolster productivity and take repetitive tasks off the hands of human workers in all corners of the restaurant-reservation operator’s business. Read More

The North Face teams with Mood Media on immersive basecamp experience
The North Face has partnered with Mood Media to create an immersive basecamp experience in London that combines AI-generated content with projection technology. Read More

Gramedia speeds up inventory checks with RFID
Gramedia, Indonesia’s largest bookstore chain, has improved its operational efficiency and customer experience by tapping Zebra’s radio frequency identification (RFID) retail technology. Read More

Foot Locker brand expands mobile POS installation
Foot Locker’s WSS brand stepped up its mobile point-of-sale (POS) game just in time for the holidays — and more devices are on the way. Dozens of WSS stores went live with the Aptos One POS platform just prior to the holiday shopping season. Read More

Carrefour Italy Unleashes Connected Retail Strategy with SymphonyAI Store Intelligence for High-Quality, Automated Store Operations
SymphonyAI today announced Carrefour Italy, part of Carrefour Group, has selected SymphonyAI Store Intelligence to reduce labor, improve pricing and promotional accuracy, increase on-shelf availability, and reduce out-of-stocks. Read More

BradyPLUS to Improve Forecasting and Replenishment with RELEX
Leading wholesale distributor to consolidate its existing forecasting and replenishment platforms with a powerful, adaptive, and AI-driven unified retail planning platform from RELEX Read More

Intermarché Extends SymphonyAI Partnership
SymphonyAI today announced that French retailing giant Intermarché is progressing on its journey to connected retail and deepening the longstanding relationship with the addition of SymphonyAI's AI-based CINDE Connected Retail Platform. Read More

Wayfair Deploys Google AI to Scale and Enrich Product Catalogs
Wayfair has reduced the time needed to curate product listings by 67%, saved hundreds of thousands of dollars and improved some conversion rates by 2% by deploying Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Read More

Carrefour and Just Eat look to reign in Spain as they bring rapid delivery service to the European country
Carrefour and Just Eat have expanded their home delivery services partnership to Spain Read More

New tools to help retailers build gen AI search and agents
The retail industry is no stranger to change, but this moment in time feels different. The rapid advancement of AI is creating a sense of urgency and opportunity to meet evolving customer expectations and to help address issues like rising costs and supply chain complexities. Read More

Syndigo Unveils Product Experience Cloud for Retail at NRF 2025
Syndigo today announced the launch of its Product Experience Cloud for Retail at the annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail’s Big Show in New York. Read More

PepperJax Grill Customizes Digital Guest Experience with Paytronix
Paytronix today announced that fast casual chain PepperJax Grill has deployed the full Paytronix platform, highlighted by a new mobile app. Read More

Walmart undergoes 'brand refresh'
Walmart has unveiled its “comprehensive brand refresh” that includes an updated hue of its signature blue, a new font for its type logo, and an updated “spark” logo. Read More

Quality Oil Drives Engagement With Upgraded Loyalty Program
The chain will utilize Paytronix's Strategy and Analytics service to refine personalization initiatives and bolster customer retention opportunities. Read More

Why Unilever and Amazon Partner on Kaizen-Optimized Supply Chain Transformation
Unilever’s partnership with Amazon has required the company to take a distinctive approach to supply chain planning in order to streamline operations and optimize efforts. Read More

How Dick’s Sporting Goods Fights Premium Sneaker Diversion with its Mobile App
One of the first additions was a geolocation software development kit (SDK) from Radar, to answer the question of whether athletes were actually opening the app while shopping in the store. Read More

AI Successes from L’Oréal, Lowe’s and Walmart Bring Context to the AI Conversation
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a headline topic at the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show, and NVIDIA is undoubtedly one of the companies leading the industry’s innovation in this sector. Read More

Duluth Trading Enhances Omnichannel Fulfillment and Boosts Inventory Efficiency with Manhattan Active® Omni
Manhattan Associates today announced that Duluth Trading Company, a leading casualwear, workwear and accessory retailer, has successfully implemented Manhattan Active Omni to give its business better access to all available inventory and provide its customers with faster and more flexible fulfillment options. Read More

Loja do Mecânico Enhances Omnichannel Operations with Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies today announced that Loja do Mecânico, a hardware retailer across Brazil, has enhanced its omnichannel operations, powered by Zebra Technologies’ advanced solutions. Read More

Rack Room Shoes Achieves 95% Task Completion Rate with Zebra Technologies Workcloud Software
Zebra Technologies today announced Rack Room Shoes is operating with greater efficiency leveraging Zebra’s Workcloud Task Management software and mobile computing solutions. Read More

BJ's partners with Genpact to drive efficiency
BJ's Wholesale Club is partnering to drive innovation, increase agility and support its growth plans. The membership warehouse club retailer has entered into a muti-year partnership with Genpact, a global professional services and solutions firm. Read More

Currys Connected Media teams with STRATACACHE owned PRN to expand offering into UK and Ireland stores
Currys has announced the expansion of Currys Connected Media into all its UK&I stores. It has partnered with in-store media specialist PRN (a STRATACACHE company) on this. Read More

All eyes on Leiria, Portugal as Sensei and MC Sonae lay claim to world's largest autonomous supermarket
Sensei has partnered with MC Sonae on the opening of a new Continente Bom Dia location, in Leiria, Portugal, pitched as the world’s largest autonomous supermarket. Read More

DTLR/VILLA and Shoe Palace tap Jumpmind Commerce
Jumpmind is partnering with DTLR/VILLA and Shoe Palace to power mobile retail experiences for both customers and store associates throughout 450 store locations in the US. Read More

Levi’s reduces fraud, increases personalization post-purchase with AI
The denim giant is deploying the Narvar Intelligent Retail Insights Service (IRIS) and Assist solutions to address two key areas of the post-purchase experience for online shoppers. Read More

Dollar General unifies data to help target CPG ads
The discount giant leverages a unified data platform to deliver more personalized, relevant and timely ads to customers via its retail media network. Read More