Sun Bum gets quirky and Phia tackles a major challenge: this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Żabka Group, AiFi, Morrisons, Mall of America, Boxbar Tech, Westfield Rise, Primark, American Eagle, Lidl Ireland, and East of England Co-op.
Sun Bum
Sun Bum reports that last week a soft launch of its rediem powered brand community The Bum Club got over 13.8K consumers to join.
Rather than focusing on transactional relationships with customers, Sun Bum says it is building an authentic offering by rewarding customers for living by their values.
This means getting points for the likes of: Taking a selfie wearing SPF; Educating yourself about skin cancer prevention; Texting a joke to Sun Bum’s mascot, Sonny; Participating in quirky challenges like “Find the Banana” scavenger hunts; And even doing nothing (people can press a “do nothing” button and earn rewards).
So far, the company has seen: Over 1,000 pieces of organic UGC; Accelerated SMS list growth 4x above the brand’s weekly average; 85% completion rate on the profile sequence, driving 10K worth of zero party data points in less than a week; 77% engagement rate in challenges, such as "do nothing".
The Magnum Ice Cream Company
Reckon.ai is partnering with The Magnum Ice Cream Company on a smart vending roll-out over the next couple of months. And it is looking for partners to distribute and operate AI powered and autonomous freezers.
In a LinkedIn post, Ana Pinto, CEO at Reckon.ai, said: "The future of unattended retail is here, and you can be part of it! Whether you're already in vending, foodservice, or retail ops - or you're looking to expand into a scalable, tech driven business this is your opportunity to grow with a global brand."
𝗡𝗥𝗙 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹'𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 has come to an end, and we couldn’t be more excited about the experience!
— Reckon.ai (@Reckonai) January 16, 2025
Didn’t get a chance to meet us? 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗥 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼: https://t.co/t9g3ydTT4b#NRF2025 #RetailInnovation #ReckonAI pic.twitter.com/qzglZ9c54B
Żabka Group
Polish convenience giant Żabka Group has opened a Żabka Nano checkout-free store in Olsztyn.
The autonomous location is situated on the premises of a Michelin factory. Factory employees can take advantage of unmanned shopping 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without checkouts and queues, incuding dinner dishes, and drinks and snacks.
In a LinkedIn post, Żabka Group said: "In companies working in shifts, where work requires quick and convenient solutions, the availability of solutions such as Nano, and thus the possibility of shopping around the clock, is particularly important."
Zapp
Zapp, a London-based delivery app, is now stocking Beluga Epicure Series II by Lalique vodka, priced at £12,999.99. This is claimed to be the most expensive spirit ever made available for on-demand delivery in the UK.
Dan Whine, Head of Fine Wines & Spirits at Zapp, whose investors include Lewis Hamilton, Lightspeed, Atomico, BroadLight Capital and Vorwerk Ventures, says: “Beluga Epicure Series II is one of the most sought-after vodkas in the world and exactly the kind of extraordinary product our customers expect from Zapp.”
“We’re known for curating a distinctive, premium collection you won’t find at traditional retailers and we’re proud to offer this collector’s piece, delivered in minutes. It’s testament to our commitment to making rare and exceptional products instantly accessible.”
Phia
Bill Gates has taken to social media to discuss joining the customer experience team at Phia, an AI powered fashion technology tool that is the brainchild of his daughter Phoebe Gates and her co-founder Sophia Kianni.
A free iOS app and mobile browser extension, this finds people the best prices on fashion while they shop.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I’ve entered the startup world again…When your daughter asks if you’d be willing to work a shift in customer service at her startup, the only right answer is yes. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how technology can make systems more efficient, equitable, and accessible. But I’ve learned over the years that the best way to understand how something works, or where it breaks, is to go straight to the people using it.”
He added: “That’s why I’ll be joining the Phia customer experience team for a day this week. They’ve built an app and browser extension that helps people shop smarter by finding the best prices, surfacing secondhand options, and showing lower-impact alternatives across thousands of online retailers.”
“It’s been inspiring to watch them tackle a massive challenge, rethinking the way we shop, by meeting users where they are. And now, I’ll be doing the same. Looking forward to getting back into the startup scene. Hopefully, I won’t break anything (no promises).”
Oh Polly
Fashion e-tailer Oh Polly has chosen 7Learnings as its pricing technology partner across the UK market.
With millions of customers and a direct-to-consumer model, Oh Polly required a pricing solution that could keep pace with fast moving trends, high SKU complexity, and demand volatility. 7Learnings says it will provide a solution that enables smarter discounting decisions, improved sell-through, and increased profitability across key product categories.
“Oh Polly is a great example of a modern digital brand that understands the power of data and pricing science,” says Felix Hoffmann, CEO and Co-Founder at 7Learnings. “We’re excited to support them in reaching their pricing goals in one of Europe’s most competitive fashion markets.”
The platform enables retailers to simulate pricing scenarios, predict demand changes, and optimise prices dynamically based on business goals.
Gemini Season♊
— Oh Polly (@ohpolly) May 22, 2023
Make it one to remember in unforgettable looks designed to make you feel your best self this birthday and beyond 🎂https://t.co/ObvGgp9WF7 pic.twitter.com/DaXl60i341
Morrisons
Morrisons has announced a partnership with supply chain simulation technology specialist Kallikor.
Using the AI powered Adaption platform, Morrisons is creating a digital twin of its end-to-end supply chain, a fully interactive model that mirrors the complexity, scale, and pace of its national network. This provides a design space where its teams can experiment, test, and optimise decisions with speed and precision, from warehouse operations to network wide flows.
As the partnership scales, it will operate with a living digital model fully integrated into its day-to-day operations, enabling continuous optimisation and proactive adaptation to market shifts.
REWE Group
REWE Group has opened its 23rd REWE To Go smart store, situated at the Stuttgart University S-Bahn station in Germany.
This serves the university's Pfaffenwaldring campus in the Vaihingen district.
In a LInkedIn post, Mehmet Tözge, Director Smart Store Development at Lekkerland SE, said: "Customer preferences have changed. End consumers want to shop 24/7 and quickly. We develop smart stores to meet the evolving expectations of end consumers.”
The store is equipped with the smart fridges from Reckon.ai. Stüwer and Gerhardt Automat are also technology partners on the project.
The assortment of the location, which is around 25 square metres in size, includes more than 130 items, including sandwiches, wraps, salads, sweets, snacks such as chips, drinks, coffee specialties and tobacco products.
BIMANI
Spanish womenswear brand BIMANI has announced a multi-year partnership with AI powered merchandise planning and execution platform Nextail, with the aim of allowing it to make smarter inventory decisions as it scales.
As BIMANI relaunches with a new visual identity this year, the partnership with Nextail will help the company optimise allocation, replenishment, and store transfers across its six locations.
As a result, the brand says it aims to be more agile and data driven without sacrificing its DNA.
Mall of America
Mall of America has announced an expansion of its partnership with Axis Communications to deploy car counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations.
Standing at 5.6 million square feet and home to more than 500 retailers, restaurants etc, MOA hosts over 300 events each year, and has 32 million+ visitors annually from around the globe.
Scheduling those events, ranging from a concert to an outdoor food festival, requires careful planning to ensure it can support parking operations and provide safety and security to those in attendance. By expanding its surveillance system and investing in AI enabled video analytics with Axis Communications, it says it was able to meet its requirements for a reliable, accurate, and scalable solution to support its 24/7 security and safety operations.
"We needed technology that could keep pace with our evolving needs and make sure our security team could focus on the highest priority tasks,” says Aaron Nielsen, Vice President of Information Technology at MOA.
“Our previous solution struggled with the unpredictable Midwestern weather, including snow, rain, and cold, all impacting accuracy and reliability. Car counting is one of the most important operational metrics we have. Implementing a system that delivers accurate data allows us to quickly scale from one location to more than a dozen additional locations throughout the Mall, providing efficiency and invaluable information for our team.”
Boxbar Tech
Boxbar Tech has teamed up with the The Warehouse Project and Live Nation Entertainment to deliver what is pitched as the biggest ever automated, self-serve bar deployment at any event or venue around the world.
On the eve of Parklife Festival 2025, Catfish and The Bottlemen brought a headline performance to Heaton Park, Manchester.
In a LinkedIn post, James Bott, Co-founder at Boxbar Tech, said: "Our one of a kind solution was on hand to speed up service, boost serving capacity and make sure fans spent less time queuing and more time having fun.”
“Two locations; seven brand new all in one Boxbar Container Bars (patent pending); ten x three Bank Units; 72 Points of Sale; 144 serving taps. Our system is built to perform at any venue, any terrain and any capacity. We’re changing the game for our clients, so what’s stopping you?"
Westfield Rise
Westfield Rise, the in-house media and experiential division of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), has launched a new targeting advertising capability based on shopper profiles across Westfield’s shopping centres.
In what is claimed to be an industry first, brands can now target 600 shopper profiles, choosing when, where and on which screens their messaging is shared.
Using Westfield Rise’s programmatic digital out of home (DOOH) and anonymised AI video analysis, advertisers can target beauty fans, tech lovers, or fashion hunters with precision. The technology is said to be capable of segmenting 100% of centre visitors using footfall patterns, store visits, age, gender and behavioural cues such as clothing or store interest.
Primark
Primark has partnered with 3D mapping specialist Apollo3D to create virtual scans of more than 350 stores in the UK and Europe as part of an LED lighting upgrade.
Yorkshire-based Apollo3D says the collaboration will deliver “substantial financial and operational benefits” to the value retailer by decreasing the need for on-site visits and enabling faster project roll-outs.
The partnership is part of wider plans to upgrade lighting in Primark stores to more energy efficient LED systems but has since been used in other store projects.
American Eagle
American Eagle Outfitters reports that it is now inside Snap Maps, which lets Snapchat users discover fun places, see what their friends are up to, and view Snaps from the community.
The launch comes as the retailer embarks upon its biggest ever Back to School jeans push.
In a LinkedIn post, Craig Brommers, CMO at American Eagle Outfitters, said: "Considered amongst the most coveted Gen Z real estate in social media, Snap Maps is where friends find each other. And AE is now the first fashion retailer with its 800 US locations pinned inside. Tapping on a store brings up content from American Eagle, including information on that store, Stories from the brand, creator videos and even localised product recommendations."
ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴜs ᴏɴ ᴛʜʀëᴀᴅshttps://t.co/pwjMmLAuaW
— American Eagle (@AEO) July 6, 2023
Bojangles
Bojangles, a US restaurant chain known for its breakfast and chicken, biscuits and tea, has partnered with Smart Big Box, Alyath EV and Energy and Environmental Design Services to install turnkey electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at a range of locations, in what is pitched as a first of its kind initiative in the QSR industry.
The charging stations will vary between level two (medium) and level three (high) speed charging efficiency with over 97% uptime. There will be a minimum of four charging spots per restaurant.
“Our focus is on offering a fast, friendly and convenient experience for our guests, and working with Alyath and Smart Big Box allows us to introduce a new convenience that aligns with evolving customer needs,” says Richard Del Valle, Chief Information Officer at Bojangles. "These top of the line EV chargers will not only improve accessibility for our guests but also help drive an eco-friendlier future.”
Lidl Ireland
Lidl Ireland has become the first supermarket in Ireland to launch a bulk feed reverse vending machine.
As part of Ireland's Re-turn scheme, customers in its Patrick Street store in Mullingar can now return large volumes of bottles and cans in a fraction of the time, by emptying their bags of containers into the feeder of a new RVM Systems Mega machine.
The machine sorts and counts the bottles and cans while the customer sees the deposit value accumulating on-screen. As normal, they then have the option to take their deposit voucher or donate it to our charity partner.
"This investment further emphasises Lidl's commitment to the deposit return scheme, and is one which we believe will provide a valuable facility to clubs and community groups in the Mullingar area and beyond for years to come," says Colin Walsh, Senior Project Manager at Lidl Ireland.
East of England Co-op
East of England Co-op has been testing out a cleaning robot (named Clint) at its Stanway Food store.
In a LinkedIn post, the retailer said: "Clint certainly turned some heads as they cruised up and down the aisles, even stopping for a few selfies along the way. We're always exploring new technologies to help us work smarter and create the best experience for our colleagues, members and customers."
Ashley Hollingsworth, Operations Business Partner at East of England Co-op, added: "I’m extremely excited to explore this concept. I want to express my sincere gratitude to David from Cleanbrite UK and Metabots for their unwavering support of this trial."
"Of course, I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to East of England Co-op's Lucia Carty, Sean Lumsden and Luke Warren CMIOSH for their invaluable assistance in bringing this trial to life. Additionally, I want to thank Rob Miller and his team at our Stanway branch for their exceptional support."
Continue reading…