Including eBay, Applebee’s, and Mattress Firm: last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Woolworths Group, RELEX Solutions, invent.ai, AllSaints, NewStore, UWR, HEMA, Nedap, Dr. Max, VusionGroup, DFS, and Smalls Sliders.
Mattress Firm
US retailer Mattress Firm has selected invent.ai to provide AI driven inventory solutions for demand forecasting, store and distribution centre (DC) replenishment, and merchandise financial planning (MFP).
“We are proud to partner with Mattress Firm in its journey to revolutionise supply chain management and achieve new levels of operational excellence,” says Gurhan Kok, Founder and CEO at invent.ai.
“Our cutting-edge AI driven solutions are designed to not only optimise inventory but also empower strategic decision-making, enhance efficiency and unlock long-term success. Together, we are setting a new standard for innovation and success in retail operations.”
AllSaints
AllSaints has gone live with NewStore technology in the UK.
In a LinkedIn post, Simeon Wynn, Director, Partner Enablement at NewStore, said: “As an incredibly fashionable individual (sat here in one of my ten plus plain white t-shirts), this is a really cool one to see, and such a great brand to be partnered with."
He added: “In 2023, we worked with the iconic British fashion retailer to launch the AllSaints shopping app. Now, their digital transformation continues with the roll-out of our unified commerce platform. With ten plus locations live (and more coming online each week), AllSaints is redefining its in-store experience - seamlessly connecting mobile, digital, and physical retail. Excited to see the global roll-out across 200+ stores coming soon."
L'Oréal
Incubeta has been named as a strategic data partner for L'Oréal in the Benelux region.
This builds on a long standing collaboration between the two which has delivered projects including an AI driven global personalisation initiative and a separate effort to enhance the global agency collaboration for
L’Oréal, streamlining communication processes and achieving scalability across 14 markets within a 12 month period.
“We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Incubeta to fuel our mission to create beauty that moves the world and elevates it to the next level. Their expertise in data analytics and innovative approach will provide L'Oréal with valuable insights to make data driven decisions resonating with our diverse, unique customers," says Sarunas Knabikas Data Director for Benelux at L’Oréal.
Crew Clothing Company
Crew Clothing Company has selected Datitude as its core data partner.
This forms part of its multi-year strategic IT transformation project; replacing legacy technology with a range of systems and applications. This includes Origin (product platform) and Archean (stock management) from Retail247, BigCommerce (e-commerce) and PMC’s Graphene (store PoS).
The partnership will see Datitude’s platform being deployed as the middleware to integrate data, automate data flows and manage data storage across its core systems. The platform will also power complete, accurate and up-to-date data feeds from all channels to Workday Financials to enable better, business wide reporting and insights.
Richard Surman, IT Director at Crew Clothing Company, says: “Datitude has a strong reputation in the retail industry for its data expertise, client relationships and project delivery. Having worked with Datitude at a previous company, I know they can be trusted to deliver against our requirements.”
eBay
eBay has announced a partnership with digital payments platform Checkout.com.
Avritti Khandurie Mittal, VP & General Manager of Global Payments and Financial Services at eBay, says: “eBay operates at a significant global scale, and our customers value speed, convenience, and safety while shopping on our marketplace.”
“Our strategic partnership with Checkout.com enables us to continue delivering fast, reliable, and frictionless payments experiences to millions of customers globally. The addition of Checkout.com to our partnership ecosystem highlights our continued commitment toward accelerating customer and business growth through uniquely eBay payments and financial services.”
Foot Locker
Foot Locker has chosen Ometria as its new customer data platform (CDP).
“We are thrilled to work with Ometria as our customer data platform to unify our customer data we’re gathering through programmes like our enhanced FLX Rewards loyalty programme to unlock deeper, more meaningful connections with our customers,” says Stephanie Bleymaier, Vice President, Loyalty & CRM at Foot Locker.
“Ometria’s advanced data capabilities, innovative vision, and ability to deliver real-time, actionable insights to our marketing team will empower us to drive more personalised experiences with our customers.”
“We’re thrilled to support Foot Locker - a brand that truly understands the impact of data-driven personalisation. Our mission is to help retailers turn customer data into marketing experiences as personal and seamless as shopping in-store. We’re proud to support Foot Locker’s journey in leveraging our CDP to gain deeper customer insights and deliver meaningful, relevant experiences that drive engagement and long-term loyalty,” says Djalal Lougouev, President and Co-Founder at Ometria.
Applebee's
Toast has announced an agreement with Dine Brands Global, the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, IHOP, and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop restaurants, to implement Toast technology at Applebee’s locations in the US.
In addition to Toast PoS terminals, Applebee’s restaurants will use Toast Go handhelds, the company's kitchen display systems (KDS) and Restaurant Management Suite Enterprise.
The aim is to strengthen operational flexibility, provide greater ease of use and responsiveness, improve labor efficiency, and enhance the overall guest experience.
“This is a crucial step in the evolution of our 45-year-old brand,” says Justin Skelton, Chief Information Officer at Dine Brands. “PoS and KDS systems are essential to efficient operations and can have major impacts on both the guest and team member experience. We look forward to working with Toast to enhance Applebee’s technology capabilities.”
“Delivering a great guest experience requires that our restaurants have exceptional tools and technology,” says Tom Finocchiaro, Vice President of Operations Services at Applebee’s. “By leveraging technology touchpoints, like handhelds to improve efficiency, our team members will have more time to interact with guests.”
“Applebee’s is an iconic brand and at the heart of so many communities. Like Toast, they are focused on enabling moments that bring people together around a great meal,” says Kelly Esten, Chief Marketing Officer at Toast. “We are thrilled to help Applebee’s and Dine Brands innovate their front- and back-of-house digital experience, while maintaining the best of this brand we know and love.”
Woolworths Group
RELEX is to partner with Woolworths Group to implement its Replenishment solution in all distribution centres and 1,400 stores in Australia and New Zealand for the retailer.
Stefano Scandelli, General Manager, Consumer Goods and Production Business Unit and Senior Vice President, Sales EMEA & APAC at RELEX, says: “We’re proud to partner with Woolworths Group in supporting and modernising their replenishment capabilities. Our platform can handle even the largest data sets overnight, streamlining operations and providing cross-company visibility into inventory and sales.”
Woolworths Group Director of Group Replenishment Justin Henderson comments: “We identified an opportunity to modernise our existing replenishment platform to support maximising product availability for customers, optimising cost and forging stronger supplier collaboration.”
“By partnering with RELEX we expect to see improved visibility across the Group which will ensure that our team and partners can focus their time building greater consistency with their supply and demand plans across our businesses. This will ultimately help improve product availability for customers in store and online.”
HEMA
Nedap is implementing its iD Cloud RFID platform across more than 740 HEMA stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Customers will be able to see exactly how many of their favourite items are available in a store via the app or website. Staff will also be able to track inventory faster and more accurately.
All HEMA stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Austria will be live with the RFID solution by mid-2026.
"This partnership is special: two Dutch companies with a rich history, innovative spirit, and strong customer focus are joining forces," says Hilbert Dijkstra, General Manager iD Cloud at Nedap. "We are proud to support HEMA on their RFID journey and look forward to the results we will achieve together."
UWR
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (UWR) has launched its Westfield Rise offering in the US, helping brands to connect with consumers through dynamic media, immersive experiential, Westfield events and strategic integrations.
“With Westfield Rise, we’re giving brands a global stage across the world’s most influential cities,” says Anne-Sophie Sancerre, Chief Customer and Retailer Officer at URW. “This expansion lets them reach nearly a billion visitors at our centres through one powerful platform. From Los Angeles to New York to Paris and beyond, we’re helping our partners to show up in high impact ways - all while creating standout experiences and stronger connections.”
URW previously launched customer experience platform Goodays Connect in summer 2022 to re-establish emotional bonds with customers after the Covid-19 pandemic, eventually rolling it out to 50 shopping centres across 11 countries.
Alongside the expansion of Westfield Rise, URW has also debuted its new IXD Network platform in the US, offering experiential, immersive media displays across 11 of its flagship shopping centres.
IXD Network offers “industry disruptive” campaigns shared across nearly 300 eight-foot LED screens which claim to offer a quarter more screen space with 20 per cent more energy efficiency.
The screens also include dual cameras for real-time audience measurement and options for interactive experiences. Using audience measuring platform Quividi, the network claims to offer “privacy respectful consumer analytics” to inform consumer engagement and advertising performance.
The IXD Network is also equipped with technology allowing brands to create 3D content with further plans to launch augmented reality later this year.
Dr. Max
VusionGroup has announced a new roll-out with Dr. Max, a pharmacy chain, to deploy its solutions throughout stores across Europe.
Dr. Max says it has made the move to digitalise its locations and create a connected store experience for both associates and customers.
"VusionGroup's innovative solutions help us simplify and modernise how our pharmacies operate - from daily workflows to the way we engage with customers and patients. This partnership supports our ambition to lead the digital transformation of pharmacy care while reinforcing our strong position across Europe”, comments Branislav Chmela, Group Retail Operation Officer, Dr. Max.
"By combining greater efficiency with smarter tools, we’re creating more space for our pharmacists to focus on what truly matters - providing personal, professional care.”
Pricing and promotional updates will be centrally managed and fully automated, reducing the need for manual tasks at the pharmacy level. This will allow pharmacy teams to focus more on professional care and meaningful customer interactions. At the same time, VusionCloud will provide Dr. Max with tools to manage and monitor its in-store connected devices.
DFS
DFS is aiming to make its hiring process more accessible and allow candidates to apply with confidence through an enhanced careers site, developed with UK provider inploi.
Through its DFS, Sofology and The Sofa Delivery Company brands, DFS employs more than 4,000 people across 100 stores and advertises 1,500 roles annually. It says its talent team noticed a need to ensure its hiring process meets web content acessibility guidelines (WCAG) compliance standards and ensure all candidates are able to apply seamlessly.
Working with inploi, as well as partners accessiBe and Tribepad, DFS has added an Applicant Tracking System to its careers site, helping individual applicant needs with keyboard navigation, simplified layouts and screen reader compatibility.
The enhanced careers site is now live across all DFS Group brands and aims to accommodate diverse need while also helping the talent team understand and support the accessibility requirements of applicants.
“We’re not just filling roles; we’re rethinking how we make the candidate experience more inclusive from the start,” says Stacey Williams, Group Senior Talent Acquisition Manager at DFS.
Smalls Sliders
Smalls Sliders has adopted Bikky’s customer data and analytics platform as it scales across the USA.
“They’re getting a platform that will help them level up how they serve their guests while continuing scaling across the country,” says Abhinav Kapur, Founder at Bikky. “They're seeing this first hand, using the platform to coach franchisees on new store openings.”
“While most operators fly blind in those early days, the Smalls team is proactively sharing trends on what and how much guests typically order on their first visit, and how it changes as a store matures. This gives their in-store teams clear visibility into how to best staff and prep to nail that all-important first experience with a new guest in a new market.”
He adds: “You need to be excellent at so many things in this value driven environment: food, speed, accuracy, efficiency, experience. Smalls is using our platform to level up in all of those aspects, and building a brand that's truly a one of one in the restaurant industry.”
Founded in 2019, the first Smalls location opened in Baton Rouge with a mission to serve cheeseburger sliders better than anyone else. By the end of 2024, it had racked up more than 300 locations sold or under development.
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