Reducing Shrink without Dismantling Customer Experience and Trust
Retail shrink tops $100 billion annually, with roughly 80 % of theft occurring before checkout. Traditional loss‑prevention tools focus on point‑of‑sale monitoring, missing the majority of concealed shoplifting. Daniel Gabay of Trigo argues AI must capture the full product journey to enable low‑friction, risk‑based interventions. Privacy‑first computer‑vision solutions can cut loss while preserving shopper trust.
German Grocer Deploys Interactive Touchscreen Kiosk Powered by Eyefactive
Edeka Jensen in Uetersen, near Hamburg, has partnered with eyefactive to install an interactive touchscreen kiosk at its fresh‑meat counter. The pilot, launched at the end of 2025, is the first eyefactive no‑code kiosk deployment across Edeka Germany. Powered by...
Sam’s Club Launches Enhanced Tier to Express Delivery
Sam's Club has added an enhanced Express delivery tier that guarantees shipment in an hour or less, priced at $10 for Plus members and $22 for Club members, while retaining its three‑hour option at reduced rates. The service, rolled out...
Ace Hardware Debuts AI-Powered Assistant
Ace Hardware has introduced an AI‑powered assistant called “Hey ARMA” for store associates, accessible on handheld devices. The tool delivers instant product knowledge, project guidance, and recommendations, allowing staff to spend less time searching for answers. Hey ARMA is already active in...
Boot Barn Taps Aptos One for Mobile POS
Boot Barn, the western‑wear retailer, announced deployment of Aptos One, a mobile‑first point‑of‑sale platform, across its more than 500 U.S. stores. The solution is designed to streamline IT operations, reduce technical debt, and lower total cost of ownership. It will...
The New Digital Shelf: Why Pre-Search Discovery Is Critical for Driving Retail Conversion
Elizabeth Brooks of Brkthru argues that the traditional search‑centric retail funnel is collapsing as consumers spend more time on social, streaming and in‑app experiences. Brands that rely heavily on paid search and affiliate tactics are seeing higher costs and lower...
Ahold Delhaize USA Expands Digital Commerce Capabilities
Ahold Delhaize USA announced a partnership with SmartCommerce to roll out the Click2Cart solution across its five U.S. grocery brands—Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Click2Cart lets shoppers add products they see in digital ads, social posts or brand‑owned media directly into...
Legacy Payments Abandoned Micro-Businesses, AI Makes Them Viable Again
Legacy payment providers once chased micro‑merchants but later dropped them because the cost of onboarding, support, and multi‑system processing outweighed the tiny transaction fees. The article argues that artificial intelligence can automate these overheads, turning the long tail into a...
Ulta Beauty Joins Uber Eats Platform
Ulta Beauty has joined Uber Eats, enabling the retailer to deliver its full range of beauty and wellness products through the on‑demand platform nationwide. The partnership extends Ulta's omnichannel strategy, allowing customers to receive items within hours without visiting a...
Why the Best Retail Technology Makes Associates More, Not Less, Visible
Retailers are grappling with chronic labor shortages and an expanding list of associate responsibilities, prompting a rethink of how automation is deployed. Tim McCracken Jr. argues that technology should free floor staff to engage customers rather than replace them. McKinsey...
EDEKA’s Smart Retail Strategy Is Redefining Customer Experience
EDEKA has launched an interactive self‑order kiosk system, developed with eyefactive, that lets shoppers browse, select and purchase items via touchscreen interfaces inside its stores. The kiosks replace traditional service counters for many transactions, delivering faster checkout and a more...
Mobility at the Forefront: How Mobile POS Is Redefining Specialty Retail
Mobile point‑of‑sale (POS) systems are rapidly reshaping specialty retail by allowing associates to complete transactions anywhere on the sales floor. A Toshiba × Retail Dive survey shows 67% of retailers have adopted mobile POS, bringing the average store to 3.04 checkout options....
Vitamin Shoppe Leader Talks Delivery Strategy
The Vitamin Shoppe has launched an in‑house same‑day delivery service on its website and app, using its network of over 700 stores as local fulfillment hubs. While it continues to partner with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart, the new channel lets the...
Invent.ai Taps Joe Groves as Global Chief Revenue Officer
Invent.ai, an AI‑native retail planning platform, announced the appointment of Joe Groves as its global chief revenue officer. Groves arrives after more than two decades at Centric Software, most recently heading global sales and driving international expansion. In his new role,...
How Tariffs and Volatility Are Impacting Consumer Trust and Brand Loyalty in Retail
Retailers are confronting tariff‑driven price hikes and volatile consumer confidence, with 50% of Americans blaming tariffs for higher everyday costs. A 2025 o9 survey shows spending declines in clothing, groceries and electronics, shifting demand toward value and convenience. To stay...