In August 2026, a major U.S. credit card issuer that provides store-branded credit cards for several large retailers announced an enterprise collaboration with a leading AI platform developer aimed at …
In August 2026, a new category of enterprise software began to take shape: unified AI interfaces that combine commerce operations and order management into a single conversational experience, replacing multiple …
In August 2026, a major UK supermarket chain suspended the use of live facial recognition technology at one of its London branches after a customer was wrongly accused of shoplifting …
For years, retail chatbots followed a predictable pattern: they waited for a shopper to type a specific keyword and then offered a pre-programmed response. They could answer questions but rarely …
Walk into a large UK distribution centre today, and there is a good chance you will share the floor with a squat, waist-high robot that has never met a human …
For decades, warehouses and distribution centres have been perceived as physically demanding, male-dominated environments. The work involved heavy lifting, long hours on concrete floors and roles that seemed to favour …
Agentic commerce, also abbreviated as “a-commerce,” represents the next practical application of artificial intelligence in retail. Rather than consumers browsing websites or apps to find and purchase products, AI agents, …
In July 2026, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, a robotic pharmacy system attracted significant attention. Three robots of different brands and configurations, working in coordination, received an …
As retailers increasingly embrace artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous vehicles, a new retail model is beginning to emerge: mobile stores that drive directly to customers instead of waiting for customers …
The payment terminal sitting on a retail counter has traditionally been a single-purpose device: it reads cards, processes payments and little else. In 2026, that is changing. A new generation …
A new category of technology is emerging in retail: wearable cameras powered by artificial intelligence, worn by store employees to track shelves, map stores in real time and provide operational …
For millions of shoppers, the self-checkout experience follows a familiar pattern: scan items, pay and leave. But for anyone purchasing alcohol, tobacco or age-restricted medication, the process is frequently interrupted …