Smart carts in Belgium and inclusive solutions in Finland: last week’s biggest technology plays — Retail Technology Innovation Hub
LOOOK.AILOOOK.AI has introduced a new feature enabling real-time AI clothing try-on within its smart mirror platform, allowing fashion brands and retailers to showcase entire collections without traditional 3D modelling or product development.“What was a long-time dream of the fashion industry brands, has finally become a reality. We are excited about the integration of Decart SDK into our smart mirror platform, and unlocking a higher quality real-time AI clothing try-on experience, instant addition of an unlimited number of clothing items with no development needed and never before seen seamless navigation that allows the user to easily switch between tens of items,” says Dmytro Kornilov, LOOOK.AI CEO.“Most virtual try-on platforms depend on manually created 3D assets and long production cycles,” says Kfir Aberman, Founding Member at Decart. “Our real-time generative models allow these experiences to be created directly from simple images, eliminating traditional 3D pipelines and enabling scalable, high-fidelity try-on across entire retail catalogues.”Just Eat and AmazonJust Eat Takeaway.com in the UK has announced a collaboration with Alexa+, Amazon’s new generative AI powered voice assistant. Customers will be able to order from its 100,000 partner brands through any enabled Alexa+ device.This builds on the launch of voice ordering within the Just Eat app. Amazon and Just Eat say they will work together in 2026 to bring the service to customers.Mert Öztekin, Chief Technology Officer at Just Eat, comments: "Convenience matters to our customers, and providing them the option to order via Alexa enabled devices offers just that. Whether it’s asking Alexa to order your regular to arrive at dinner-time or finding out what’s on offer on your local high street - Alexa+ will unlock the very best of Just Eat for millions of customers.”"The UK is home to some of the most engaged Alexa customers in the world, and we're excited to introduce them to Alexa+ - our next-generation AI assistant that's more conversational and capable than ever before," says Meryem Tom, Managing Director, UK and Ireland (Amazon). "We're looking forward to bringing Just Eat to Alexa+, as we know it'll deliver real utility to our UK customers, whether they want to explore new cuisines or simply reorder their regular takeaway with a quick conversation."ZalandoZalando is deploying up to 50 AI driven Nomagic robots across its European fulfilment network. The units, named Richard, specialise in item level picking, scanning, and induction into automated pocket sorters. Using Nomagic’s AI and computer vision, the robots recognise materials and shapes to adjust their grip in real-time. By continuously learning and adapting to shifting inventory, the technology will play a key role in managing the vast, high rotation assortment of fashion and lifestyle products within Zalando’s fulfilment centres.“The testing phase with Nomagic proved that their robotics are an excellent fit for Zalando's logistics centres. Following the quick and successful deployment of the first ten units, we have decided to scale our partnership, gradually rolling out more robots as our network evolves,” says Marcus Daute, Vice President Logistics Network at Zalando. “The sheer scale of our operations demands smart automation that works with our people, not alongside them. By delegating simple processes to AI powered robots, we achieve the operational excellence our customers and business partners expect while supporting employees’ growth.”KrogerKroger is partnering with Fulfil to pilot its automated micro-fulfillment solution inside a US West Coast location, according to a LinkedIn post courtesy of Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.In the post, Ladd states that sources from Kroger have confirmed the retailer is additionally in discussions with Blue Collar Robotics, a startup that leverages teleoperated robots to pick groceries and fulfill online grocery orders. The robots will also replenish shelves with products. “Both of these decisions are a wise move by Kroger. Great job!” Ladd commented. “Fulfil is the same company that Amazon and Whole Foods Market partnered with to open an MFC inside a Whole Foods store in PA.”He added: “Will this drive Amazon to acquire Fulfil? I've written multiple posts about Fulfil, and I recommended to Amazon to partner with or acquire it three years ago. The challenge for Kroger is that Amazon and Walmart are accelerating their investments in technology and micro-fulfillment to deliver online grocery orders in one to three hours.”“Kroger partnered with Ocado Group to open automated customer fulfillment centres (CFC) but the CFCs are unable to fulfill and deliver orders in one to three hours. Even same-day deliveries are a challenge for the CFCs due to their locations. Ocado has announced they're piloting store-based automation beginning in 2026, and Kroger appears to be one of the companies that will pilot their in-store micro-fulfillment solution.” Ladd believes that Kroger should pilot an AutoStore, and assess solutions from Veloq and Oda, in addition to Fulfill and Ocado's SBA. “I believe H-E-B has the most advanced automated MFC capabilities out of any grocery retailer in the world. HEB's MFCs are powered by AutoStore. I support the partnership with Fulfil, but I would have preferred for Kroger to pilot Fulfil's solution two years ago.” He concluded: “Amazon and Walmart have multiple pilots planned as well related to MFCs. For example, Amazon is piloting a 50,000 square feet MFC in the Supercenter they're opening near Chicago in 2027. Walmart is piloting SymMicro MFCs from Symbotic. DoorDash is testing its own robotics and autonomous vehicle solutions related to online grocery fulfillment. They should be revealed by early 2027 if DoorDash is successful. Kroger has no time to waste.”Kroger and Fulfil did not respond to our request for comment.GoWish and SnapchatDanish wishlist app and social shopping specialist GoWish, which recently hit nine million registered American users, reports record breaking results with Snapchat and its First Snap ad format in the US.Through a targeted campaign harnessing First Snap, the company reached more than 45 million unique users in the country during one day and generated some of the best results this placement can deliver, according to a newly published Success Story by Snap.The breakthrough came through a collaboration with American content creator Kouvr on Snapchat, where GoWish tapped First Snap, where a sponsored video is placed directly in users’ chat feeds, which according to Snap resulted in a 111% increase in profile views and boosted GoWish’s follower count by 21%.“We are in the process of cracking the code in the US market, and this is happening in part by investing in new advertising formats and innovative collaborations with content creators. By using First Snap in the US, we were able to simultaneously create impact and brand authority among more than 45 million people, and that kind of exposure gives us the momentum to bridge the gap between broad awareness and concrete conversions - which is often what many companies trying to break through ‘over there’ struggle with”, says Casper Ravn-Sørensen, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at GoWish, who adds that on the day of the Snap campaign, well over 130,000 new downloads were recorded in a 24 hour period.Lowe'sRELEX Solutions is extending its relationship with Lowe’s Companies and Accenture to unify Lowe’s inventory replenishment and allocation platform. The partnership, featuring RELEX’s AI driven technology and Lowe’s proprietary supply chain technology, aims to enhance efficiency, improve inventory availability, and drive productivity across Lowe’s stores, merchandising, and supply chain operations.Building on RELEX’s support of Lowe’s seasonal businesses through its allocation platform, this latest initiative will see Lowe’s expand its use of the company’s AI powered replenishment capabilities across its full assortment of products and nationwide network of stores and distribution centres. Additionally, Lowe’s is partnering with Accenture to provide support for integrating RELEX across its supply chain. “Expanding our use of RELEX accelerates Lowe’s transformation toward a fully integrated, AI driven inventory platform,” says Margi Vagell, Lowe’s Executive Vice President, Supply Chain. “By partnering with RELEX and Accenture, we will equip our teams with enhanced tools that help us respond more quickly to customer demand, improve product availability and deliver a better experience for our DIY and Pro customers.”
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