I'm going down to Liverpool: RTIH pulls together the retail technology week in numbers

Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including DHL, Relay, Asda, RTS 2025, American Express, Alipay, Rokt, Everseen, Walmart, lululemon, OnBuy, and Ikea.

£230 million...Logistics giant DHL has invested £230 million in a new e-commerce hub in Coventry which it says will create up to 600 local jobs.

Business Minister Justin Madders this week formally opened the hub which covers 25,000 m² of space and can handle up to a million parcels a day.

During his visit, the Minister met with DHL Group’s senior leadership, including CEO of DHL eCommerce Pablo Ciano, toured the new site to see the latest e-commerce technologies in action, and learned about how the new hub will benefit not only Coventry but the wider West Midlands.

Madders says: “The West Midlands is a powerhouse for investment, and this state-of-the-art hub in Coventry will not only create hundreds of local jobs but give a major boost to our logistics sector and speed up delivery times for consumers. The UK is open for business, and DHL’s investment is the latest vote of confidence in the country which will deliver economic growth and raise living standards, showing our Plan for Change is working.”

$35 million...Relay, which was founded in 2022 and focuses on the backbone of e-commerce delivery for retailers, has announced a $35 million Series A round led by Plural.

The round also includes continued participation from its seed investors, Project A and Prologis Ventures, the VC arm of logistics real estate firm Prologis. The new capital will be used to scale Relay's UK wide delivery network and to continue building its engineering and operational team.

Relay’s AI powered platform enables a decentralised delivery model using hyperlocal nodes, moving away from the  “hub and spoke” model used by incumbents. By significantly reducing shipping distances, consolidating deliveries, and automating key workflows, Relay says that it drastically cuts operating expenses for itself and its merchants.

This model has attracted re-commerce platforms like Vinted, social commerce businesses like TikTok, international marketplaces including Temu, and UK retailers such as THG Fulfil.

1,000...Kyndryl, an IT infrastructure services provider, has announced the launch of a new technology hub in Liverpool that will support the digital transformation of UK and global customers. It says it will create up to 1,000 software engineering and AI related jobs over the next three years.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, says: “Kyndryl’s new technology hub in Liverpool is a clear example of how AI is already driving economic growth, delivering our plan for change by putting AI to work for communities across the country. This investment is a resounding vote of confidence in our world leading AI sector and the new blueprint for the technology we’re delivering.” 

Led by Kyndryl Consult, the hub will include a Kyndryl Vital Studio. Thus will offer a designer led, open and collaborative co-creation experience that will allow customers to tackle complex and real-world business challenges. Kyndryl Consult’s advisory services will help businesses adopt and implement AI, software and platform engineering solutions and other emerging technologies.   

As part of the opening, Kyndryl is expanding its partnership with The Very Group, the Liverpool-based operator of digital retailers Very and Littlewoods, through a new multi-year agreement designed to enhance and accelerate its end-to-end digital capabilities. Kyndryl will provide software and platform engineering support, helping The Very Group launch new products at speed and enhance the digital customer experience.  

€1.35 million...SQUID Loyalty, an ecosystem bringing customers, businesses, payments and rewards together, has launched a seed+ funding round. It is seeking to raise up to €1.35 million via Crowdcube as part of a larger round from new and existing investors.

SQUID is seeking investment to fund the next phase of its expansion strategy, building on its presence across Ireland, the UK and Australia to enter new markets, move into new high growth verticals such as hospitality and fitness, and add strategic partners across the payment space.

The cash will also be used to introduce Wave by SQUID, a universal loyalty solution allowing customers to earn points across SQUID’s network and turn them into perks and experiences, from their favourite local coffee shop to large online brands, entertainment and fitness, travel and beyond.

4.7 million...Social shopping platform GoWish has passed the ten million user mark, thanks to a Snapchat partnership which resulted in 4.7 million downloads.

This was among various focus points in Evan Spiegel’s Q4 earnings call for Snap Inc.

“Our recent expansion of 7-0 Optimisation to app install and in-app purchase is driving better performance for advertisers. For example, GoWish, a global digital wishlist platform, leveraged 7-0 app install and in-app purchase, which resulted in a 70% decrease in cost-per-install and an increase of over 3,000% in app installs in just 12 weeks, outperforming other large digital platforms," he said.

“Our collaboration with Snapchat has been a game-changer for GoWish. The platform’s unique targeting capabilities and engaged audience have allowed us to scale efficiently while keeping acquisition costs low. Seeing such impressive performance - outpacing Meta and driving millions of downloads - has reinforced our confidence in Snap as a key growth partner," says Casper Ravn-Sørensen, CEO at GoWish.

£80 million...Asda has been granted an extension to the timescale for an £80 million IT upgrade by its former owner Walmart, after it missed a crucial deadline target. The project is required to fully separate Asda’s IT system from that of Walmart.

Project Future was set to be complete by February. Earlier this year, industry sources told The Telegraph that Asda could be fined millions if it missed the deadline. It was claimed that the American retail giant and Asda have now ditched the February deadline.

186...Primark is set to complete the roll-out of its Click & Collect service to all 186 stores across Great Britain by this summer.

From 26th February, Click & Collect will go live in a further 18 stores, which takes the number of locations offering it to 131, almost three-quarters of the retailer’s estate in Great Britain.

As part of the roll-out, people will be able to access thousands of Primark products through Click & Collect for the first time, across women’s, men’s, kids clothing and homeware.

The service also gives people access to new and expanded ranges they might not otherwise be able to get in their local store, including a clothing range which launched last month and has been specially designed around the needs of those living with a disability in partnership with adaptive designer and disability campaigner, Victoria Jenkins.

51%...Retail Technology Show (RTS) has partnered with Retail AI Council to bring the latest innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) to its 2025 show, which takes place on 2nd-3rd April at London ExCel.

According to RTS’ latest data, AI is now the top technology UK retail leaders believe will unlock and accelerate growth for their businesses in 2025. Polling over 2,000 senior UK retail professional, its study revealed AI as the top innovation growth accelerator (51%), followed by Generative AI (Gen AI) for 44% and personalisation technologies (25%).

Retail AI Council is a global retailer led community. Its mission is to provide a collaborative platform where retailers and industry partners can come together to network, share best practice and exchange knowledge, and explore the vast possibilities offered by AI technologies to accelerate its adoption and applications within the sector.

The Retail AI Councill Pavillion (Stand E10) will feature a hand picked selection of US suppliers, curated for the progressive nature of their future forward AI powered solutions. 

This includes Monetate, a digital merchandising, testing and personalisation AI technology; KWI, an AI first unified commerce and PoS platform; Sophelle, a retail management consultancy; and Newmine, an applied AI returns reduction solution.

57% and 48%...Identity solutions specialist, Incognia, is releasing its 2024 Frontline Report which ranks the top fraud challenges faced by global food delivery and ride-hailing companies in 2024.

This shows that fake accounts represented 57% of the driver side fraud, while refund and promotion abuse were tied for the top consumer side fraud type, each representing 48% of total high risk assessments returned by Incognia respectively. 

Incognia works with just over half of the largest food delivery and ride-hailing companies globally. These companies together represent over 20% of all of the food delivery and ride-hailing users worldwide. The company offers tailored solutions to the gig economy helping them to mitigate complex fraud challenges like fake account creation, account sharing, refund and promotion abuse.

In a scenario analysed by Incognia, one fraudster created 800 fake accounts to exploit new user coupons and was able to steal 1.5% of the total redeemed coupon value that month. Another case showed how a bad actor was able to access 400 different accounts on a single device in order to consume thousands of dollars worth of promotions in 30 days. 

Similarly, refund abuse, which accounted for nearly 50% of the consumer side high risk assessments returned by Incognia, can represent significant losses if gone undetected. In one instance, Incognia detected that a fraudster using a single Samsung device accessed over 200 accounts, making $5,014 in transactions and reclaiming $4,163 of it through fraudulent refunds - an 83% success rate. If the ordered products items were resold, the potential return on investment would be significant. In effect, $5,014 worth of inventory was obtained for just $851.

1...American Express and Alipay have partnered to integrate global AmEx cards to the Alipay digital wallet in China.

Jonathan Vaughan Burleigh, Associate Analyst, Banking and Payments at GlobalData, says: “While it has been possible to link foreign credit cards and debit cards with Alipay’s digital wallet since 2023, American Express is the first foreign company that has been allowed to clear transactions in the local currency (Chinese Yuan).’

‘This collaboration between two of the world’s largest payment providers marks a significant step forward, providing enormous convenience for international tourists and businesspeople traveling to mainland China. With this integration, users can now make seamless payments in stores, on public transport, and across the country’s major super apps."

“Conducting transactions in the local currency greatly reduces uncertainties associated with functionality, fees, and exchange rates that often come with mobile payments. Although larger stores, hotels, and attractions in major Chinese cities generally support foreign payments, smaller retailers, such as restaurants, bars, and even larger businesses in second-tier cities, are less likely to accept them, even through Alipay’s digital wallet. This local currency capability, therefore, bridges an important gap in the payment infrastructure.

“Additionally, varying fees and service charges across different networks have traditionally introduced uncertainty and friction in foreign transactions. The ability to pay directly in Chinese Yuan not only streamlines the payment process but also alleviates concerns over additional expenses or unfavorable exchange rate differences."

According to GlobalData’s In-Store Consumer Payments Analytics 2024, Alipay is the number one in-store payment tool in China, with 41% of Chinese consumers citing it as their most used payment method and 69% having used it at least once. This is driven by Alipay’s extensive coverage across retail, entertainment, tourism, and dining.

Furthermore, GlobalData’s Mobile Wallet Analytics 2024 indicates that simplicity, speed, and the elimination of the need to carry physical wallets are the primary factors driving mobile payment usage. These benefits are especially significant for international travelers, who may face language barriers and the challenges of managing unfamiliar currencies.

“Access to online marketplaces allows customers to avoid long queues and compare prices, ensuring fair deals. Now, international American Express customers can enjoy a secure, simple, and seamless payment experience," says Burleigh.

“American Express’s approach demonstrates a commitment to forging strategic partnerships that address gaps in the market. By enabling local currency settlement through this partnership, tangible benefits are provided to consumers, further driving the growth of mobile wallets among travelers in China. This development underscores the increasingly interconnected nature of international payment systems and marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of the global payments landscape.”

63%...Everseen, a specialist in vision AI, has released a report revealing retailers’ plans for rapid AI deployments alongside the critical need for transparency and consumer trust.

Based on a survey of 200 loss prevention retail executives and more than 1,000 US consumers, this shows that: 63% of retailers say AI is critical to maintaining a competitive edge, and they expect an average 51% return on investment from AI deployments within the first three years.

55% of consumers are comfortable with AI and advanced retail technology, and 65% say AI makes shopping more convenient.

85% of consumers believe theft contributes to higher prices, and 60% of retailers have already turned to AI to address the issue.

72% of consumers want greater transparency about use in grocery and retail stores. Retailers are already using multiple disclosure methods, including signage at entrances (44%), which 64% of consumers find helpful. Half of consumers also cite self-checkout pop-ups as effective. 

“AI is already transforming retail, driving efficiency, reducing shrink, and enhancing customer experiences,” says Alan O’Herlihy, CEO at Everseen. “It's encouraging to see the shared perspective of consumers and retailers on how AI can improve the shopping experience. The insights from this report can help the industry align on key success factors for AI, including measurable impacts on shrink reduction and the importance of transparency."

5...Walmart has announced its fifth No Boundaries drop on Zepeto, featuring ten new virtual items, inspired by the Spring No Boundaries collection.

As with previous drops, the real-world versions of these items are shoppable without leaving the Korean metaverse platform. Every purchase includes a free virtual twin of the item.

In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, said: “If you’re going to activate on an emerging platform: Do it right, by listening to the community; Do it well, by testing, learning, and optimising; Do it often, with consistent, fresh updates.”

“That’s exactly how we’ve approached our No Boundaries activations on Zepeto. And today, we’re marking a milestone: our fifth drop, featuring ten new virtual items, all inspired by our Spring No Boundaries collection. Why are these items just tops? Because that’s what the community asked for. And we listened to them.”

He added: “To make this drop even more engaging, we’ve also added a new photobooth backdrop, giving users more ways to create and share their No Boundaries looks. We believe the future of fashion is community driven, immersive, and borderless. And we’re just getting started.”

29% of online shoppers say being shown too many ads is one of the main reasons they abandon their cart, according to a study by e-commerce technology company Rokt and The Harris Poll.

The Joy of Checking Out, which involved a survey of 7,061 people across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, also found that consumers ranked shopping as the activity that gave them the most joy when spending time online, with streaming online content and interacting with social media ranking second and third, respectively.

"Consumers feel frustrated when they are overwhelmed by too many ads because it makes them feel more like a sales target than a valued customer," says Elizabeth Buchanan, Chief Commercial Officer at Rokt.

"Successful brands use AI to help foster meaningful relationships with customers, focusing on relevance rather than volume when sharing messages. By offering relevant experiences - which may mean offering no ads at all in certain cases - brands can drive higher conversion as well as greater customer loyalty and increased lifetime value."

1...Ikea UK has the best customer experience for e-commerce shoppers in 2025. 

That's according to The Retail Ranking report, by Refined Commerce, which looked at 100 of the largest e-commerce sites in the UK across 12 sub-sectors, and used a number of factors to determine the brands and the sub-sectors best prepared for customers, including page speed, responsiveness, accessibility, and visibility on Google. 

Ikea was found to have the least amount of jumpiness on site, according to its CLS score, a quick responsiveness to user interactions (INP), and just one accessibility issue at the time of analysis. 

Following Ikea is Amazon, which had one of the highest domain ratings of those analysed at 96, just behind Apple, meaning people searching for various items will likely see Amazon at the top of their Google search results. 

€4.1 billion...Just Eat Takeaway.com has agreed a deal to be bought by Prosus, a Netherlands-based global investment group. Prosus is offering 20.30 euros, making the deal worth around €4.1 billion.

Susannah Streeter, Head of Money and Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, says: "Just Eat Takeaway is being gobbled up to bulk out Prosus to fulfil its ambitions to become a mega global platform in the consumer delivery and fin tech space.”

“Prosus wants to get fingers in the pies where Uber has already found a sweet spot, eyeing up opportunity rights across the consumer-focused space, with potential to offer groceries, restaurant made meals and financial services in simple clicks. The vast data pools offered also provide opportunities for AI tools to maximise efficient consumer targeting."

"Deliveroo’s shares have risen sharply on the development even though a bigger group would be a more fearsome rival. But speculation seems to be mounting that the takeaway platform could become a takeover target. Its shares are still 62% below the peak reached in August 2021 and given the opportunity Prosus sees ahead for its delivery-based platform to expand to fulfil many more consumer needs and desires, there is potential for a bid in the future. Prosus has been following a recipe of global expansion and its likely to have appetite for a bigger slice of the UK market.’’

£20 million...UK-based online marketplace OnBuy says that artificial Intelligence has helped shift its business from losing £1 million per month to delivering approaching £20 million gross profit in the last 12 months.

The announcement comes after a record breaking year, which saw over £150 million worth of sales through the platform.

The company, which launched in 20216 and spends over £100,000 a year on AI, estimates that the technology has saved the business up to 25 years in development time and tens of millions of pounds of costs. 

Cas Paton, CEO and Founder at OnBuy, says: “Becoming an AI driven business has enabled us to scale further and faster than many thought possible. Without AI, it may have taken decades for us to achieve our current position competing with established global retail platforms. The increased competition our platform is providing is good news for sellers and consumers alike.”

4...Four members of the MACH Alliance - Akeneo, Contentstack, Algolia, and commercetools - will co-exhibit exclusively at Retail Technology Show (RTS) 2025, making it the only UK trade show featuring all four of the tech providers, promoting the power of their combined solutions to enhance retailers’ composable commerce capabilities.

Taking place at its new home, ExCeL London, RTS 2025 is set to welcome 15,000 retail professionals through its doors, connecting them with 400+ technology providers across its two-day conference, events and exhibition programme (2nd and 3rd April). 

Embracing RTS’ “Carnival of Retail” theme, the ‘Greatest eCommerce Show’ stand (booth N10) will feature a Big Top design, a barista bar and exclusive events. Visitors can enjoy a cocktail happy hour and live DJ set on day one, followed by a champagne reception on day two. Live product briefings and demonstrations will take place throughout both days. 

Additionally, Akeneo will host a fireside chat with Nuno Miller, Digital CTO at N Brown, sharing how digital product experiences are driving conversion, loyalty, and reducing returns At Jacamo, Simply Be & JD Williams on the Wonderous Stage on day one at 14:35.

commercetools will also host Simon Clarke, CIO at Clarks, in a keynote presentation detailing how the footwear retailer achieved seamless experiences at scale and a 19% conversion rate increase through composable commerce on the Spectacular Headline Stage on day two at 13:55.

8,923...Performance apparel, footwear, and accessories brand, lululemon, is relocating its London Regent Street flagship store to a bigger space, making it the company's largest store in EMEA.

The new location is double the size of the previous one, with 8,923 sq ft of retail space. It will house lululemon’s men’s and women’s clothing and accessories for yoga, running, training, and everything in-between.

Unique features include lululemon’s biggest pant wall in Europe, its largest assortment of menswear in EMEA, and elements of its newest store design concept. There will also be a water bottle personalisation station and a staircase light feature, which changes tones depending on time of day.

“We’re so excited to open the doors to our biggest store in EMEA”, says Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President, lululemon EMEA. “Regent Street is one of the most important shopping destinations in the world, and 11 years after opening our first store in London we’re delighted to welcome our community to our newest flagship store.”