Key insights from NRF 2025: RTIH rounds up its most read retail technology articles from January

These are the RTIH retail systems articles that caught your fancy during January, including Doji, Vista Technology Support, Rohlik Group, Cart.com, Hugo Boss, Raspberry AI, Currys, GK Software, and Nomitri.

AI powered startup Doji enters private beta as it targets fun new way to shop for fashion online

A new startup Doji is enabling online fashion fans to create their AI likeness, try on real products and shop their favourite looks.

In a LinkedIn post, CEO and Co-founder Dorian Dargan (formerly of Meta, Apple and YouNow), said: "Until now, it’s never been possible to try-on clothes when shopping online - making it hard to know what looks good on you. My co-founder Jim Winkens and I needed a creative tool to explore new looks and products - so we decided to build it for ourselves."

He added: "As fashion lovers with deep AI and consumer expertise, we’re uniquely equipped to build this. Jim is an ex-Google DeepMind researcher and AI engineer, and I designed frontier consumer products at Apple, Meta and YouNow. Doji feels like the perfect culmination of our interests and skills."

The venture is in private beta and accepting testers for its iOS app, with select spots available. You can join the waitlist here.

Rohlik Group's Vineta Bajaj talks global expansion, automation, Amazon tie ups and fund raising

This January marks two years since Vineta Bajaj joined European e-grocery retailer Rohlik Group as Chief Financial Officer. Her appointment followed a ten-year stint at Ocado Group.

During her tenure, she helped to transition the Ocado business from a pureplay retailer to a technology business licensing grocery technology and fulfilment globally. She also raised significant capital, led strategic M&A and supported the company’s international expansion. Her focus has been the same at Rohlik Group.

GK Software buys Nomitri with founders Trinh Le-Fiedler and Max Fiedler remaining in managing positions

GK Software, a provider of commerce solutions for retailers, has acquired Nomitri, a Berlin-based AI self-checkout technology startup.

It says that the transaction will expand its commerce capabilities with out of the box SCO (self-checkout) and store operations solutions to expand the company’s global portfolio of retail customers.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Nomitri will continue to exist as a wholly owned subsidiary of the GK Software Group. Founders Trinh Le-Fiedler and Max Fiedler will remain in managing positions. The Nomitri solutions will be presented as a new product suite within GK’s product portfolio under the name ‘GK Vision’.

“Nomitri has been an integral part of the GK partner ecosystem for some time, and its innovative capabilities have consistently impressed both our team and leading retailers," says Michael Scheibner, CEO at GK Software.

"Retailers are demanding fast, scalable, and cost-effective self-checkout solutions, and Nomitri has delivered time and time again. Today, we’re proud to take this partnership to the next level by welcoming Nomitri’s groundbreaking technology into the GK portfolio as GK Vision.”

‘With a strong foundation of collaboration and trust, we are ready to scale GK Vision and redefine the self-checkout experience for retailers worldwide. Integrated into our GK CLOUD4RETAIL commerce platform, this addition further cements our commitment to providing cutting-edge, end-to-end solutions for our global customers."

Hugo Boss goes live with AI powered product content across global e-commerce platforms

Hugo Boss has launched AI powered product content live across its e-commerce platforms globally.

“This isn’t just about leveraging cutting-edge technology, it’s about delivering meaningful innovation that drives tangible results for our customers and our business,” says Jan Philipp Wintjes, Executive Vice President Global Omnichannel.

He adds: “By harnessing the power of AI, the Hugo Boss Web3 & Immersive Experiences team is pioneering the use of advanced AI tools in image and video creation. This launch represents a future where technology seamlessly meets creativity and precision. This is AI in action, not as a concept, but as a catalyst for growth, efficiency, and improved customer experiences.”

Cart.com research finds retailers prepping 2025 investments in CX, AI, machine learning and data analytics

Unified commerce solutions provider, Cart.com, has released survey findings among 351 US retail operations leaders detailing investment priorities for 2025. 74% of respondents indicated that they are waiting to see what new policies are enacted by the Trump administration before fully dedicating their budgets.

Top findings from the study include increased investments in: Customer experience; AI and machine learning; Inventory management systems; Real-time data analytics; Cybersecurity measures.

Despite some disappointments in 2024 investments, retail leaders are recalibrating their budgets to address inefficiencies, shifting funds away from costly last-mile delivery solutions and underperforming inventory management software and redirecting investment to promising areas such as digitalisation, warehouse automation, and last mile delivery.

“The retail industry is transforming even further in 2025, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer demands,” says Ilias Simpson, President at Cart.com. “In addition, the results of the recent election and the new administration’s tariff announcements demand that brands reassess their supply chain among potential regulatory and policy changes, including the looming rule change that will close the 321 de minimis loophole."

Currys tests out in-store QR code powered 'want to know more?' experience for product browsing

Currys has launched a pilot of an initiative the retailer intends to bring to market across its stores, a QR code enabled “want to know more?” experience that customers can trigger on their smartphone as they’re browsing products.

In a LinkedIn post, Dan Rubel, Brand & Marketing Director at Currys, said: "I believe this will be a gamechanger for us. I can’t believe we didn’t do it like this earlier. Mimic the in-store shopper experience by clicking here for yourself.”

"For nearly every piece of tech we sell, our physical fixtures don’t have enough space to wax lyrical about everything that tech can do. We skim the surface and that will become even more of a reality as AI becomes ever more embedded in the tech we buy. Sometimes customers want to know more than the fixture can tell them, but they’re not quite ready to chat to an expert colleague."

He added: "So Ainsley Sykes (Head of Commercial Initiatives at Currys) and his crew have grabbed hold of that challenge and smashed it to pieces with a blend of old and new tech.”

On triggering the QR code, shoppers will experience a social inspired dramatisation of the product’s key benefits (short sharp vignettes, using motion graphics or video). The content aims to be easy to skip through (bearing in mind that people are interested in different things) and with links to deeper detail for those who need that. And in the future there will be an AI fuelled chat function enabling customers to ask specific questions.

NRF 2025 review: what’s next in technology for the retail and hospitality industry?

NRF: Retail’s Big Show is one of the most highly anticipated events in the retail industry, uniting the brightest minds in technology and innovation from around the world.

This year, Vista Technology Support had the privilege of attending once again, allowing us to dive into groundbreaking innovations, connect with industry leaders, engage with disruptive tech pioneers, and uncover the future game changers set to redefine the retail and hospitality landscapes.

From AI powered solutions to the next wave of immersive customer experiences, the show offered us a glimpse into the future of these industries. The cutting-edge technology on display promises to revolutionise the industry, and it’s exciting to see how these advancements will propel the industry forward.

In this article, Vista shares its key takeaways, insights, and recommendations from the show, so you can stay ahead of the curve and leverage the latest innovations to elevate your strategies.

Fashion focused generative AI platform Raspberry AI lands $24 million in Series A funding led by a16z

Raspberry AI, a generative AI platform for fashion creatives working with Under Armour, MCM Worldwide, Gruppo Teddy and Li & Fung, has secured $24 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

Existing investors Greycroft, Correlation Ventures and MVP Ventures also participated in the round, along with angel investors including Gokul Rajaram and Ken Pilot. Raspberry AI will use the cash to accelerate its product development and add engineering, sales and marketing talent to its team.

The company provides an AI image generation platform that helps retail brands in understanding consumer demand and creating highly sought after designs and marketing assets in minutes. The platform enables brands to create full mood boards, lifestyle photography, product photography and technical drawings through text prompts.