retail technology

The Register reported on May 5, 2026, that a Sainsbury’s self-service checkout in the United Kingdom was displaying an “Activate Windows” watermark over the retailer’s kiosk application, after reader Mark Powell spotted the message at his local store. That is funny in the way all retail tech...

Smart friction is quietly reshaping how grocery retailers balance the twin imperatives of revenue and relationships: by choosing where to slow the customer down, grocers can turn ordinary moments—checkout, product discovery, staff interactions—into high-value experiences that increase basket...

Wesfarmers’ new multi‑year strategic partnership with Microsoft is a striking example of how a large, diversified retail conglomerate intends to turn generative AI and cloud-first engineering into measurable competitive advantage across operations, stores and supply chains. The agreement — which...

Claire’s plan to replace aging back‑end systems and deploy a modern point‑of‑sale (POS) platform in 2026 is both a practical recovery move and a clear signal that legacy specialty retailers now view technology as a frontline tool for customer experience, cost control, and operational resilience...

Hanshow’s announcement at NRF 2026 that it is partnering with Microsoft to “explore the future framework of Store Digital Twin” signals a practical step toward a new, measurable phase of retail digital transformation—one that stitches in-store sensing, edge intelligence, and cloud-based digital...