Smart Store Solutions

Carrefour and Accor explore autonomous retail in the hospitality sector Carrefour and Accor have launched a fully cashierless micro-store at an ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budgethotel near Paris-Charles de Gaulle - powered by Portuguese startup Reckon.ai’s patented AI and computer-vision technology. Why seamless 24/7 retail matters • True walk-out convenience: smart fridges recognize, weigh, and charge for items immediately - no staff, no lines, full autonomy. Ideal for travelers with unpredictable schedules or short stays. • Operational gains: Reckon.ai’s sensor-fusion tech (combining shelf-level cameras with weight sensors) achieves >99.9% accuracy, reduces shrinkage, and can be retrofitted into existing equipment in days. • Data-driven performance: real-time insights on stock levels, usage patterns, and customer behavior support smarter restocking and personalization. • Cost-effective deployment: modular AI smart-cabinets can be mounted in fridges, vending machines, or shelves - streamlining expansion across locations . Tier 1 brands trust Reckon.ai Reckon.ai’s tech is already powering cashierless solutions for leading retailers: • REWE To Go & Lekkerland SE: 65 m² autonomous convenience store at Koblenz central station—open 24/7 with smart fridges, tobacco-age gates, and instant payment via card or mobile scan. • REWE Ready at EV charging hubs: smart shop in Lichtenau/Chemnitz, where customers grab food or drinks during electric vehicle charging—smart fridges activate via card scan, open, and close within 30 seconds . • Carrefour Belgium: launched an 18 m² autonomous BuyBye micro-store at its Zaventem HQ, powered by Reckon.ai—working towards roll‑out in stores . • IKEA London (Hammersmith): first autonomous micro-store, offering food products seamlessly integrated into stores and public spaces . Other global brands such as Unilever are also leveraging Reckon.ai’s tech—testimony to its scalability and brand trust . Strategic edge in hospitality • Plug‑and‑play convenience: quick deployment enables Accor to prototype new retail formats in hotels across Europe. • Enhanced guest experience: offers consistent, frictionless access to essentials and snacks, directly improving satisfaction. • New revenue streams: autonomous retail increases per-guest spend through easy impulse purchases. By weaving together AI-powered cabinets and insight-rich data, Reckon.ai enables Carrefour and Accor to deliver seamless 24/7 convenience—creating a scalable blueprint for cashierless, hospitality-aligned retail. #retailtech #hospitality #ai #cashierless #ecommerce #fmcg #france #belgium #portugal #reckonai #carrefour #accor #buybye #autonomousretail #futureofretail #smartfridge #checkoutfree #travelretail #digitalretail #snacking #foodtech #guestexperience #conveniencestore #urbanmobility #patentedtech #24seven #innotech #microstore #startupcollaboration #platformeconomy #europeorigin #portugalorigin #franceorigin

Bridging the Gap: Fixing the Online-to-Offline Disconnect for Gen Z Shoppers Retailers talk about “connected retail”—seamless experiences, digital integration, and meeting customers where they are. Yet, for Gen Z—the most digitally savvy yet least brand-loyal generation—there’s still a glaring disconnect between online discovery and in-store experience. The Problem: A Fragmented Shopping Journey Gen Z’s path to purchase isn’t linear: • They discover products on TikTok, Instagram, or Snap. • They engage—saving, sharing, or adding to cart. • They expect instant access—online or in-store. But the in-store experience fails to acknowledge their digital footprint: • No connection between online and offline – A shopper who engages online walks into a store with no guidance, wayfinding, or acknowledgment of their interest. • Lack of real-time insights for associates – Store staff don’t have access to customer browsing data, leaving shoppers to navigate alone. • Missed conversion opportunities – Instead of real-world nudges, retailers rely on email reminders, ignoring the potential of geo-triggered incentives. This disjointed approach frustrates Gen Z and drives lost sales. The Fix: Using Gen AI to Personalise In-Store Retailers already have the data—they just aren’t using it effectively. By leveraging Gen AI, in-store media, and real-time personalisation, stores can transform into intelligent, interactive spaces that bridge the online-to-offline gap. ✅ Connected mobile experiences – Geo-fenced notifications and social media integrations can remind shoppers: “That jumper you saved? Aisle 4, 20% off today.” ✅ AI-powered digital screens – Personalized displays show trending products based on online engagement. ✅ Smart carts & RFID tracking – Shopping carts recognise items and suggest related products based on past interactions. Personalising the In-Store Experience ✅ AI-powered clienteling – Store associates can access real-time customer data, making recommendations based on online browsing history. ✅ Dynamic promotions – Online cart abandoners receive exclusive in-store discounts upon arrival. ✅ AI-powered wayfinding – Shoppers use their phones for a personalised store map guiding them to saved items. The Future: From Siloed to Seamless For Gen Z, digital and physical retail are intertwined. The brands that integrate these experiences will win, while those that don’t will see foot traffic decline. The future of retail isn’t just about digital ads—it’s about: ✔ Using Gen AI to personalise the in-store journey ✔ Eliminating friction between online interest and in-store purchase ✔ Turning retail media into an in-store shopping assistant, not just an ad platform Retailers who get this right won’t just sell more—they’ll build lasting loyalty and turn Gen Z into lifelong brand advocates. It’s time to fix the disconnect. The future of retail is seamless, intelligent, and real-time. #digitalcommerce #immersivetech #retailtech

The most powerful “aha moments” that our retail partners discover with shelf digitization don’t just tweak KPIs. They redefine how retailers operate. ⁉️⁉️ “66% of what we thought was out-of-stock… wasn’t.” A major grocer discovered that most “missing” items were misplaced in-store. That single insight dramatically improved e-commerce fulfillment and reduced substitutions. 🥬🥬 “Fulfillment speed increased by 50%.” With precise item-location data, stores introduced optimized picking paths—what one exec called “Google Maps for associates.” 🎽🎽 “Our oversight scaled from 4 stores a day to 40.” Merchandising leaders now review entire chains remotely—10Xing visibility and accelerating in-store strategy from weeks to hours. 😄😄 “Our staff is 90% happier.” With automation handling tedious checks, store teams regained 25–50 hours per week to focus on customers—improving morale, service, and sales.

Point-of-Sale systems are no longer just about payments. They have become real-time connected platforms that manage inventory, personalize customer experiences, and feed business intelligence. Thanks to mobile payment providers like Square, SumUp, and Shopify, even the smallest merchants can now access capabilities that used to be limited to enterprise retailers. At the same time, #datastreaming with #ApacheKafka and #ApacheFlink is transforming how #retail operates. Event-driven architectures enable instant insights and automated actions across every store, website, and #supplychain partner. Stock levels update in real time, #frauddetection models run instantly, and loyalty points are applied the moment a customer pays. SumUp is a great example. They process millions of transactions daily in over 30 countries. By adopting Confluent's cloud service, they power critical use cases such as fraud detection, CRM updates, and machine learning at scale. This ensures compliance, resilience, and fast developer delivery across more than 20 teams. The next step is Unified Commerce. All channels - stores, online, apps, marketplaces - operating on a single real-time data foundation. Data streaming makes this possible and will soon be the backbone for #AgenticAI in POS systems. Future POS will not only handle payments but also recommend upsells, replenish inventory automatically, and prevent fraud in real time. For small and medium-sized merchants, this means access to enterprise-grade intelligence without enterprise complexity. For IT leaders, it means staying ahead in a competitive, data-driven retail market. More details in my latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/ePPTSnqZ

Can technologies like Computer Vision, AI and RFID be used to improve the customer experience at a retail location? Quick answer is "of course"! But the question is how can it be done efficiently enough (getting leverage from your labor expenses) to reduce customer transaction time whilst enhancing the customer experience. At a high level, retailers who take a multi-signal capture approach to inventory management will be able to unlock the benefits of reducing transaction times and customer checkout interventions. The bigger goal is to remove customer friction, and make it easier for customers to buy by also reducing the cognitive load from multiple decisions. and maybe there should be an exchange between retailer and customer for the additional benefit. Interesting article in #CampusIDnews: "In an interview with CampusIDNews, Al Padilla, Cal Poly Pomona’s Senior Manager for Retail IT, explained these frictionless systems. He says the AI-driven checkout solution from Mashgin allows students to enter a store, grab items, and leave without physically scanning products or handing over a card. At Pomona, these stations have slashed checkout times from 90-seconds or more to just 12.5 seconds. This has virtually eliminated lines, and without lines students are less likely to pass the stores if time is tight." Any solution explored will have to take sku density, count and complexity among other factors into account. The bigger question is: Can this serve as a gateway into bringing customers into a retailer's ecosystem in order to serve then better? That can be the exchange! What an exciting time to be in the retail business! 🙏🏿 Would love your thoughts in the comments... As well as from Neil Saunders and Chase Binnie! https://lnkd.in/g8Q6vvv3

The first time I showed a store manager what their existing store cameras could really see, how many shelf gaps they had in real time, they just stared in silence. Then they said: “Why hasn’t anyone shown us this before?” That was store #1. ShopperAI is now running through thousands of cameras across numerous stores. And the results still amaze me every time: Shelf gaps cut by up to 79% Restocking time down from 3–4 hours to just 30 minutes 3–7% revenue recovered, on inventory they already had (which is still wild, honestly) And every single time, the reaction is the same: “Wait... that’s it? That’s all we needed to unlock this?” I always tell the same joke: "Your security camera just got promoted from security to sales." :) Here’s what I keep telling our clients: 🗝️ We connect to your existing store cameras. 👁️ We collect only shelf-level data, no personal or biometric information is recorded, stored, or processed, ensuring full compliance with global data protection standards. 📲 Your staff gets instant alerts on the phone app they already use. 📸 They get the image, the aisle, the shelf, and the exact product they need to restock. 💯 And boom, they restock. 🎯 That’s it. Mission accomplished. No new hardware needed. No installations. But seriously, The tech was never the hero. The retailer was. The staff were. We just gave them real-time visibility. Like superpowers for the floor team. I work side by side with retailers, and I know what really happens on the floor. The biggest problem was never complexity. It was not seeing the loss until it was too late. I'm glad we fixed that. Smart Floors. Great Retail. #RetailTechnology #RetailInnovation #SmartStores #ShelfIntelligence #AI #GrowthMindset

AI-powered computer vision (CV) is transforming both physical stores and e-commerce. Once just for security, it's now essential for loss prevention, inventory tracking, and frictionless shopping. • Loss prevention & security. AI-powered cameras can detect shoplifting, loitering, and even recognize known offenders. • Frictionless checkout. Smart self-checkouts and carts scan products, verify ages for restricted items, and speed up transactions. • Better inventory management. Shelf-edge and ceiling cameras track stock levels, preventing stockouts. • Smarter store layouts. Heatmaps generated by CV optimize product placement and staffing based on real-time shopper movement. [Insights from Coresight Research] But it’s not just in-store – #ecommerce is also tapping into CV: ➝ AI-powered visual search. Platforms like Syte and ViSenze help online shoppers find products by uploading images instead of typing queries. ➝ Virtual try-ons & augmented reality. Brands like Perfect Corp. use CV to let customers try on makeup, glasses, or clothes digitally before buying. ➝ Automated product tagging & search optimization. Tools like Clarifai enhance product discovery by automatically recognizing and tagging items in online catalogs. CV is no longer just a tool – it’s becoming the brain of modern retail and e-commerce. With AI advancements, its capabilities will only grow. What’s next? Fully automated stores, AI-powered personalized shopping, and real-time stock updates across all channels. The future of retail is here. How do you see CV shaping retail and e-commerce in 2025? Let’s discuss! 👇 #shopify

The retail landscape is evolving, presenting a new challenge known as the "retail Aboxalypse" where the battleground shifts from warehouses to retail aisles. Shoppers are encountering cluttered aisles instead of neatly organized shelves, reflecting underlying issues impacting the retail experience: - Labor shortages hinder the creation of a seamless shopping journey. - Cost-cutting measures compromise customer service for operational efficiency. - Outdated distribution models no longer align with modern retail demands. This shift negatively impacts both customers and businesses alike, emphasizing the urgent need for adaptation. Retailers must embrace automation and digital solutions to meet evolving customer needs. Ricoh, in collaboration with retailers, introduces the Turnkey Media Platform, leveraging Digital Screens-as-a-service networks to: - Provide real-time product guidance in minimally staffed stores. - Offer personalized product suggestions to enhance shopping experiences. - Bridge the gap between digital and physical retail, facilitating smooth transactions. - Utilize AI-driven inventory management and robotics to optimize store functionality. The future of retail lies in creating intelligent environments that cater to the needs of both customers and staff, transcending traditional store setups to deliver engaging and efficient spaces. (https://lnkd.in/em6YVFwc)

🛒 Is your retail data truly connected? New solutions tackle this pervasive industry challenge. The retail landscape needs evolving, with supply chain uncertainty and pricing volatility as constant companions. Just today on a podcast I was discussing the movement of retail tech more into the cloud. Retailers have challenges, a recent IHL Group study, highlights a critical pain point: 72% of retailers cite data accuracy as a top concern, directly impacting stockouts and overstocks due to disconnected systems. Retailers need to prepare their data for AI adoption to unlock significant benefits. Without clean, "AI-ready" data, moving forward with AI-powered solutions to improve revenue, profitability, the customer experience, and employee retention is a non-starter. In 2025, retailers should not have to change prices manually. I would love to be recognized in stores where I have spent a lot of money. Do you agree? This challenge underscores the pressing need for integrated solutions that offer 🔥 real-time visibility 🔥 across all channels. Without it, retailers are grappling with inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and a fragmented view of their operations. 🟥 Epicor Propello's Latest Release: What It Means for Retailers 🟥 Epicor has just announced key updates to its cloud-based retail management solution, Epicor Propello, addressing these integration gaps. The focus is on strengthening scalability and visibility through new integrations across critical platforms: ⏹️ eCommerce: Streamlining online operations for a seamless customer journey. ⏹️ Financials & BI: Providing comprehensive financial oversight and turning raw data into actionable insights. ⏹️ Workforce Management: Optimizing staff scheduling and engagement. ⏹️ Automation: Reducing manual tasks and improving operational efficiency. Retailers need to cut inefficiencies, improve staff and customer engagement, and gain critical real-time insights from their data. Now you can connect your entire retail world online and in-store for smarter, simpler, and scalable growth. Love this use case “Our stores order supplies from our centralized warehouse. With Epicor Propello, we’re able to make transfers from the warehouse to stores, and it gives us true financials on what stores are spending on supplies each month. That’s a huge win for us that we couldn’t do with our previous system,” said Wes Snedden, Donated Goods Regional Manager at Goodwill Industries of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan . What are your strategies for unifying data across your retail channels? How have disconnected systems impacted your operational efficiency or customer experience? Share your thoughts and experiences below! Navigating today's dynamic marketplace requires not just solutions, but connected intelligence. Read more about the release: https://lnkd.in/gKJegMT8

Your Shopify store can adapt to each visitor. With Because🌈, you don’t need to be an engineer to create personalized experiences that drive results. Here’s what you can do: 1️⃣ Smart Banners Tailor your top-of-page messaging: VIP customer: "Welcome back. Enjoy 10% off." New visitor: "Sign up for 15% off your first order." 2️⃣ Dynamic Product Badges Let your product labels update automatically: Best seller: "Customer Favorite" Low stock: "Only 2 left." 3️⃣ Personalized Cart Messages Speak directly to each customer in the cart: Close to free shipping: "Add $10 more for free shipping." Loyalty member: "Earn 100 points with this purchase." 4️⃣ Tailored Homepage Content Adjust your homepage for who’s visiting: Visitor from new product ad: Show a hero image related to the new product. Loyal customer visitor: Show an image you think will resonate with a returning visitor. 5️⃣ Custom Product Recommendations Suggest products that align with their preferences: Gifter: Recommend products that are typically best purchased as gifts. Oily skin: Show products in cart that work best for oily skin. ✨ Why this matters: Customers find what they want faster 🕒 They buy more because everything feels personalized 🛒 They return more often because your store remembers them 🔄 💻 The best part? You can do all this without touching code. Your store stays on-brand while delivering a tailored experience for every visitor. 🔧 How to get started: Identify your customer segments. Think about what messages or products would resonate with each type. Use Because to bring it all to life. A smart store isn’t just efficient—it’s personable.