Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a series brought to you by RTIH, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers. Every week, we showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, building up to the publication of the 2026 report later this year.
And this week we’re focusing on UK toy retailer, The Entertainer, which has appointed THG Commerce, part of THG Ingenuity, as its new digital commerce partner.
The multi-year tie up will see THG Commerce design, build and power The Entertainer’s next-generation digital experience, with the aim of creating a more intuitive, inspiring and personalised journey for families, gift buyers and adult toy and collectible enthusiasts.
THG Commerce will deploy AI enabled shopping assistance, conversational discovery and intent led search capabilities to help customers explore thousands of products and find the right choice more intuitively. These capabilities draw on the wider THG Ingenuity collaboration with Google Cloud, which harnesses Vertex AI Commerce Search and Gemini.
Alongside smarter search and discovery, the new experience will bring together richer content, curated product journeys and personalised recommendations to inspire customers throughout the purchasing journey. THG Commerce will deliver a new web and mobile experience, together with an enhanced Click & Collect journey designed to create a more seamless connection between digital discovery and The Entertainer’s nationwide store network.
The new platform is expected to launch in spring 2027 and has been designed to provide a foundation for future opportunities across loyalty, retail media and social commerce as The Entertainer continues to develop its omnichannel customer proposition.
And honourable mentions this week to...
Tapestry
Tapestry is bringing Coach and Kate Spade into Google's AI shopping ecosystem, making products purchasable directly from Google Search, including AI Mode, and the Gemini app. Now, when shoppers discover a Coach or Kate Spade item while using Gemini or AI Mode, a "Buy" button appears inline. After selecting their product, customers can complete checkout in just a few taps using Google Pay. This eliminates the need for website redirects.
"Consumer behaviours are always evolving. At one time, discovery happened in a store window or a magazine. Then, it happened on social media. Now it's happening inside a conversation with AI," says Joanne Crevoiserat, Chief Executive Officer at Tapestry. "Our goal is for shoppers to find and engage with our brands at the moment when inspiration strikes, whether it be when a consumer passes by one of our stores, peruses our websites, or chats with AI.”
Tapestry has implemented the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open industry standard for agentic commerce backed by several tech and e-commerce companies.
"We built this layer to work with our existing operations today, but it's truly protocol agnostic, so we can quickly move into new AI environments as consumer behaviours evolve," says Yang Lu, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Tapestry. "That's possible because of the strategic investments we've made in technology capabilities and infrastructure as well as the strength of our data and consumer insights engine."
UCP powered checkout is now live in the US,, with plans to expand across geographies in the future.
Guess
GXO Logistics and Exotec have deployed Exotec’s Skypod system at GXO's Venlo, Netherlands, facility, home to fashion brand Guess. The installation includes 127 Skypod robots, 60,000 rack locations, eight goods-to-person picking stations and 200 metres of conveyor network. The system is also capable of processing up to 70,000 pieces per day, achieving throughput of up to 2,200 order lines per hour during peak periods.
With the deployment of the automated solution, GXO says it is enhancing fulfilment operations for Guess across EMEA and Asia by increasing throughput, improving productivity and supporting future growth.
Mark Donné, Operations Manager, GXO Venlo, says: "The impact has been evident from day one. Our automated solution with Exotec, tailored specifically for Guess, has helped take our operation to the next level, enabling faster processing, greater predictability and a smoother workflow across the site. As our business with Guess continues to grow, we have the scalability and flexibility needed to support future demand."
Wim Vermeir, Senior Sales Executive Benelux, Exotec, comments: "Fashion logistics doesn't tolerate approximation - high SKU counts, seasonal spikes, and EMEA wide distribution require precision engineering, not off-the-shelf automation. With GXO, we designed a system built specifically for those demands, and the throughput numbers speak for themselves. The result is a highly efficient operation that supports both current performance and future growth."
ALICE + OLIVIA
ALICE + OLIVIA has launched an AI powered “See Yourself in the Show” experience at the brand’s Spring 2027 New York Fashion Week presentation. This allowed attendees to see themselves in the new collection as it debuted.
The activation tapped Glance’s AI powered virtual try-on technology.
“Fashion has always been about imagination and possibility, and AI is opening up an entirely new way to bring that creativity to life,” says Stacey Bendet, Founder, CEO and Creative Director of ALICE + OLIVIA. “Partnering with Glance allowed us to blend technology and fashion in a way that feels innovative, immersive, and exciting for the future.”
“ALICE + OLIVIA is a visionary brand and one of the first names in fashion to treat a collection debut as something the audience participates in rather than watches passively,” says Naveen Tewari, Founder and CEO at InMobi and Glance. “That sense of immediacy and excitement is at the heart of Glance's AI enabled agentic commerce experience and is key to how consumers want to discover and shop for fashion today.”
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