April 2025 saw several innovative retail tech initiatives launch as leading retailers across sectors accelerated their technology investments to stay competitive, streamline operations, and deliver more personalized customer experiences. From spatial computing and AI-assisted merchandising to cloud transitions and robotics, the innovations unveiled this month reflect a broader shift toward smarter, faster, and more engaging retail.
Here’s a breakdown of the key focus areas shaping retail tech’s next chapter:
1. Immersive and Customer-Centric Experiences
Retailers are leaning into immersive technologies and creator-powered commerce to engage modern shoppers more intuitively. Lowe’s launched Lowe’s Style Studio, a spatial computing app designed for Apple Vision Pro. Shoppers can walk through 3D kitchen environments and customize finishes and fixtures with their eyes and hands.
At the same time, Best Buy introduced its Best Buy Creator program, allowing influencers to build curated storefronts that fans can shop directly. This influencer-driven approach strengthens community engagement and creates new revenue streams through authentic product discovery.
Pro Tip: For retailers that want to create similar immersive experiences, Publitas supports rich media layers (360° views, shoppable videos, live-streamed content embeds) to simulate showroom or influencer-led shopping experiences. And if you want to make your existing influencer content shoppable, it’s time to get in touch!
2. AI-Powered Intelligence & Optimization
Artificial intelligence is playing a central role in enabling faster decision-making and reducing manual workload across the retail chain. Mattress Firm is deploying AI to optimize inventory across stores and distribution centers, using demand forecasting and financial planning to improve product availability while reducing waste.
Walmart took it a step further with a proprietary Trend-to-Product generative AI tool. By scanning global data and social trends, the tool helps Walmart’s fashion teams translate insights into new collections within 6–8 weeks, sharpening their competitive edge in trend responsiveness.
Pro Tip: Know what’s trending? Use our dynamic grid to place trending products front and center in your catalog – automatically!
3. Operational Efficiency Through Automation
Back-of-house innovation is just as critical as front-end transformation. Gap Inc. deployed Boston Dynamics’ Stretch robots to automate the inbound box handling process at four distribution centers. The robots increase throughput and reduce reliance on manual labor in high-volume logistics environments.
WHSmith North America completed a cloud transition, adopting SaaS-based tools for merchandising, warehouse management, and audit operations. The move from legacy systems to the cloud equips WHSmith with real-time data and scalability needed to operate efficiently across travel hubs.
Pro Tip: Automation is the key to saving time and money. Let teams create responsive content templates once, then auto-fill them from feeds or APIs (e.g. new arrivals, clearance items, or region-specific inventory) to quickly spin out multiple catalog versions with minimal effort.
4. Platform Ecosystems and Circular Commerce
It can be much harder to create reliable, scalable experiences on marketplaces (where stock and pricing is variable, and dependent on millions of independent sellers). However, marketplaces are increasingly upping the game by enabling new customer journeys, especially around sustainability and extended product life cycles. Poshmark partnered with ReturnQueen to offer a “Sell on Poshmark” feature inside ReturnQueen’s return app. When shoppers miss a return deadline, they can instantly list the item for resale with just a few taps. This integration closes the loop between returns and resale, turning potential losses into marketplace opportunities.
Pro Tip: Link any product in your catalog directly to your resale, trade-in, or recycling programs. For example, featuring a“Trade in your old device” CTA next to new models.
Across all these initiatives, the message is clear: retail tech innovation in 2025 isn’t about flashy features, it’s about connected, intelligent ecosystems that create value at every touchpoint. Whether helping customers visualize a new kitchen in 3D or automating inbound logistics with robots, the future of retail is both high-tech and deeply human.
