From Vinted’s double digit revenue growth to Primark’s move towards mobile with its UK app launch and Boots powering more personalisation in its Advantage Card loyalty scheme, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Pre-loved boom: Vinted posts +38% YOY revenue rise

Pre-loved fashion platform, Vinted, posted a +38% year-on-year increase in revenues, buoyed by rising cross-category demand outside of its fashion heartland and international expansion.

Posting revenues of €1.1billion in 2025, its performance was bolstered by new category expansion across homeware and electronics, as well as opening up new markets in Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia last year. In January 2026, Vinted also moved into the U.S., marking its first play outside of Europe.

Commenting on the platform’s performance, Vinted’s CEO, Thomas Plantenga, said that shopper savviness and cost-caution had also driven demand. “Vinted is a very useful tool if people have less money and things become more expensive,” he said.

The results come as KPMG reported that re-sale channels are becoming a ‘go-to’ for UK shoppers; one in ten say pre-loved sites have become their main way of buying non-grocery goods, as incomes remain squeezed.

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Primark moves into mobile with UK app launch

Primark has launched its first-ever mobile app in the UK to bring the ‘Primark experience’ directly into the hands of shoppers, driving increased convenience and personalisation within buying journeys.

Following launches in Ireland and Italy last year, the UK app is designed to make digital browsing more convenient for customers. Complementing in-store discovery, it includes store locators and a ‘Favourites feature’, which allows users to save top picks for their next visit.

It will support Primark’s Click & Collect service, which is available in all 189 UK stores, for enhanced convenience. The app will also include layers of personalisation, with tailored notifications served to shoppers detailing new arrivals and collection launches.

“Customers are increasingly turning to digital tools that make shopping easier and rewarding,” Matt Houston, Chief Customer & Digital Officer at Primark, said. He added the app would “deliver intuitive, personalised experiences” to help shoppers “get the most out of every Primark visit.”

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Dynamic delivery now key demand in AI-buying decisions

With rapid adoption of AI-led purchasing, and answer-engines playing a greater role in shopping journeys, fulfilment flexibility and choice is now a new ‘make or break’ factor in end-to-end AI buying experiences, new data from Ingrid reveals. 

Original research of over 1,000 shoppers by Ingrid showed that delivery options ‘make or break’ buying decisions in agentic buying journeys for six in ten (61%) customers.

Meanwhile, delivery information, such as speed and location, is now the main search criteria for a further 62% of shoppers when interacting with AI shopping interfaces, alongside product descriptions.

“Dynamic delivery offering underpins the next AI fulfilment frontier,” said Piotr Zaleski, Founder & CPTO of Ingrid. “Retailers need to pivot quickly. AI is moving from recommendation to action, and that shift will reshape commerce and delivery faster than most realise.”

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RTS 2026: Unmissable innovation in our top 10 tech picks

As the countdown for the Retail Technology Show (RTS) gets underway, there’s less than TWO weeks to go until the sector’s flagship event returns to London’s ExCeL on 22 & 23 April 2026.

This year, RTS presents its biggest ever innovation showcase, with 450+ innovators exhibiting on a buzzing show floor.

We share our top picks of the tech you won’t miss across the two day show, including new Product Experience features from Akeneo, channel-bridging in-store tech from refive, multi-agentic inventory optimisation from invent.ai, and unified commerce capabilities from Sitoo.

Read for full preview featuring the full top ten tech picks 👉 RTS 2026 – Top 10 tech picks: What not to miss at the Retail Technology Show.

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x-hoppers brings agentic-enablement to frontline teams at RTS 2026

Smart AI-enabled retail communications solution from Wildix, x-hoppers, will showcase new agentic capabilities that connect store teams to supercharge operations, enhance CX and accelerate training at the Retail Technology Show 2026.

Exhibiting on Stand K20, x-hoppers will offer live demos of its latest agentic AI capabilities, which give frontline retail teams the power to act in real-time via AI-enabled wireless headsets and its mobile app.

Whether it’s checking real-time inventory or supporting shoppers with product recommendations, staff can provide personalised and efficient service, enabled by AI and activated by voice.

“Bricks-and-mortar retail depends on fast decisions, clear communication and seamless service,” said Graham Dixon, CTO at x-hoppers. “Our agentic AI amplifies that impact across every level by compounding the entire experience.” 

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Boots powers loyalty personalisation with customer data

Boots will offer more personalisation within its Advantage Card loyalty scheme, using data and insights to deliver added-value to members and meet growing demands among its customers for reward relevancy.

“We continually evolve the programme to make sure it meets the changing needs and expectations of our customers,” said Charlotte Lock, CMO at Boots. “They have told us they want more personalised offers that make sense for them, based on the brands that they like to shop.”

From next month, the loyalty scheme will offer tailored perks to each shopper across its app and online, including double points and promotions on brands customers buy the most, as well as giving its most frequent shoppers access to the best deals.

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Clicks mean more, as shoppers shift to intent-based buying

While consumers may be clicking less frequently, the intent behind those clicks is significantly stronger, says analysis by digital marketing platform, esbconnect.

Insights from nearly 70million email marketing messages showed that shoppers’ behaviour has shifted towards intent, as AI discovery becomes more prevalent in their buying journeys.

“Consumers are becoming more selective about what they engage with, but far more likely to convert when they do,” said Suzanna Chaplin, CEO at esbconnect, as consumers move towards what she describes as “an intent economy.” 

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