From Boots going live on TikTok Shop as it looks to reach new consumer cohorts, to Iceland turning to AI to cut food waste, and EuroCIS naming six key trends that will shape its trade show next year, what’s been making waves in retail this week?
Boots goes social, launching on TikTok Shop
Boots will make its TikTok Shop debut, as it looks to reach new and younger consumers through emerging shopping channels and social platforms.
As beauty continues to be one of TikTok Shop’s high growth categories, Boots’ new storefront, which launches next week (28 Sep 2026), will pilot with a curated selection of No7 skincare and beauty products, with more brands being added over the coming months.
“Millions of people are already discovering beauty and skincare products through TikTok and the creators and communities that they trust,” said Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital and Data Officer at Boots.
“This launch gives us an exciting new way to be part of this dynamic experience and help more customers to discover new products and shop those they love in a way that feels seamless and relevant to their lives,” she added.
Boots’ go live on TikTok Shop is being delivered in partnership with THG Ingenuity, with THG Commerce and THG Fulfil managing the TikTok Shop set up, LIVE shopping, social commerce experience and fulfilment.
Asda taps InPost to expand locker convenience for customers
Asda has announced a new partnership with InPost, the out-of-home locker provider, which will see the supermarket install parcel lockers across its UK store estate.
Going live across 700 stores nationally, the tie-up will give Asda customers convenient new ways to send, collect and return parcels while they shop, and marks one of InPost’s most significant UK retail partnerships to date.
“Our unmatched mix of services is a key part of what sets Asda apart, and we know customers increasingly value the convenience of being able to tick off multiple tasks in a single trip,” Joseph Sutton, Director of Express, Fuel & Wholesale at Asda, commented.
As part of InPost’s growing UK network of more than 16,000 lockers, the partnership underlines the accelerating shift towards out-of-home delivery in the UK.
Hidden delivery fees see 42% of shoppers abandon carts
More than four in ten UK shoppers (42%) would abandon online purchases if they experienced unexpected delivery costs at the checkout, research from digital consultancy, Sherwen Studios, reveals.
Original research in its Omnichannel Illusion report, which polled 2,000 UK consumers, showed that unexpected delivery costs at checkout (42%) were the top reason shoppers would give up on a purchase, followed by delivery taking too long (31%) or an item being out of stock (29%).
“Many retailers will be spending the next few months focusing on promotions, advertising and driving traffic to their online platforms, but our research confirms that customers are walking away for surprisingly simple reasons,” Matt Sherwen, MD of Sherwen Studios, commented.
“During peak trading periods, seemingly small gaps in delivery information could have a major impact on sales.”
AI, RMN & employee empowerment among Hot Topics for EuroCIS 2027
As part of its preparations for EuroCIS 2027, the international retail tech trade fair has revealed six hot topics which will feature across the event next year.
Developed in collaboration with the EHI Retail Institute, it picked the 2027 hot topics that reflect retailers’ current challenges, including:
- AI & data-driven retail
- Employee empowerment
- Retail media networks (RMN)
- Future checkout
- Loss prevention
- Progressive payments
EuroCIS’ six hot topics come off the back of growing momentum, as exhibitors commit to its 2027 event. “We are starting to allocate hall space with very good booking levels: 90% of the area available is already booked up,” Elke Moebius, Director EuroCIS, commented.
Crossing the digital divide: AI influences 42% of store spend
Widespread adoption of AI in consumers’ buying journeys has now crossed the digital divide, influencing shoppers’ in-store spending, the latest study from the MACH Alliance shows.
Original research of over 1,000 UK consumers, commissioned ahead of MACH X: Amsterdam, showed that 42% of shoppers’ physical store spend is influenced by AI search – equalling the proportion of spend AI now shapes digitally. This rises even higher among younger shoppers, increasing to 62% of Gen Z’s store purchases.
This crossover is being furthered by growing use of AI wearables, especially among younger cohorts of customers. One in five (18%) Gen Z shoppers have also used AI-enabled wearables, such as Meta glasses, to inform physical purchasing decisions in the past 12 months.
“As AI becomes an influence layer across the entire customer journey, retailers can no longer view AI interoperability through the lens of ecommerce alone – it must span every touchpoint,” said Jason Cottrell, President of the MACH Alliance.
Morrisons names Mohsen Ghasempour as Chief AI Officer
Morrisons has appointed former Kingfisher exec, Dr. Mohsen Ghasempour, as its Chief AI Officer, a newly created role which will focus on leveraging the technology to drive growth, CX and efficiency across the business.
Ghasempour joins from Kingfisher where he led the team which built and scaled its AI function across Europe. In this newly created role, Ghasempour will establish a central data science and AI function for Morrisons, which will take overall responsibility for the supermarket’s Data and AI strategy.
Rami Baitiéh, Morrisons’ CEO, said that the creation of this new role reflects the supermarket’s commitment to “embracing the opportunities in data and AI at pace, with focus and in the right way.”
Iceland taps Retail Insight’s AI to cut food waste
Iceland has turned to AI to help reduce food waste across its estate, deploying a dynamic markdown solution from AI-powered retail operations platform, Retail Insight.
The WasteInsight solution will help the frozen food retailer improve sell-through on near-expiry items and goods reaching their sell-by dates, using AI intelligence to discount produce.
By generating the optimum rate of discount – based on the remaining shelf-life, type of product and likelihood of sell-through – the technology will help Iceland tackle waste and offer value to shoppers, while protecting margins.
Iceland’s Stores Director, Steve Shirley, said the deployment would help it “explore how AI-driven intelligence can support waste reduction objectives while improving consistency across our store operations.”
“By combining AI with operational insight, WasteInsight helps surface the products and actions that matter most, enabling colleagues to intervene earlier and with greater confidence,” said Retail Insight’s EMEA GM, Martin Rigby.
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