Customer experience

After a loss-making but high-growth year in 2025, the stock-pooling start-up for marketplaces signed agreements with 4 Swiss players, mind Retail learned. By taking on one of Europe’s most...

30 January 2026

Retail tech: major trends for 2026

In 2026, retail can no longer afford to promise. It must deliver. Retail tech has entered the execution stage. The race for showcase innovation is over, giving way to clear priorities: operational...

30 January 2026

NRF 2026: 6 start-ups at the heart of in-store performance despite agentic commerce

While the shore floor remains a top priority for global retailers, mind Retail selected 6 start-ups from NRF that stood out for their focus on in-store operational efficiency. We believe this is...

28 January 2026

Ahead of an I.P.O., OpenAI tests advertising on ChatGPT in the U.S.A.

In mid-January, OpenAI (2024 revenue: 3.7 billion dollars, up by 130% in a year) announced the launch of advertising on ChatGPT from February 2026 in the U.S.A. Sponsored ads will appear for users...

23 January 2026

Global retail tech investment rose by 7.4% in 2025

In 2025, venture capital continued to flow into commerce technologies. With 27.5 billion dollars invested in retail tech, the average deal size increased while the number of transactions declined.

23 January 2026

Spangle AI raises US$15 million to ensure continuity in e-commerce navigation

The US start-up Spangle AI raised US$15 million in a Series A round on January 8, 2026, led by NewRoad Capital Partners. This brings total funding to US$21 million for a valuation of US$100...

16 January 2026

With Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Zalando and Carrefour, Google launches an agentic commerce protocol

Following the launch of payments in Copilot, Google is preparing to join OpenAI and Microsoft, but with a more integrated version focused on its own payment method, Google Pay. These moves...

13 January 2026

David Schwarz (Mobivia, ex Carrefour): ”Given the rising traction of low-cost, retailers will have to launch adapted offers”

With 15 years of experience as an executive in major retail groups (including Mobivia and Carrefour) and as an investor and a tech player, David Schwarz has a dual perspective on the ecosystem. In...

13 January 2026

2026 Trends – Chatbots, WhatsApp, social networks: don’t miss out on conversation

(Trends 2/6) After a cautious observation phase by retailers and some high-profile hallucination issues, 2025 was a turning point operationally for chatbots and conversational tools. Positioned...

13 January 2026

Shoptimus AI scales up in grocery smart shopping lists and prepares for a new funding round

After securing a strategic partnership with Spanish grocer Bon Preu, retail tech firm Shoptimus AI—first spotted by Carrefour—is accelerating a rollout. By leveraging AI agents to automate grocery...

11 January 2026

Agentic AI: Hymalaia attracts retailers and announces imminent fundraising

According to our sources, the young start-up Hymalaia is continuing development in retail with 4 new retailers currently in POC and an imminent fundraising. We examine the details.

16 December 2025

Walmart and Instacart bet on AI agents to simplify basket creation

In the U.S.A., Walmart has partnered with Pinterest and Instacart with ChatGPT to simplify and speed up the creation of online grocery baskets. Details below.

12 December 2025

Shareholder change: Brevo becomes a unicorn through €500 million buy-out

After raising €140 million in 2020, CRM start-up Brevo, dedicated to SMEs, completed a buy-out on December 4, 2025. U.S. private equity fund General Atlantic and British Oakley Capital, each...

11 December 2025

Retail tech mapping 2025: 42% of start-ups already profitable, 53% aiming for breakeven within 3 years

In their final update for 2025 covering retail tech mapping, FDJ Ventures and France Digitale present new challenges for French retail start-ups. These include financing, slowing company creation...

10 December 2025

With 7% of e‑commerce sales, Albertsons deploys an AI agent and prepares integration with ChatGPT

While Walmart and Target connected product catalogue to ChatGPT, Albertsons launches an AI agent on e‑commerce sites and hints at a future interface with OpenAI’s conversational platform.

5 December 2025

Already in POC, Dialog’s conversational agent shows up in the search bar

Buoyed by a €3.8 million seed round closed in mid‑November 2025, French start‑up Dialog, specialised in AI‑based conversational e‑commerce, is accelerating. Initially placed on product pages, this...

4 December 2025

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Marketplaces: Stockly enters Switzerland with MediaMarkt, Decathlon, Galaxus and Manor

After a loss-making but high-growth year in 2025, the stock-pooling start-up for marketplaces signed agreements with 4 Swiss players, mind Retail learned. By taking on one of Europe’s most...

30 January 2026

Save launches an e-commerce site to support a shift towards sales

Having just reached break-even, the French subsidiary of refurbished specialist Save intends to go beyond an historical model of repair to develop sales of accessories and refurbished products...

23 January 2026

Shoptimus AI scales up in grocery smart shopping lists and prepares for a new funding round

11 January 2026

Agentic AI: Hymalaia attracts retailers and announces imminent fundraising

According to our sources, the young start-up Hymalaia is continuing development in retail with 4 new retailers currently in POC and an imminent fundraising. We examine the details.

16 December 2025

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Shoptimus AI scales up in grocery smart shopping lists and prepares for a new funding round

11 January 2026

Global retail tech investment rose by 7.4% in 2025

In 2025, venture capital continued to flow into commerce technologies. With 27.5 billion dollars invested in retail tech, the average deal size increased while the number of transactions declined.

23 January 2026

With Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Zalando and Carrefour, Google launches an agentic commerce protocol

Following the launch of payments in Copilot, Google is preparing to join OpenAI and Microsoft, but with a more integrated version focused on its own payment method, Google Pay. These moves...

13 January 2026

2026 Trends – Retail media, between omnichannel reach, creativity and measurement

(Trends, 6/6) After an exceptional 2024 driven by the Olympic Games, retail media entered a phase of maturity and slowing business last year. It nonetheless remains extremely dynamic, fuelled by...

28 January 2026

2026 Trends – Chatbots, WhatsApp, social networks: don’t miss out on conversation

(Trends 2/6) After a cautious observation phase by retailers and some high-profile hallucination issues, 2025 was a turning point operationally for chatbots and conversational tools. Positioned...

13 January 2026

2026 Trends – How far should retailers open the door to AI Search engines ?

(Trends 1/6) With data visibility, recommendations, transactions on ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, LLMs are establishing themselves as new entry points for e-commerce. As search, comparison and...

8 January 2026