Customer experience

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

How Maison 123 generated €420,000 on WhatsApp in 5 months

Riding on a reduction in Meta’s commercial policy, Wax start‑up specialised in WhatsApp engagement, is gaining ground, capitalising on messaging as a customer acquisition and retention channel in...

3 December 2025

Criteo wants to integrate sponsored products into AI chatbots

With 720 million daily active users and 4.5 billion products in the catalogue, Criteo wants to integrate with agentic commerce. Betting on proprietary data, the adtech company is testing...

2 December 2025

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Julien Cailleau, Oney: “With 3 retailers, we are testing the use of Valiuz data to streamline financing approvals”

Against a backdrop of growing pressure on household budgets, the European CCD2 Directive coming into force and a new legal framework for assisted purchasing journeys, Oney is stepping up an...

29 October 2026

Advantail signs with Formality to streamline commercial lease management

Amid an ownership shake-up following its acquisition by Evoriel, shopping centre operator Advantail has signed with Formality to digitise the management of commercial leases and contracts across...

23 October 2026

How Mobilier de France reduced the share of cheque payments from 80% to 50%

With an average basket of €3,500 and a payment journey that includes a financial deposit at the time of ordering, Mobilier de France shares with mind Retail its assessment of the rollout of...

15 October 2026

How Maison A.Constant built a unified customer database with n8n

Eager to bring together customer data and improve data accuracy, jewellery and watch retailer Maison A.Constant built its own Single Customer Repository (SCR) using n8n, an orchestration platform...

7 October 2026

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AI agents: the KPIs that led L’Oréal to scale up across its warehouses

After testing 7 AI agents in its warehouses, L’Oréal is scaling up. Deployed to coordinate picking waves, manage replenishment and handle stocktaking, Manhattan’s agents have helped cut several...

20 October 2026

How Mobilier de France reduced the share of cheque payments from 80% to 50%

With an average basket of €3,500 and a payment journey that includes a financial deposit at the time of ordering, Mobilier de France shares with mind Retail its assessment of the rollout of...

15 October 2026

Julien Cailleau, Oney: “With 3 retailers, we are testing the use of Valiuz data to streamline financing approvals”

Against a backdrop of growing pressure on household budgets, the European CCD2 Directive coming into force and a new legal framework for assisted purchasing journeys, Oney is stepping up an...

29 October 2026

Danone turns to AI to personalise marketing campaigns and test advertising in ChatGPT

AI is being rolled out across some marketing activities, while others remain in a testing phase. If campaign automation and personalisation are among the most advanced applications, visibility in...

16 October 2026