Retail Technology Tools

I build dashboards backwards. And they work 3x better than the "right" way. Last year, a retail client asked for a "comprehensive analytics dashboard." They had a 47-page requirements doc. Every metric you could imagine. I threw it in the trash. Instead, I asked one question: "What decision do you make every Monday morning?" "Whether to restock our top 10 SKUs," the CEO said. That's it. That became the entire dashboard. One number: Days of inventory remaining. One visual: Red/yellow/green by SKU. One button: Generate purchase order. The data team was horrified. "Where's the YoY comparison? The regional breakdowns? The predictive models?" Here's what happened: **Traditional approach (their previous dashboard):** • 6 weeks to build • 23 different views • Used 4 times in 3 months • Zero decisions changed **My backwards approach:** • 3 days to build • 1 view • Used 5 times per week • Prevented 2 stockouts in first month alone The difference? I started with the decision, not the data. Most dashboards fail because we build what's possible, not what's needed. We show off our technical skills instead of solving business problems. My backwards process: 1. Identify the decision (not the data) 2. Find the minimum viable metric 3. Make the action obvious 4. Stop. Just stop adding things. That retail client? They saved $50K in lost sales from stockouts in Q1. Not because of fancy analytics. Because someone could actually use the damn thing. The best dashboard isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that gets opened every morning. What's the one metric that actually drives your business decisions? #DataVisualization #DashboardDesign #BusinessIntelligence #DataStrategy #PowerBI

E-commerce didn’t kill retail, all the predictions got it wrong. In 2025, 91% of businesses compete primarily on customer experience, not price or product. And nowhere is this more visible than in the world’s leading high streets, where physical stores are no longer points of sale, but platforms for brand experience Welcome to EXPERIENTAL retail The stores winning today aren’t transactional. They’re immersive, emotional, and designed to be lived, not just visited. Flagships and pop-ups are turning prime locations into experience hubs, spaces where consumers explore, test, share, and connect. And that’s something pure e-commerce still can’t replicate >>IT’S ALL ABOUT SENSES Digital is efficient → Physical is emotional. From skincare labs to AI-powered diagnostics and immersive scent journeys, experiential retail activates all senses, creating deeper, longer-lasting brand relationships +85% of repeat purchases are driven by emotional connection +66% of consumers are more likely to buy after engaging experiences >THE NEW ROLE OF HIGH STREETS The most valuable retail spaces today aren’t about inventory. They’re about impact. Top locations in cities like Paris, London, or New York have become stages where brands perform, blending storytelling, design, and technology to create omnichannel ecosystems The store drives content → Content drives traffic Traffic drives conversion → both online and offline >THE VIRAL EFFECT Experiential retail is built to be shared. Instagrammable environments, interactive installations, and creator-first design turn visitors into media channels. Physical retail is no longer the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of amplification +83% of consumers trust user-generated content over brand messaging +78% say social sharing influences purchase decisions >REAL-TIME INSIGHT Experiential spaces are also powerful innovation labs. Brands test products, gather feedback, and refine positioning in real time, something digital alone can’t fully replicate. +22% improvement in product success with live feedback +15–20% sales uplift in nearby channels post-activation >EXPERIENCE -> TRANSACTION Exclusivity, urgency, and storytelling drive action. Limited-time pop-ups, collaborations, and one-off experiences create FOMO that traditional retail simply can’t match +Activations can drive 25–35% higher conversion rates +88% consumers are more likely to purchase after a unique experience CONCLUSION Retail isn’t becoming obsolete. It’s becoming the most powerful media channel a brand owns. In a world saturated with digital noise, physical experiences cut through, turning passive consumers into active participants and loyal advocates. The future of retail isn’t about more stores. It’s about better experiences in the right places Featured brands Chanel Charlotte Tilbury Dasique Lancome Latafa Louis Vuitton Sephora YSL #experientialretail #brandactivation #retailInnovation #omnichannel #beautyIndustry #popupstore

I'm excited to share my latest data analytics project: a comprehensive Retail Performance Analysis Dashboard. Problem: The retail company struggled with a lack of clear insights, making it difficult to track overall performance, understand customer behavior, and manage inventory efficiently. Solution: I developed and deployed an interactive, end-to-end Power BI dashboard. By connecting directly to SQL databases, the solution provides a real-time, holistic view of the business, analyzing key KPIs like sales, profit margins, customer segmentation, supplier performance, and stock health. 📊 Tools Used: Power BI | SQL | Excel | DAX | Data Modeling 💡 Key Insights & Highlights: • Total Sales: ₹5.34M • Profit Margin: 28.77% • YoY Sales Growth: 23.48% • Top Performers: The North Region (₹1.52M) and the supplier "Boat" (₹1.1M) were the primary drivers of sales. • Operational Health: Maintained a 65% delivery rate against a 9.17% return rate. • Actionable Inventory: Identified 3 critical products as "Low Stock" (Stock = Reorder Level), flagging them for immediate re-purchasing. Dashboard Link: https://lnkd.in/gHTPaTce #PowerBI #SQL #DataAnalytics #BusinessIntelligence #Dashboard #DataVisualization #RetailAnalytics #DataInsights

He sold two tech companies before the age of 16. Today, he runs a $1.5B AI startup reshaping online shopping. John Imah is a Nigerian immigrant and self-taught builder whose story doesn’t follow the usual Silicon Valley script. He didn’t come through elite networks or polished pipelines. He learned by building early, obsessively, and repeatedly. As a teenager, he taught himself to code and went on to sell two technology companies before most people have chosen a university major. Instead of treating that as a finish line, he treated it as a foundation. He went on to work at Snapchat, Twitch, and Meta, where he deepened his understanding of platforms, user behavior, and what it actually takes to scale products used by millions. That mix of early entrepreneurship and big-tech exposure led him to a very specific insight: one of the biggest problems in online retail hasn’t been solved by branding, logistics, or marketing. It’s trust. More specifically, the inability for shoppers to truly know how something will fit them. That insight became SpreeAI. SpreeAI uses photorealistic AI try-on technology that allows shoppers to see clothing on their own bodies from a single photo, with up to 99% sizing accuracy. For consumers, it removes guesswork and frustration. For brands, it dramatically reduces returns, lowers costs, improves conversion rates, and tackles a major sustainability challenge in fashion. Backed by nearly $60M and valued at $1.5B in 2025, SpreeAI is a rare example of AI solving a real, global commerce problem at scale. John’s journey has been consistent. Early curiosity became experimentation then products and, eventually, companies. This is often what real leadership and innovation look like. Not chasing the next trend, but staying close to a problem long enough to understand it deeply and then building something that actually changes how people experience the world. What problem have you been circling for years, even as your tools, roles, and titles have evolved? Time to strike yet? #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Nigeria #OurStories #ArtificialIntelligence #Retail #AfricanFounders #Storytelling Cc: The Numbers Game

𝗛𝗼𝘄 UNIQLO 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝟰¢ 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲. This weekend, I went shopping at Uniqlo. Picked up 10 different outfits for family members. At checkout, I placed my basket in a sleek bin—and bam—every item was scanned and billed within seconds. No barcode scanning. No errors. No waiting. Just plain delight. The magic behind it? 𝗥𝗙𝗜𝗗 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. But what makes this truly brilliant is how Uniqlo uses RFID beyond checkout to power its supply chain strategy. Every tag is trackable from the factory floor to the store shelf, enabling real-time inventory accuracy, faster replenishment, fewer stockouts, and smarter demand prediction. This is operational efficiency meeting customer delight. Better data → better availability → better experience. 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? Innovation doesn’t always have to scream AI. Even a humble 4¢ chip, when applied strategically, can deliver a serious brand edge. Have you seen other “quiet innovations” that changed the game?

Google just announced a suite of AI-driven shopping tools designed to transform the online retail experience 💥 Here’s what’s coming: 🧠 AI Shopping Mode: A conversational search tool that understands natural language and context. Think: “best dress for a trip to Cannes in May” – and it will deliver results tailored to weather, location, and purpose. 👗 Virtual Try-On 2.0: Shoppers can now upload full-body photos to see how items actually look on them — including drape, fit, and texture across different body types. A game-changer for apparel conversion rates. 💸 Agentic Checkout + Price Alerts: Users can set price targets, and when an item hits the right price, Google will notify them — or even auto-checkout via Google Pay. What this means for eComm marketers: ▪️ SEO and product data quality will become even more critical ▪️ Conversion will increasingly depend on visual assets (UGC, try-ons, real models) ▪️ Brands need to prep for a world where shopping journeys are conversation-first Currently, these features are being rolled out in the U.S. via Google Search Labs, with plans for broader availability in the future.

There was one announcement at Money20/20 last week that seemed to fly a little under the radar, possibly because it had little to do with AI or stablecoins. 31 banks and fintechs including NatWest, Nationwide, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, Starling, GoCardless, TrueLayer, and Plaid, came together under the UK Payments Initiative (UKPI) to launch a new payment scheme built around Commercial Variable Recurring Payments (cVRP). For the first time, the industry has a shared rulebook, commercial framework (although I'm yet to find the elusive Schedule 6 with pricing so please DM me if you have it), and operational standards for recurring account-to-account payments. In other words: ➡️ Subscription payments without cards ➡️ Utility payments without Direct Debit ➡️ Variable recurring payments directly from bank accounts ➡️ A credible alternative to Visa and Mastercard for certain payment flows VRP or "me-to-me" payments, where money is swept between accounts owned by the same person, have been around for a while. Commercial VRP is different. Although it's built off the same OB protocols, it allows businesses to collect variable recurring payments directly from a customer's bank account, with customer consent and predefined limits. The win for so many businesses is that UKPI, which is technically the newest UK payment scheme since Faster Payments back in 2008, provides a simple and low cost way to take recurring payments where businesses would have traditionally turned to a card or a cheaper but still pricey direct debit (current costs of UKPI billing start at £0.02) Wave 1 of the rollout which went live last week was deliberately focused on lower-risk sectors including: ⚡ Utilities and telecoms 🚆 Rail operators 🏦 Regulated financial services (savings, investments, pensions, mortgages) 💳 E-money institutions 🏛️ Central and local government ❤️ Charities Wave 2 is where things get really interesting, with industry proposals already focused on ecommerce and much broader merchant adoption. Meaning we could see merchants provide discounts on pricing to switch subscriptions from card to UKPI, merchants reduce Card on file and the associated risks, and businesses benefit from the payment continuity from having a recurring payment connected to a bank account rather than an expiring card. As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about this because we might finally have a viable answer to the question "𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘆?" If you want to learn more about the underlying mechanism of this scheme, I recently published a deep dive into cVRP which included What VRP is, the difference between VRP and cVRP, use cases for cVRP and more👇🏽 I'd love to hear your thoughts...Will cVRP become a mainstream payment method over the next 5 years, or will cards remain untouchable? https://lnkd.in/e9vSsnCx

Changing the Face of Luxury Retail As a long-time observer and participant in the world of luxury retail, I have been captivated by the transformative role that technology has played in personalizing the customer experience. Particularly in a city like Dubai, known for its luxury retail innovations, this blend of technology and personalized service is reshaping our industry. Let us take a moment to recognize some groundbreaking examples of technology meeting luxury retail: Burberry's Data-Powered Personalization: Burberry began transforming its approach to customer service in the early 2010s by leveraging data analytics. This initiative was aimed at creating more personalized shopping experiences, both online and in-store, by understanding and anticipating customer preferences. The North Face and IBM Watson's Collaboration (2015–2016): In a pioneering move, The North Face teamed up with IBM's Watson to create an AI-powered shopping assistant. This tool revolutionized how customers found products by intelligently responding to their needs and preferences, illustrating AI's potential in enhancing the retail experience. Gucci's Augmented Reality (2019): Gucci stepped into the world of AR with its app feature that allowed customers to virtually try on shoes. This innovative use of augmented reality brought a new dimension to online shopping, blending the convenience of digital browsing with a personalized touch. Innovations in Dubai's Retail Scene: Dubai, always at the forefront of luxury retail, has continually embraced new technologies. The Mall of the Emirates, with its 'Fashion Dome' and 'Luxury Wing', exemplifies this trend. The use of interactive directories, VR installations, and other digital innovations has set new standards for customer engagement in luxury shopping. These examples not only highlight the incredible potential of technology in enhancing the luxury retail experience but also signal a future where digital innovation and traditional luxury retail values coexist to create extraordinary customer journeys. Have you experienced these technological advancements in your shopping adventures? How do you envision technology further transforming luxury retail? Let me know in the comment

𝐙𝐚𝐫𝐚’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐲-𝐨𝐧: 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 ZARA has recently launched an AI-powered virtual try-on. This technology is not new and many brands are integrating it into their e-commerce. What I find especially interesting about Zara is how they are doing it: selectively in some markets (not yet in Spain btw), and without over-communicating it and the execution looks very accurate. Zara is testing, learning and iterating before scaling. This approach is consistent with how Inditex has historically adopted technology: pilots first, operational validation and scale once the value is proven. If we look back, Inditex has been experimenting with AR and VR for some years, especially in-store: ✳️ AR shop windows where garments appeared in motion, scanning them with your smartphone, in their store in Oxford Circus in London (if I remember correctly) ✳️ Smart fitting rooms with virtual try ons, but in a fun way as those in Bershka Barcelona, where technology was about engagement, experimentation and social sharing. ✳️ Digital collections with AR technologies, also with Bershka by FFFACE.ME, clearly designed for a younger audience, allowing users to interact with digital garments through AR layers and posting them in their socials, building brand relevance and viral moments. Zara’s website is, in my view, a real spectacle in consumer experience. It manages to be highly aspirational and extremely functional at the same time: 🔅 Editorial-level visuals and fashion films (as the last one, "The dinner", have you seen it? ) that reinforce brand desire. 🔅 High-resolution product imagery with an exceptional level of detail, allowing the customer to really “see” the garment. 🔅 Short videos embedded at product level, showing the piece in movement on the model, adding context, fit and attitude. 🔅An AI assistant (“How can I help you?”), only in some markets, still text-based but clearly designed to guide and support the purchase journey. And now we have the virtual try-on functionality: ✅ Realistic fit The solution is based on AI-generated avatars created from user-uploaded images (one selfie and one full body picture). By analysing the photos, the system builds a personalised digital representation of the user in 2 minutes, allowing garments to be overlaid and visualised in movement. This allows to see YOURSELF with a different combinations of looks, not on a 1,80 cm stunning model. And they can saved in the "My looks" section. ✅ Clear impact on returns and sustainability Early tests point to double-digit reductions in size-related returns. Fewer returns mean lower logistics costs and less reverse shipping. This could reduce the famous "bracketing"? It should. Looking ahead, why not integrate try-on technologies into platforms like Roblox? But let's leave this one for another post. #zara #virtualtryons #AR #consumerexperience

🌟"𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞!)" 🌟 Let’s face it – customers today don’t just want products; they want experiences that feel made for them. And guess what? AI is making that possible at scale. It’s not just a buzzword anymore; it’s a game-changer for sales teams everywhere. Take a look at how some Indian brands are nailing this: 💄𝐍𝐲𝐤𝐚𝐚’𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐈 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫 Ever wished you had a personal beauty consultant who just gets you? Nykaa’s AI does exactly that.   It analyzes your skin tone, hair type, and preferences to recommend products you’ll love. Plus, the virtual try-on feature lets you “test” makeup before buying. 👉 The result? 𝟐𝟓% 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟖% 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 from first-time buyers. When customers feel understood, they’re more likely to hit that “Buy Now” button. 👓𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐭’𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐲-𝐎𝐧 Buying glasses online used to be a gamble. But Lenskart’s AI changed the game. It scans your face, suggests frames that suit your features, and even nudges you with complementary products (like blue-light glasses) based on your past purchases. 👉 The outcome? 𝐀 𝟓𝟎% 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟑𝟓% 𝐟𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬.  Customers don’t just buy – they buy with confidence. 🛍️𝐌𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚’𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 Myntra’s AI is like your personal stylist. It looks at your browsing history, body type, and even regional trends to curate outfits you’ll love. A customer in Jaipur sees ethnic wear, while someone in Mumbai gets trendy streetwear. 👉 The impact?𝐀 𝟑𝟎% 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.  When recommendations feel personal, customers don’t just browse – they buy. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬? 🚀 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: When customers feel understood, they don’t overthink – they just buy. 📈 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Personalized offers cut through the noise and reduce choice paralysis. ❤️ 𝐋𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲: Tailored experiences turn one-time buyers into repeat customers. AI isn’t just a fancy tool; it’s the ultimate sales enabler. It’s helping businesses move from selling products to building relationships. And in a world where customers are bombarded with options, that’s the difference between winning and losing. 🚀 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? As AI gets smarter, the gap between brands that personalize and those that don’t will only widen. The question isn’t if you should adopt AI – it’s how fast you can do it. What’s your take? Have you seen AI-driven personalization drive sales in your industry? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇 #AIinsales #HyperPersonalization #CustomerExperience #salesgrowth #retailinnovation