Retail Technology News: July update
Mike Tyson teamed with ChaChing in July.
Retailers in July 2025 focused technology efforts in areas including shoppable TV streaming, video analytics and fighting high online prices.
Here are some of the most noteworthy and innovative technology stories as reported by Chain Store Age in July, starting with the most recent.
- Walmart taps Instacart exec to head up AI efforts, rolling out AI ‘super agents’ Walmart is accelerating its artificial intelligence adoption with a key hire and a new framework for AI made up of “super agents” designed to improve the shopping experience for customers and streamline operations.
- Guitar Center debuts AI-based shopping tool Guitar Center has launched Rig Advisor, a mobile-based AI tool that helps customers discover, compare and explore gear in real time by prioritizing products available at that specific store location. The retailer says the tool, which is now live nationwide, enhances the in-store experience by giving musicians an easy way to navigate options and make more confident decisions.
- New Test Drive Live channel offers shoppable TV streaming FreeCast is launching a "next-gen" shoppable channel called Test Drive Live which features products that are popular on social media and retail platforms. Its shopping TV experience starts with "unboxing" videos that show consumers exactly what they get with each product, followed by a live and unfiltered demo, and then an expert review that is promised to be unbiased.
- Amazon Prime Day exceeds predictions The first-ever four-day Amazon Prime Day sales extravaganza drove a 30.3% increase in U.S. online sales from the same period in 2024. According to Adobe analysis, Prime Day 2025 slightly outperformed expectations, generating $24.1 billion in total U.S. online revenue. This is equivalent to more than two Black Fridays, which drove $10.8 billion in online spend during the 2024 holiday shopping season.
- Mall of America counts cars with video analytics Mall of America is expanding an ongoing deployment of Axis Communications car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations on its 5.6 million-sq.-ft. campus in Bloomington, Minn. The mall has been deploying intelligent cameras from Axis to improve surveillance and security since 2023 and is now utilizing AI-enabled video analytics to support parking operations and provide security to shoppers.
Advertisement - article continues below
Advertisement
- Circle K rolls out mobile alcohol cashback program Circle K is offering legal-age shoppers mobile cashback rebates on beer, wine and spirits, delivered almost instantly after purchase. The convenience retailer is leveraging the Swiftly alcohol cashback rebate app in more than 4,300 stores across 31 states. The platform automates state-by-state rebate compliance and streamlines the offer submission process for alcohol suppliers.
- Mike Tyson helps launch ‘price fighting’ platform Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is teaming up with online shopping platform ChaChing to introduce Price Fighter powered by ChaChing, a digital retail platform that redirects a portion of selling fees back to customers. Sellers using the Price Fighter soluton pay flat 5% platform fee for ChaChing and then decide what they're willing to pay per sale and only pay when a sale happens.
- American Eagle features stores on Snapchat for back-to-school promo American Eagle is teaming up with Snapchat to highlight its stores as back-to-school shopping destinations. The specialty apparel retailer is including more than 800 retail stores across the U.S. as Promoted Places on the Snap Map location-sharing feature.
- Bob’s Discount Furniture launches social reality series Bob’s Discount Furniture is releasing a reality series shot specifically for social, "Till Decor Do Us Part," which features actual couples designing their "dream room.” The series features comedian Gabby Bryan as the host and six real-life couples as the contestants. Each episode showcases one partner shopping for furniture while the other, along with the host, watches and comments in real time as design choices are made without consulting them.
- Boohoo parent Debenhams Group expands Amazon AI deployment Debenhams Group, the parent of online fashion retailers including Boohoo, is accelerating its adoption of AI through a new multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the hosted cloud division of Amazon. The retailer already uses serverless AWS cloud services on the Debenhams platform, and will now deploy technologies like generative AI in an effort to increase operational efficiencies and improve personalization.
