Hello Reader,

March is almost over. Here’s what we’ve been watching in retail tech this month: electronic shelf labels (ESLs) getting pulled into the pricing debate, AI showing up in luxury experiences and return fraud, and Point-of-Sale (POS) and payments decisions getting more complicated. You’ve got five headlines to skim, plus one podcast episode we’re recommending. Let’s get into it!

ESLs Under Fire

Retail Dive reports on growing state and federal scrutiny of “surveillance pricing” and dynamic pricing in grocery, including proposals that would restrict use of consumer data and, in some cases, ban electronic shelf labels. The article notes a wave of price transparency bills, plus the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union’s (UFCW) campaign and federal legislation that would prohibit dynamic pricing at grocery stores and ban ESLs in large grocery stores.

Expert POV: Retailers are in a no-win spot on price transparency. Proposals to restrict electronic shelf labels aim to curb price gouging, but they miss the mark. ESLs weren’t built to manipulate pricing, they were built to ensure shelf prices match the POS in real time. Without them, price changes get slower, more error-prone, and more dependent on store labor, which is exactly how you end up with mismatches, fines, lawsuits, and trust issues. If the goal is consumer protection, the focus should be on transparency and guardrails, not blocking tools that improve accuracy.

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Luxury Goes Agentic | El lujo se vuelve agéntico

🇺🇸 Amazon Web Services (AWS) Mexico and El Palacio de Hierro announced plans to deploy AI agents that drive hyper-personalization and operational efficiency in luxury retail. This collaboration moves beyond basic digital assistance to automate complex service flows, ensuring a consistent premium experience across all channels. By leveraging cloud data and smart automation, the initiative seeks to establish Mexico as a global leader in data-driven luxury innovation.

Our Perspective: The race for the next generation of shopping experiences keeps going in the direction of customer-centered technology, and this partnership is a bold step in that direction. The middle layer between online and brick and mortar commerce is often the junction where everything falls apart, but El Palacio de Hierro has been strengthening that spot for years, catering high end brands to customers through experiences that are now part of Mexico’s culture. There are still a lot of open questions about AI, but this feels like the right first step to find the answers.

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🇲🇽 AWS México y El Palacio de Hierro buscan implementar agentes de IA para hiper-personalización y eficiencia operativa en la industria detallista de lujo. Esta colaboración va más allá de flujos básicos de asistencia y busca automatizar servicios al cliente para garantizar una experiencia consistente en todos los canales. Tomando ventaja de datos en la nube y automatización inteligente, esta iniciativa busca establecer a México como líder global en la innovación de experiencias de lujo.

Nuestra perspectiva: La carrera por la nueva generación de experiencias de compra sigue tomando la dirección de tecnologías enfocadas en el cliente, y esta colaboración es un paso fuerte en esa misma dirección. La capa intermedia entre compras en línea o en tienda es normalmente donde el flujo se interrumpe, pero El Palacio de Hierro ha estado reforzando ese punto por años, llevando productos y marcas de renombre a sus clientes a través de experiencias que ya son parte de la cultura de México. Todavía hay muchas preguntas al aire pero esto se siente como el primer paso correcto para encontrar las respuestas

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POS Is Not Just a Register Anymore

RTG’s POS buying guide frames POS as the operational hub, not a checkout endpoint. It recommends evaluating vendors based on solution mindset (not just hardware sales), real integration credentials, security posture, and accountability through support and SLAs. The piece also calls out staging, testing, and end-to-end services as the difference between a clean rollout and a long tail of store-level issues.

Expert Take: Selecting the right POS platform has become far more complex than simply choosing a register with the right specs. Modern POS now sits at the center of retail operations, connecting payments, inventory, loyalty, reporting, and digital channels. Retailers need a structured evaluation of business requirements, store operations, and long-term technology strategy. Through structured selection studies, vendor evaluations, and pilot programs, firms like Kitestring help retailers identify the solutions that best align with their operational needs and future roadmap. For retailers considering a POS refresh or modernization initiative, this article serves as a helpful reminder that selecting the right platform is a strategic decision that can impact store operations, customer experience, and scalability for years to come.

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Trust, But Verify: Returns Edition

Modern Retail reports that brands are seeing a rise in AI-assisted return fraud, including AI-generated “damage” photos and even fabricated shipping receipts and documents. The article describes examples where brands spotted AI tells (including watermarks and unrealistic damage patterns), and notes that while incidents are still relatively rare for some brands, the concern is growth as the tools improve. It also points out the tension: retailers want fast, low-friction returns, but fraud pressure pushes them toward more verification and more hoops for honest shoppers.

Our View: We love seeing retail technology move forward, AI included, because it can unlock better experiences and smoother operations. But this is where it gets fuzzy fast. The same tools that help automate service and reduce friction can also manufacture “evidence” to promote fraud. The answer isn’t to slam the brakes on innovation, it’s to pair it with governance: clear policies, stronger verification controls, and risk-based workflows that protect the business while still prioritizing the customer experience.

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Podcast Pick: Behind the Counter with Diebold Nixdorf

This month’s podcast recommendation is our Behind the Counter episode with Matt Miles and Louis Lee from Diebold Nixdorf. We cover the biggest friction points in retail technology, explore what self-service excellence looks like today, predict the future of retail, and more.

Listen while you work →

Are Omnichannel Payments Accelerating Payment Freedom?

Dover Fueling Solutions argues omnichannel strategies are becoming essential as consumers expect a consistent, digital-first payment experience across every touchpoint, including fuel sites. The article frames “payment freedom” as the ability for customers to choose how and where they pay, from mobile apps to in-store POS to outdoor payment terminals, all connected through a unified approach. It also emphasizes that connectivity and customer data are the backbone, enabling faster journeys, more personalized experiences, and stronger loyalty in an environment where loyalty is already weak.

Our Take: This article correctly points out that omnichannel payments are no longer optional for retailers. Enterprise retailers with legacy POS estates, multiple gateways, and channel-specific flows were not built to behave like one unified platform. Getting to “seamless” takes deliberate payment architecture, often including orchestration and API-driven layers that can standardize experiences while still allowing flexibility as new tender types show up. Achieving true omnichannel capability requires more than swapping payment gateways; it demands a deliberate payment architecture strategy.

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Thanks for Reading!

If there’s one takeaway this month, it’s this: innovation is moving fast, but governance and operational reality still decide whether it works in the real world.

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