- Behind the Counter
- Posts
- Stores Are Smarter. Are You?
Stores Are Smarter. Are You?
The retail tech that's making stores faster, smarter, and easier to love. It’s not about what’s trending. It’s about what’s working.
Hello Reader,
June’s retail tech stories are all about turning strategy into action. From cutting carbon in warehouses to redefining checkout, this month’s insights show how retailers are leveraging tech to create smarter, faster, greener, and more profitable operations. We’re also digging into TikTok’s frictionless shopping takeover, smarter shrink prevention, and AI agents that shop for you.
If you're building stores that work better for your team, your customers, and your bottom line, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it!
Tech That Cuts Emissions and Excuses
Retailers aren’t just trimming costs anymore; they’re trimming carbon. This article breaks down how smart tech is powering greener supply chains, from AI-driven warehouse management to energy-efficient logistics. The path to sustainability runs straight through your tech stack, and the smartest brands are already on it!
Kitestring Takeaway: There is a lot of pressure today to overhaul supply chains with sustainability. In order to do that, you must embrace the end-to-end transformation, and that starts at the core with visibility; you can’t fix what you can’t see. A good optimizing WMS with features that help keep optimal inventory (including avoiding too much overstock) and reduce energy usage is a great step to doing this. To make any kind of progress toward this, sustainability needs to be embedded in the company culture from the top down and woven into product and logistic designs from the start. Smart warehousing isn’t just efficient, it’s the missing link to providing visibility and to building a truly sustainable and agile supply chain.
AI in the Real World
Retail AI has officially left the chat room and entered the store. From predictive inventory that actually understands demand to in-store tech that fixes itself before breaking, physical retail is getting a serious upgrade. This NetSuite article demonstrates how AI is quietly making stores smarter, faster, and more efficient - no robots required.
Our Perspective: Smarter shelves and self-aware POS systems? Yes, please! AI in brick-and-mortar is finally moving from hype to help, making store teams more proactive and less reactive. If you’re still treating your stores like a digital afterthought, you’re already behind.
Take a look→
“By consolidating data and operations across multiple touchpoints, retailers can gain unparalleled control and improved execution, transforming market challenges into sustainable competitive advantages.”
Rethinking POS for the Omnichannel Era
Retailers are doing far more than just upgrading checkout screens; they’re redefining the role of the store. This deep dive from Manhattan Associates shows how modern, mobile-first POS platforms are powering unified commerce, driving real-time personalization, and giving store associates superpowers. It's a strategic pivot from transactions to total experiences.
Kitestring’s View: POS used to be where a sale ended. Now, it’s where relationships begin. Unified commerce platforms are finally delivering on the promise of omnichannel by connecting inventory, customer data, and insights in real time. This isn’t about chasing flashy new tech. It’s about solving real business problems. Smarter POS is reducing friction across channels, empowering store associates with tools that actually help, and delivering personalization at scale. It’s also accelerating visibility and speed across the supply chain. POS is no longer just a system; it’s a strategy and a powerful one!
According to Philomath’s 2025 retail trend report, 86% of retail leaders say new revenue streams are critical to growth. Yet only 14% have actually launched something new. While most retailers sit on the sidelines, early movers are already generating new revenue, collecting better data, and strengthening customer relationships. Whether it’s media networks, subscriptions, or monetizing store infrastructure, there's a clear gap between ambition and action.
Kitestring Perspective: New revenue streams don’t launch themselves. It takes more than strategy decks; it takes scalable tech, cross-functional buy-in, and a bias for experimentation. Waiting might feel safe, but it’s costing you. The best ideas aren’t always brand new either. They’re hiding in your aisles, your apps, your ops. Think store-as-a-service, retail media, white-labeled tech. If you’re not monetizing your existing assets, someone else will.
“We want to have frictionless customer journeys and also employee journeys. On one hand hand, it’s important to make the unknown, known from a shrink perspective, but we should not interfere with the customer experience…”
Stop Theft, Not the Shopper
This episode of Rethink Retail dives into how AI, computer vision, and edge computing are reshaping shrink prevention, especially at checkout, where one-third of all losses occur. With the right tech stack, retailers can detect mis-scans, monitor behavior in real time, and reduce theft without creating friction for honest shoppers. It's not about surveillance, it’s about smarter service.
Our Thoughts: Shrink prevention doesn't have to feel like airport security. AI is helping retailers strike the right balance between loss prevention, customer experience, and operational efficiency. Add real-time data, low-latency networks, and edge computing, and you unlock a powerful ROI engine, from workforce planning to inventory accuracy. This isn’t tech for tech’s sake. It’s tech that pays for itself.
Is TikTok the New Shopping Network?
TikTok Shop’s “Deals for You Days” kicks off July 7 with deep discounts and a bold new move: live price matching. With U.S. sales more than doubling and three-quarters of users buying from livestreams in the past year, TikTok is making a strong case as the next-gen QVC! Fully integrated checkout means discovery and purchase happen in one scroll, zero friction required.
Kitestring’s View: TikTok Shop is removing every barrier between impulse and purchase. Shoppers see something, get hyped by someone they trust, and check out instantly, all without leaving the app. No tabs. No redirects. Just scroll, see it, buy it. That’s not just smart UX. That’s a threat to every retailer with friction still in the system.
Sparky and the Rise of AI Shopping Agents
Walmart has introduced Sparky, an AI shopping assistant designed to turn everyday questions into fully personalized, actionable shopping journeys. Think dinner plans turned into auto-filled carts, or home repair questions instantly paired with step-by-step instructions and tool delivery. It’s not just about convenience, but also about eliminating the guesswork of shopping.
Kitestring POV: Sparky has serious potential to reduce friction, cut returns, and rewire how shoppers discover and buy. But will shoppers use it? Walmart’s own research shows shoppers are still split on whether they trust AI agents to take the wheel. Retailers eyeing similar tools should focus on building trust, transparency, and control into the experience from day one.
Thanks for Reading!
This month’s stories remind us that transformation is happening everywhere, from the warehouse to the wallet to the livestream. It’s not about chasing trends. It’s about executing what works; Progress with purpose. And right now, what works is smarter systems, seamless experiences, and technology that delivers results. See you next month for the latest edition of Behind the Counter!