Hola, techies with a taste for flat whites — Retail Tech Show 2025 just concluded, and the vibes? Immaculate!

Holding a cup of coffee in one hand and the other open for rampant curiosity, I daintily strolled through Olympia London with my heart-bursting eyes roused at seeing retail innovation finally back IRL and at full pelt. From biometric checkouts to AI avatars telling you what trainers to buy, the UK’s retail landscape is changing faster than you can say “add to cart”.

So here’s some espresso on what had me jazzy at this year’s show — the tech, the drama, the fashion (yes, really), and the £153bn elephant in the room.

Addition of Personalised Ads That Stalk, Flirt, and Sell

You’re shopping for trainers, and suddenly your TikTok, Insta and even your smart fridge are all trying to sell you the same pair in four colours? Yes, that’s the intent-driven marketing flex retailers are pulling in 2025.

Advertisers are increasingly turning to AI-powered platforms such as Wunderkind and Rokt that are making ads so personalised it’s like your bestie is saying, “You need this.” They’re tracking what you click, when your ghosting, and how close your thumb is to checking out.

This is really relevant to the article, but it helps that it is targeted and much less spammy than those doom banner ads.

When Offline Got Online And Then Came Back Hotter

Retail’s not dead, darling — it’s just rebranded.

Online-only giants are going brick-and-mortar (crazy!), and physical stores are finding new life through interactive experiences that scream main-character energy. “We’re seeing AI-powered styling mirrors, rooms broken down into scent-zoned layouts and dynamic digital signage that’s adaptive based on the pedestrians walking by.”

It’s about infusing that click-and-brick mentality into one holistic scroll-meets-stroll journey.

The Price Tag on Convenience? £153bn

That’s the projected value of the UK ecommerce market by 2025, and you better believe brands are fighting for every pound.

Here’s the sitch: shopaphobics want fast, fab and personal. Same-day delivery? Non-negotiable. Data biases and hyper-personalised shopping flows? Expected. Sustainable packaging? Bonus points.

If the Retail Tech Show brought anything into sharp focus, it’s that the ecommerce arms race is going to the brands investing in innovation and experience.

A Few Sparkly Mentions

✨ TikTok Shop is taking the impulse buy to the next level. Yes, I purchased something when I was in line for coffee.

✨ Klarna and BNPL-style services are making sure there’s a little more code to how they get you to spend (and not regret it).

✨ Interactive live-shopping? Huge. They’re shopping through livestreams faster than I can brew a cafetière.

Last Sip: Retail is More Than Shopping, It is a Show!

This year’s Retail Tech Show 2025 wasn’t just an expo — It was a snapshot of how we’ll buy, why we’ll buy, and what tech will be whispering in our ears as we do.

The big takeaway? The winning brands aren’t just good at tech. They’re people-savvy. Human-first. Emotion-aware. Digital, but with heart.

Next time you drop £200 on a new pair of sneakers because of one eerily-timed Instagram ad… just know: the machines are doing their jobs real good.

Then again, maybe we like it that way. 😉

Wondering who was I doing at the show? Drop your faves or questions below — let’s keep the convo caffeinated.

Until next time,

Love,

Jasmin