Beyond the shiny screens: Real retail innovation from RTS 2025

• Payment solutions are crucial to seamless retail, even if they’re not always in the spotlight.

• The future is omnichannel, blending online and offline experiences for greater success.

• SoftPOS and payment orchestration make for smoother, faster, and more efficient in-store payments.

• Great leadership creates a culture of openness, active listening, and team alignment, which is essential for scaling and innovating in retail.

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One major takeaway from RTS 2025 was the clear message that physical stores are here to stay. The retail industry isn’t moving away from in-store, it’s evolving to make in-store experiences even stronger with the latest technology. Aiming towards a seamless strategy that bridges the gap between online and offline shopping. 

One of the insightful sessions I attended was led by Steve Hewitt, CEO of Gymshark, titled: "How I led the Gymshark workforce from 4 million to a 1 billion+ GBP pureplay in only 7 years.” As he shared his leadership journey, he also touched on the importance of strategy in retail. While a pureplay (online-only) approach can be a great starting point for a young company, he emphasized that true growth lies in going omnichannel. And it’s never too late to make that shift. 

If you’ve built a strong online presence and want to test the waters in physical retail, starting with a pop-up store in one market is a great move. This allows you to gauge customer response, fine-tune operations, and perfect the in-store experience. And a major part of that experience is certainly the checkout process. 

Think about how often the payment step turns into the most frustrating part of shopping: long queues, clunky card machines, and slow processing times can ruin an otherwise smooth experience. That’s the last thing you want customers to associate with their first visit to your physical store.  And that’s where SoftPOS comes in. By turning a smartphone or tablet into a payment terminal, businesses can cut costs, reduce training time (since staff are already familiar with these devices), and improve customer flow. With multiple SoftPOS-enabled devices in a store, staff can assist customers anywhere on the floor, providing frictionless checkout experiences. 

And when you integrate a payment orchestration platform, you get full visibility of all payment devices in the field, real-time switching between acquirers, and the ability to easily add new payment schemes or methods, all from a single backend. 

Innovation in retail isn’t just about technology, it’s about creating an experience that keeps customers coming back. And at the heart of that experience are leadership decisions that shape everything from store operations to payments. 

At RTS, Steve Hewitt shared leadership principles that go beyond retail tech and touch on what truly drives business success. Whether you're optimizing a checkout experience, scaling a brand, or strengthening your team, these insights apply. 

• "Accessibility is a superpower of a great leader." Great leaders are approachable and engaged with their teams.
• "Don’t ask a question without waiting for an answer." Active listening is a crucial leadership skill.
• "Pressure isn’t just a negative thing—shift your mindset and see it as an opportunity." Challenges can be turned into opportunities for growth.
• On hiring: "I would rather have a hole than an a**hole." Finding the right cultural fit is more important than filling a position quickly.
• Onboarding is crucial, because it sets the tone for employees’ entire journey with your company
• Foster an open and honest feedback culture. Constructive feedback strengthens teams.
• Define values and standards for your team. Culture is built on shared values, not just words on a wall.
• "Fly in formation." Think of how wild geese migrate, they are stronger together, supporting one another. 

At Aevi, these leadership lessons resonate deeply with us. We don’t just talk about values, we embed them into everything we do. From onboarding to our daily operations, we make sure that every team member understands and lives by our core principles. Because great technology and great leadership go hand in hand. 

RTS 2025 reinforced an important truth: The future of retail isn’t just about the latest gadgets and flashy screens. It’s about creating seamless, enjoyable shopping experiences, that are powered by smart payments, strong strategies, and forward-thinking leadership. 

And that’s exactly what we’re working on at Aevi.