KWI, the industry-leading omnichannel platform for retailers, today announced that AI Product Image Search has been awarded “Overall RetailTech Innovation of the Year” in the 4th annual RetailTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted by RetailTech Breakthrough, a leading independent market intelligence organization that evaluates and recognizes standout retail technology companies, products and services around the globe.
Built in partnership with Emmet Labs and integrated directly into the KWI POS, AI Product Image Search gives retail associates instant product identification through a single photo of the physical product. With AI Product Image Search, every associate has access to a brand’s entire catalog, eliminating the need for barcodes, SKUs, or catalog knowledge. Associates simply point a device camera at any product and receive ranked matches from the full catalog, in seconds.
The solution benefits brands with small, hard to describe items, or those with large product catalogs, where visual identification is faster than scrolling. AI Product Image Search also helps with training new associates, who no longer need to memorize thousands of SKUs or rely on more experienced staff.
AI Product Image Search surfaces inside the KWI POS, immediately attaching pricing and add-to-cart options for seamless Associate workflow.
“Sales associates break rapport with customers if they have to look up SKUs or track down someone who can identify an item. In retail, those moments add up fast, amounting to lost productivity and a frustrated customer. The real-world impact of our solution is measurable. In deployment with Pandora US, the tool delivered a 66% reduction in product lookup time,” said Sam Kliger, Founder and CEO of KWI. “We’re thrilled to accept the award for ‘Overall RetailTech Innovation of the Year’ from RetailTech Breakthrough. We’ll continue to anticipate solutions before problems even come up and deliver those solutions to help transform in-store and online into one seamless experience. We’re here to help accelerate all phases of the retail operation.”
The mission of the annual RetailTech Breakthrough Awards program is to recognize the innovators transforming the global retail landscape through technology. The program conducts a comprehensive analysis of the companies, technologies and solutions redefining how retailers operate, engage customers and drive growth. From e-commerce and omnichannel experiences to AI-driven analytics, automation and in-store innovation, these breakthrough solutions are enabling retailers to adapt faster, operate smarter and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
This year’s program attracted thousands of nominations from companies across more than 16 countries worldwide, highlighting the rapid global evolution of retail technology and the increasing investment in digital transformation across the retail ecosystem.
“The KWI AI Product Image Search does the heavy lifting so sales teams can focus on customers. It’s a familiar scenario - the customer is ready to check out, but their product has no tag. Associates must then abandon the customer while they hunt down SKUs or find someone on the floor who knows the product catalog. Knowledge gaps kill momentum, and every moment spent searching is a moment stolen from the customer relationship,” said Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director, RetailTech Breakthrough. “Beyond speed, this solution levels the playing field between veteran and new associates, enabling confident customer service from day one. No need to leave the customer standing around waiting, KWI’s AI removes the friction of product lookup at the point of sale, keeping associates focused on what matters most: the customer relationship.”
About KWI
KWI enables modern retailers to create unforgettable shopper experiences, maximize sales, and streamline operations with the industry’s only true turnkey omnichannel platform. For over 40 years, retailers and brands have grown with KWI, relying on its platform for Point of Sale, Order Management, and Merchandising, along with a full suite of omnichannel capabilities including loyalty, e-commerce, and more. Built for where retail is going, not just where it's been, the KWI platform is designed as one integrated system for multi-location specialty retail.
About RetailTech Breakthrough
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the RetailTech Breakthrough Awards program is the premier awards and recognition platform devoted to honoring excellence in retail technology companies, services and solutions around the world. The RetailTech Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of retail technology companies and products in categories that include store management, digital displays, checkout automation, workforce tools, smart dressing rooms and more. For more information visit retailtechbreakthrough.com.
Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
