ReStore launches R.ai for Australian retailers first

ReStore for Retail has launched R.ai, an AI-based platform for store operations. Australian retailers will get first access ahead of a wider international rollout.

The platform analyses in-store photographs against a retailer's brand standards and flags issues in visual merchandising and store execution. It is designed to show store teams and head office staff where action is needed across a retail network.

ReStore for Retail has spent the past five years working with brands including Glassons, CAMILLA, KIVARI and JD Sports. The new product was developed with Australian and New Zealand retailers and built around each retailer's own data and operating standards.

Kylie Quirke, Managing Director of ReStore for Retail, contrasted that approach with using general-purpose AI tools.

"If you put an image into ChatGPT, it will give you a generic answer. R.ai learns with your brand, keeps your data and walks the floors with you," said Quirke.

The company is targeting a long-running problem in physical retail: stores generate sales and traffic figures, but retail managers often struggle to identify the operational reasons behind performance shifts. R.ai uses non-financial store data to help explain those changes.

"You can see why sales are down, but you don't know why. The non-financial data we capture can tell that story," said Quirke.

Early uptake

According to ReStore for Retail, its current platform records about 98% engagement among shop-floor users and gives teams back around 20% of their time. Early beta work with CAMILLA and KIVARI suggests R.ai could increase that benefit, although further testing is under way.

The system replaces manual paperwork and message threads, while the interface is designed to feel familiar to front-line staff and allow executives to review store presentation across multiple locations.

"We've got about a 98% engagement level on the shop floor, which gives back 20% of the teams time. Team members say ReStore has changed their work processes entirely," said Quirke.

Retail focus

The launch comes as retailers continue to examine how artificial intelligence can be applied to everyday operations, not just customer-facing functions such as search, recommendations and marketing. In bricks-and-mortar retail, one area of focus is maintaining consistent store standards across large networks with smaller field and support teams.

R.ai was rebuilt from scratch rather than added to an existing system. ReStore for Retail says its broader aim is to create a single view of store execution that can connect with other retail systems, including learning management systems and traffic counters.

The company also pointed to longer-term work on store layout and blueprint optimisation, including exploration with CAMILLA. That reflects a wider push in the sector to use store data not only to monitor compliance with brand standards but also to refine how selling space is organised.

For Australian retail technology suppliers, the launch also underlines the local market's role as a testing ground for products that may later be sold internationally. Local brands received first access before the wider rollout.

"Our brand is helping retailers. We're a community that works for retailers, and we never want that to go away," said Quirke.