This year has been one of big innovation when it comes to retail customer experience, from AI adoption in all things CX to retailers expanding reach with physical store growth as well as embracing new tech in loss prevention.

Here are the five top most-read news items at RetailCustomerExperience in 2024.

In June, Wawa broke ground on its first Ohio store. The convenience retail store chain, which operates more than 1,050 locations in eight states and D.C., will open the Cincinnati store in the second quarter of next year, according to a press release.

Wawa will also begin construction on four more Ohio stores in 2024 this year as it plans to have 11 stores overall up and running in Ohio over the next five to eight years.

In September, Amazon announced it was increasing the average total compensation package for fulfillment and transportation workers in the U.S. to more than $29 per hour. The increase is $3,000 a year on average for full-time workers working a 40-hour week, according to a blog written by Udit Madan, VP, Amazon Worldwide Operations.

Amazon has more than 800,000 people in the roles across the U.S., and the pay boost equals a total investment of more than $2.2 billion.

At the start of this year, in January, CVS Health announced it was planning to close dozens of pharmacies located within Target retail stores.

The move comes nine years after CVS acquired Target’s clinics and pharmacies in a $1.9 billion deal.

In September, Walmart implemented technology to speed up checkout at its self-checkout stations. The retailer has introduced invisible barcodes on Great Value branded items, allowing shoppers to simply move an item over the scanner for it to be registered.

The invisible barcodes, first introduced in 2019 through a partnership with Digimarc, are designed to speed up the checkout process for both workers and customers.

Mid year, in May, Wayfair announced it was launching its first physical brand store location.

The 150,000-square-foot store is located in Wilmette, Illinois, near Chicago. The goal, according to CEO Niraj Shah, is to provide shoppers a physical experience as that can be better than an online shopping experience. The super store will feature everything for the home.