Omnichannel
Goodwill Central Texas pilots ReNu to transform operations, employee experience
The Goodwill Central Texas has deployed ReNu, a production software platform, to streamline operations, drive smart decision-making and foster an enhanced employee experience
December 22, 2025 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
The Goodwill Central Texas has deployed ReNu, a production software platform built inhouse, to streamline operations and rive smart decision-making
The platform, deployed in mid 2025, is up and running across all Central Texas stores with a pilot of the platform's AI-drive dynamic pricing and channel optimization running in six locations.
The integration is helping the company determine the value of donated items and the best price of sales channel for selling items. So far early results show cost savings, greater efficiency and increased revenue growth. By year's end the enterprise plans to deploy AI pricing to all its stores. The open platform is available to all Goodwill organizations across the country.
But it's also providing another big return on investment: giving employees confidence and an improved tool to do their job.
To get a deeper look at the technology and goals RetailCustomerExperience reached out to Nick Adams, vice president of retail at Goodwill Central Texas, via an email interview.
Q. What was the prime pain point you were looking to eliminate?
Adams: We were trying to get more products to the floor at the best value for our customers. This tool helps price items quicker and categorize items. One complaint we often hear from customers is about items on the floor being priced too high. That's the result of employees guessing its value. This gives them a tool take away any guessing for employees, and get the products to the sales floor at the best value.
Q. How did you come up with the idea of ReNu and what can you tell us about the development process?
Adams: An in-house developer built ReNu as a replacement for a third-party POS system we were using. This software also contains an AI pricing pilot with pricing optimization that gives our employees more control and more customization when pricing items.
Q. When did the technology project begin and complete and were there any unexpected challenges?
Adams: We started implementing AI in all stores on July 1. So far, there haven't been any unexpected challenges, but one that was anticipated, was how do we make this part of our process without creating extra steps. This technology is meant to speed us up, not slow us down. We also had to figure out what technology to incorporate with the software, like what cameras to use, and we wanted to make sure that technology would help us accomplish our goal of getting more items on the sales floors. A huge benefit, is that it also created the opportunity to open an AI specialist role — a new growth opportunity for our backroom employees.
Q. What examples can you provide in terms of before/after?
Adams: The tech impacts how employees do their jobs. Mostly, it's a training tool. They opt in when to use it, like a help button. If I need assistance with pricing, I use the tool so we can provide the best value for the item. Previously, to price an item, they would have to research or ask a coworker or manager, or guess. It ends the guessing game and solves the problem of spending any time researching prices.
Q. What's been the top ROI?
Adams: It gives our employees confidence and an improved tool to do their job.
Q. What advice or tips would you give other retailers looking to solve a similar issue?
Adams: We've shared our learnings with other Goodwills in the network. "Be Innovative" is one of our three core values. This is an example of innovation, creating a new role in our stores that wouldn't exist without this technology. It creates better jobs because of this capability. We didn't do this to cut labor; we did it to empower employees through technology, create more opportunities and improve performance.
About Judy Mottl
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