Blockchain in retail: use cases, adoption
roadmap & real-life examples

In partnership with Hyperledger, American Express developed a blockchain-based system that lets retailers create custom Membership Rewards programs for cardholders and tie reward points to their own products however they choose. The technology of Hyperledger, a set of open-source frameworks and tools used to build blockchain-based products, enables joining and setting up custom Membership Rewards programs within weeks instead of the months it would take using conventional API integrations.

In 2025, American Express launched Amex Passport, a new blockchain-based initiative for documenting travel experiences. Amex Passport enables American Express cardholders to collect customizable digital travel stamps, Ethereum-based NFTs that do not contain personal data and are stored on a public blockchain, to commemorate trips. Travel stamps are automatically earned when clients use their American Express Consumer Cards in new countries or regions and can be shared on social media or sent through messengers. American Express cardholders can also explore an interactive map to view their trip history and add notes with travel memories to their stamps.

In 2021, LVMH, Prada Group and Cartier, a part of the Richemont company, formed a partnership to create the Aura Blockchain Consortium, the world’s first non-profit global luxury blockchain. After 6 months, OTB, an international fashion group, became the fourth founding member.

The Aura Blockchain Consortium aims to advance the adoption of blockchain solutions worldwide across the luxury industry. Aura covers product traceability by assigning a unique digital identity, a “digital passport”, to each luxury item. The digital passport records the product’s journey from its creation and contains information on the origin of its raw materials. Data is immutably recorded on the blockchain, which helps retailers combat counterfeiting while providing consumers with verification of the product's authenticity. Digital passports are connected to physical products through NFC chips or QR codes, so consumers can access authenticity and provenance information. Aura's passports also simplify resale, increasing trust in the secondary market.

In 2024, Aura exceeded 50 million luxury products registered on its blockchain and 50 brands as consortium members. As for 2025, Aura is a multi-industry blockchain solution for luxury goods, with the consortium including automotive brands like Mercedes and Brabus, a high-end furniture and home decor company, Savio Firmino, a watch and jewelry brand, Chopard, and perfume house Amouage.

Each year, Walmart Canada handles over 500,000 shipments with 70 carriers, and every invoice requires gathering and entering 200+ data points, which previously caused a 70% error rate due to the incompatibility between their enterprise systems and the systems of suppliers and vendors. To overcome this, Walmart partnered with DLT Labs and launched DL Freight, a permissioned blockchain network that serves as a single source of truth. Since going live in 2021, invoice disputes have dropped to about 1%, 70 times less than before.

Walmart also continues to expand its use of blockchain for food safety by using the IBM Food Trust platform. It allows Walmart to trace products back to their source in 2.2 seconds, compared to around 7 days using legacy systems. Walmart has mandated blockchain-based traceability for high-risk categories such as leafy greens and cheeses to optimize food provenance tracking and reduce waste.

Carrefour has been a member of IBM Food Trust since 2018, continuously expanding the range of goods recorded on the blockchain. The following year, Carrefour enabled blockchain-based tracking for 20 product types, enabling customers to scan a QR code for origin details, such as producer, harvest date, location of cultivation, and package date. As a result, tracked items recorded higher sales in the first year after the release. Additionally, the company expanded the use of blockchain in retail to trace exclusive textile products.

Over the years, Carrefour has become the first retailer to use blockchain with its own branded organic products. Now the whole range of Carrefour Bio products is traced by blockchain, allowing consumers to be more confident in their purchasing decisions.