Five retailers/brands that are so innovative right now

These retailers and brands are leading the way in providing technology and experiences that are one step ahead of their customers’ expectations.

1. Ikea

Now that’s what we call experiential retail. Ikea is opening a pop-up hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, enabling shoppers to sleep in an Ikea-styled home.

2. Kroger

Kroger and Ocado have announced that Dallas, Texas will play host to their fifth Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC).

3. Watford FC

The Bitcoin symbol will this season appear on the shirt sleeve of Watford FC players, and the Premier League club will also accept the cryptocurrency for merchandise purchases.

4. Ahold Delhaize

Ahold Delhaize has partnered with Hanshow Technology to introduce digital in-store applications across Europe.

This will kick off with deployment of Hanshow’s electronic shelf labels (ESL) across the retailer’s brands in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Greece, Czech Republic, Serbia and Romania. The pair will also set up a Joint Innovation Lab to develop the likes of frictionless payment, in-store navigation and in-store advertising solutions.

5. Starbucks

Starbucks is launching voice ordering and delivery capabilities within Alibaba’s smart speaker, Tmall Genie. Chinese customers can now order beverages and food by using their voice for delivery within 30 minutes, tapping Alibaba’s Ele.me platform.