Tracking the retail technology sector during the coronavirus

Retail Technology Innovation Hub rounds up the key Covid-19 developments from last week.

Waitrose has announced a new delivery tie up with Deliveroo. A trial will kick off on 1st September and run for 12 weeks.

Younger Brits have been driving a convenience store revival during the coronavirus outbreak, according to research from PayPoint.

The company surveyed 2,000 people and found that 56% visited their local convenience store for the first time after lockdown started on 23rd March, which rose to 68% among 18-24-year olds and 59% among 25-34-year-olds.

FinTech startup Phos has extended its partnership with Mastercard and will now step up the roll-out of its mobile payment solution.

12,000 small businesses across 12 European countries will be able to accept contactless payments using their Android devices, with this number set to increase over the coming months.

UK consumers have grown more comfortable with returning to the shops as the coronavirus outbreak progresses, according to EY research.

1,007 Brits were surveyed for this. Those comfortable going to a shopping mall has risen from 15% in May to 36% in July, and those OK with trying on clothes has increased from 8% to 19%. Similarly, in May, 25% of UK consumers said they felt comfortable shopping in a grocery store, and in July that figure rose to 56%.

Adult entertainment venture Pornhub says that activity spiked on its platform when Zoom went down last week.

The video streaming app has seen a surge of popularity in recent months as the coronavirus crisis forced many people to work remotely and rely on video calling to keep in touch with colleagues and clients.

PayTech big hitter Adyen has partnered with QTap, an ordering and payment app which is helping food and drink venues navigate the latest social distancing measures.

22 million people, representing 40.6% of UK consumers, have used or plan to use the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to research by GlobalData.

Tesco is to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth in its online business.

These will include 10,000 pickers to assemble customer orders and 3,000 drivers to deliver them, plus various other roles in stores and distribution centres.

Sainsbury's is bringing back bagless online grocery deliveries.

Last October, the grocery giant removed plastic bags from its e-commerce offering. But early in the coronavirus pandemic, it temporarily reintroduced them.

MishiPay has launched its Scan, Pay & Go mobile self-checkout solution in Ireland with BWG Foods.

A pilot scheme will see the tech being tested out at two locations within the retailer’s estate: SPAR Cherrywood in Dublin and Londis Newcastle in Galway.

White collar workers need to get back to the office and support the UK's public transport network and town centres, according to Iceland MD Richard Walker.

Boosted by the coronavirus lockdown, the UK subscription economy is now worth £323 million, with spending on such services increasing by 39.4% year-on-year in July, according to research from Barclaycard Payments.