The retail technology space during the Covid pandemic
Retail Technology Innovation Hub rounds up the key retail systems related Covid-19 developments from last week, including the 2021 RTIH Innovation Awards, cashless payments and record UK e-commerce sales.
Burger King, Qvalon, Red Ant and Scantranx are among the nominees in the Best Coronavirus Innovation category at the 2021 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The pandemic has had a major impact on the way that we shop and the way that retailers operate.
This award, sponsored by Critizr, will go to the company who has best turned to technology to solve the challenges presented by the Covid-19 era, improving in-store and/or online experiences for both staff and customers.
2021 shortlist as follows:
Burger King/Qvalon
Qvalon worked with Burger King Russia to put into a mobile application all the business processes that regulate and monitor the quality of cleaning and janitorial services, and deployed special digital checklists to ensure compliance to all Covid related hygiene and safety standards and protocols.
Halla
When Covid-19 forced consumers to stay home for much of 2020, they logged online in droves to order their groceries. But, while online grocery shopping enjoyed 300% growth, consumers complained about the disappointing and frustrating experience of online grocery shopping. Enter Halla.
Red Ant
Developed as an extension of its clienteling app during the pandemic, Red Ant’s shoppable virtual consultations solution was the first of its kind to launch to market.
Scantranx
Since the pandemic began, Scantranx has helped lots of SMB to quickly adopt online sales to weather the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sunspel/Sitoo
The cloud native Sitoo platform, with its retail PoS, makes omnichannel a given and turns unified commerce into reality.
Uberall/Okaïdi
ÏDKIDS Group and its children’s fashion brand Okaïdi saw the shifting retail environment caused by Covid-19 as an opportunity to accelerate digital transformation plans.
What’s next?
We will now ask our judging panel to cast their votes and provide their feedback. The winner will be revealed on 8th December at a roundtable discussion/networking event in central London.
Tappit, a cashless specialist focusing on sports, events, stadiums and venues, has announced a partnership with the Rose Bowl Stadium in the US.
This involves the implementation of Tappit’s white label web wallet, a solution enabling organisations to implement cashless payment solutions without having a mobile app.
Tappit’s technology will allow Rose Bowl Stadium visitors to make purchases via their mobile phone. Using a QR code, they can pay for their food, drinks and merchandise, without the need for wallets or cards.
With a Covid pandemic accelerated adoption of digital wallets and growing demand for services such as buy now pay later, a robust digital identity and infrastructure will become key in remaining competitive within this new era for payments.
That’s according to Capgemini’s 2022 Top Trends in Payments Report.
UK shoppers spent £10.4 billion online in October, an increase of 5% on last year’s Covid driven gains, according to research by Adobe.
The figure is the highest ever online spend in October and 58% higher than in 2019.
This brings the UK’s year-to-date online spending to £94 billion, up 12% YoY and 55% when compared with the same period in 2019.
With the majority of the Christmas shopping period still to come, Adobe says the UK will eclipse last year’s figures and set a new record for e-commerce sales.
