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, and a look at how frontline employees are feeling after the pandemic and what is on their list of priorities now that they're assessing their career options.
Red Ant emerged victorious in the Best Coronavirus Innovation category at the 2021 RTIH Innovation Awards, which took place in central London last week.
The award is sponsored by Critizr.
Red Ant impressed our judging panel with its shoppable virtual consultations solution, the first of its kind to launch to market. This was developed as an extension of its clienteling app during the pandemic.
Also in this category, Qvalon was highly commended for its work 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.
Scott Thompson, Editor and Founder of RTIH, said:: “Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, so it was great to recognise standout examples through our awards.”
“Competition was tougher than ever, so to emerge victorious was no mean feat. Congratulations to Red Ant and Qvalon and all our other winners and highly commended companies.”
We’ve been operating in a state of ‘normal-ish’ for a few months now. But things aren’t as they were and the experiences of the past couple of years and new learned behaviours won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
To understand what customers want, what brands are planning, and uncover any blindspots in between, Adyen surveyed 3,000 consumers and 460 retail and hospitality brands across the UK and Ireland.
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated retailers’ adoption of new sales channels and investment in omnichannel capabilities is a top budgetary priority in 2022, according to research from Linnworks.
This involved 502 US respondents and 526 UK respondents.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the urgency for retailers to focus on the customer experience as a key part of their brand,” says Callum Campbell, CEO at Linnworks.
“This study shows that many companies didn’t have the infrastructure in place to operate in a true multi-channel and omnichannel capacity. Only 14% of respondents have a single platform for managing fulfilment, inventory, and all sales channels in one place.”
Liam O'Meara, VP of Europe for Axonify, recently gave RTIH the lowdown on his company’s 2021 State of the Frontline Work Experience report, which takes a look at how frontline employees are feeling after the Covid pandemic and what is on their list of priorities now that they're assessing their career options.
Brands who value and act upon feedback after requesting the opinions of their customers are gaining a significant advantage over their competitors, according to research from Feefo.
At the same time, however, many people in the UK feel firms are less likely to acknowledge and apologise online for negative experiences, compared to a year ago.
American shopping event Black Friday has become a month long affair in the UK, with deals spread over a longer period than ever before, according to research from the BRC and KPMG.
