RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers

Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Featuring Alibaba Group, Sports Direct, Tesco Whoosh, Albertsons and GOAT Group.

250,000 and 13 million…Alibaba Group’s 6.18 mid-year shopping festival officially came to a close this week.

The event, which stretched from 24th May to 20th June, is pitched as an important bellwether for Alibaba’s 11.11 festival as brands pilot and fine tune their strategies ahead of November.

2021 highlights include a record 250,000 merchants and brands participating, bringing more than 13 million products in front of Chinese consumers.

40 and 65…E-commerce delivery venture, InPost, has announced a partnership with Salford City Council.

This will see a roll-out of 40 new lockers across Salford, with the aim of installing 65 lockers in the local area by September.

32,000…Customers can use mobile self-scanning at 32,000 stores across the world, according to a new study by RBR. Hundreds of retailers now offer the technology.

In addition, many are partnering with a range of checkout-free technology vendors, installing cameras and sensors around the store to record items selected by customers.

New study by RBR finds mobile self-scanning enters the mainstream and checkout-free technology takes off, as retailers seek to widen self-service shopping options, reduce friction and enable a more convenient shopping experience. https://t.co/lyTO4EWPA4 #retailtech #selfservice pic.twitter.com/2TSv3y3rMP
— RBR (@RBRLondon) June 22, 2021

55% of UK adults will interact with brands more through digital and virtual channels than face to face post-pandemic, according to new research from Nuance.

£1.4 billion and £3.3 billion…The quick commerce channel, which delivers food and groceries to consumers in less than one hour and often sub-30 minutes, is currently worth £1.4 billion, according to a new report from IGD.

This also reveals that the estimated size of the opportunity will grow to £3.3 billion in the UK alone.

76% of global consumers believe that brands need to do more to protect their data privacy, according to research by Trūata.

2 million…Buy now pay later specialist Clearpay has reached two million active customers in the UK.

2,000…Albertsons Companies has teamed with DoorDash to offer on-demand grocery delivery from nearly 2,000 Albertsons banner stores across the US, including Safeway, Vons and Jewel-Osco, via the DoorDash marketplace app.

Albertsons x DoorDash = $5000 worth of fresh groceries! 🥩🍎🍞🥦

Play IN THE BAG to see how much savings you can pack into 1-hour. 1 grand prize: $5000 DoorDash gift card.
— DoorDash (@DoorDash) June 21, 2021

11…Tesco has expanded its Whoosh one-hour delivery service to London and Bristol.

The grocery giant launched a pilot last month from a single store in Wolverhampton.

It is now adding a further 11 Express locations in the aforementioned cities. Chief Executive Ken Murphy said the trial had provided Tesco with “some very interesting data”.

$195 million and $3.7 billion…GOAT Group, a US-based marketplace for authentic sneakers, apparel, and accessories, has closed a Series F funding round of $195 million, and notched up a valuation of $3.7 billion.

£10 million…Sports Direct has reopened its London Oxford Street flagship store, following a £10 million retail tech centric makeover.

The retailer says that the 50,000 sq. ft location will host the most LED, digital and interactive technology on Oxford Street.

$12.5 million…Browze, an online marketplace for curated lifestyle products, has raised $12.5 million in Series A funding.

The round was led by Valor Siren Ventures and distributed in two parts, first $7.5 million in 2020, followed by an extension of $5 million that closed recently. It takes Browze’s total funding to date to $13.5 million.