Retail Technology Innovation Hub rounds up the key retail systems related Covid-19 developments from last week, including Marks and Spencer, Verizon, Alibaba Group, Verizon and Specsavers.

A new research report has revealed the innovative new ways retailers are using RFID technology in-store to improve profitability.

Verizon has partnered with UK digital technology innovation centre, Digital Catapult, to launch a 5G immersive retail accelerator initiative.

The aim is to help brands, including Burberry, Diageo and L’Oréal UK & Ireland, explore how 5G enabled solutions can solve real world challenges.

Such concepts include experimentation of the in-store experience, out of store experience, digital product visualisation and virtual events such as fashion shows and product showcases.

Alibaba Group Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang has predicted the rise of a new generation of digitally native consumer brands, where designers tap data analytics to meet changing consumer trends.

Alibaba Group Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang predicts the rise of a new generation of digitally native consumer brands, where designers use data analytics to meet changing consumer trends. https://t.co/qVa1FtQqEM
— Alibaba Group (@AlibabaGroup) June 25, 2021

The Wizarding World (aka the official home of Harry Potter) has partnered with Amazon spin off Audible to offer Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for free until the end of July.

The audiobook is now available to stream free on Alexa by saying, “Alexa, read Harry Potter Book One.”

The initiative is part of a Harry Potter Reading Magic campaign which sees the Wizarding World operating as a free digital hub throughout the school summer holidays.

Go Instore and Appointedd have teamed with Marks and Spencer to launch M&S Video Expert, a live video offering designed to recreate in-store beauty and furniture services for online customers.

This is operated by colleagues at M&S White City in London. The service taps Go Instore’s live video tech and Appointedd’s online booking and scheduling platform.

A key feature is M&S staff being able to deliver interactive StoreStream live sessions on the retailer’s website, which allows an unlimited number of customers to join a live stream broadcast to learn more about products as they are browsing.

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.

Many fashion retailers didn’t have the technology foundation in place to capitalise on the coronavirus powered e-commerce boom over the past year, according to research from Hitachi Solutions and K3 Technologies.

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.

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

Card Factory has appointed Danielle Young as Head of IT Service.

Specsavers is working with Accenture as it looks to improve its technology capabilities.

This builds on an existing relationship between the pair and calls for Accenture, working with Microsoft, to modernise Specsavers’ legacy IT architecture with cloud, intelligent automation and security solutions.