Last month’s retail technology deals and roll-outs at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from May, including Best Buy Canada, Amazon, M&S, Mars, Woolworths Group and Carrefour UAE.

Best Buy Canada has placed an order to deploy Pricer’s electronic shelf labels (ESL) system in its 129 stores.

Snap has lifted the lid on a virtual try-on partnership with online luxury fashion platform Farfetch.

At the Snap Partner Summit, it brought this to life by featuring three jackets from Off-White, using voice and machine learning powered technology. Shoppers are able to try on outfits and swap them, using just their voices.

Shopping app Jisp has inked a partnership agreement with Nisa Retail to offer its home delivery, Click & Collect and scan and go solutions to almost 4,000 stores nationwide.

Nisa, which is a part of the Co-op Group, will also be integrating with Jisp’s EPoS system to provide retailers with up-to-date products, promotions, prices and stock levels.

We're proud to top the list of #retail technology investments that should be on everyone's radar this week, by @RTIH_RetailTech🥳

Excited to continue growing our support for #local stores and communities thanks to our latest partnership with @NisaRetail!https://t.co/NsOTvVJMP7
— Jisp (@jispapp) May 21, 2021

Amazon has opened an Amazon Fresh location in Canary Wharf, London.

It’s the fourth such convenience store to feature Just Walk Out Shopping tech in the UK, which was pioneered at the Amazon Go offering in the States.

The other three are in Ealing, Wembley Park and White City.

M&S has been working with Blue Yonder as part of its plans to reduce costs and improve stock flow by revamping its supply chain.

And the latter has now completed implementation of its demand and fulfilment capabilities through the cloud-based Luminate Planning portfolio built on Microsoft Azure.

Mars is to leverage the Microsoft Azure platform to optimise its operational speed and manufacturing supply chains.

It will incorporate Microsoft’s data, AI, and digital technologies across its global portfolio of confectionery, pet care, pet services and food businesses.

We stand behind our belief that #TomorrowStartsToday. That’s why we’ve teamed up with @Microsoft to put data, digital, and AI at the center of our business, because #Innovation drives change for the better. https://t.co/WihDDOPByL
— Mars, Incorporated (@MarsGlobal) May 13, 2021

Turkish retailer Migros Ticaret has worked with Asis Automation to develop a robot product picking assistant called Taro.

The aim is to accelerate the picking of online and curbside grocery orders.

Taro can also be used to speed up the replenishment of shelves as well as in dark stores, warehouses and large fulfilment centres.

Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in the UAE, has opened a new store at the DXB airport in Dubai.

This features self-checkout, electronic shelf labels, smart checkout, and mobile scan and go.

Not to be outdone by Amazon and Walmart, The Kroger Co. has teamed with Drone Express, part of TELEGRID Technologies, for a pilot involving grocery delivery via autonomous drones.

Anything, anytime, anywhere – and now by drone. Read more about our new partnership with Drone Express, a division of @Telegrid, to deliver groceries to customers via autonomous drones. https://t.co/V9jyKhReWX pic.twitter.com/avz7FQ3Jk1
— Kroger News (@KrogerNews) May 3, 2021

Costa Coffee has teamed with US startup Starship Technologies to launch robot coffee delivery in Milton Keynes.

Market America Worldwide, owner of e-commerce site SHOP.COM, has partnered with buy now, pay later venture Sezzle.

Sezzle’s platform, enabling people to pay in four instalments over six weeks with zero interest, will be made available to US consumers through SHOP.COM and to all US UnFranchise owners through the UnFranchise.com website beginning early summer.

Woolworths Group has announced plans for its first automated customer fulfilment centre (CFC) in Auburn, New South Wales as it looks to better serve the online grocery needs of Western Sydney customers.

If approved by the NSW Government, the retailer will build the facility in partnership with Knapp, whose automation technology will help personal shoppers pick and dispatch up to 50,000 deliveries a week.

Coles Group has partnered with RELEX Solutions on a project involving end-to-end supply chain planning for fresh produce categories as well as its long-term inventory planning capabilities.