The retail technology space during the coronavirus pandemic
Retail Technology Innovation Hub rounds up the key retail systems related Covid-19 developments from last week, including Sainsbury’s, Casino Group and AO.
American luggage and handbag design brand Vera Bradley has selected Reflexis Appointments, enabling customers to select an in-person or virtual shopping session.
The solution also helps stores stay in compliance with evolving state and municipal mandates throughout the pandemic.
Customers can book time slots on Vera’s website to shop in-store or virtually from home, schedule curbside pickup and join on-site queues for walk-in service.
Food shoppers are starting to return to pre-pandemic habits, according to Sainsbury’s.
Online demand has fallen from peak levels as people venture back in to stores.
However, e-commerce sales are way above pre-pandemic levels. Sainsbury's reported that 18% of its sales are online, compared with 8% in 2019-20.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive at J Sainsbury, said: “Our colleagues are doing a brilliant job of giving great customer service and continuing to adapt as restrictions ease and shopping habits change.”
“Over the coming months we expect to see customer shopping patterns normalise further and we are well set up to serve them however they want to shop.”
Overall UK footfall levels in June saw little improvement on the previous month, although retail parks and shopping centres experienced an uptick, according to research from the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic IQ.
Total footfall decreased by 27.6% in June (Yo2Y), with a 0.1 percentage point improvement from May.
Footfall is down on pre-pandemic levels, as the public are making more purposeful shopping trips, with less browsing and more buying.
With most overseas holidays on hold, many Brits have sought out-of-town escapes while foreign tourist numbers have fallen. This appears to have helped footfall in smaller towns and cities.
PayPoint has announced a £6.6 million investment in the Snappy Group home delivery business.
Location tech company what3words has entered into a staycation focused partnership with Airbnb.
The aim is to make it easier for people who want to take advantage of a sharp rise in staycation bookings as coronavirus restrictions are phased out, such as those based in remote locations in the Scottish lowlands or around any one of the UK’s 15 national parks.
La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, PROCAM, Fabergé, KEF and Aftershock PC Australia are among the brands onboard with new buy now, pay later offering, Splitit InStore.
This brings Splitit’s instalment payments to in-store retail locations worldwide, and also includes Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Retail sales associate can initiate it for those people making larger value purchases, such as home furnishings, jewellery, luxury retail and sporting goods.
Casino Group has announced a digital strategy acceleration partnership with Accenture and Google Cloud.
The aim here is to enhance the retailer’s customer experience and operational capabilities through the development and implementation of data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning based solutions.
It is also looking to support the growth of its B2B activities, in particular RelevanC, the Group's retail media property, with technological and commercial back up from the partners.
imageHOLDERS has unveiled its first gesture controlled touchless kiosk in response to the Covid pandemic.
UK consumers’ interest in sustainable products has risen significantly, according to research from EY.
The company surveyed 1,000 people and found that 28% have increased their purchase of sustainable products over the course of the coronavirus outbreak and a third plan to do so this after the pandemic.
However, there are barriers that stop consumers from shopping more sustainably, including high prices, confusion around product quality, and lack of trust in green credentials.
Online electricals retailer AO has teamed up with Tech Returners to welcome several employees to its tech department, including data engineers and software developers.
A Return To Tech programme from Tech Returners is aimed at those looking to return to the industry after a career break.
Item rental marketplace Fat Llama is launching a new enterprise platform, allowing retail partners, including John Lewis and Sofology, to lend their products to customers.
During an eight week trial, Fat Llama Enterprise enabled John Lewis to sell out its entire rental inventory in the first 48 hours. The tie up allowed customers to rent the likes of bedside tables, beds, shelving units and cabinets.
The partnership with Sofology, meanwhile, for its Loop initiative, allows customers to rent the brand’s new Virtue range of sofas, armchairs and footstools.
2020 saw a record year of investment in self-checkout technology, with shipments increasing by 25% globally, according to research from RBR.
The Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated retailers’ investment in this area, helping reduce close interaction between customers and store associates.
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