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 Ocado, Farfetch, Checkout.com, Iceland, Dixons Carphone and Pets at Home.

Dixons Carphone is introducing hybrid working at its North Acton, London HQ as it makes plans for a post-Covid world.

Global EPoS shipments fell to 1.7 million last year, the lowest level since 2010, according to research from RBR.

However, advanced PoS technology continues to play a key role in retailers’ operations and a gradual recovery is expected.

Instacart has announced plans to offer automated fulfilment as a service to grocers in North America, and it has inked a multi-year deal with Fabric as part of the initiative.

The service will combine Fabric’s software and robotics with Instacart’s proprietary technology and gig shoppers for fulfilment inside dedicated warehouses and existing retailer locations.

Instacart plans to kick off early stage concept pilots in partnership with grocery retail partners over the coming year. This is the company’s first move beyond its legacy store-based fulfilment offering.

Iceland Managing Director Richard Walker has called on the UK government to take urgent action and add supermarket store workers to its Covid quarantine rules exemption list.

The food supply chain only works if teams are in place at each stage – no point in fixing the manufacturing & logistics issues if there is no one to put products on the shelves & serve customers.

We need the Govt to take urgent action and add store workers to the exemption list.
— Richard Walker (@icelandrichard) July 23, 2021

17,000 local high street stores could open in the next 12 months as British shoppers adapt to a post-lockdown world by looking local, according to research from Barclays Corporate Banking.

Online grocery venture, British Corner Shop, has opened a new warehouse in the Netherlands after Brexit caused a surge in demand across Europe.

The 125,000 sq ft unit is the company’s first European warehouse and is set to serve as a distribution centre for customers across Europe and beyond. 

Incubeta has expanded its UK partnership with Marks and Spencer to deliver its programmatic display and paid social channels.

E-commerce startup Fabric has landed a $100 million investment.

This comes just five months after it raised a $43 million Series A round. The four-year-old company says revenue has grown more than 800% year-over-year, with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating e-commerce adoption.

Covid-19 restrictions have lead to the birth of a new type of consumer – the fusion shopper, according to research from DS Smith.

They are splitting their time across bricks and mortar, online, and Click & Collect, leaving retailers and brands under huge pressure to keep up.

The UK ranks third in the world, behind the US and China, for its number of tech businesses valued above $10 billion, according to research from Tech Nation.

The former has doubled its number of companies (aka decacorns) at this stage in six months alone, with seven companies reaching $10 billion valuations in 2021: Revolut, Wise, Arrival, eToro, Checkout.com, Farfetch, and Ocado.

New @Kantar_UKI data is out! @Ocado Retail gains share as it continues to be the fastest growing grocer in the UK against a backdrop of YOY decline in the grocery market.
⬆️ 🛒 #GroceryMarketShare pic.twitter.com/W9W8gDF67o
— Luke Jensen (@LukeJensenOcado) July 21, 2021

Berlin-based startup, Choco, which has built ordering software for restaurants and their suppliers, has raised $100 million in Series B funding.

There was a major jump in the number of mobile payment users in 2020, powered by the coronavirus outbreak.

According to eMarketer research, last year, for the first time, total mobile payment users worldwide (those who had made a purchase at least once in the prior six months) surpassed one trillion.

Pets at Home has launched a one hour Click & Collect service, powered by an order management solution (OMS) from OneStock.

79% of high street retailers are planning to implement more technology solutions this year as bosses rely more than ever on insights from their data, according to research from Fourth.

The closure of pubs and other hospitality venues during lockdown has directly impacted the UK’s wellbeing with younger adults the worst affected, according to research from the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD).