Last week’s retail technology deals at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments, initiatives and pilots from the past seven days, including New Look, Watsons, Shopbop and SPAR International.

Alnatura, an organic supermarket chain based in Germany, has implemented Blue Yonder’s space and floor planning solution. 

Bitcoin rewards startup Lolli has announced a tie up with online fashion retailer Shopbop.

It’s now possible to earn up to 5.5% Bitcoin back when shopping on ShopBop with Lolli.

Amazon Web Services is working with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to upgrade its technology infrastructure and develop and deliver new guest services across its 21 brands, including Days Inn, La Quinta, Microtel, Ramada, Super 8, and Wyndham. 

This is part of Wyndham’s multi-year digital transformation and investment in technology that aims to automate hotel reservations, support its franchisees by helping simplify operations, and enhance the guest experience across properties globally.

Kiwibot has partnered with food services and facilities management giant Sodexo to bring its robots to US college campuses. 

Students and faculty at New Mexico State University, Loyola Marymount University and Gonzaga University now have the option to order fresh meals via robots from Sodexo serviced locations on campuses.

It’s a welcome boost for Kiwibot, whose main competitor, Starship Technologies, has made more than 1.5 million autonomous deliveries around the world, and operates in many college campuses.

Talk of the devil…Starship Technologies is to begin an autonomous delivery service on four additional US college campuses: University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), University of Kentucky (UK), University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach, FL campus. 

Fuse has partnered with Joules to provide a central hub for employee learning, culture and community.

Perfitly, a VR/AR and AI powered virtual fitting room solution for online retailers, has partnered with Otero Menswear, a brand catering to men with heights between 5’4” – 5’10”. 

French fashion retailer, The Kooples, says that it has increased employee engagement, utilising frontline staff expertise to inform product design, and exceeded compliance and customer satisfaction targets in partnership with Yoobic.

New Look has selected Kibo’s Kibo Personalization solution as it looks to scale its testing and personalisation programme. 

The retailer is planning to implement a conversion rate optimisation programme with Kibo across key channels.

There will be a special focus on improved agility, more flexible testing and experimentation (utilising features like dynamic testing), advanced customer segmentation, analytics and insights, and out-of-the-box integrations with partners like Contentsquare.

Asian health and beauty brand, Watsons, has launched its artificial intelligence powered Foundation Finder tool in its mobile app for Watsons Hong Kong and Malaysia customers.

This will also later be rolled out to other Asian markets including the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

SPAR International has partnered with Naveo Commerce to roll-out a customisable e-commerce solution to SPAR country organisations and retailers. 

E-commerce out of home delivery and returns venture, InPost, has announced deployment of its 2,000th automated parcel machine - or locker unit - in the UK.

IRI SalesOut has announced a partnership with pub retailer and brewer Greene King.

As a result, using IRI SalesOut’s Unify platform, food and drink manufacturers will for the first time have access to sales data for Greene King’s independent free trade business (known as ‘Brewing and Brands’), giving them the opportunity to understand how their products, categories and competitors are performing.

Russian consumer electronics retailer, M.Video-Eldorado Group, has rolled out an artificial intelligence powered in-store video analytics solution. 

This was developed in-house by the company’s data office.

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