August: retail technology deals and deployments at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from August, including Best Buy, Pizza Hut, Target, Amazon, Walmart and Urban Outfitters.
Checkpoint Systems has announced a new three-year RFID solutions partnership with Dutch fashion retailer Scotch & Soda.
Scotch & Soda, which operates 166 stores in more than 70 countries, has been using Checkpoint Systems' clothing labels for more than 10 years.
The latter will now tag, on average, 10 million of its garments with RFID labels per year.
Farfetch has marked the launch of pre-order collections on its e-commerce platform by partnering with fashion startup DRESSX to digitally dress its global community of influencers and produce virtual editorial shoots, for the first time ever.
Following the introduction of Simbe Robotics’ autonomous robot Tally in select stores, Schnuck Markets has announced a multi-year, full scale roll-out at 111 locations across the US.
It says that this makes it the first grocer in the world to utilise AI powered inventory management technology at scale.
German drugstore chain Müller is expanding its partnership with RELEX Solutions to include replenishment of its four distribution centres in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, and Spain.
Urban Outfitters is set to launch a marketplace for secondhand goods.
Nuuly Thrift, which was built in house, will be available as an iPhone app later this year.
It will be a sister platform to Urban Outfitters’ subscription rental programme, Nuuly Rent, and will allow customers to sell and buy items from any brand, not just in-house products.
US startup Lolli has announced a partnership with ticket marketplace StubHub.
This gives people the ability to earn up to 6% Bitcoin back on tickets for the likes of sporting events, theatre, and concerts.
StubHub joins 1,000+ other retailers offering Bitcoin rewards with Lolli, including Microsoft, Sephora, Kroger, and Best Buy.
Target plans to open four new sortation centres this autumn in the Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Lawrenceville, Georgia markets, the retailer has announced.
Removing the sortation process from the backroom and stores and moving it to a dedicated facility will help free up space and time within retail locations, it says.
The centres, which are powered by technology from Grand Junction and Deliv, will get deliveries from stores and sort them for delivery partners like Shipt.
Amazon is partnering with Affirm for its first ever buy now, pay later option on the e-commerce site.
This is now available to certain Amazon customers in the US, with a broader roll-out set for the coming months. The tie up will let people split purchases of $50 or more into smaller, monthly instalments.
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.
Walmart has launched a white label service, Walmart GoLocal, that uses its logistics network to deliver products for other retailers.
“In an era where customers have come to expect speed and reliability, it’s more important than ever for businesses to work with a service provider that understands a merchant’s needs,” says John Furner, President and CEO, Walmart U.S.
“We have spent years building and scaling commerce capabilities that support our network of more than 4,700 stores and we look forward to helping other businesses have access to the same reliable, quality and low cost services.”
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.
Best Buy has signed on to Criteo’s retail media platform.
Advertisers can use the cross retailer, self-service offering to reach BestBuy.com and BestBuy.ca shoppers in the US and Canada, via sponsored products.
Contentsquare has announced a partnership with Pizza Hut involving customer experiences across the retailer’s digital channels.
The Digital Ventures team at Pizza Hut has leveraged Contentsquare’s customer behaviour insights to learn how consumers interact with certain areas of their website.
Since adopting the platform, the team says that it has identified several opportunities to drive experimentation, tailor personalisation, and optimise customer journeys across the site.
