The six biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the biggest stories from the past five days, including Getir, Gorillas, Grubhub, Starship Technologies, TikTok, and Amazon.
1. Getir to acquire rapid delivery rival Gorillas: Here’s why it had to happen
Quick commerce big hitter, Getir, is in advanced talks to buy rival Gorillas, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The proposed deal would be a mix of cash and equity.
The Bloomberg article notes that, “the combination would give Getir, which is backed by Mubadala Investment Co. and Sequoia Capital, scale in key European markets, including the UK and Germany.”
“Gorillas, which last raised funds at a $3 billion valuation a year ago, has been exploring options after investors became more cautious on the money losing industry. Representatives for Getir and Gorillas declined to comment."
2. Grubhub and Starship Technologies bring robot deliveries to US colleges
Grubhub and Starship Technologies are teaming up to provide robot delivery services on college campuses across the United States.
The service is currently available at the University of Kentucky, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Wayne State University, Southern Methodist University and Fairfield University, and will be rolled out at multiple other college campuses later this year.
3. Is TikTok about to go big on e-commerce in the USA?
TikTok appears to be stepping up its e-commerce push with plans to operate its own warehouses in the US.
In the past two weeks, the social media giant has posted several job listings on LinkedIn looking for candidates to help it develop and grow its Fulfilment by TikTok Sho, in the US to accommodate sellers using its app.
According to the listings, TikTok plans to provide warehousing, delivery and item return options to sellers.
In another listing for a position in Seattle, the company refers to an e-commerce team and team member who will be responsible for building a global warehousing network.
“The e-commerce industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and has become a hotly contested space amongst leading Internet companies, and its future growth cannot be underestimated,” it says.
“With millions of loyal users globally, we believe TikTok is an ideal platform to deliver a brand new and better e-commerce experience to our users.”
4. 7-Eleven launches store operations, CX innovation challenge
Convenience retailer 7-Eleven is teaming up with retail and consumer investment and innovation firm, True, to find innovative ways to simplify store operations in the US and Canada.
The pair are hoping to find innovators and businesses that can free up time for 7-Eleven associates so they can focus on the customer and provide excellent service.
5. River Island taps Scandit smart data capture solution
River Island is working with Scandit as part of its plans to modernise store operations.
The UK high street fashion retailer has issued each store associate a Scandit enabled Samsung Galaxy XCover rugged smartphone, equipped with Microsoft Teams, to replace shared hardware-based scanning devices.
It says that the Scandit Smart Data Capture platform unlocks a range of functionalities for it to improve workflows, introduce new services and empower store associates to uplift the overall customer experience.
6. Amazon pulls plug on Scout delivery robot programme
Amazon’s Scout robot package delivery days are over.
The e-commerce giant has shut down field testing and is "reorienting" the programme.
The Scout team has been disbanded, with most of its 400 members being offered new positions within the company
So farewell, then, Scout, it was, erm, real.
