Last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Featuring Marks and Spencer, Woolworths Group, Ocado, Walmart, and happy nation.
M&S
M&S has announced an expansion to its Insider programme with the arrival of five new Insiders – one of which is a virtual persona named Mira (aka Marks & Spencer, Influencer, Reality, Augmented).
This has been developed using a combination of photography, CGI and computer vision.
Mira was created in collaboration with Happy Finish.
Caleres
Caleres, home to brands like Famous Footwear, Allen Edmonds, Vionic, and Sam Edelman, is rolling out Dayforce Wallet, Ceridian’s on demand pay solution, to more than 9,000 full- and part-time employees in the United States and Canada.
This builds on Caleres’ team use of Ceridian’s Dayforce Payroll offering.
C&S Wholesale Grocers
C&S Wholesale Grocers has selected RELEX Solutions to boost its planning processes.
RELEX will help streamline its technical landscape for demand forecasting and automatic replenishment.
Corporación El Rosado
Ecuador’s Corporación El Rosado has become the first in the country to select Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions’ Self Checkout System 7.
It will install 400 units in more than 150 stores.
RaiaDrogasil
Cloud4Wi has been selected by RaiaDrogasil, the largest drugstore company in Latin America in revenue and market capitalisation, to deploy location-based marketing technology across its 2,500 Brazilian stores.
Woolworths Group
Gr4vy has announced a multi-year partnership with Woolworths Group.
Its payment orchestration platform (POP) technology will power Woolworths Group’s Wpay platform.
Walmart
Walmart is joining Premium Payback, a real-time rewards redemption network from FinTech big hitter FIS.
This will give consumers the opportunity to redeem their credit card rewards points for real-time discounts at more than 4,700 Walmart stores across the US.
Those using eligible cards will be prompted at checkout with the option to turn their card rewards currency into discounts, which will be deducted from their purchase amount.
VMLY&R
WPP brand and experience agency VMLY&R is launching The Home of Connected Brands.
Located in London at WPP’s Sea Containers campus, this is an immersive experience space that taps cutting edge technologies, and behavioural and cultural insights to help brands experiment where they show up in people’s lives, both digitally and physically.
It includes the likes of holographic store catalogues, Whispering Windows softly transmitting brand messages, and Microsoft’s Seeing AI technology helping the visually impaired to hear spoken product information.
Ocado
Ocado has entered a multi-year partnership with Centrical that aims to boost staff engagement and improve the frontline, back office and support employee experience.
Disney
Disney Music Group and e-commerce platform Obsess have announced the launch of a Disney Music Emporium virtual experience.
This gives people an online way to discover, listen to, learn about and purchase soundtracks and songs from Disney’s catalogue.
Obsess is a participant in the 2022 Disney Accelerator, a programme focused on innovative companies from around the world.
happy nation
happy nation, a digital apparel and accessories brand for tweens from Victoria’s Secret & Co., has launched an immersive gaming integration in Livetopia on Roblox.
Developed in collaboration with SuperAwesome, Color It You is centred around the brand’s values of “community and expressing individuality” and features a donation component to Undies for Everyone, where it will donate one pair of undies per player (up to 14,000 pairs) to children living in poverty or crisis.
Zippin
Zippin has hit one million shoppers served worldwide at one of its 73 checkout free stores operated by partners including Levy, Aramark Sports + Entertainment, and Delaware North.
Krishna Motukuri, CEO and Co-founder, Zippin, tweeted: “This is one of those "pinch me" moments for us.”
“Even at the beginning of 2022, we didn't think it would happen this quickly. Now we are looking at crossing two million shoppers served in less than four months! A big thank you to all of our partners for making this possible.”
United Natural Foods
North American grocery wholesaler United Natural Foods has announced an agreement with Cornerstone for Natural to brings its Smart Shelf Tag programme to UNFI’s suppliers and retailers.
Smart Shelf Tags contain ELi QR Codes, pitched as an enhanced, more secure version of a QR code, which can be scanned to provide shoppers with additional product information and content on their mobile phones without requiring an app.
Samsung KX and Outsiders
Samsung KX has collaborated with Outsiders, an outdoor and equipment specialist, to bring to life The Freestyle in a camping set-up under Snow Peaks’ ‘Land Station’ tent in the middle of Coal Drops Yard, London.
The outdoor retail display, which was live until 23rd October, showcased a real life camping scenario, dressed with camping products.
As part of this, a series of short films were presented and screened via The Freestyle by the Outsiders store where Samsung ambassadors were on hand to demonstrate the capabilities of the projector.
People also had the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary coffee after at the nearby Samsung KX experience space where they could continue their shopping experience.
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