2022 RTIH Innovation Awards: Most Innovative UK Retailer shortlist announced

B&Q, Boots, Currys, and Tesco are among the nominees in the Most Innovative UK Retailer category at the 2022 RTIH Innovation Awards.

Who has been the UK’s most innovative, customer focused retailer this year?

Judges are asked to look at the tech deployments, pilots etc from each retailer and decide which one has been the most consistently forward thinking and customer centric in 2022.

2022 shortlist as follows:

B&Q

B&Q is at the forefront of cutting-edge 3D visualisation, planning, and design technology. In 2022, it announced the largest and most comprehensive roll-out of 3D home improvement design experiences in the market today.

The retailer didn’t just deploy an app or service. It designed and deployed an entire 3D strategy that aligns with changing consumer behaviour.

It lays claim to being the first retailer to move away from an incumbent software solution that the industry has been using since the 1980s to a single SaaS-based kitchen design platform for consumers and stores alike.

The benefit is a comprehensive and seamless kitchen design experience that puts customers at the centre. The initiative also includes a 3D kitchen, bathroom, and storage planner with virtual reality capabilities in addition to a series of mobile 3D product configurations.

Boots UK & Ireland

Boots UK has implemented Recite Me assistive and language support technology across its online store.

Director of E-commerce at Boots.com Paula Bobbett says: “We know that shopping online or in-store isn’t as easy as it should be for everyone.”

“Hence why we’ve launched Recite Me to make it easier for people to navigate our site in the way that works best for them. We have also worked on a Boots best practice guide for our suppliers to ensure they also have this front of mind.”

Beauty essentials and healthcare products from Boots can now be found on Uber Eats, offering rapid delivery to customers’ doors.

The retailer has kicked off a pilot in 14 of its stores around the UK, with 13 of those giving people within range access to third-party doorstep delivery of its products for the very first time.

Uber Eats customers within range of participating Boots stores can choose from more than 900 products, including toiletries, medicines for minor ailments, food and drink options, and beauty and gifting options.

Boots UK and Ireland this year held its first ever Virtual Store Day with 30 leaders each shadowing four different areas of the retailer’s digital team to find out what it takes to keep the online store running every day.

In a LinkedIn post, Rich Corbridge, CIO at Boots UK & Ireland, said: “A brilliant day with the Boots UK digital team, our biggest ‘store’ having their own Stores Day where a multi-disciplinary team worked with every part of the digital team to understand how we can come together to make the journey smooth for every customer and patient.

Currys

Currys has gone live with a more connected service across all of its channels that, the technology retailer says, will “provide personalised journeys and customer insights on a massive scale”.

Over the last 16 months, Currys has embarked on a mission to transform into a “best in class, digital first omnichannel retailer”.

This has seen it re-platform and upgrade its website, enhance its ShopLive service (a video commerce channel), as well as deliver a new Colleague Hub in all of its UK stores.

The latter enables its frontline staff to gain visibility of the customer from the moment they step into a store.

This includes the online customer history, a log of all their interactions, and any items they’ve put in their online shopping cart, all displayed in real-time.

It also acts as a one stop shop for store colleagues with fast access to knowledge articles, and tasks so they can support each customer.

Marks and Spencer

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 was developed using a combination of photography, CGI and computer vision.

Mira was created in collaboration with Happy Finish.

M&S has launched its first dedicated live shoppable Christmas series on M&S.com which will feature guest presenters covering a different theme each week, including dressing the home for Christmas, great value gifting and a what to wear guide.

The show streams live every Thursday at 6pm.

M&S first entered this space in January to give customers the opportunity to join a shoppable live broadcast, hear more about a product range and pose live questions to an expert.

Marks & Spencer's Chief Executive, Stuart Machin, is working on a blueprint to ramp up the retailer’s Ocado food delivery operation.

He is embarking on a review to improve the service, with the aim of making the business more efficient and spurring growth, according to a report by The Mail On Sunday.

M&S is looking to increase its share of the UK's food spending in stores and online by more than 25%. Hannah Gibson, the new boss of the Ocado Retail venture, is spearheading the review.

At present, 75% of the M&S food range is offered through Ocado. Plans are afoot to increase that closer to 100% in the coming months.

An ‘insider’ told The Mail On Sunday that Machin aims to grow Ocado Retail over the next five years to achieve 'a market leading national position in online food retailing and a brilliant showcase for the M&S brand and range'.

He is pushing for 700,000 orders a week, up from 367,000 at the end of the last financial year in March.

In October, M&S hosted its sixth hackathon, with 18 teams of over 270 colleagues from across the business coming together to develop digital and data solutions to real life situations in a 24 hour period.

The retailer tweeted: “It was our biggest hackathon yet, helping cement a culture of innovation across the entire business!”

Tesco

Tesco says it is the first retailer to launch a zero-emission electric lorry to make deliveries from its distribution centres to stores in city centres.

The first of these vehicles, made by Renault Trucks, is now delivering to more than 400 stores in Greater London, with further electric lorries entering service in the coming months.

Tesco has announced an expansion of its GetGo autonomous stores trial, with Chiswell Street Express opening recently in central London.

There will also be another location in London and one in Birmingham, allowing customers to shop and pay without scanning a product or using a checkout.

Like Chiswell Street, these will also offer the option of using a self-service or attended checkout if preferred.

The sites in Fulham Reach Express in Parrs Way, London, and Aston University Express in Aston, Birmingham are due to open over the next few months.

Tesco launched its first GetGo store in High Holborn in October 2021, which will continue to offer a purely checkout-free model.

Shoppers need to download the Tesco app and select the GetGo option. They can then walk in and pick their shopping, before scanning their app as they walk out.

Continuing Tesco's partnership with Trigo, a combination of cameras and weight sensors will establish what customers have picked up and charge them for products directly through the app when they leave the store.

Last mile delivery specialist, Stuart, said that it was delivering more than 90% of Tesco online shopping orders in less than 30 minutes.

Following the launch of the grocery giant’s Whoosh service, which aims to get orders to customers in under 60 minutes, Tesco has been working with Stuart to refine and perfect ultra rapid grocery deliveries from store.

Whoosh and Stuart have delivered increased numbers of orders to customers in less than half an hour from ordering, and 99% of all orders have been delivered within a one-hour time promise.

The Very Group

The Very Group has enhanced clearance and markdown pricing efficiency and profitability with DemandTec's Autonomous Markdowns.

It initially focused on a pilot project, setting out to measure the impact of markdown optimisation on select categories. The pricing team received recommended markdown plans that enabled them to optimally balance goals of achieving financial targets as well as sell-through objectives.

AI powered, ‘what if’ scenarios supported quick decision-making to ensure they marked down the right items, at the right time, at the optimal markdown depth.

And the winner is…

It’s now over to our judging panel to decide the winner, who will be revealed at an exclusive event in central London on Tuesday, 6th December.

If you’re interested in attending this networking/roundtable discussion/three course Christmas themed meal event, please fill out the form at the end of this article and we’ll get back to you asap.

RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, says: “Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, so it is great to recognise standout examples through our awards.”

“Thanks to all those who have entered the 2022 event. We received a record number of submissions and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.”

“I’m now looking forward to deciding the winners with our judging panel and announcing them at our central London event in December.”

2022 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel as follows:

Warren Richmond, CEO and Founder, Situ Live and Revium Group

Mike Cadden, Technology and Business Transformation Director, Start-Rite Shoes

Peter Waugh, Digital & Data Director, Compass Group

Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital Officer, Boots

Dan Saunders, Retail E-commerce Manager, Stanley Black & Decker

Martin Newman, Founder, The Customer First Group

Toby Pickard, Global Insight Leader, IGD

Matt Taylor, Technology Transformation Leader at EY, Retail and Consumer Products

Amodini Chhabra, Investor, Compass Digital Ventures

Gary Newbury, Supply Chain Advisor and Delivery Executive

Sharon Peters, Head of Technology - Corporate Functions, Marks & Spencer

Nadine Neatrour, Marketing Director, Selfridges

Wizz Selvey, CEO, WIZZ&CO

Simon Curtis, Chief Commercial Officer, PMC Retail

David Polinchock, Co-Founder/President, Unified Brand Experience Lab

FOURTH TIME AROUND

Now into their fourth year, the RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by PMC, 3D Cloud by Marxent, CADS, FreedomPay, and Critzr, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.