Rapid delivery blues and Black Friday trends: November’s most clicked RTIH retail technology articles

These are the RTIH retail systems articles that caught your fancy during November, including Just Eat, Getir, Amazon, Instacart, RELEX Solutions, Giant Tiger, Shopify, Muffato, and Sensei.

Just Eat and Getir agree European rapid grocery delivery tie up

Just Eat Takeaway.com is partnering with rapid delivery company Getir across Europe.

As part of this, the latter’s entire product portfolio will be integrated into Just Eat Takeaway.com's marketplace and will be delivered directly by Getir couriers.

The partnership will kick off in Germany this week, with approximately 2.000 items ready for customers to buy online from all Getir stores, through Lieferando’s app and website.

It will be rolled out to other European markets including the UK, Spain, Italy and France, in the coming weeks.

2022 RTIH Innovation Awards: shortlists announced, winners revealed in December

During October, we were busy announcing the shortlists for the 2022 RTIH Innovation Awards. And towards the end of the month, we were pleased to bring them all together in one place.

Check them out here.

Amazon is gunning for Instacart’s grocery delivery business. Here’s why

The Save Mart Companies has launched two-hour grocery delivery in California’s Central Valley in partnership with Amazon.

It is initially offering the service at stores under its Save Mart banner in Lathrop and Ceres, California, and has plans to make it available at additional locations in the region.

This is one of those small stories that have big implications, according to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon exec.

Top five grocery retail trends to watch out for heading into 2023

As retailers head into 2023, the industry must face many challenges, such as keeping stores and warehouses staffed in what many fear is a foundational readjustment in the labour market.

With the food industry constantly evolving, the future of grocery retail is at the mercy of global trends such as inflation and labour shortages, according to Mikko Kärkkäinen, CEO and co-founder, RELEX Solutions.

“The future of the food and grocery sector is uncertain with external forces set to rock the boat,” says Karkkainen.

“Increased inflation, supply chain issues and labour shortages, to name are few, have shifted the power dynamics across the industry. After attending Grocery Shop 2022, our team at RELEX has identified the top trends grocery retailers should be aware of heading into 2023”.

L’Oréal opts for payfree and Avery Dennison tech at German pop-up store

L’Oréal has deployed grab and go technology from payfree in a pop-up store in Düsseldorf, Germany.

It is also using RFID tags from Avery Dennison. Customers pass their shopping bag with beauty products through a u shaped scanning unit at the exit.

The payfree Bag Fast Track solution automatically identifies the items in the shopping bag because a RFID tag is attached to eachj one. Customers then pay via contactless using a card or digital wallet.

Muffato and Sensei partner on Brazil's first autonomous supermarket

Sensei reports that Muffato has adopted its AI platform for what is pitched as Brazil's first autonomous supermarket.

The Muffato Go store, which is situated in Curitiba, Paraná, comes without queues, self-scanning or any form of physical checkout, and is the first deployment of Portugal-based Sensei's technology outside of Europe.

Shoppers download Muffato’s app, which generates a QR code that enables them to enter the store, pick up their items and leave.

A network of sensors provides the input Sensei's AI needs to keep track of the items each customer selects and returns throughout the 250 square metre location.

Giant Tiger rips out online retail technology stack, replaces with Shopify Plus

Canadian discount store chain, Giant Tiger, has launched a new website and an end to end tech stack replacement.

In a LinkedIn post, Simon Rodrigue, SVP & Chief Digital Officer at Giant Tiger, said: “Excited to be working with Shopify on the Shopify Plus platform building out an experience to help Canadians save with a smile.”

He added: “Thanks to all of the teams at Giant Tiger, our lead development partners at Diff and our technology partners at Algolia, Contentful, Segment, ShipHero, Akeneo, Sitation, 6 River Systems, Alumworks, Noibu, Yotpo, Klaviyo, Gorgias, Plobal Apps - it takes a powerful team, dedicated to a cause to make it happen.”

In a Twitter post, Aaron Rubin, Founder and CEO at ShipHero, described the project as “the biggest Shopify ecosystem news you haven’t heard”.

Patchworks raids BigCommerce to bring in Jim Herbert as CEO

E-commerce integration provider, Patchworks, has appointed Jim Herbert, as Chief Executive Officer.

Herbert joins from his position as SVP and General Manager EMEA at BigCommerce.

Patchworks works with over 200 e-commerce brands in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia including Huel, Gymshark, and Lounge Underwear.

Rapid grocery delivery firms struggle as funding stagnates and cost-of-living crisis escalates

NTT DATA has conducted analysis on the rapid grocery delivery space, the long-term financial viability of which has always been in question, the company believes.

Last year, various startups were receiving heavy investment from VCs, and 12 months on, it appears their days are numbers, with consumer use dwindling, according to NTT DATA.

Shopify research - Brits open to new experiences this Black Friday, Cyber Monday

The Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday Report has revealed how consumers plan to buy differently this holiday season.

The study of more than 2,000 consumers and 1,000 SMBs in the UK - which is part of a global research programme surveying 24,000 consumers and 9,000 businesses in 12 countries -  shows a shift away from “stack them high, sell them cheap” towards high quality, durable products.

It also highlights how customers want to stay connected to the brands they love, even if they’re not currently in a position to buy.