February: RTIH's top ten coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his stand out ‘future of retail’ systems deployments from last month, including the metaverse, Ikea’s 3D printed Swedish meatballs, checkout free stores, and NFT marketplaces.
Ikea
As part of a Taste the Future campaign, Ikea is on the hunt for data and technology talent across Europe, to fill key roles in the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland.
And the retailer is inviting people for a job interview over experimental 3D printed Swedish meatballs.
“We are at the start of a journey to embrace data and technology to become more affordable, accessible and sustainable in an omnichannel environment,” says Inter Ikea Group CIO Pascal Pauwels.
“Naturally people with imagination will play a big role in that quest. So here we’re looking for people who want to create a better everyday life with us. This campaign is a great way to start the conversation.”
boohoo
Online fashion retailer boohoo has teamed up with entrepreneur and realty TV star Paris Hilton for her virtual Fashion Week, which will be held in Paris World (an island built in Roblox).
boohoo has worked with MilkMoney, a marketplace for out-of-home (OOH) media buying, to secure billboard inventory.
It is the first brand to advertise in the metaverse during Fashion Week, pitched as “a natural and strategic next step for the brand”.
Shein
Fast fashion giant Shein has hosted a virtual runway show (dubbed #Sheinforall).
The livestream initiative, which took place via Shein’s mobile app as well as its YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook channels, featured models from around the world, showcasing the retailer’s spring/summer 2022 collection.
The event tapped use green screen technology to bring the catwalk to life, with the aim of celebrating body inclusivity and diversity.
Flutter Entertainment
Ireland’s first completely frictionless store, Market x Flutter, officially opened this month at Flutter Entertainment’s newly renovated global headquarters in Clonskeagh, Dublin.
Compass Group UK & Ireland, part of foodservice business Compass Group, developed the store for Flutter, using AI powered computer vision technology from AiFi. allowing shoppers to purchase items without having to wait in line or stop to scan or pay.
It stocks fresh meals, including a selection of hot and chilled dishes to-go, as well as drinks and confectionery.
Dickies
Dickies reports a 94% increase in conversions since implementing 3DLOOK’s AI powered size and fit recommendations widget on Alibaba Group’s Tmall global platform in China.
The workwear and apparel brand was also able to drive up satisfaction rates and its Net Promoter Score (NPS).
PrettyLittleThing
Fashion retailer, PrettyLittleThing, has entered the metaverse with the introduction of its first ever digital model.
‘’As a reactive brand we have always listened to our customers’ requests to provide them with innovative and progressive content,” says a PrettyLittleThing spokesperson.
“Virtual Girl bridges the gap between the metaverse and real life, where for the first time, our customers can discover products showcased by the latest addition to our model/influencer family.”
Asda
Asda is trialling an automated age verification solution at self-checkouts.
As the result of a partnership with NCR and Yoti, customers at the UK grocery retailer’s Pudsey and Stevenage stores can use privacy preserving age estimation technology when purchasing alcohol, which works via a camera in the self-checkout screen.
Evergreen
A2Z Smart Technologies Corp. is deploying its Cust2Mate smart carts as part of a pilot with Evergreen, a US-based supermarket chain with locations in New York and New Jersey.
The pilot has begun at Evergreen's Monsey, New York location.
A2Z's Cust2Mate solution recognises every purchased item and enables in-cart payment so that shoppers skip lines, while also allowing grocers to direct people to discounted products and in-store promotions.
GameStop
Video game retailer GameStop is partnering with blockchain startup Immutable to launch a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace later this year.
This will enable gamers to buy, sell and trade in-game assets.
Immutable X is a layer-2 scaling solution for NFTs on Ethereum, and GameStop will be using its liquidity platform.
The two companies have also set up a $100 million grant fund to support developers who will launch their gaming NFT projects on the marketplace.
Grubhub and Buyk
US-based Grubhub is bringing rapid grocery delivery to its online marketplace via a partnership with Buyk.
The latter was founded by Slava Bocharov and Rodion Shishkov. The pair also co-founded Samokat, Russia’s largest grocery delivery company, in 2018 before selling their stake to fund Buyk.
Fulfillment and delivery of orders will be handled by Buyk, and customers will be able to order from more than 30 initial participating locations in New York City and Chicago in the coming weeks.
Approximately 2,000 grocery and convenience items from local and national vendors, as well as Buyk’s own private label products, will be available for purchase and delivery in 15 minutes or less.
