RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Klarna, Amazon, Marks and Spencer, Twitter, Asos, and the 2022 RTIH Innovation Awards.
$140 billion…London saw record levels of venture capital investment in the digital shopping space during 2021, according to Klarna sponsored research from London & Partners and Dealroom.co.
Global VC investment into digital shopping more than doubled in 2021 following a significant consumer shift to e-commerce platforms amid the Covid pandemic, with a total of $140 billion raised in 2021, up from $68 billion in 2020.
British firms bagged $7 billion in 2021, over double the total amount raised in 2020 ($3 billion).
The UK was the top ranked European country for venture capital investment into digital shopping in 2021, and fourth globally behind China, India and the United States.
London was a driving force behind UK investment growth, with a record $5 billion raised by digital shopping companies based in the capital.
It also ranked fourth on the global stage, behind San Francisco, New York and Bengaluru.
24 million and 14 million…Marks and Spencer has launched its first ever Sparks TV advert as the retailer looks to encourage shoppers to get the most from its mobile app.
The ad made its debut on Friday last week.
M&S says that over the weekend c.24 million people saw it across TV, social and digital channels.
The aim is to get customers to download the app in order to experience the best of the brand, “for queue-less shopping, Click and Collect, free treats and everything else that makes Sparks so amazing.”
This is part of a wider push for Sparks, which relaunched in July 2020 and has more than doubled in size, with 14 million+ members now onboard.
17...Amazon has opened an Amazon Fresh store in Kensington, London, powered by its Just Walk Out technology.
Located at 138 Kensington High Street, this is the 17th such location in the UK, lining up alongside the likes of Southwark, Camden, Ealing, White City Canary Wharf and Holborn Chancery Lane.
To shop, customers scan the QR code from their Amazon app, buy what they need, and walk out.
50…Entries are now open for the Lightning 50, a list of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the UK.
Brightpearl, which provides retail operations solutions for the likes of Puma, Holland Cooper and Shopify, is launching the search to celebrate UK e-tailers which have grown the most during the past 12 months.
Companies are being invited to register to be in for a chance of inclusion in the final list. They can enter here and entries close on 12th August.
$10 million…Chipmaking giant Nvidia is investing $10 million in Uber spin off Serve Robotics.
The startup will use the cash to expand its sidewalk delivery robot service outside Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The investment is part of a strategic technology collaboration that aims to further the development of autonomous robotics.
58% of UK consumers are more likely to shop with a supermarket that is actively reducing its food waste, with a quarter saying they are ‘much more likely’, according to a new report from RFID solutions specialist Checkpoint Systems.
$100 million…Swiftly has announced a $100 million Series B funding round led by Wormhole Capital.
4…The fourth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards will open for entries in early April.
The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
We received a record number of submissions in 2021, and winners included Metapack, Asda, Carrefour UAE, Situ Live, Starbucks, Oracle, Go Instore and Halla.
Winners and highly commended companies were announced on Wednesday, 8th December at an exclusive roundtable discussion/networking event in central London.
For 2022, we will be introducing new categories and expanding the physical event in December, further details on which will be revealed in the near future.
54…Nisa Retail has increased the number of stores participating in a UK roll-out of Jisp’s Scan & Save technology, bringing the total to 54.
Scan & Save’s in-store digital voucher redemption system allows customers to save money on branded products by scanning barcodes with the Jisp app.
Retailers also earn 2p every time a customer taps an augmented reality voucher, along with a further 4p for every redemption.
70% of Brits would welcome checkout-free shopping, according to new research from Sensei.
$3.6 million…Popchew, a New York-based startup which operates the rails for people to build, launch, and grow digitally native food brands across the US in a matter of weeks, has raised $3.6 million in seed funding.
47% and 65%…Retailers could be risking lost long-term loyalty if their sustainability efforts aren’t genuine, according to research from Retail Technology Show, which takes place in London next month.
A survey of over 2,000 UK shoppers showed that 47% already actively buy more from brands they perceive to be sustainable, rising to 65% of Gen Z demographics.
50…Twitter is beta testing a new mobile first feature called Twitter Shops, which will allow merchants to showcase up to 50 curated products on their profiles.
