Top 10: last week’s most popular retail technology articles
These are the RTIH retail systems articles that caught your fancy last week, including Carrefour, AiFi, Argos, Pinterest, American Eagle, Roblox, and Amazon Fresh.
International Women’s Day 2022: 12 female retail technology leaders
To mark IWD 2022, here are 12 women making positive impacts on the retail technology sector via their work at innovative suppliers and leading retailers.
RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List: 100 to 91
The latest edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List has arrived! Here are the people who made a splash in 2021 and are set for a barnstorming 2022.
Big hitters back AiFi as it announces $65m Series B funding round
Checkout-free technology startup AiFi has raised $65 million in a Series B funding round.
Qualcomm and Verizon Communications participated in the round through their venture arms.
Discounter Aldi, German supermarket chain REWE and Polish convenience giant Żabka Group also took part.
The round brings AiFi’s total funding to $80 million, with the cash primarily being used to expand its technical team.
Carrefour taps AiFi tech for new Flash 10/10 convenience store
Carrefour has opened a Flash 10/10 concept store in Paris.
The convenience store – developed in collaboration with US startup AiFi – is pitched as the first of its kind in France, and is located at 11 avenue Parmentier, in the capital’s eleventh arrondissement.
Flash 10/10 ("10 seconds to shop and 10 seconds to pay”) features a shopping journey that does not involve having to scan any products and quick payment.
Customers don't need to take items out of their bags. They can enter and exit the store without having to pass through a gateway. There is no need to download an app or register beforehand. And they can view their total spend in real-time.
Argos teams with Pinterest to launch The Argos Mood Hotel
UK retailer Argos and social media platform Pinterest have announced The Argos Mood Hotel.
Located in Bethnal Green, London, this has been curated using interior design products from Argos, based on the hottest interiors trends emerging from Pinterest Predicts.
Rooms are open to the public from 2nd April to 4th April, with five suites available to book online for complimentary overnight stays.
Registrations open at 6am on 7th March and will close on Friday 1st April. Click here for further details.
American Eagle preps debut on Roblox for Members Always campaign
American Eagle is set to make its Roblox debut to promote a spring Members Always collection that draws on vintage and prep styles and pushes inclusivity messaging.
Headlining the campaign images and video are tennis player, Coco Gauff, actor and musician Joshua Bassett, actors Madelyn Cline, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Michael Evans Behling, and multi-hyphenate mxmtoon.
The retailer has partnered with Livetopia, a role playing game on Roblox, to create a virtual AE Members Always Club that users can explore while hunting for apparel based on the aforementioned collection.
Ten retail technology funding rounds you need to know about
RTIH rounds up the retail tech ventures who have been making waves with major investments, including tabby, Captain Fresh, Swiftly, Serve Robotics, and Nomitri.
Amazon Fresh brings Just Walk Out tech to Kensington, London
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.
Last week’s biggest retail technology deals at a glance
Featuring American Eagle, Boots UK, Walmart, Amazon, Carrefour UAE, Asos, Farmstead and Circle K.
Amazon buys UK retail technology firm Veeqo
Amazon has acquired Veeqo, a Swansea, UK-based company that offers inventory and fulfilment tools for e-commerce sellers.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
It builds on Amazon’s acquisition of Selz last year, which set tongues wagging about the former competing more directly with Shopify in providing e-commerce services regardless of whether sales take place on Amazon.com or elsewhere.
