RTIH runs through this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail systems’ deployments from the past week, including NFC enabled product experiences, smart carts, Bitcoin rewards, and checkout-free stores.
Lowe’s
At Google I/O 2022 this week, Lowe’s unveiled Infinite Kitchen, created in partnership with Google using its new Immersive Stream platform.
This helps its customers create personalised kitchen designs and visualise the results in real-time wherever they are, all from their mobile device.
Lowe’s is the first retailer to use Immersive Stream for XR. This, according to a press release, is “a building block that makes high fidelity, real-time XR experiences available to almost anyone, no state-of-the-art phone required.”
Clinique
Consumers purchasing a limited edition of Clinique's Moisture Surge 100H moisturiser can access a range of digital content by tapping an NFC chip in the product’s packaging with their smartphone.
Purchasers can find out what dehydrators may be affecting their skin, get advice from Clinique’s experts plus take a selfie and then share with others.
The cream is available exclusively in Boots in the UK and in 35 markets globally.
Clinique partnered with SharpEnd on the initiative.
Yochananof
Yochananof, an Israeli supermarket chain, has placed a follow on order for an aggregate of 1,000 Cust2Mate smart carts, after an initial roll-out in stores.
Shake Shack
Lolli users can now earn free Bitcoin rewards at Shake Shack when they shop with the former’s new Card Boost feature.
In an online post, Lolli says: “Just link any debit or credit card on the Lolli app for iOS and activate a Shake Shack Card Boost before heading to Shake Shack to make a purchase.”
“You'll get an email within a few hours of making a purchase letting you know that your rewards have been processed and are on their way to your Lolli wallet. This is what Bitcoin adoption looks like.”
Starbucks
A £1 million Bring It Back Fund launched this week by Hubbub in partnership with Starbucks aims to increase reuse and remove barriers to reusable packaging in the food and beverage industry.
The aim is to enable innovative new ideas for systems that make it easier for customers to use alternatives to single-use packaging.
The Bring It Back Fund will support pilot projects that help shift people’s habits through behaviour change, incentives, research projects, new technology, innovative applications of existing technology, expansion of existing successful reuse systems, or developing entirely new service models.
Up to five projects will each receive grants of between £150,000-£300,000 for a year. Applications close on 24th June.
Gorillas and The East London Liquor Company
On-demand delivery service, Gorillas, and The East London Liquor Company (ELLC) have teamed up to create a new canned cocktail in aid of War Child UK.
The Rum and Cherry Drop cocktail will support children living in conflict, via War Child’s music-based community funding movement, The Right To Dance.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market’s High Street Kensington, London store has unveiled a new window display to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
This marks the start of a competition where 70 winners will “take home some of the highest quality, on-trend, best of British products Whole Foods Market has to offer”.
69 people will win a selection of Platinum Picnic goodies in the prize draw, and the 70th customer will bag the entire window display, worth more than £300.
To enter, you need to visit the Whole Foods Market High Street Kensington store and scan the QR code.
The competition will be running until 2nd June.
AiFi
AiFi has enabled autonomous shopping for racing fans at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
The event took place from 6th-8th May at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States.
It was the first edition of the Miami Grand Prix and the fifth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
Bilka Odense
Ten robots are helping Bilka Odense shop floor stuff with physical and time consuming Click and Collect tasks.
This is the result of a collaboration between the Danish supermarket retailer and startup Coalescent Mobile Robotics (CMR).
Amazon
It’s official! Sevenoaks in Kent will host the UK’s first Amazon Fresh checkout-free store outside of London.
On Sunday, we reported on rumours that this would be situated in the former Baby Gap outlet in Bligh's Meadow.
Council planning documents, we noted, showed that permission had been granted for both interior and exterior work on the site.
And job listings had also been posted for retail associates at a Sevenoaks store powered by Just Walk Out technology.
Now an Amazon spokesperson has told RTIH: “We’re delighted to serve customers in the Sevenoaks area and look forward to opening more stores in the future.”
