Last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Featuring Amazon Fashion, Asda, Forever 21, Woolworths, Co-op and Microsoft.
UK big four supermarket Asda is set to deploy Salesforce technology as it looks to give “a 360-degree view of its customers, providing personalised and tailored experiences that will revolutionise the consumer grocery experience”.
Leveraging Salesforce’s full retail suite, including Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud, Asda says it will create a cloud first environment that “gives its 18 million customers one connected and consistent experience across every channel and device, no matter where or how they choose to interact with the brand”.
The initiative comes as the business separates from Walmart.
Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company, Lindt & Sprüngli, has renewed a multi-year partnership with IRI.
It will now expand its services with IRI as it moves to Liquid Data, an integrated Big Data and insights platform.
UK luxury goods retailer, Smythson of Bond Street, has announced a partnership with omnichannel customer engagement specialist Emarsys.
Co-op and Microsoft, supported by technology consultancy BJSS and Team ITG, have created Caboodle, a not for profit digital platform that enables UK supermarkets, cafés and restaurants to connect with community groups and volunteers to redistribute surplus food.
This is built on Microsoft’s Power Platform technology.
The platform, which is being tested out in Co-op's food stores in Northern Ireland, Milton Keynes and London, goes live next month across a further 2,500 food stores.
Amazon Fashion has launched Virtual Try-On for Shoes, an interactive mobile service that uses augmented reality to help customers visualise how a pair of shoes will look on themselves.
Gweilo Beer and SALT Beer Factory are putting their beer in the hands of their UK consumers through NFTs.
The pair have teamed up with blockchain technology platform, Polygon, to create “an immersive community initiative for beer lovers and the NFT curious. The very first NFT beer that is designed by people, to be enjoyed by people.”
The brew is set to evolve every six months, with each new set of winners collaborating with the breweries to design the next flavour and can design. One winner will also receive a share in the revenues.
Perfect Corp. has partnered with Italian beauty brand Bakel to introduce a new AI Skin Analysis solution to its online customers.
This detects hydration levels and helps consumers to easily identify problematic areas on their skin.
In-store digital engagement solutions firm, M-Cube, has worked on Dolce&Gabbana Casa’s latest project, with the opening of its first boutique dedicated to interior design at Corso Venezia 7 and at Via Durini 23 in Milan.
M-Cube has collaborated on the store’s design at the Corso Venezia 7 location by designing and installing an immersive room. This recreates the fashion house’s four themes: Leopard, the Sicilian Cart, Zebra, and Mediterranean Blue.
Fashion retailer, Forever 21, has announced a collaboration with Mattel’s Barbie brand.
A new limited edition collection includes a range of vintage style apparel items, swim, sleepwear, beauty, and accessories as well as home décor, inspired by the Barbie DreamHouse.
This will be simultaneously available in-store, online, and in the Forever 21 Shop City experience on Roblox.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is gearing up to launch two DIVR Labs ‘arenas’ with a 285 sqm outpost at Westfield Mall of Scandinavia in Stockholm and a 330 sqm location Westfield London.
Featuring original story-based experiences ranging from family friendly escapades to fantasy and science-fiction adventures, DIVR Labs puts groups of up to four people into a series of shared virtual reality experiences that, through its hardware, includes wireless streaming in 5K resolution and multi-sensory feedback through wind, heat and vibration.
3D Cloud by Marxent has announced the roll-out of a new kitchen design automation feature for enterprise home improvement retailers.
"Kitchen design hasn't changed much over the past 20 years. It is still a time consuming process that can take several in-person design sessions and go on for weeks," says Beck Besecker, 3D Cloud by Marxent's CEO and Co-Founder.
"It's a slow, manual process that can leave both designers and their clients frustrated."
"After watching both kitchen design pros and consumers struggle through the painstaking process of laying out cabinets, we tasked ourselves to make designing a kitchen as simple as applying an Instagram filter. The new instant, one click design feature delivers on this vision."
Sensei has launched what is pitched as “the first ever autonomous cabinet, revolutionising the vending machine and bringing ultra convenience to consumers in offices, stations, universities, gyms and more”.
The AI powered solution will allow customers to hold and have an up close look at products before buying them.
The cabinet door can be opened with the tap of a card or the Sensei app and, after choosing the products they want, customers will automatically be charged for what they decide to keep.
Cameras and intelligent shelves in the cabinet recognise products and ensure receipts are accurate.
Woolworths, in partnership with Tiliter, is introducing new artificial intelligence powered scales in produce aisles at stores across Australia.
Shoppers place their loose produce on the scales which display the weight of the product on the screen - instead of waiting until they’re at the checkout for an accurate reading.
The technology is currently being tested across a handful of stores nationwide.
It is expected to be rolled out across the entire network of more than 1,000 Woolworths supermarkets.
Fluid Commerce has launched a progressive web app (PWA) for new home furnishing brand Daily Furniture.
The was built for Daily Furniture, a subsidiary of wholesale company Arca Living, using PWA Studio from Adobe Commerce.
