The six biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Prime Day 2022, Currys, Walmart, and Co-op.
1. Amazon Prime Air preps drone deliveries in Lockeford, California
The 3,500 residents of Lockeford, a rural San Joaquin County town in California, will be among the first to have drones deliver their Amazon Prime packages.
“Lockeford residents will play an important role in defining the future,” Amazon said in an online post.
“Their feedback about Prime Air, with drones delivering packages in their backyards, will help us create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere, while adding another innovation milestone to the town’s aviation history.”
2. Co-op expands age estimation technology trial with Diebold Nixdorf and Yoti
Co-op has extended its trial of age estimation technology into five of its stores in partnership with Diebold Nixdorf and Yoti.
The pilot – which is not facial recognition and does not retain or store images – now sees Co-op testing out Vynamic Smart Vision I Age Verification, a new Diebold Nixdorf solution that uses Yoti’s age estimation technology, in five of its Manchester stores, including one located within its Customer Support Centre where it first tested the tech last November.
The trial runs until the end of June and forms part of the UK Home Office Digital ID Sandbox, which provides an opportunity for industry and retail to test innovative approaches to age estimation.
3. Amazon Prime Day 2022 set for 12th and 13th July
Amazon’s annual Prime Day event is back.
The 48-hour shopping extravaganza kicks off on 12th July at 3 a.m. EDT and runs through to 13th July for Prime members in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the UK, the US, and for the first time ever in Poland and Sweden.
Later this summer, Prime Day deals events will be held in India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Egypt for the first time.
4. Checkout-free shopping booms as physical retail undergoes unprecedented change
Checkout-free stores are now live in 20 countries across the world, according to research from RBR.
The number of stores across the world using checkout-free technology increased threefold during 2021 to over 250.
In most cases this is installed within the physical infrastructure of the store, tracking customers as they move around the store. Other retailers have deployed smart carts for larger basket sizes, which have the technology fitted to the carts themselves.
Amazon has the largest number of checkout-free stores globally, mostly in the USA and the UK, with plans for expansion in these markets and others. These locations use its Just Walk Out solution, although other retailers are also using the firm's technology, including travel convenience store chain Hudson.
5. Linnworks and Payoneer support Walmart drive to recruit UK sellers to US marketplace
Walmart has begun a push to bring UK exporters to its US Walmart Marketplace, an online offering where third-party sellers serve a base of more than 120 million shoppers each month.
Approved sellers will be offered the services of a dedicated onboarding team, as well as access to tools and services to help them rapidly scale up across the Atlantic.
Walmart will host a UK Sellers Summit in London on 17th June, with the support of PayTech firm Payoneer and Linnworks, a commerce automation platform.
Leading manufacturers and exporters from various sectors, ranging from fashion, home and kitchen to sporting goods, beauty and entertainment, have been invited to attend.
6. Currys taps Salesforce technology for omnichannel transformation push
UK technology and electrical retailer, Currys, is leveraging Salesforce solutions to support its omnichannel transformation plans.
Andy Gamble, Chief Information Officer at Currys, says: “Our omnichannel transformation makes it easier for customers to shop and gives every customer the benefit of both our online and in-store experiences.”
“The Salesforce platform drives improved personalisation. This enables our customers to choose, afford and enjoy technology, wherever and whenever they choose to shop. This has enabled us to lead technology retail in the UK.”
