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 Amazon, Ikea, Primark, and Sainsbury’s.
1. Primark preps childrenswear Click and Collect trial
Primark is gearing up to test out a Click & Collect service on children's products in some UK stores.
Owner Associated British Foods (ABF) said the move builds on the launch of a new website earlier this year.
Primark believes Click & Collect has the potential to drive footfall from both existing and new customers to deliver incremental sales in-store.
The trial will take place in up to 25 stores in the northwest of England, starting later this year.
The service will build to offer customers some 2,000 options across clothing, accessories and lifestyle products, which will cater for a broad range of family needs from furnishing a nursery to clothing children of all ages.
Around 40% of these options will be exclusive to Click & Collect.
Orders will be processed and dispatched to store from a dedicated UK distribution centre.
2. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announces Doug Herrington as Worldwide Stores boss
Doug Herrington has been appointed as the new CEO of Amazon’s Worldwide Stores business (formerly known as Consumer).
He has been at Amazon for 17 years, joining the company in 2005 to build out the Consumables business, launching Amazon Fresh in 2007, and in 2015, taking on leading all of the North American Consumer business.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says: “I remain very optimistic about our Stores business, and believe we’re still in the early days of what’s possible.”
He adds: “It’s worth remembering that Amazon currently only represents about 1% of the worldwide retail market segment share, and 85% of that worldwide market segment share still resides in physical stores.”
“If you believe that equation will change over time (which I do), there’s a lot of potential for us as we continue to be laser focused on providing the best customer experience (broadest selection, low prices, fast and convenient delivery) while working on our cost structure to have the right long-term business.”
3. Gopuff named as instant delivery partner for London’s The O2 arena
Quick commerce big hitter Gopuff has announced a tie up with The O2 arena in London.
It has been named as the O2’s Principal Partner and Official Grocery, Food and Beverage Delivery Partner.
Through the multi-year deal, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, Gopuff will deliver food and other essential items within the venue, as well as offering unique VIP experiences, access to tickets, and so on.
Fans visiting the venue can now bypass concession lines through Click and Collect services in the O2 app powered by Gopuff.
A competition for customers across the UK will kick off the partnership, with the opportunity to win seats in the latter’s VIP suite.
Gopuff will also provide its service to the artists who perform at The O2 whilst they’re onsite.
4. Sainsbury’s extends Newlife clothing returns tie up to all UK stores
Following a trial, Sainsbury’s is rolling out its partnership with UK charity Newlife to all supermarkets.
Newlife focuses on recycling, reprocessing, and reusing clothing to support 1.1 million disabled and terminally ill children in the UK.
Since Sainsbury’s partnership with the charity first began in 2019, the retailer has donated 65.5 tonnes of unsellable clothing returns and faulty garments.
With the partnership now rolling out across all UK stores, any of Sainsbury’s Tu clothing range that is not fit for resale in store will be recycled or resold by Newlife to help fund its work and support Sainsbury’s commitments within its sustainability strategy, Plan for Better.
5. Ikea Kreativ AI powered experience enables "lifelike" room designs
Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, has launched a new artificial intelligence driven digital home design experience, Ikea Kreativ.
This offers customers a “lifelike, fully integrated way” to design and visualise their own living spaces, via their computers and smartphones.
Ikea Kreativ taps the latest developments in spatial computing, machine learning and 3D mixed reality technologies.
Its core technology was developed by Silicon Valley AI specialists, Geomagical Labs, which Ingka Group acquired in April 2020.
6. Amazon Fresh store opens in Sevenoaks, Kent, powered by Just Walk Out tech
The UK’s first Amazon Fresh checkout-free store situated outside of London opened this week in Sevenoaks, Kent.
Located in the former Baby Gap outlet in Bligh's Meadow, this will be open 7am-11pm, Monday-Sunday.
Like its London counterparts, it is powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
To shop, customers scan the QR code from their Amazon app, buy what they need, and walk out.
Amazon Fresh stores offer the likes of the e-commerce giant’s private food brand ‘by Amazon’.
They also feature an Amazon Hub counter where customers can pick up or return items purchased on Amazon.co,uk.
