RTIH runs through this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Web3 partnerships, robot and drone deliveries, and low environmental impact stores.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company has announced the six companies that will be joining the 2022 Disney Accelerator.
This year's class is focused on building the future of immersive experiences and specialises in technologies such as augmented reality, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and artificial intelligence characters.
The Disney Accelerator kicks off this week. Over the course of the programme, each participant company will receive guidance from Disney's senior leadership team, as well as a dedicated executive mentor.
It will conclude with a Demo Day during the autumn at The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA.
Hot Topic
Toonstar has become the official Web3 partner for Hot Topic.
It will be the US retailer’s preferred Web3 provider to produce NFTs and other digital activations for both original projects and Hot Topic developed IP.
Hot Topic will officially launch the relationship at Comic-Con on 21st July with an exclusive opportunity for The Hot Topic HT Fanatics community to have a cameo in an upcoming episode of The Gimmicks, a Web3 animated series that Toonstar co-produces with actress Mila Kunis’ digital studio Sixth Wall.
Burberry
Farfetch
Online luxury marketplace Farfetch is revamping its Dream Assembly initiative after a two-year hiatus to focus solely on Web3 in partnership with European VC firm Outlier Ventures.
Dream Assembly Base Camp will provide a cohort of Web3 startups in the luxury fashion and lifestyle sectors with mentorship, networking, and support.
The remote 12-week programme will be tailored to each startup and will focus on digital fashion, tokenized loyalty, immersive experiences, and the creator economy.
Participating companies will gain access to Farfetch and Outlier Ventures’ network of mentors from the fashion, technology and Web3 industries, as well as investors, to support their future fundraising efforts.
Co-op
Co-op and Starship Technologies have partnered with North Northamptonshire Council to roll-out autonomous grocery delivery to residents across Wellingborough, Higham Ferrers and Rushden in Northamptonshire.
The service starts this week and the partnership will see up to 45,000 residents in 33,000 households able to access on-demand delivery from four Co-op stores located in Olympic Way and, Northern Way, Wellingborough; Grangeway, Rushden and High Street, Higham Ferrers.
Studenac Market and Wolt
Studenac Market, Croatia’s largest retailer by number of stores, has teamed up with Wolt, a European delivery platform, to launch dark stores offering grocery products.
Studenac will provide the products and equipment, while Wolt will take responsibility for logistics and delivery.
The first dark stores will be opened in the Adriatic coast city of Split in late July, and in Croatia’s capital Zagreb in early August. Users will be able to order products via Wolt, and the latter will provide delivery in 30 minutes or less.
Amazon
Kyle Field, home of the Texas A&M Aggies, is set to become the first collegiate venue in the world to open stores equipped with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and the Amazon One palm recognition and payment service.
Three checkout-free stores are slated to open this autumn so fans can use them during the college football season.
They will be able to insert their credit card at the entry gate or hover their palm over an Amazon One device to enter.
Just Walk Out technology determines what items shoppers take from or return to the shelves, and when they leave, the credit card they inserted or linked to their Amazon One ID will be charged for the items they took, with no checkout required.
Amazon (again!)
A new Dash Cart is coming to select Whole Foods Market locations this year, with the aim of making in-store shopping frictionless and more convenient by eliminating the need to stand in checkout lines or unload and reload items at self-checkout stations.
Morrisons
DPD and Bonnet
Public electric vehicle charging app Bonnet has announced a partnership with parcel delivery company DPD.
The tie up will provide DPD’s EV drivers in the UK with access to 32,000 charge point locations through Bonnet’s app.
Boots UK
Boots UK is working on drone deliveries, featuring temperature controlled storage, with Apian.
The latter is a startup working with the NHS on delivery capability in harder to reach areas.
The Boots UK tie up kicked off last week, with flights between Southampton and the Isle of Wight to ensure critical time sensitive patient needs are being met on the island.
ASICS
Sports company ASICS has hired conversational AI software tool Amelia as a digital service agent.
ASICS says that it will be able to boost its customer experience by enabling 24/7 omnichannel support, as well as reducing the time employees spend on repetitive and mundane issues.
Apotek Hjärtat
Swedish pharmacy Apotek Hjärtat is partnering with GreyOrange to develop automation solutions for its new 20,000 square metre e-commerce warehouse that will open in September in Norrköping.
Zapp and Certific
On-demand delivery firm Zapp has announced a partnership with Certific to bring its medical diagnostics products directly to the patient.
Customers can now order testing kits for UTI and STI screening (including gonorrhoea and chlamydia) via Zapp.
They will get results and diagnosis for STIs within 24 to 48 hours (via Royal Mail), as well as results and diagnosis for UTIs in 60 minutes, without the need for a medical centre visit.
Certific’s service can be accessed through an application with guided screening, which, it says, reduces inaccurate results, diagnosis, and the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics.
