RTIH brings you the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Walmart, Waitrose, Pinterest, AiFi, Amazon, and QuikTrip.
5…Sixes Social Cricket, an immersive cricketing experience, has launched a new flagship venue in Westfield London, marking the business’ fifth such opening since its inception in 2020.
This is Sixes’ largest venue to date and follows launches in Fulham, Fitzrovia, Manchester and Birmingham.
With capacity for 250 people, it will comprise of five large batting nets complete with the brand’s technology, an outdoor terrace and a brand new look and feel.
The core Sixes offering remains the same, allowing visitors to eat, drink, and bat in batting nets available to hire by the hour to test their cricket skills with friends and family.
The company has a further 30 venues in the pipeline to open in the UK and overseas, with one expected to arrive in the United States later this year.
$98, $12.95 and $4.99…Walmart+ will soon be available for members with a Paramount+ Essential subscription at no extra cost.
This starts in September.
Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month. In the US, Paramount+ Essential clocks in at $4.99/month.
The move by Walmart is intended to make its service, which launched in September 2020, more competitive with Amazon Prime.
67% of marketers are investing in more engaging in-store experiences to attract people back to the high street, according to research from M-Cube.
1…Japan’s Cainz Corporation, a home improvement chain with 230 stores, has announced a new autonomous location, called Cainz Mobile Store, on the first floor of its HQ in Honjo City, Saitama.
The computer vision technology implemented into the store, powered by US-based AiFi, will allow customers to shop for Cainz brand household products and snack items without having to go through a cash register or self-checkout.
This will open in the near future and may expand to other locations in the future.
100…The squeeze on stores, which is putting pressure on bricks and mortar estates to perform more digital roles and support e-commerce operations, is accelerating UK retailers’ investment in digitalising their physical locations, with autonomous, replenishment and contact free capabilities becoming prioritised on tech roadmaps, according to research from Pricer, involving 100 companies.
1…Pinterest has launched Waitrose’s latest campaign on its platform, showcasing its “colourful variety in food choices for this year’s summer dishes”.
Raising awareness of its “high quality products and everyday food range”, the retailer is looking to inspire Pinners to prepare tasty meals, utilising Pinterest’s immersive ad format, the Pin Extension, for the first time.
Waitrose’s campaign features an interactive look book allowing Pinners to select from one of four different summer food options including dishes from around the world ‘World Eating’, dishes ‘Made for Sharing’, ‘Perfect Picnics’ and ‘Brilliant BBQs’.
They will then be shown a selection of dishes and recipes, including tips and tricks on how to perfect each one, with a shopping list specifically for that recipe that the user can have to hand ahead of their next grocery shop.
3…3D Cloud by Marxent, a specialist in 3D e-commerce for furniture and home improvement, has announced a partnership with design company MillerKnoll.
The pair are launching a new, code free system for building and maintaining consumer facing, web-based 3D product configurators for furniture e-commerce, powered by 3D Cloud.
Earlier this year, 3D product configurators built with the app were launched in select Herman Miller retail stores.
These are now available via the Herman Miller contract website in the US and are expected to roll-out to the firm’s websites serving consumers and international markets in mid-2023.
Interior designers and trade professionals now have the ability to customise designs such as the Aeron chair in real-time and then buy their final configuration online.
The apps allow shoppers to visualise every possible combination, get accurate pricing as they design, download images at any stage in the process, and share them with friends and family.
1…US convenience retailer, QuikTrip, has opened a store in Tulsa powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. This is its first venture into the checkout-free space.
Those visiting the new location (in the BOK Tower at One Williams Center) will be able to insert their credit card at the entry gate to enter, shop like normal, and then leave.
Just Walk Out technology determines what items shoppers take from or return to the shelves, and when they leave, the credit card they inserted will be charged for the items they took.
