Check out RTIH’s most popular retail technology articles on LinkedIn
Here at RTIH, we’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. These are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Amazon, Co-op, Uber Eats, Boots, Deliveroo, and Myplanet.
Uber Eats and Co-op agree rapid online delivery tie up
Co-op and Uber Eats have teamed-up as part of the convenience retailer’s plans to expand its on-demand online home delivery service.
Through the partnership, shoppers will be able to order via the Uber Eats app from around 1,000 Co-op food stores by the end of the year, with groceries delivered in as little as 30 minutes.
With the phased roll-out underway from this week, customers can use the Uber Eats app to choose from over 6,000 products stocked in local Co-op stores.
With products picked fresh in local stores, the service is available for a full grocery shop as well as on-demand top-up and forgotten items, meal ideas and treats for evenings in at home.
Boots expands Deliveroo tie up following 14 store trial
Boots has expanded its partnership with Deliveroo to 125 stores across the UK.
Customers will now have access, via the Deliveroo app, to an expanded range of 750 products delivered to their door in minutes, following a 14 store trial.
Boots is now available via Deliveroo for the first time to customers in cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Bristol, Sheffield, Coventry, Plymouth, Exeter, Middlesbrough, York, Aberdeen and Inverness.
More stores are also offering the service in existing regions, including London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Edinburgh.
Amazon halts Just Walk Out tech powered checkout-free stores push
Amazon has put the brakes on the expansion of its UK checkout-free convenience stores, due to sales falling short of expectations and fit out costs being multiple times higher than with a standard location.
According to a report by The Sunday Times, the US giant is understood to have walked away from talks on dozens of sites for Amazon Fresh stores, and has stopped its search for more locations.
There will still be a handful of openings this year at sites where Amazon had already committed to a lease.
Amazon’s physical stores strategy is in flux. Here’s why
The above mentioned Amazon Fresh checkout-free stores UK slowdown is part of a larger movement, observes Celia Van Wickel, Senior Director, Digital Commerce at Kantar.
Composable commerce firm Myplanet bags $11m in funding
Composable commerce specialist, Myplanet, has received $11 million in funding from Tercera.
It will use the cash for the likes of deepening its MACH Alliance partnerships, and doubling the size of its global talent base.
MillerKnoll and 3D Cloud by Marxent agree 3D product configuration tech tie up
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.
The configurators 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.
SPAR taps VisionR shopper analytics technology
Dublin based startup VisionR has announced an agreement with SPAR to leverage in-store, shopper driven insights across its retail network in 48 countries.
With a plug-in solution, VisionR’s Scout technology uses computer vision and machine learning to turn real-world shopper experiences into reliable online data that retailers can access through VisionR’s app.
Scout breaks shoppers down anonymously into footfall, shopping groups, shopper profile, shop duration, product engagement, penetration, and spend.
Using this information, retailers can then make informed decisions about marketing, sales, and operations.
AiFi launches first autonomous store in Japan with Cainz Corporation
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.
Lily AI announces $25 million Series B funding round
Lily AI has closed a $25 million Series B financing round with participation from the likes of Canaan Partners, Conductive Ventures, Sorenson Ventures and NEA.
The company has developed an AI powered platform that connects a retailer’s or brand’s shoppers with products they might be looking to buy.
With clients including Bloomingdale’s, The Gap, Macy’s, and thredUP, it will use the new funding to further expand into mid-market retail e-commerce brands across home, beauty and fashion.
The company also plans to extend its solution to further applications within the retail stack.
Sook preps new pop-up spaces in Leeds, Birmingham and Southampton
UK-based pop-up space operator, Sook, will open three new spaces in Leeds, Birmingham and Southampton on 9th September.
It is working on this with Hammerson and RivingtonHark at Leeds Victoria Gate, Birmingham’s Bullring and Grand Central, and Southampton’s Westquay.
The company says that the openings have been driven by a huge demand from online only companies looking for flexible retail space to drive brand awareness and meet their customers in person.
