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 Boxpark, McDonald’s, Decathlon, Tesco, and CoinCorner.
Ottonomy.IO announces seed round and Ottobot 2.0 launch
Autonomous robotics delivery startup Ottonomy.IO has closed a seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.
The round was led by Pi Ventures. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder and CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also participated.
Levy UK+I teams with AiFi on Tap + Go launch at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium
Levy UK + Ireland, the sports and hospitality sector of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has launched Tap + Go for stadia, with Leicester City’s King Power Stadium the first to tap the technology.
Levy UK+ Ireland partnered with autonomous retail firm AiFi for this project.
Match day fans will be able to make food and drink purchases, without having to pay at a till.
They need to tap a payment card upon entry, pick up their items and walk out of the gates onto the concourse, where their card will be automatically charged.
Tap + Go, is operated via AiFi’s AI powered anonymised shopper tracking which recognises the products being selected by customers, before adding them to a virtual basket.
Checkouts will be replaced by the installation of contactless payment terminals connected to digital barriers upon exit.
McDonald’s on Xanax: Boxpark boss Roger Wade blasts self-service kiosks
Roger Wade, CEO and Founder at UK-based retail and food park firm Boxpark, has taken to LinkedIn to criticise McDonald’s and its roll-out of in-store self-service kiosks.
“Does anyone else dislike the kiosks at McDonald’s?” he asked.
“Companies need to prioritise customer service over technology. Technology for technology’s sake!”
He added: “I miss the buzz of face to face customer service, shouting orders and flipping burgers. It’s now replaced by a sterile technological world. McDonald’s on Xanax. The founders would turn in their graves!
Amen to that!
Oxford City Football Club teams with CoinCorner for Bitcoin payments first
Oxford City FC has become the first English National League club to accept match day payments in Bitcoin after entering a multi-year partnership with CoinCorner.
Supporters will be able to purchase tickets, food and drink inside the RAW Charging Stadium with Bitcoin and Lightning, as an alternative to traditional cash and card methods.
The move means payments can also be made using CoinCorner's Bolt Card - pitched as the world's first contactless Bitcoin Lightning card.
To mark the tie up, CoinCorner have produced a limited edition run of Oxford City FC branded Bolt Cards which are available to buy in the club shop.
dunnhumby and VST launch Planogram Publisher following beta test
VST and dunnhumby have announced the launch of Planogram Publisher - software that makes retailer planogram data accessible to CPG brands.
Planogram data has become increasingly complex as retailers provide more differentiation by store, which means tracking what’s actually happening in stores has become almost impossible for brands.
Whilst brands would have previously made numerous store visits to photograph and analyse what’s in-store, the pandemic stopped this time-consuming and difficult process.
Planogram Publisher will make this data available across more than 3,500 UK stores.
July: top 10 most clicked retail technology articles
These are the RTIH retail tech articles that caught your fancy during July, including dunnhumby, VST, Aldi Nord, Trigo, Boots, Getir, Blockbuster, Circ, Żabka Group, and AiFi.
Dafydd Moore takes on Group Director IT Strategy and Architecture role at Halfords
Halfords has appointed Dafydd Moore as Group Director IT Strategy and Architecture.
He joins from Dyson where he held the role of Global Head of IT Strategy Architecture and Innovation.
In a LinkedIn post, Moore said: “After five truly fantastic years at Dyson, I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Group Director IT Strategy and Architecture at Halfords.”
“I am very grateful to all the people I have worked with at Dyson that have helped me develop to the point where I am ready to take on this new and exciting role.”
Tesco GetGo store coming to Chiswell Street, London, powered by Trigo tech
Tesco is working on a second checkout-free GetGo store.
Self-service terminals will sit alongside an autonomous retail option when the location opens in central London in the near future.
The store in Chiswell Street (near to the Barbican) is fitted out with Trigo’s cashierless technology, which is a combination of check-in gates, ceiling cameras and shelf scales, as spotted by Toby Pickard, IGD Head of Innovations and Futures.
A Tesco spokesperson confirmed the launch to RTIH, but did not share an opening date.
Tesco’s first checkout-free store opened in High Holborn last year, following a trial at the grocery giant’s colleague store in Welwyn Garden City.
This one is also powered by Trigo tech. (NB: Tesco announced an equity investment in the Israeli startup in 2019).
Decathlon rental service focuses on sustainability and sports accessibility
Decathlon has launched a rental service across a range of products, including stand up paddleboards (SUPs), kayaks and e-bikes.
This is aimed at those who can’t afford to buy these products outright, and those who don’t have the space to store them at home.
DFS Furniture opts for Medallia customer experience tech
DFS Furniture has selected Medallia as its customer experience management platform.
