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 Bitcoin payments in the football world, seriously expensive NFTs, and interactive experiences on the Roblox platform.
Jonathan Koon and Highstreet
Jonathan Koon, founder of luxury fashion brand Mostly Heard Rarely Seen 8-Bit, has teamed up with Highstreet to launch what is pitched as “a one of a kind experience that uses the traditional fashion retail experience to transport shoppers into the metaverse”.
The aim is to guide the crypto unfamiliar customer base of the world’s leading fashion retailers into Web3 culture.
Every Mostly Heard Rarely Seen 8-Bit physical garment in its latest collection is embedded with an NFT. To redeem it, Highstreet has infused a key into every 8-Bit garment in this drop via a QR code sewn into the garment.
By scanning this code, the user is taken through a few steps that will digitally clone the shopper along with their purchased 8-Bit apparel into the Highstreet metaverse.
Once there, users will be granted $HIGH tokens, the native currency of the Highstreet metaverse.
Shoppers can also establish a permanent record of their ownership of this drop by minting their apparel into NFT’s, establishing a provenance behind this drop, and giving access to resale markets in the digital world from OpenSea to LooksRare.
Oxford City FC
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.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is launching a series of NFTs.
It flagged up the upcoming sale, set to begin on 5th August, by tweeting out a video of a pixelated grid revealing: NFTiff.
The tweet also specified a price of 30 Ethereum (around $50,000 at today’s price).
This will make it the most expensive public sale in NFT history.
Ikea
Ikea franchisee Ingka Group is expanding its electric vehicles (EV) charger network with more than one thousand new charging points set to be in place by the end of 2024.
Last year, it reached its goal of providing EV charging stations in all stores worldwide where parking was provided.
The latest development results from a partnership with Recharge, with more than 300 being fast chargers, able to fully charge an EV in 15-45 minutes.
They will be available to customers, co-workers and Ikea home delivery trucks.
DICK’S Sporting Goods
DICK'S Sporting Goods has launched School of Sport, an interactive experience on the Roblox platform.
Users can participate in various challenges, quests and obstacle courses, also known as “obbys”.
Consisting of six virtual spaces, School of Sport takes place at DICK'S Sporting Goods High.
"It is important for us to continue evolving the way we engage with consumers,” says Ed Plummer, Chief Marketing Officer at DICK'S Sporting Goods.
“We are excited to make our entrance into the metaverse with School of Sport, creating a space to share sport and style while also connecting with our younger athletes.”
Get Cutie and be Retail Social
British startup, be Retail Social, has launched with its first customer, fashion retailer, Get Cutie.
Based in Brighton, Get Cutie sells vintage inspired, handmade garments.
It started with beDynamic, one of the first virtual fitting room services from be Retail Social, that provides self-moving, dynamically changing models, garments and fabrics to stimulate customer engagement.
beDynamic allows customers to consider more product variations and ranges, on different model sizes and skin tones.
Masymas Supermercados
The Very Group
The Very Group, which operates digital retailer Very, has announced a new partnership with product experience management (PXM) vendor Akeneo.
This is part of a tech transformation project, the aim of which is to optimise the customer experience and modernise its tech stack.
Using Akeneo’s PXM platform, Very will provide customers with the likes of digital media, technical specifications and enhanced product details.
Customers will be helped in their buying decisions by tailored and category specific product information, for example highlighting different features for beauty products than for electrical goods.
The platform will allow new products to be added to site in less than a minute.
The move follows partnerships with commercetools, True Fit and Amplience.
Yohananoff
Levy UK + Ireland and AiFi
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.
StrEATS
StrEATS, a Canadian restaurant franchise is putting its customer loyalty programme on the blockchain through a new Tenacious Tacos NFT collection.
Touted as the world’s first ever loyalty club backed by Web3, this enables members to receive Web3 and IRL benefits, and get their own Tenacious Tacos NFT.
In addition, they can stake to earn $TACO and redeem it for prizes while getting the chance to win free food for life or monthly payments in ETH/WETH.
Starbucks
Starbucks will unveil a Web3 initiative at next month’s Investor Day event.
This was first flagged up in early 2022.
During its fiscal Q2 2022 earnings call, the coffee giant said that NFTs can help extend its concept of the “third place”, that is, a place between home and work where people can feel a sense of belonging over coffee.
The.company has brought in Adam Brotman, the architect of its Mobile Order & Pay system and the Starbucks app, to help serve as a special advisor on the project.
