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 Aldi, Starbucks, Bloomingdale’s, Shopify, Zippin, and Starship Technologies.
4…Aldi, which recently overtook Morrisons to become the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, has announced a partnership with delivery operations experience management firm parcelLab.
It will use parcelLab’s platform for its pre-dispatch and outbound communications.
parcelLab’s technology ensures customers will receive Aldi branded communications about deliveries and returns direct from the retailer for non-grocery related online purchases.
In turn, Aldi will be able to use these messages to surface more of its range to customers, while using delivery data to improve overall order efficiency.
1…Starbucks has officially announced Starbucks Odyssey. Launching later this year, this is the coffee chain’s first shot at building with Web3 technology.
It combines the Starbucks Rewards loyalty programme with an NFT platform, allowing its customers to both earn and purchase digital assets that unlock exclusive experiences and rewards.
The company had previously teased the initiative to investors.
Starbucks brought in Adam Brotman, the architect of its Mobile Order & Pay system and the Starbucks app, to serve as a special advisor.
Now the co-founder of Forum3, a Web3 loyalty startup, Brotman’s team worked on Starbucks Odyssey alongside the retailer’s own marketing, loyalty, and technology teams.
6%…Bitcoin startup, Lolli, has announced a partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings.
Lolli users can now earn 6% in Bitcoin rewards when they order online or in-store at Buffalo Wild Wings with the former’s new Card Boosts feature.
1…Jisp, a UK-based money saving and rewards app, is celebrating its Scan & Save solution’s first anniversary.
Launching with Nisa on 13th September 2021, this is now operational in over 170 Nisa stores nationwide.
In the space of one year, Jisp has seen thousands of shoppers make over 500,000 scans in-store, with 330,000 money saving vouchers issued and 292,000 redemptions made.
Retailers offering Scan & Save have up to 1,200 shoppers using Jisp and achieving over £5,500 every week incrementally in RSV which is helping them drive footfall, spend, frequency and loyalty.
51% of UK consumers believe that the economic situation will worsen in the next 12 months, and 23% feel it will worsen significantly, according to research from Mollie.
$10 trillion…The value of contactless payment transactions will reach $10 trillion globally by 2027, from $4.6 trillion in 2022, according to Juniper Research.
Investment in the underlying contactless payments ecosystem, such as contactless enabled PoS terminals and device level support, will be the key driver here.
The push towards cashless societies will push things forward.
5…A2Z Smart Technologies Corp. has announced a pilot programme for its Cust2Mate smart carts with Thailand’s The Mall Group.
This will take place in the Gourmet Market area and for the first time involve integration with the Fujitsu PoS system. It will be run in five stores and the integration process will start in the coming weeks.
The smart carts recognise every purchased item and enable in-cart payment so that shoppers can skip lines, while also allowing retail grocers to direct shoppers to discounted products and in-store promotions.
150…To celebrate its 150 year anniversary, Bloomingdale's has introduced a new, futuristic virtual store, designed by Emperia.
This will feature exclusive collections from brands Such As Polo Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, David Yurman, MCM, Byredo, and Baccarat.
The retailer will introduce the virtual store during New York Fashion Week as part of one of its biggest anniversary campaigns that will feature tie ups across the United States with designers, exclusive merchandise, and multiple national events.
The offering features a video of the evolution of the brand, in addition to games, special surprises and a Bloomingdale's unique collection, designed exclusively for its anniversary celebrations.
175,000…Shopify is globally launching Shopify Translate & Adapt, the aim of which is to make cross-border commerce even easier for its merchants. For instance, by translating merchant stores into different languages with both manual and machine translations.
The product update builds on the global commerce hub, Shopify Markets, which, the company says, has helped over 175,000 merchants across the world launch their international businesses.
11%…Customer engagement platform firm, Twilio, is laying off 11% of its workforce - between 800 and 900 people across its staff of 7,800+, as it faces up to the dangers of rapid growth.
1…Starship Technologies has rolled out its robot food delivery service at Missouri State University, in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education.
This is the first university in Missouri where Starship robots are in action. They will provide deliveries daily.
20…Zippin has launched Zippin Lane, a new turnkey solution that, the company claims, enables retailers and concessionaires to deploy checkout-free stores in under a week.
More than 20 Zippin Lanes have opened this year, including nine locations at NFL venues in the last month: Nashville’s Nissan Stadium is now home to five, while Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas has unveiled four new stores.
