RTIH presents 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 Web3 technology firsts, virtual stores, Bitcoin rewards, and digitally connected clothing technology.
Starbucks
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.
Bloomingdale's
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.
Starship Technologies and Missouri State University
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.
“I think the robots will be a huge hit on campus,” says Dee Siscoe, Missouri State Vice President for student affairs. “Our campus community will be able to receive food and drinks in a fun, fast and innovative new way.”
Buffalo Wild Wings and Lolli
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.
The Mall Group
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.
JCPenney
JCPenney has announced a partnership with Revieve, a personalised digital brand experience company.
As a part of this collaboration, the retailer is launching a collection of digital makeup and skincare experiences to “not only serve all customers better, but meet their diverse needs and help them experience retail in innovative ways”.
Following the launch of JCPenney Beauty, a new, inclusive beauty experience, JCPenney has taken the wraps off an AI powered skincare advisor experience and AR powered makeup try-on capabilities.
Bold Commerce
Bold Commerce, which powers checkout and subscription experiences for retailers and DTC brands, has announced a new curbside and in-store pick up feature for bricks and mortar and omnichannel companies.
Bold Commerce says that the new technology was designed to “reimagine the experience of last minute product discovery in the checkout area of stores, only it occurs on a shopper’s mobile device.”
Using Checkout from Bold Commerce, retailers can already make recommendations for add-on items before, during and after checkout online.
Now, with Curb Up, they can extend this functionality to the orders that will be completed at curbside or picked up in-store.
Zippin
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.
Alibaba Group
The San Francisco 49ers and Avery Dennison
The San Francisco 49ers and Avery Dennison have announced an exclusive partnership that will provide new fan engagement avenues via digitally connected clothing technology.
As part of this, Avery Dennison has become the official embellishment partner of the 49ers and will introduce digital connectivity into select 49ers Fanatics merchandise in the form of smart embellishments and digital labels.
This deal also marks the first major foray into American football for Embelex, Avery Dennison’s solution for on-garment branding.
Avery Dennison’s smart embellishments and digital labelling technology can be scanned using a smartphone camera, giving access to exclusive content unavailable anywhere else online.
This merchandise will be exclusive to the 49ers Team Store presented by Visa at Levi’s Stadium.
Walmart
Walmart is expanding its use of AI powered virtual try-on technology for online shoppers.
This hails from the retailer’s 2021 acquisition of the startup Zeekit.
Earlier this year, it introduced the first implementation of the tech, Choose My Model, enabling Walmart.com customers to select from various models to find one who best looks like them in order to see how clothing would likely look on their own body, and with their own skin tone, across a range of apparel items.
Now, Walmart is launching Be Your Own Model, which lets people use their own photos to see how clothing looks on them, instead of choosing one of the existing fashion models.
Colgate and Perfect Corp.
Perfect Corp. has partnered with Colgate for the launch of an algorithm to bring the results of the brands’ Colgate Optic White Overnight Teeth Whitening Pen to life through augmented reality technology.
The tool simulates tooth whitening results that may be achieved with the aforementioned product after two weeks of use.
