Top 10: last week’s most essential retail technology articles
These are the RTIH articles that caught your fancy last week, including PrettyLittleThing, DoorDash, RELEx Solutions, Shopify, and Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
Chartwells Higher Education and Standard AI eye 100 autonomous retail stores
Standard AI and Chartwells Higher Education, a division of Compass Group, have announced an expanded partnership that will bring 100 autonomous retail experiences to higher education institutions in the US.
In 2020, Chartwells Higher Education was the first company to retrofit an existing retail environment using Standard AI’s autonomous platform, enabling university students to walk in, select their items, and go on their way without having to wait in a checkout line or scan barcodes.
PrettyLittleThing Marketplace resale app goes live
Fast fashion firm PrettyLittleThing has announced the launch of PrettyLittleThing Marketplace, an app which allows people to sell on clothes they no longer wear, or shop for something new to them.
Phase one of the platform will include functions such as PLT existing account sync, PLT and non PLT listings, wishlists, message centre, image recognition and text filtering, verified users and PayPal integration.
PLT Marketing Director, Nicki Capstick, says: “We know now more than ever that our customers are more conscious of how they shop.”
“Therefore, we wanted to be the first fashion brand to launch a resale site with the ability to integrate the customers’ previous PLT purchases into their wardrobe as well as creating new listings and selling items from other brands.”
“We’re encouraging our customers to recycle and resell unwanted garments whilst making money in return.”
Last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Featuring Nike, Instacart, Co-op, Uber Eats, SPAR, and Amazon’s Just Walk Out and Amazon One technology.
DoorDash taps RELEX Solutions supply chain optimisation tech
RELEX Solutions and DoorDash have announced a partnership to implement the former’s AI driven supply chain planning solution to service the latter’s DashMart locations.
RELEX uses machine learning to create accurate forecasts that will optimise product availability at DashMart locations.
Reality bites as cost of Amazon Just Walk Out technology hits home
Experiments like Just Walk Out tech powered Amazon Fresh stores will never work on a large scale for “normal” retailers.
That’s the view of Sigurður Ari Sigurjónsson, Director of Business Development at LS Retail.
Meta launches grocery shopping on WhatsApp with JioMart
Meta and an e-commerce venture between India’s Reliance Retail and Jio Platforms are bringing grocery shopping to WhatsApp.
This is pitched as the first end to end shopping experience on the platform, allowing people in India to browse the JioMart catalogue, add products to their cart and pay to complete purchases, all within WhatsApp.
Balmain Paris and SharpEnd launch NFC enabled Pokémon adventure
Balmain Paris has announced a Balmain x Pokémon collaboration, an immersive digital experience enabled through NFC patches and a luxury connected jacket.
To integrate the technology, Balmain has partnered with SharpEnd.
People can get their hands on one of 15 Balmain x Pokémon limited edition NFC enabled patches available to purchase at nine Balmain boutiques across the US, Europe, and Asia.
For a lucky few, the adventure will provide a gamified user experience within Pokémon UNITE by tapping their patch.
The brand partnership is the first to connect a physical touchpoint with digital rewards in the Pokémon UNITE universe.
Erin Pelton swaps White House for online retail with Shopify move
Erin Pelton has joined e-commerce big hitter Shopify to oversee communications and public affairs.
She joins from the Biden-Harris Administration where she served as Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, Domestic Policy Council at The White House.
“I’m thrilled to join a company that is such a powerful engine of innovation, removing barriers for millions of businesses around the world,” Pelton said in a Twitter post.
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.
Nike enlists BUCK for 50th anniversary augmented reality experience
In celebration of Nike’s 50th anniversary, BUCK has partnered with the company’s Global Brand Experience team to bring its past, present, and future to life through a WebAR experience.
Powered by Zappar’s ZapWorks platform, this provides a portal into the Department of Nike Archives for visitors to Nike stores.
