The latest from Walmart, M&S, and Zippin: Last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Featuring M&S, Amazon, Halfords, lululemon, Under Armour, The Fresh Market, and Dermalogica.
Volumental and Under Armour
Volumental is launching a new self-service version of its AI powered foot scanners.
Specifically designed for an in-store experience, customers can take their own foot measurements at the click of a button and receive their best fitting footwear recommendations on their phones.
Volumental expects to launch this globally starting with select stores in the sporting goods industry, outlet malls and brand warehouses in 2023. This follows a beta test with Under Armour.
L’Oréal
L’Oréal has unveiled two new technology prototypes.
HAPTA is pitched as the first handheld, ultra-precise computerised makeup applicator designed to advance the beauty needs of people with limited hand and arm mobility.
And L’Oréal Brow Magic, the first at home electronic eyebrow makeup applicator that provides users with customised brow looks in seconds.
“For L’Oréal, the future of beauty is inclusive. And this future will be made more accessible by technology,”says Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO at the L’Oréal Groupe. “The two consumer technologies we are unveiling this year represent the true purpose of our company: to create the beauty that moves the world.”
CBJ, Nationwide Arena team and Zippin
Ice hockey team The Columbus Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena and Zippin have announced the launch of checkout-free shopping for fans this season.
Located in the "Bread Financial Boulevard" on the main concourse at section 105-106, the Bread Financial Score & Go is operated by Delaware North selling soft drinks, water, and domestic and craft beer to fans.
"The Blue Jackets are thrilled to offer our fans and guests of Nationwide Arena a new, fast paced concession experience for a fast paced game. Fans will not miss a second of the action thanks to the Bread Financial Score & Go," says Blue Jackets Chief Operating Officer Cameron Scholvin.
The Fresh Market
VoCoVo has expanded into the US market through the roll-out of its technology with food retailer The Fresh Market.
The Fresh Market has deployed VoCoVo’s wireless headsets in 44 stores, with the aim of improving both in-store and external communications.
It has also installed customisable keypad devices across six checkouts in every store to enable employees to call a manager or request a price check at the push of a button.
Out of five segments within the keypad’s button face, the food retailer has configured three of them to improve store security.
The staff can call their manager to the front of the store for assistance and discretely alert them of the arrival of an armoured vehicle to securely pick up and transport money to the bank.
The announcement follows a trial in the retailer’s Greensboro, North Carolina store in July 2022 before expanding to further 43 stores this year.
Dermalogica
Deposco has signed skincare company, Dermalogica, a Unilever brand, as a new customer.
The news closely follows the announcement that Deposco is launching its operations across Europe.
Dermalogica chose to implement the firm’s Bright Suite solution because of its ability to support direct-to-consumer (DTC) order fulfilment.
The search for a new approach to logistics and fulfilment was driven by the need to unify multiple acquired brands into a single, efficient DTC operation and further support the relationships Dermalogica already has with its professional and end-consumer customers.
Walmart and Salesforce
Both Walmart Commerce Technologies’ Store Assist app and Walmart GoLocal solutions will be available through Salesforce AppExchange as a result of the tie up.
“Through this partnership, retailers can leverage the same innovative and scalable technologies that power Walmart’s pickup and delivery experiences,” says Anshu Bhardwaj, Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy and Commercialisation, Walmart Global Technology.
“The same technology that powers Store Assist has enabled Walmart to fulfill over 830 million orders across over 4,700 Walmart stores. Together with Salesforce, retailers can scale their business and deliver the personalised, convenient experiences shoppers expect.”
ShipStation and The Delivery Group
ShipStation, a cloud-based e-commerce shipping solution, has partnered with The Delivery Group (TDG), a tech enabled online delivery specialist.
The tie up will see TDG added to ShipStation’s carrier services in the UK.
TDG enables an end-to-end delivery service across the UK and 220 countries worldwide.
By joining ShipStation’s carrier services platform, it says it can provide more merchants with quick and easy access to its UTrak and ETrak offerings that provide a range of tracked and untracked delivery services.
Pet Supermarket
Pet Supermarket, a retailer with locations across the US Southeast, is partnering with RELEX Solutions to boost its demand forecasts and replenishment orders.
The latter’s solution will support Pet Supermarket’s two distribution centres and a growing number of stores.
The company currently operates 218 stores with plans to open eight new locations by the end of 2023.
It says that RELEX will drive higher availability for customers with fully optimised store specific, local assortments and a more unified demand forecasting and replenishment process.
RELEX will also support Pet Supermarket as it opens new online sales channels.
Amazon
Amazon reports that Buy with Prime, the e-commerce giant’s direct-to-consumer offering for merchants’ own online stores, has been shown to increase shopper conversion by an average of 25%.
Launched in April, on an invite only basis, this enables merchants to extend the benefits of Prime on their own online stores.
Amazon has also announced that Buy with Prime will be widely available to US-based merchants by 31st January.
The company is also launching Reviews from Amazon, so that merchants can display ratings and reviews from Amazon customers on their own online stores for no additional cost.
Marks & Spencer
M&S and Zyler have partnered to deliver an in-store virtual try-on experience.
The former brought the latter’s technology to its Oxford Circus and Harrogate branches, where it was trialled with clothing brand Jaeger .
Shoppers added a head and shoulders photo and basic measurements to see themselves digitally in the Jaeger collection.
Sales assistants guided customers through the process and gave style advice.
Zyler CEO, Alexander Berend, describes the partnership as “a wonderful opportunity to get customers excited about shopping in-store”.
He adds: “Shoppers could see themselves in the entire Jaeger range, including items not in stock at that location, to find the best items for them”.
“We are delighted to be working with such an iconic brand as Marks & Spencer to improve the shopping experience.”
lululemon
Halfords
Halfords, a UK-based provider of motoring and cycling services and products, has appointed Wunderman Thompson Commerce as its strategic commerce partner.
In a press release, Wunderman Thompson Commerce says that it will help Halfords “reduce costs, increase sales, and harness the power in its Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform, as it looks to adapt to this latest approach while accelerating digital growth, alongside the e-commerce experts”.
Ten teams and approximately 100 experts will be based both nearshore and in the UK to ensure collaboration.
Made up of management, delivery and support, they will deliver several projects over the next three years to boost customers’ online experience.
A particular focus will be on Halfords’ Motoring Club loyalty scheme with its 1.2 million members, the retailer’s core proposition and project and programme enhancements, with the aim of delivering better connected journeys for customers, as well as maximising retention and revenue.
Halfords states that it is already benefitting from the introduction of new monitoring tools to track performance and online delivery as well as a new payment system provided by ACI Worldwide to offer customers the latest in-store, online and mobile purchase options.
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