Saying farewell to 2022: Here’s what happened in the retail technology space during December
Check out our review of an eventful end to the year for the retail systems sector, including the 2022 RTIH Innovation Awards, Starbucks, Trigo, REWE, Retail Technology Show 2023, Getir, and Gorillas.
Good month for…
Sook, Walmart, Ribble Cycles, Obsess, Jisp, B&Q, Cart.com, Compass Group, AiFi, Pets at Home, and TPP Retail were among the companies who emerged victorious at RTIH’s 2022 retail technology awards.
Now into their fourth year, the awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
We received a record number of submissions this year across 14 categories (you can find a full rundown of the 2022 shortlists here).
Our winners and highly commended companies were announced during a sold out event that took place in central London during December and was attended by retailers, tech suppliers, members of our judging panel, and sponsors.
So, without further ado, here is the 2022 RTIH Innovation Awards hall of fame.
Congratulations to our latest entrants!
Bad month for…
Chatermill research, based on customer reviews, revealed delivery to be one of the biggest issues for retail customers, with speed and timeliness being key contributors to the negative sentiment received by some of the most popular fashion retail brands.
Chattermill analysed feedback from over 152,000 public Trustpilot reviews, registered from 1st January to 4th September, from customers buying at Asos, H&M, New Look, Next and Zara.
Based on ratings given by customers, New Look and Asos had the best customer experience, while Zara had the worst.
Delivery complaints frequently centre on the fact that despite stating on their websites a limited number of days for delivering purchases — usually around two to four days — packages tend to be delayed, with items frequently arriving out of the suggested timeframe.
An explanation for this could be linked to the courier service used by the fashion brands analysed.
Based on the feedback collected from customers, Evri (formerly Hermes) is the most problematic courier brand, followed by DHL and Yodel in number of negative reviews.
Also this month…
Registrations for Retail Technology Show 2023 are now open.
The show will take place at London’s Olympia on 26th-27th April.
New for 2023, a newly expanded show floor will see the Retail Technology Show showcase even more cutting-edge tech.
It will add an additional 2,000m2 of exhibition space by expanding into Olympia’s National Hall in addition to the Grand Hall that hosted last year’s show. 300+ innovators – from tech’s biggest players, fast growth disruptors and startups - will showcase their solutions.
After weeks of rumours, Getir officially announced that it was acquiring Gorillas.
“Markets go up and down, but consumers love our service and convenience is here to stay. The super fast grocery delivery industry will steadily grow for many years to come and Getir will lead this category it created seven years ago,” says Nazim Salur, Getir founder.
The amount of VC money burnt investing in the quick commerce space is staggering.
With this latest move, can we assume that one startup will survive and thrive, alongside traditional retailers like Tesco who saw what was going on and came up with their own offerings?
The latest Trigo powered REWE store went live in central Munich.
The REWE Pick&Go location is in the Maxvorstadt neighbourhood, which is also known as the cultural heart of Munich.
This high traffic area is only a few minutes’ walk from the city’s central train station, museums, and galleries, and some of Germany’s top universities, making it a good location for both REWE and Germany’s first ever 100% autonomous store.
In an online post, Michael Gabay, CEO at Trigo, said: “This store is a product of the close and long standing partnership between REWE and Trigo, who, together, created effective and efficient processes over time that serve as a model for additional store expansion.”
He added: “Opening the first fully autonomous store in Germany makes a bold statement in the retail industry. REWE’s ambitious innovation goals and unwavering commitment to creating the best possible customer experience have made them true partners in building the future of retail.”
“These strong partnerships and extensive expertise in successful autonomous store deployment will drive Trigo forward as we continue to expand our StoreOS suite of solutions and accelerate multiple global initiatives.”
Former Vice President of US Prime Video Alex Perez-Tenessa and entrepreneur David Olmos launched Trendio, a video shopping app that lets users view personalised shoppable content.
The startup has also brought in former Amazon Live employee Julie Novak and former Glossier executive Leah Grubb to shape the platform.
With seed round investment from venture capital firm Madrona, an early backer of Amazon, the Trendio team compiled an advisory board including former Member of the Board of QVC Michael Zeisser, founder of Amazon Live Munira Rahemtulla, and former CEO of Zulily Jeff Yurcisin.
"We're reinventing shopping entertainment for a new generation," says Perez-Tenessa.
"We launched Trendio because traditional e-commerce wasn't working for customers who wanted to discover new beauty brands and products in a way that felt personal and that they could trust.”
“Our technology roadmap not only enhances the shopping journey, it reinvents how people experience video altogether - we are creating the first ever personalised video experience."
As he approached completion of his first year working on Amazon’s physical stores, grocery, and specialty fulfilment businesses, Tony Hoggett took to LinkedIn to reflect on the e-commerce giant’s accomplishments in this space.
Hoggett departed Tesco to join Amazon in January of this year, leading the teams responsible for Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, Amazon Style, Whole Foods Market, and the firm’s ultrafast delivery services.
In a LInkedIn post, he said: “One of the things that excited me most about joining Amazon is the company’s customer obsessed mindset. When you start with the customer and work backward, every decision, every new idea, every invention has a purpose – to make the customer experience better.”
Starbucks Odyssey, an extension of Starbucks Rewards powered by Web3 technology, launched in beta to a small group of waitlist members, including customers and employees in the US.
The retailer brought in Adam Brotman, the architect of its Mobile Order & Pay system and the Starbucks app, to serve as a special advisor.
Participants will be able to engage in Starbucks Odyssey ‘Journeys’ which are a series of activities to earn collectible ‘Journey Stamps’ (NFTs) and Odyssey Points that will unlock access to new benefits and experiences.
“Starbucks has a history of harnessing emerging technology to innovate on behalf of our customers and making it easily accessible and approachable for the mainstream,” says Brady Brewer, Starbucks Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
“Our innovative spirit and the desire to continuously exceed the expectations of our customers has led to the launch of Starbucks Odyssey.”
Uber Eats and Cartken announced a partnership for food deliveries via the latter’s self-driving robots in Miami, Florida.
The pair have begun operating with select merchants in the Dadeland area of Miami-Dade County with plans to expand in Miami-Dade and to additional cities in 2023.
Uber Eats is Cartken’s first formal partnership with a global on-demand delivery app beyond college campuses.
Walmart’s drone delivery service is now available for select customers in the Arizona, Texas and Florida markets.
In Phoenix, Arizona, the option will be fulfilled from four stores.
In the Dallas area of Texas, it will be fulfilled from 11 stores.
And from seven stores in Tampa and Orlando, Florida.
This follows Walmart’s announcement of plans to expand its DroneUp network to reach four million additional households across six US states.
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