Starring Amazon, H-E-B and Krispy Kreme: January’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from January, including Żabka Group, AiFi, Microsoft, Shopify, Wakefern Food Corp., Trigo, H-E-B, and Autostore.
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme launched SADvert, a light emitting billboard designed to help boost the moods of Brits this month.
Created by PR & social agency Good Relations with support from VCCP Media, Open Outdoor and Clear Channel UK, it has been developed in response to research from Krispy Kreme which reveals that one in five Brits admit to getting no more than 15 minutes of sunshine each day during the month of January.
The 3D billboard, which has been constructed in Salford, features giant decorative doughnuts with SAD lamps inside from the brand’s new 195 calorie range and has been created to launch Krispy Kreme’s creative platform, Joy Unboxed.
It dispenses light therapy to passers by at the touch of a button.
SeeChange Technologies and Diebold Nixdorf
SeeChange Technologies has announced a five-year partnership with Diebold Nixdorf which kicks off with the launch of the first in a series of AI powered self-checkout (SCO) solutions.
UK-based SeeChange was founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of Arm, becoming independent in 2021 with seed funding investment from London-based Crane Venture Partners.
Diebold Nixdorf’s Vynamic Smart Vision uses the firm’s machine learning to recognise fruits, vegetables, baked goods and items without a barcode.
Żabka Group
Żabka Group was this month out in force at NRF 2023 in New York.
Żabka Nano, an autonomous store concept that has been developed under the umbrella of Żabka Future for over a year and a half, was featured at the Microsoft booth.
“Participation in this prestigious event is not only an opportunity for us to establish new partnerships but also an opportunity to present Żabka as one of the world’s most innovative companies in the retail industry.,” said Tomasz Blicharski, EVP, Managing Director of Żabka Future.
“Warsaw, thanks to our concept, has become the world capital of autonomous stores, so I am glad that we have the opportunity to present this project to a global audience.”
“We want to show how our new technologies, created in cooperation with our partners, make life easier and free up our customers' time.”
Wakefern Food Corp.
Wakefern Food Corp. has opened The Pantry, a checkout-free convenience store for the workers at its Edison, New Jersey campus that features Trigo technology.
This uses computer vision with a series of cameras and shelf sensors to identify products picked up by people.
Wakefern is the first US company to test Trigo's technology, which has been deployed by several retailers in Europe and the UK, including REWE and Tesco.
H-E-B
Supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive, Brittain Ladd, has provided a first look at an AutoStore micro fulfilment centre (MFC) installed in a H-E-B store in Plano, Texas, USA.
In a LinkedIn post, Ladd said: “I can state with no hesitation that the installed MFC is the most incredible AutoStore MFC I've ever seen.”
“H-E-B can legitimately claim to operate the most sophisticated and advanced grocery store in the world. Carrefour, Tesco, Majid Al Futtaim, Hy-Vee., and Amazon, need to pay close attention to what HEB is doing; especially Hy-Vee and Amazon.”
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.”
Shopify
H&M
H&M has launched a H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox.
The result of a partnership with metaverse studio Dubit, this lets players experiment with materials and patterns creating the next virtual garment and wardrobe for their avatar.
"People who shop and wear H&M garments and accessories are increasingly spending time in virtual spaces and digital worlds,” says Linda Li, Head of Customer Activation & Marketing, H&M Americas.
“The H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is now allowing us to explore new ways to engage with our current and new customers in the places they love to be, both online and offline.”
"In the coming years, we will continue to explore this fast growing expanse of virtual and augmented realities."
Walmart
Walmart reports that it now operates, in partnership with its vendors, 36 drone delivery hubs across seven US states.
This marks completion of the retailer’s drone hub expansion plans that it announced last year.
Vik Gopalakrishnan, Vice President, Innovation & Automation, Walmart U.S., says: “I’m incredibly proud of our team for creating the largest drone delivery footprint of any US retailer and providing customers with an incredibly fast – and innovative – option for delivery.”
“We’re encouraged by the positive response from customers and look forward to making even more progress in 2023.”
Amazon and Stripe
Stripe and Amazon have announced an expanded global partnership.
Under the new agreement, Stripe becomes a strategic partner for Amazon in the US, Europe, and Canada, processing a “significant” portion of the e-commerce giant’s total payments volume across its businesses, including Prime, Audible, Kindle, Amazon Pay, and Buy With Prime.
Stripe will also expand its use of AWS, the firm’s cloud infrastructure provider.
Amazon started working with the FinTech in 2017 as it looked to accelerate market expansion in Asia and Europe, and support Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday purchases around the world.
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