Featuring PMC, Superdrug, and Drovo: RTIH’s biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. These are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Xiatech, OneStock, Pricer, Sitoo, Amazon, and the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
PMC launches Graphene composable commerce platform following implementations with UK retailers
PMC, a UK-based technology services provider for retail and B2C, has announced the launch of its composable commerce platform Graphene.
Graphene is pitched as a flexible, rapid and robust platform environment designed for commerce.
The platform is built on the fundamentals of a microservices, API led approach, cloud architecture, and a headless structure.
PMC says that the offering “allows retailers to generate business value with composite technology at scale and low cost…from lightning fast checkouts and enhanced customer loyalty using personalised campaigns, to optimised inventory operations and improved product availability in-store”.
Retailers can now customise applications to meet business needs and deploy cutting-edge solutions, which then readily scale as required, the company adds.
Time is running out to enter the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards: deadline for submissions Friday, 3rd November
There is just over one week left to submit your entries for the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards, which takes place on Wednesday, 29th November at the Barbican Arts Centre in central London.
The event, sponsored by PMC, FreedomPay, CADS, 3D Cloud by Marxent, Goodays, and Vista Technology Support, celebrates global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Spread over 19 different categories, submissions are judged on the extent of innovation and transformation demonstrated, as well as the sustainability of the results. Previous year’s winners have included B&Q, Pets at Home, Walmart, Sook, AiFi, Compass Group, Obsess, and Ribble Cycles.
Deadline for 2023 submissions is Friday, 3rd November.
The awards culminate in a fantastic ceremony, complete with a drinks reception and Christmas themed three-course meal at the Barbican Arts Centre on Wednesday 29th November.
A key event highlight is an exclusive pre-awards roundtable discussion, enabling retailers, tech suppliers and advisors to come together and talk about current retail challenges and opportunities.
Key dates
Friday, 3rd November: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 7th November: 2023 shortlist revealed
7th-10th November: Judging days
Wednesday, 29th November: Winners announced at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony
Categories, along with entry forms, can be found here.
At the coal face of major industry change: Superdrug announces arrival of Optimo retail media network
Superdrug has launched its own retail media network in the UK.
In a LinkedIn post, Paul Stafford, Head Of Digital Marketing, Retail Media & Online Brand at Superdrug, said: “This week, I had the pleasure of announcing the arrival of Superdrug’s own retail media network, Optimo, at our annual supplier conference.”
He added: “This has been a huge piece of work covering A.S. Watson Group (the owner of Superdrug) BU’s across Hong Kong, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and London. From a personal point of view, it’s been an incredible journey to work on a project that is at the coal face of major industry change.”
“I can’t wait now to start working with our suppliers to deliver on their briefs.”
“Obviously this has been a massive team effort and couldn't be done without the support of Dan Jarvis (Chief Digital Officer, Europe at A.S. Watson Group), Andrea Zoboli (eLab Technology Director (Europe) at A.S. Watson Group, Mariëlle Slenders, (Head of Media & Performance Benelux at A.S. Watson Group), Matt Walburn, (Customer and Marketing Director at Superdrug), Nicholas Queally, Marketing Manager - Promotions and Pricing at Superdrug), and many, many more.”
20,000 cash rewards redeemed by Ocado Retail customers in first England and Wales DDRS trial
Since 14th July, Ocado Retail customers have been able to claim monetary rewards for recycling any of its own brand two and four-pint milk bottles using Polytag’s QR codes, redeemable via recycling app Bower.
The trial saw more than 20,000 Ocado Retail milk bottles scanned by over 3,000 consumers using their smartphones before being deposited into home kerbside recycling.
The QR code integrated onto the milk bottles’ labelling is scanned via the aforementioned app, the bottle disposed of in a person’s registered at home recycling bin, and the reward withdrawn into their bank account.
Up to £4,000 worth of rewards were obtained during the nine week long trial.
Xiatech and OneStock release results of Business Value of MACH Technologies Survey
Xiatech, the company behind machine learning powered composable hyper-integration platform, Xfuze, and OneStock, a distributed order management specialist, have released the results of their 2023 Business Value of MACH Technologies Global Survey.
This ran between June and September 2023, and included responses from business and technology executives at end user organisations from 12 countries around the world.
Supported by Adyen, Bloomreach, commercetools, Mercaux and the MACH Alliance, the findings reveal that organisations are creating quantifiable competitive advantage by tapping MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud native SaaS, Headless) technologies.
Nearly half of the survey respondents witnessed a return on MACH investment.
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation taps Rokt tech to offer more relevant experiences to customers
Rokt has partnered with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation with the aim of offering more relevant experiences to the company's customers.
Six Flags is utilising Rokt's machine learning technology to present relevant offers from brands including Hulu, Hellofresh, and Homechef to each customer in the final stages of an e-commerce transaction.
AdTech startup Drovo pulls in £3m following Series A round led by Maven Capital Partners
Drovo, a UK-based startup specialising in transit media advertising technology, has raised £3 million of funding following a Series A investment round led by Maven Capital Partners.
It plans to use the cash to further develop the dynamic digital rooftop screens element of its offering as well as expand its human resource and hardware acquisition. And also onboard new users for its proprietary technology platform.
Drovo pairs vehicle owners with advertisers to deliver targeted and measurable out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaigns through on-vehicle digital screens and wrapping.
Its geo-targeting and programmatic capabilities allow clients to customise their message to be seen at the right place and time.
The offering is used by Deliveroo, Paco Rabanne, Uniqlo and American Express, and features 28 real-time data points including location (down to borough, street and vehicle level), outside temperature, footfall and proximity to specific landmarks or stores.
Retail technology innovation of the week: Kingfisher Athena AI orchestration framework
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud by Marxent, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report early next year.
So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, McDonald’s, Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, Walmart, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, and Outform.
And now we’re focusing on Kingfisher.
JRTech Solutions inks supply agreement with Associated Grocers for Pricer digital shelf solutions
Associated Grocers, a grocery wholesale company based in Western Canada, (a division of the Pattison Food Group), and serving a network of over 650 independent retail locations, has selected Pricer's partner JRTech Solutions to supply members with the former’s in-store automation and communication solution and the latest generation of fully graphic Pricer electronic shelf labels (ESLs).
The first complete grocery store installation of the newest range of Pricer ESLs, SmartTAG Colour, with Black, Red, White, and Yellow colour display capabilities, took place at Liberty Foods in Fruitvale, British Columbia.
This represents the first grocery store in Canada to employ four-colour ESLs.
Swedish retail technology company Sitoo hooks Rally House as its first major US customer
Sweden-based Sitoo has rolled out out its first major US customer, sports merchandise retailer Rally House.
Rally House has deployed the Sitoo Point of Sale solution and the underlying Unified Commerce Platform in around 200 stores across 18 states.
Amazon teams with UVeye on new AI powered Automated Vehicle Inspection technology
Amazon has implemented a new artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology that, it claims, can spot even the smallest anomalies in delivery vans, from tyre deformities and undercarriage wear to bent or warped body pieces, before they become on-road problems.
The Automated Vehicle Inspection (AVI) tech is launching in partnership with startup UVeye in the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK.
“The last thing I want is for something preventable to happen, like a tyre blowing out because we missed an imperceptible defect during our morning inspection,” says Bennett Hart, owner of logistics company Hart Road. “This technology improves the safety of our fleet.”
UK retailers raise £540 million for good causes with micro-donation technology playing key role
A new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has found that UK retailers and their customers raised £540 million for good causes in the last financial year.
It also shows that in 2022/23:
Retailers raised £200 million for good causes through fundraising, with an additional £150m donated directly by the businesses themselves.
A total of 69 million meals and £76 million worth of products were donated to charities and organisations supporting those in need.
Colleagues across the industry volunteered 1.7 million hours of time supporting retail community programmes.
And they also donated £20 million through payroll donation schemes. This is despite economic headwinds and a rise in the cost-of-living.
2022 saw UK retailers donate huge amounts – both cash and emergency goods - to support the Ukrainian people in the aftermath of the Russian invasion.
Many retailers also set up fundraising efforts so that customers could offer their support, often matching donations to amplify the impact. Overall, tens of millions of pounds were donated to this cause.
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