Including Obsess, Bolt, and Archive: RTIH presents 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. Including Saks OFF 5TH, Shinola, Filson, Lafayette 148, Toys“R”Us, Footasylum, Paradies Lagardère, Kingfisher, and Costa Coffee.
Saks OFF 5TH, Shinola, Filson, Lafayette 148, and Toys“R”Us
Checkout technology company, Bolt, has launched with Saks OFF 5TH, Shinola, Filson, Lafayette 148, and Toys“R”Us.
“In today’s digital economy, shoppers expect a frictionless and personalised experience at every step of the buying journey. It’s simply table stakes,” says Maju Kuruvilla, CEO at Bolt.
“I’m thrilled to welcome these beloved brands to our burgeoning network of tens of millions of shoppers and hundreds of retailers, enabling them to maintain their user experience while delivering unparalleled shopping experiences that are fast, easy, and ‘now’.”
German Doner Kebab
Online ordering technology provider, Hungrrr, which is part of Snappy Group, has announced a partnership with German Doner Kebab (GDK).
GDK approached Hungrrr to create an online ordering app and website for its restaurants in the United Kingdom and internationally.
The platform will streamline in-venue ordering and provide customers with a centralised hub for placing orders for collection or delivery.
Additionally, Hungrrr has integrated with Uber Eats to provide last mile delivery services for GDK.
The new platform was launched in over 130 GDK stores across the United Kingdom, covering table service, collection, and delivery channels through both web browsers and a tailor made app.
This reach extends to a total of over 155 stores worldwide, with GDK's global footprint spanning the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, among other locations.
Pitchers Only
Baseball apparel brand Pitchers Only has chosen Inventory Planner to replace its spreadsheet-based approach to demand forecasting.
It can now access forecasting with buying recommendations that reveal exactly which items need to be ordered and when. As a Shopify powered business, Pitchers Only says it will also benefit from the ability to seamlessly integrate all its data to Inventory Planner.
The company was founded by Chris Hunn in 2021 after his young son discovered a passion for pitching that grew as he did.
Its fashion focussed range of training shorts, hoodies, performance tees and baseball accessories is popular with grassroots talent, as well as All-American athletes in Major League circuits.
Agua by Agua Bendita
Colombian luxury fashion brand Agua by Agua Bendita has launched a resale programme named Ciclos, a pledge to mother nature, the root of its inspiration.
“We believe in designing pieces that can be worn and loved for years because of their timeless style and excellent quality; through Ciclos, we offer Agua garments a renewed purpose, giving them a second life as an adored heirloom,” say Mariana Hinestroza and Catalina Álvarez, Co-Founders and Creative Directors of Agua by Agua Bendita.
The resale programme, powered by Archive, enables sellers to list their preloved Agua by Agua Bendita pieces on the Ciclos marketplace.
MAXIMA GRUPĖ
MAXIMA GRUPĖ is expanding its collaboration with RELEX Solutions.
Since 2012, RELEX has provided MAXIMA with space and merchandising solutions for its 500+ stores throughout the Baltics. The new project will include its 120 grocery T-Market stores in Bulgaria.
The retailer says that the solution will drive sales, its operational efficiency, inventory reduction, and availability while providing mobile system access that will improve collaboration between stores and central planning teams.
Coach
From 15th November to 1st January, customers will be able to explore Coach’s Holiday collection digitally through ZERO10’s AR Storefront at five physical locations across North America: Boston, Atlanta, Austin, Miami and Toronto.
The aim is to inspire shoppers to unleash their personal style and explore the world of the Coach brand in a fun and immersive way that caters to Gen Z and Young Millennial audiences.
AR Storefront will feature digital recreations of the following holiday styles from Coach: Sequin Penn in Dark Magenta and Black, Metallic Star Bag in Silver, Glovetanned Leather Tabby Shoulder Bag 26 in Black, Patent Signature Leather Tabby Shoulder Bag 20 in Chalk and Silver Mirrored Pearlized Signature Round Frames.
Items will appear on the user’s body with AR special effects, including a pearlescent ribbon, multicolour holiday lights, and animated snowman. These looks will alternate on a timed sequence, allowing users and passersby to experience the entire scope of the digital collection.
Footasylum
Digital display specialist UX Global has completed a project for its long standing client Footasylum on London’s Oxford Street.
The retailer’s recently opened flagship store features more than 50 digital screens and a UK first ‘floating’ LED cube designed, manufactured and installed by the UX Global team.
The latter worked with the Footasylum team to develop the idea for a 5.5m x 3m five sided suspended cube with Philips P2.4 7000 LED screens on all sides, allowing shoppers to view the dynamic content from all angles, including underneath.
The cube offers 75 square metres of display space and its installation involved securing over 1,200 individual LED panels to a bespoke frame attached to the main steel beam running through the store, creating the illusion that it is floating.
Corona
Corona has partnered with experiential e-commerce platform Obsess to transform the beach hut previously seen in its TV ads into an immersive holiday virtual store.
This is part of its new Feliz Navi-Drip Collection with Snoop Dogg’s fashion designer Talia Coles on a limited edition, colour changing can and matching robe.
Within the virtual beach hut, customers can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a robe of their own, get into the holiday spirit by watching the Corona Feliz Navidad holiday ad, play a festive game to receive a discount code to purchase gear, and connect to Instacart and Drizly to order Corona online.
“I am thrilled to be collaborating with Corona on this capsule collection, applying my ‘design your life’ mantra to the beer space and holiday season,” Coles says.
“I’ve collaborated with Corona and Snoop Dogg on all of the La Vida Más Fina commercials, so it’s exciting to go a step further, extend the rules around where fashion lives and see my couture designs adorn the brand’s iconic cans.”
Paradies Lagardère
Creative Realities has announced a collaboration with airport retailer Paradies Lagardère.
The heart of the tie up lies in the dynamic digital screens and LED walls designed and installed by Creative Realities.
These serve a dual purpose: to enhance the overall ambiance with seasonal and environmental content while promoting specific products and in-store sales.
Overseeing the complete execution strategy, Creative Realities provided renderings that demonstrated how these installations would augment the airport’s ambiance.
Kingfisher
Kingfisher has launched what is pitched as the first AI powered assistant in the home improvement sector, harnessing the capability of generative AI to support customers with their DIY projects.
Launching initially at Castorama France, this answers customers’ DIY queries and provides step-by-step advice on a range of home improvement projects, as well as tailored product recommendations.
Customers can ask the assistant questions in natural language while shopping online – for example “how do I install a worktop in my kitchen” or “which saw should I choose to cut my worktop?”.
It will answer in a friendly and conversational way with relevant advice.
As well as conversing with customers via text chat, the assistant will soon be able analyse photos to perform visual searches and answer visual queries.
Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel has launched its first immersive virtual store in partnership with Obsess.
The fully shoppable offering takes the form of Crate & Barrel's new flagship in New York City's Flatiron neighbourhood.
This opened yesterday at 881 Broadway, and features animations and interactive personalisation tools that let customers visualise their own sofa and living room set and build their own bouquet using the brand's selection of vases and botanicals.
LeMieux
Equestrian brand, LeMieux, says that it has improved product experiences through the creation of a single source of data in partnership with Akeneo.
J.Crew
J.Crew has launched a holiday virtual store experience in partnership with Obsess, featuring an AI Card Generator and Ski Game.
The World of J.Crew offering takes the form of a snow lodge for women’s apparel and accessories and a separate ski chalet for men’s apparel.
The AI Card Generator allows visitors to answer a set of ‘this or that’ questions, which will then generate a holiday greeting card based on their responses.
The Ski Game is inspired by a vintage video game that has the player move the skier through a series of red flags to avoid trees on the path.
Visitors can interact with content highlighting the brand’s heritage, participate in a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a cashmere giveaway, and shop J.Crew’s curated edit of winter and holiday styles.
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee has deployed AI powered UKG workforce planning and forecasting solutions for frontline and hourly workers.
Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, Costa Coffee's corporate owned locations employ thousands of full-, part-time, and fixed-term workers at 1,600 sites across the UK.
It partnered with UKG to align labour to demand and optimise staffing levels to ensure stores are always appropriately staffed, especially during the busy holiday season.
After deploying UKG Strategic Workforce Planning, it reported increased staffing efficiency by nearly 50% during the Christmas season and 65% immediately thereafter.
Evri
Parcel delivery company, Evri, has launched an automatic callback function via a new dedicated phone line, as part of a £46 million total investment to boost its customer service and operations in preparation for its Christmas peak.
The facility is expected to connect about 40% more customers to a UK-based advisor at Evri’s contact centre before its busiest period of the year for parcels from Black Friday in late November to just before Christmas Day.
Continue reading…