Run it back: RTIH pulls together the retail technology news you might have missed last week
Failed to keep up with the breaking retail technology news last week? Then have no fear as RTIH has you covered. Here are the major stories that you need to know about. Includes Crate & Barrel, Obsess, Bolt, Saks OFF 5TH, Shinola, Filson, Lafayette 148, Toys“R”Us, LeMieux, and Akeneo.
Evri little helps: parcel delivery firm announces Tesco Clubcard points partnership
Evri has announced a partnership with Tesco that will enable people to collect Clubcard points for every parcel they send with it.
This is the first time that the UK’s largest retailer has agreed this type of Clubcard partnership with a parcel delivery firm.
Consumers will be able to collect one Clubcard point for every £1 spent at evri.com.
They will then be able to turn them into vouchers to get money off their Tesco shop. Alternatively, consumers can choose to donate to charity – or double the value of their points with more than 100 Clubcard reward partners.
The tie up comes after Evri recently announced a £46 million investment to boost its customer service and operations in preparation for its busiest period of the year from Black Friday to Christmas Day.
It also follows a partnership with Tesco, which launched in 2021, when Evri’s ParcelShop services were made available in Express stores across the UK enabling customers to send, receive and return parcels as they shopped.
Fortnum & Mason switches EU online deliveries back on as Brexit creates “huge amount of complexity and regulation”
Luxury food and drink retailer Fortnum & Mason has, for the first time in more than three years, resumed its exports to the European Union.
It stopped its delivery service to the EU in March 2021 due to Brexit associated customs challenges.
Crate & Barrel launches first virtual store, an immersive re-creation of NYC flagship, powered by Obsess
Crate & Barrel has launched its first immersive virtual store in partnership with experiential e-commerce platform Obsess.
The fully shoppable offering takes the form of Crate & Barrel's new flagship in New York City's Flatiron neighbourhood.
This opened las tweek 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.
Saks OFF 5TH, Shinola, Filson, Lafayette 148, and Toys“R”Us deploy Bolt checkout technology
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’.”
Agua by Agua Bendita launches Mother Nature inspired resale programme Ciclos in partnership with Archive
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.
UX Global wraps Footasylum project on London’s Oxford Street featuring UK first floating LED cube
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.
Our electric friends in the north: shoppers get new EV charging hub at Trafford’s White City Retail Park
Visitors to Trafford’s White City Retail Park are now able to charge their electric vehicles while they shop thanks to the installation of five new ultra-rapid chargers.
All Be.EV members will also have exclusive access to this, free of charge, at this location for a week, from Tuesday 14th until Tuesday 21st November.
The project marks the start of a partnership between The Derwent Group, who operate the retail park on behalf of The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation, and EV charging network Be.EV.
Last.app raises €5m to power restaurants across Europe in funding round led by Nauta Capital
Last.app, a business operating system for restaurants, has secured a €5 million funding round led by Nauta Capital with participation from existing investors, All Iron and Bynd.
Last.app’s model as a restaurant’s operating system is designed to integrate with any type of software and hardware and offers a range of native modules, such as PoS system, online reservations, delivery hub, e-commerce, order and pay, and more than 200 integrations to various existing services.
The Spanish startup was founded in 2019 by Iván and Eric Nikolic who had first hand experience of the pains felt by the restaurant industry during their time at Glovo and used their knowledge to launch a product in 2021.
Perry Ellis taps HotWax Commerce omnichannel order management solution for Shopify
Perry Ellis International, a designer and distributor of men's and women's apparel, accessories, fragrances, and select children's apparel, has deployed HotWax Commerce's Buy Online Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS), and Ship From Store solutions to launch its omnichannel fulfilment initiatives.
Amazon partners with Hyundai, set to offer cars for purchase on e-commerce giant’s US site
Amazon and Hyundai Motor Company have announced a strategic partnership.
This includes Amazon launching online sales of Hyundai vehicles in the US in 2024, the latter naming AWS as its preferred cloud provider to help facilitate digital transformation, and the Alexa Built-in experience coming to Hyundai’s next-generation vehicles.
“Hyundai is a very innovative company that shares Amazon’s passion for trying to make customers’ lives better and easier every day,” says Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
“Our broad, strategic partnership should do just that, from changing the ease with which customers can buy vehicles online, to making it simple to use Alexa in Hyundai vehicles for entertainment, shopping, smart home adjustments, and calendar checks, to enabling Hyundai to transform their customer experiences and business operations by moving to AWS. We look forward to inventing together for many years.”
“Partnering with one of the world’s most customer centric organisations unlocks incredible opportunities as we continue to expand our portfolio, grow our sales network, transition to electrification and realise the future of smart mobility,” says President and CEO at Hyundai Motor Company Jaehoon (Jay) Chang.
“Amazon is the ideal partner to help realise our vision of progress for humanity, including improving how people and goods move more efficiently and sustainably.”
“Hyundai is the first automotive company available for full end-to-end transactions in Amazon’s US store and this is another example of how we continue to push for ways to elevate the customer journey together with our outstanding retail partners.”
etaily bags $17.8 million for e-commerce enablement platform powering global brands in Southeast Asia
etaily has announced a $17.8 million Series A funding round as it scales its end-to-end e-commerce entry platform for brands to engage audiences across South East Asia.
This was led by Chinese and Taiwanese PE firm SKS Capital and co-led by Singapore’s Pavilion Capital.
Other investors were Japanese SBI ICCP Fund and Kaya Founders. The round also saw participation from the Magsaysay Family, Chan family, Foxmont Capital and JGDEV, the corporate venture capital arm of JG Summit Holdings.
etaily’s cap-table also includes other high profile SEA retailers and conglomerates such as the Ayala Corporation, the Cheng family behind the department store chain Landmark, as well as angel investors including Paulo Campos, former Co-Founder and CEO of Zalora and Anthony Oundijan, Managing Director and Senior Partner of Boston Consulting Group.
LeMieux deploys Akeneo retail technology to improve product experiences for customers
Equestrian brand, LeMieux, says that it has improved product experiences through the creation of a single source of data in partnership with Akeneo.
MAXIMA GRUPĖ expands its footprint with RELEX Solutions to include T-Market stores in Bulgaria
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.
J.Crew taps Obsess immersive e-commerce platform for launch of holiday virtual store experience
J.Crew has launched a holiday virtual store experience in partnership with immersive e-commerce platform 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.
Coach teams up with ZERO10 to launch immersive retail experience for the 2023 holiday season
Coach is teaming up with ZERO10 to support the roll-out of its Holiday 2023 campaign with AR technology.
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.
Logistics company and 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards nominee Kammac announces acquisition by Elanders
Kammac has been acquired by the Elanders group, a Swedish stock market listed business which offers global supply chain management solutions.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The purchase price will be paid in two parts, one at the time of the takeover and the other as an earn-out in 2025.
“A vibrant hub of joy and creativity”: MINISO lands on London’s Oxford Street with biggest UK store yet
MINISO has ventured on to London’s most famous shopping street. Located on 100 Oxford Street, its new store opened its doors to the public earlier this month.
Spanning 2,700 square feet, MINISO's Oxford Street flagship store stands as the brand's largest retail space in the UK to date. It marks its 23rd store in the UK and third stand-alone high street location.
The grand opening was commemorated with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Sabrina Bahsoon, aka Tube Girl on TikTok.
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