Battling Black Friday burnout: RTIH runs through the week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Walmart, Trigo, EE, Ikea, Balenciaga, Obsess, Metacask, and Škoda.
Walmart
Walmart is adding parcel stations to its stores to make the last mile delivery process faster and more efficient.
These are “like a mini post office that receives and delivers packages,” Jennifer McKeehan, SVP of Transportation and Delivery for Walmart U.S., said in an online post.
Walmart plans to have more than 40 parcel stations in its stores by the end of the year, and some are already in operation.
Packages in its fulfilment centres are transported to store parcel stations using the company’s private fleet. They are then delivered to a customer’s home through independent contractors on Walmart’s Spark Driver platform or third-party carriers.
A2Z
LESTRANGE and Vaayu
LESTRANGE and Vaayu have launched what is pitched as the world’s first life cycle calculator with live data insights to help customers see how their fashion habits impact their environmental footprint.
Re_Count helps customers shop and care for their clothes by sharing information to explore fashion and care habits with actionable tips that could cut emissions per wear by up to 50%, those involved claim.
People can play with various scenarios by answering a set of questions to assess how decisions such as product selection and aftercare choices can extend the life of a garment and, in turn, decrease its footprint over the full product lifetime.
The fluctuating CO2e impact of making small changes, like modifying washing methods, is visualised through infographics and equivalencies so that customers can really understand how their choices shape up against their environmental footprint, with tips on how to make reductions.
The complex nuances are simplified so that customers can explore different levers to see how adjustments such as wearing an item for longer between washes, reducing the washing temperature or holding on to it for an extended period of time can either increase or decrease the overall footprint of that garment in a way that has never been seen before.
Slerp
Slerp, a technology solution for restaurants and the hospitality sector, has introduced a new AI supported customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
The company says it has identified that the magic number for turning occasional digital customers into loyal, repeat patrons is three orders over a reasonable time period relative to the type of venue.
The new solution aims to convert existing customers into loyal users of the restaurant’s own direct ordering and delivery solutions. The benefits to the restaurant being a better margin, whilst customers benefit from personalised offers and rewards.
Etisalat
Etisalat’s first 100% autonomous store has opened its doors, powered by Trigo and Amdocs.
This can be found in the Dubai headquarters of Etisalat by e&, a United Arab Emirates telecom provider, and allows shoppers to browse and purchase premium electronic goods.
The Emirati multinational telecommunications services Etisalat is operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. One of the largest mobile network operators and internet hubs in the world, it also operates hundreds of stores and other points of sale.
Škoda
Škoda is expanding its digital services to include Pay to Fuel in collaboration with Parkopedia, who the company also works with for the existing Pay to Park service.
Pay to Fuel aims to make paying after refuelling quicker and more convenient for Škoda drivers, with motorists able to save time by paying directly through the car’s infotainment system.
The stations supporting it are listed in the in-car navigation. After choosing one of these, the vehicle automatically recognises the fuel station upon arrival. The driver opens the app on the vehicle’s display, confirms the petrol station and enters the pump number.
After refuelling, the amount of fuel is confirmed on the infotainment screen and the payment is processed via debit or credit card. All common cards are accepted. The driver then receives a transaction notification in the MyŠkoda app and on the vehicle screen and can pull away.
KFC UK & Ireland
KFC UK & Ireland has launched an exclusive partnership with Uber Direct, Uber’s white label delivery solution, to provide its UK customers with fast deliveries through the fast food giant’s app.
Orders placed through the app will leverage the same technology and courier network that powers Uber Eats.
Uber’s technology provides customers with real-time tracking from their local restaurant to their delivery address and 24/7 customer support for orders should they need it.
The first phase of the roll-out of Uber Direct has begun, and all of KFC’s 916 stores across the UK and Ireland are due to move exclusively to it for their app orders by January 2024.
EE
EE is looking to take the stress out of the seasonal sales this year, following new research that found two fifths of Brits will experience ‘Black Friday Burnout’ over the coming week.
The EE Studio in Westfield London, White City, will host a dedicated shoppers’ sanctuary giving people in the capital a moment to relax and recharge in what is pitched as the UK’s first Digital Spa, while consumer psychologist and shopping expert, Kate Nightingale, helps bargain hunters across the country to find their calm on the biggest shopping day of the year.
Research by EE reveals that 28 million people (53%) plan to bag a bargain this Black Friday, with 57% looking to spend up to 10 hours looking for deals this week. It’s the younger generation who are particularly deal savvy with four fifths of Brits aged 25-34 planning to get involved.
With 30% of Brits having already prepared their shopping list a week before, it’s clear the Black Friday hype is real.
Of the shoppers surveyed, one in five often stay up late or get up early to check for the best deals online, while a further fifth say they are tempted to take the day off work. This rises to four in ten and three in ten (32%) respectively for 25-34 year olds.
One in six Brits even admitted they'd go as far as missing a friend’s birthday to browse the sales.
Sheeva.AI and Visa Acceptance Solutions
Sheeva.AI, a provider of in-vehicle payments and services, and Visa Acceptance Solutions, a specialist in digital payments, have launched a new tokenization platform for in-vehicle commerce.
Sheeva.AI will leverage Cybersource Token Management Service, a part of Visa Acceptance Solutions, to power what is pitched as the first multi-use tokenization platform for in-vehicle payments by using precise vehicle location to authorise payments at the point of service.
“The ease and efficiency of tokenization unlocks the multi-billion-dollar opportunity that is in- vehicle payments,” says Evgeny Klochikhin, Founder and CEO at Sheeva.AI.
“Our product suite empowers the driver to locate and activate the fuel dispenser, EV charging station, parking gate or toll from inside the car to enable the transaction to happen, and Visa Acceptance Solutions’ platform makes the payment simple and seamless.”
Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey
In what is being pitched as an industry first, Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey and street artist KinMx have joined forces with Metacask, a blockchain powered spirits marketplace, to launch THE GRACE - a limited collection of digitally connected bottles.
Together, the 501 bottles form a 6 x 4.5m mural of Ireland’s legendary pirate queen, Grace O’Malley.
This is the final ‘reveal’ in a year long creative partnership that combines art, whiskey and technology to bring Irish contemporary culture and heritage to the forefront.
Available to buy now from €450, this gives collectors and whiskey lovers the chance to own a one of a kind piece of decentralised artwork from KinMx.
Created first as a street mural in Dublin, KinMx’s artwork idolising the aforementioned female leader, has been recreated across a canvas of 501 matt black Grace O’Malley whiskey bottles before being filled with a 13 year-old single grain Irish Whiskey with Amarone Finish.
Ikea
Ikea has announced the launch of a new UK mattress removal and recycling scheme.
Customers can book a collection, either online or in-store for £40 per item. Following collection, mattresses are transported to a dedicated recycling facility operated by Ikea partner, The Furniture Recycling (TFR) Group.
TFR Group diverts 100% of the mattresses it collects or receives from landfill, by deconstructing them manually using specialist cutting tools – enabling the materials to be separated into their component parts, which are then sanitised for onward processing.
Balenciaga
EON has announced a partnership with Balenciaga to launch what is pitched as an industry first, tech enabled merch series with an exclusive media experience for Balenciaga customers that will give them access to a custom produced song by Archive, a London-based trip-hop group.
The song, titled Patterns, was composed exclusively for Balenciaga Music and is not available anywhere else or through any other channel.
According to a press release: “The launch marks the beginning of a new era where fashion products are not just physical assets, but also gateways to multimedia experiences where customers can connect directly with brands and creators”.
Standard AI
Standard AI, a startup working with customers including Circle K and Compass Group, has announced the extension of its Vision platform.
Standard AI Zone Monitoring starts with Tobacco Tracker and Beer Tracker.
Going forward, the company will bring the Vision platform to other sections of the store, including lottery, cash drawer, and fuel.
Crate & Barrel
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 has opened 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.
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