Starring EE, Temu, and Trigo: the biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Tesco, B&M, KFC UK & Ireland, Uber Direct, and Secret Sales.
1. 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.
2. Redefining retail experiences: Trigo powers new Etisalat autonomous store in Dubai featuring premium electronic goods
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.
3. Secret Sales brings in Chris Lacey as Chief Digital Officer and Alex Adamson as Chief Marketing Officer
Secret Sales, a non full price marketplace for fashion, sportswear and beauty brands, has announced the appointment of Chris Lacey as Chief Digital Officer (CDO) as it accelerates its European expansion strategy.
CEO Chris Griffin says: “As we enter 2024, it’s critical for us to move quickly to keep pace with the strong appetite we’re seeing for off-price from our retailer and brand partners so we can help them expand into new European territories.”
“This is why the time is right to strengthen our leadership team to help us deliver on our vision to positively disrupt the world of off-price.”
As CDO, Lacey is responsible for driving Secret Sales’ platform growth and international expansion.
He will be working with all departments to optimise the e-commerce platform to drive digital revenue, enhance the customer experience and advance operations, including marketing and technology as the business accelerates further on its international expansion, including its merger and acquisition strategy.
4. B&M rolls out TPP Retail technology as it looks to drive operational efficiency across UK stores
Discount retailer, B&M, has selected TPP Retail as its partner to drive operational efficiency across its 700+ UK stores with the implementation of Retail IQ.
It needed a modern solution that could scale at speed and support in-store operations. Held back by an estate of discontinued mobile devices, B&M hooked up with TPP Retail.
The Retail IQ solution was chosen to replace its legacy system and optimise in-store operations including pricing, labelling, promotions, and stock management processes.
Deployed on Zebra TC21 mobile devices for maximum compatibility with B&M’s existing estate of Zebra mobile printers, this has been implemented across 714 stores in four weeks.
5. EE tackles Black Friday Burnout with Digital Spa at Westfield White City store and Kate Nightingale tie up
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.
6. Chinese low cost retailer Temu announces expansion of its delivery network in Europe
Chinese e-commerce firm, Temu, has expanded its delivery network in Europe via partnerships with Poste Italiane, CTT in the Iberian Peninsula, and Mail Alliance in Germany.
In Italy, Poste Italiane will work with Temu on initiatives like PIN code enabled lockers and local stores serving as pick-up and drop-off points. The partnership also includes environmental strategies, such as reducing carbon emissions and employing eco-friendly packaging.
CTT, which operates as the national postal service of Portugal and has a presence in Spain through CTT Express, is expected to play a key role in supporting Temu’s growth in the Iberian market.
In Germany, Mail Alliance will bring its network of 55,000 delivery personnel to the party.
The company is Germany's large network of private postal service providers and is known for its capacity to handle large volumes and its swift delivery times.
7. KFC UK & Ireland begins roll-out of Uber Direct white label delivery solution across its stores
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.
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