Black Friday bonanza: here's 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 Aldi, Amazon, Carlsberg Group, Škoda, NorgesGruppen, Polytag, HMV, and Coalescent Mobile Robotics.
Sensormatic Solutions - UK consumer appetite for shopping in-store on Black Friday appears to be waning
Visits to UK retail stores and shopping centres on Black Friday decreased by -3.1% this Black Friday, 24th November, compared to 2022, as shoppers shifted Black Friday spend to earlier discounting events as well as taking advantage of the extended deals and promotions being offered by retailers, according to research from Sensormatic Solutions.
The company’s data from its Sensormatic IQ platform, which captures 40 billion shopper visits globally each year, showed that while footfall was down, the discounting event did deliver a week-on-week boost to shopper traffic, rising +52.4% compared to the Friday prior (17th November).
While high streets and shopping centres struggled, retail parks defied the year-on-year Black Friday footfall decline, with store visits rising +1.9% compared to 2022.
This could be attributed to the mix of both big box and discount retailers making up their retail offer, giving shoppers a ‘one stop shop’ for deals.
Adobe Analytics: Brits tap BNPL and Click and Collect services as Black Friday online spending hits £1.04 billion
UK consumers spent £1.04 billion online (up 4.1% YoY) as they sought to take advantage of the deep discounts on offer in the run up to Christmas.
Aldi and Kevin The Carrot announce Pinterest partnership to push retailer's new festive campaign
Aldi and Kevin The Carrot have teamed up with Pinterest to promote their new festive campaign.
Leveraging a series of Pinterest’s new ad formats for the first time such as Lead ad, Premiere Spotlight and Breakthrough video, Aldi’s campaign also marks a category first by featuring a secret board, giving users the chance to access a Pinterest board full of festive cheer.
Users searching for Christmas inspiration will discover an animated ‘Golden Pin’ video which adopts a breakthrough technique to appear in the home feed, giving them exclusive access to the Secret Christmas Factory Pinterest board.
The invite mechanic behind the Golden Pin utilises the Lead Generation ad format and invites users to fill in their email and Pinterest handle, to be added to the secret board.
Polytag and One Water team up to promote ethical hydration via GS1 Digital Link QR codes
Polytag has announced a new partnership with One Water, a UK-based ethical hydration brand, that will see its unique QR codes printed onto selected products to incentivise recycling and provide insight into the lifecycle of the brand’s packaging.
The collaboration follows Polytag’s partnerships with Ocado, Co-op and Aldi.
Bleak Friday: Amazon faces pay related worker demos in London and across Europe and the USA
Amazon was braced for strikes and demos across the UK, Europe and the USA on Friday in what was pitched as the biggest day of action in the company’s 30-year history.
To coincide with Black Friday, in the UK more than 1,000 workers at the US e-commerce giant’s Coventry warehouse downed tools in a dispute over pay and conditions - the 28th day of action in the dispute.
Meanwhile in London, a protest took place outside Amazon’s UK headquarters at 12pm.
Carlsberg Group picks Expereo to deliver internet connectivity in 40 countries as part of digital transformation push
Carlsberg Group has chosen Expereo to manage its internet connectivity in 40 countries at 160 sites in support of the company’s global digital transformation journey.
Carlsberg Group brews such beers as Tuborg, Kronenbourg 1664, Poretti, Experimental and of course Carlsberg (hic). With over 40,000 employees and 140 brands in its portfolio, its is one of the largest employers in Denmark.
Expereo was selected to implement and manage a new internet underlay network to ensure seamless performance wherever employees, partners and customers are located.
HMV returns to London’s Oxford Street with pop culture focused flagship store after four year hiatus
HMV's flagship store has been reopened by ska/pop legends Madness on Oxford Street following a four year hiatus.
The retailer closed its main London branch in 2019 after going into administration. It was then taken over by Sunrise Records.
The store at 363 Oxford Street opened its doors to the public on Friday. It had first appeared on London's iconic shopping street in 1921.
According to a press release: “It will become a hub for entertainment in the capital and the largest entertainment outlet in London offering an unparalleled range of music, film, merchandise and technology products as well as performance spaces”.
Menswear brand LESTRANGE and startup Vaayu launch automated, science-based life cycle calculator Re_Count
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.
Birdseye raises $3 million for tech that enables retailers to serve each customer's unique preferences
Birdsye, a startup that specialises in the retail and e-commerce artificial intelligence sector, has announced a seed investment of $3 million from Drive Capital.
This follows its previous investment, leading a $500,000 pre-seed round earlier this year. Masha Khusid, a partner from Drive Capital, will be joining Birdseye's board of directors.
Birdseye’s technology completes millions of marketing actions to match shoppers with the products they are most likely to be interested in purchasing at any given time and price. This is powered by an AI algorithm trained on vast amounts of retail transaction data.
Automobile manufacturer Škoda teams with Parkopedia to introduce in-car payments with Pay to Fuel service
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.
Metacask and Grace O'Malley unveil THE GRACE, a collection of 501 digitally connected bottles of whiskey
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.
Coles 360 boosts product capabilities with new Broadsign partnership and Nova agreement
Coles 360 has announced a new partnership with out-of-home ad tech provider Broadsign and an agreement with Nova.
Paul Brooks, General Manager at Coles 360, says: “We’re determined to provide unique, impactful, and measurable omnichannel media solutions and these partnerships allow us to do just that.”
SeeChange Technologies bags new investors, raises £8 million in seed extension funding
SeeChange Technologies, a specialist in retail focused visual AI, has announced the closing of its Series A funding of £8 million led by TriplePoint, with participation from new investors including Runa Capital and True Capital, and original backer Crane Venture Partners.
SeeChange’s visual AI platform, SeeWare, aims to enhance self-checkout, preempt stockouts, improve safety and reduce loss. SeeWare processes video from retailers’ existing hardware and this is deployed and scaled across the retail enterprise.
SeeWare has been piloted and commercially trialed by retail customers and partners including Diebold Nixdorf.
EON Balenciaga tie up enables ‘connection between physical products and inspiration of art and music behind them’
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”.
Coalescent Mobile Robotics hires Oskar Lauritzen as CEO as Danish startup eyes next phase of growth
Danish company Coalescent Mobile Robotics (CM-Robotics) has announced the appointment of Oskar Lauritzen as its new Chief Executive Officer.
CM-Robotics develops and sells autonomous mobile robots that streamline in-store transportation needs, addressing tasks such as order fulfilment, restocking, and garbage collection.
Lauritzen ssys: “With a decade in SaaS, I’m eager to integrate my scaling expertise with robotics in the commerce sector.”
“I’m passionate about building for scale, and having spent many years working with grocery retailers, combining software and now hardware with the grocery industry, joining a strong and passionate team at CM-Robotics is exciting.”
Clionadh Martin, the current CEO and founder of Coalescent Mobile Robotics, will transition to the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
NorgesGruppen picks Manhattan Associates technology for growth of premium supermarket brand MENY
Norway’s largest grocery retailer, NorgesGruppen, has chosen Manhattan Active Warehouse Management to meet the expanding delivery expectations for customers of its premium supermarket brand, MENY.
The NorgesGruppen family includes household Norwegian brands such as Kiwi, Meny, Spar and Joker, covering the full range of grocery retail.
With 1,800 grocery stores, a further 900 retail convenience goods stores, plus ASKO, NorgesGruppen’s wholesale arm, which offers over 25,000 products, to 14,000 clients from an additional 13 warehouses, the organisation offers food and consumer goods to 88% of the country.
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