Starring Mollie, JD Sports, and mirrAR: check out last week’s most read RTIH retail technology articles
These are the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Żabka Polska, AiFi, Avery Dennison, Burton Snowboards, Outform, Tom Ford, and the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
2023 RTIH Innovation Awards winners to be announced on Wednesday, 29th November
The 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards will place on Wednesday, 29th November at the Barbican Arts Centre in central London.
The event, sponsored by PMC, FreedomPay, Worldpay from FIS, CADS, 3D Cloud by Marxent, Goodays, and Vista Technology Support, celebrates global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Spread over 19 different categories, submissions are judged on the extent of innovation and transformation demonstrated, as well as the sustainability of the results. Previous year’s winners have included B&Q, Pets at Home, Walmart, Sook, AiFi, Compass Group, Obsess, and Ribble Cycles.
Key dates
Friday, 3rd November: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 7th November: 2023 shortlist revealed
7th-10th November: Judging days
Wednesday, 29th November: Winners announced at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony
JD Sports taps into hype around Crocs as TikTok video surpasses 10 million views and 1.4 million likes
JD Sports has turned the arrival of a giant fluffy Croc at its Arndale, Manchester store into a social media success story.
In a LinkedIn post, Lauren Chadwick, Social Media Executive at JD Sports, said: “Mega proud of this one. Ten million views later. Last week a giant fluffy Croc arrived in the JD Arndale store, immediately I’m thinking of how we can get it on social.”
She added: “I saw a trending sound about (Formula 1 driver) Lando Norris floating around TikTok and thought it would fit perfectly around my idea. A few days later, I’ve surpassed ten million views on the video.”
“McLaren Automotive (Norris’ team) dropped a comment on how they thought Lando would love the content, so I sent him a pair of Crocs to the McLaren HQ.”
“Over 1.4 million likes and 10,000 comments later, the sentiment has been super positive and just shows the hype around Crocs at the moment.”
Żabka Polska taps AiFi tech as it opens first store combining traditional and autonomous shopping option
Żabka Polska has launched its first ever store that is open 24/7 and offers both a traditional and autonomous shopping option.
In a LinkedIn post, Patryk Powierża, Head of Nano Growth at Żabka Polska, said: “Today we opened the first hybrid Żabka store powered by autonomous technology (supplied by AiFi). How does it work?”
“From 6am-11pm, the store operates like a traditional store with a cashier. From 11pm-6am, it is switched to an unmanned format, which enables autonomous shopping.”
He added: “Thanks to that we can extend opening hours, be available 24/7, and deliver a great retail experience to Polish customers.”
“This opening is related to a great milestone that our company has achieved. Last Friday, we opened store 10,000 in the Żabka Polska network. Our hybrid store has a beautiful 10,002 number. The future is here.”
Avery Dennison hooks Burton Snowboards as customer as Digital Product Passport as a Service launches
Avery Dennison has launched a DPP as a Service (DPPaaS) to help brands fully prepare for forthcoming EU legislation on Digital Product Passports.
Burton Snowboards is the first customer to use the new offering that comprises consultancy, hardware, software, digital ID technology, physical labels, and support services.
DPPaaS is a part of Avery Dennison’s larger digital solutions portfolio, which connects the physical and digital worlds through its intelligent labelling and atma.io connected product cloud platform.
The phased introduction of DPP will be driven by the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) in key sectors beginning in 2027 including apparel and textiles, batteries, and electronics.
As an associate member of the CIRPASS consortium, which is advising the EU on the implementation of the scheme, Avery Dennison says it has first hand knowledge of what will be needed in the months ahead and is uniquely positioned to advise brands on the digital solutions required.
Additionally, via atma.io, the company currently tracks 30 billion items across the supply chain for global brands, capturing information that will be vital for DPP including carbon footprint data, origins of materials, and re-use instructions.
Outform works with Tom Ford on immersive Myrrhe Mystère experience at Galeries Lafayette Paris Central podium
A six metre tall immersive experience now sits at the Galeries Lafayette Paris Central podium, promoting the launch of the latest Tom Ford Private Blend addition, Myrrhe Mystère.
Interactive screens bathe the space in dreamy swirling amber and cream tones.
People can experience Myrrhe Mystère via a range of touchpoints, many of them tech led.
Digital and on-counter screens with video assets showcase the essence of the fragrance and tell the story of its amber and myrrh heritage. The installation was designed and built by Outform.
Halfords bags investment in Avayler software business as Bridgestone takes a 5% stake
Halfords Group, a UK-based provider of motoring and cycling products and services, reports that Bridgestone has acquired a 5% stake in its automotive Software as a service (SaaS) venture, Avayler, valuing the business that was launched in July 2021, at over $60 million.
The agreement will allow also Bridgestone to leverage Avayler’s products in retail stores and mobile applications.
The Avayler solution was developed in-house by Halfords to manage automotive services across its garage network and increasing number of mobile vans.
As well as streamlining customer bookings – online, over the phone, and in-store – and job execution inside the garage, its mobile capability uses algorithms to instantly calculate the available customer time slots according to the nearest van location and parts availability.
mirrAR lands $1.75m investment to enhance digital and in-store experiences with virtual try on tech
mirrAR, an Indian startup that specialises in augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, has announced completion of its pre-series A capital raise of $1.75 million.
US-based Diaspark spearheaded the round, with participation from angel investors such as Aparna Chennapragada, CVP at Microsoft, Alagu Periyannan, Founder of BlueJeans by Verizon and Khadim Batti CEO and Co-founder Whatfix.
mirrAR’s technology enables brands and retailers to offer immersive 3D and 360-degree shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps, and social channels through the 3D Commerce Cloud offering.
Shoppers can virtually try on products or interact with them in their physical environment.
FinTech firm Mollie announces transition from EU to UK Payment Institution licence
European payment service provider, Mollie, has been granted a Payment Institution licence in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The FinTech originally launched in the UK in early 2021, serving merchants both domestically and those expanding internationally. Now, with the FCA licence granted, it is planning merchant expansion and new product launches.
Mollie UK intends to follow in its continental footsteps in 2024, with plans to offer fully integrated business financing services and additional payment solutions.
It was previously operating under the Temporary Permissions Regime for EU-based financial services firms, a regime launched following Brexit.
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