Revolutionising the checkout process: here are last week’s most read RTIH retail technology articles
These are the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Aldi Nord, Confer With, Amazon, InPost UK, Currys, Coles, Ocado Group, and the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
2023 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced during glittering ceremony in central London
Last month, we announced the winning submissions for the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by PMC, FreedomPay, Worldpay from FIS, CADS, 3D Cloud by Marxent, Goodays, and Vista Technology Support.
Our winners were revealed during an event which took place on 29th November at the Barbican Centre in central London and included a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a Christmas themed three course meal, and awards presentation in the Garden Room.
Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, says: “Since we launched the awards in 2019, they have gone from strength to strength and holding them at the Barbican Centre, a much loved, internationally acclaimed venue, is going to be a tough one to top.”
“Thanks to all those who entered the 2023 awards, many of whom were at our event last night. We received a record number of submissions this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.”
“Congratulations to our 2023 winners and highly commended submissions.”
“To quote a member of our judging panel: “What a year, these awards are really going from strength to strength. There were many categories in there that were so difficult to call. Very worthy entries and winners.”
Further information on all our 2023 entries can be found here.
Aldi Nord harmonises computer vision and AI at Trigo and shopreme powered Shop & Go store in Utrecht
Aldi Nord has redesigned its Trigo and shopreme powered Aldi Shop & Go store in the Dutch city of Utrecht.
In a LinkedIn post, Dr. Christian Bock, Team Lead Self-Service Checkout & Cashless Payment at Aldi Nord, said: “We are delighted to announce that we have taken another significant step towards an innovative and forward looking development, both technologically and business wise.”
“Our team takes immense pride in the redesign of our test store in Utrecht. Over the past year and a half, we've learned a great deal collaboratively with our customers, and it fills us with pride to incorporate these insights directly into the store's transformation.”
He added: “We are particularly excited to share that we have made the store even more appealing in accordance with our customers’ preferences. Through the harmonisation of computer vision and artificial intelligence, not only has the product assortment been subtly repositioned, but we have also revolutionised the checkout process.”
“This groundbreaking integration of technologies allows us to embark on entirely new paths, fundamentally enhancing the shopping experience from product selection to payment.”
Amazon puts returned, refurbished and open box items back on sale at new physical store in London
Amazon has opened a Second Chance Store in London, giving festive shoppers the chance to buy quality returned products in-person, for the first time.
This is located at the Brunswick Centre in Central London, and features deals on a wide range of returned products. Customers can shop for kitchen and household appliances, books, games and toys, electricals and more.
Amazon offers quality returned products year round online at Amazon Second Chance, which also provides customers with information about product repair, recycling and trade-in for electronics.
The store is open for the next two weeks in partnership with Barnardo’s, with all proceeds supporting its work with children and young people.
Confer With announced as Overall Winner at 2023 RTIH retail technology innovation awards event
Confer With, a 1:2:1 video commerce platform built for retail and e-commerce firms seeking to scale personal shopping, emerged victorious this month as the Overall Winner at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
After a rigorous judging process and amidst strong competition across various categories, Confer With received praise not only for its individual contributions but also for its collaborative efforts with retail partners such as L'Occitane, OWAY and Dunelm.
"Our commitment to transforming the retail landscape through innovative technology has always been at the core of what we do," says Serge Milbank, CEO/Founder at Confer With.
"Winning this award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and the fruitful collaborations with our partners. We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries and shaping the future of retail."
Parcel locker specialist InPost UK scores a first as it becomes official partner of Newcastle United
InPost has become an official partner of Premier League football team Newcastle United.
InPost UK has 6,000 out of home delivery options across the country.
This number is set to increase as Newcastle United supporters will soon be able to use bespoke parcel lockers at St James’ Park – the first in the country at a Premier League stadium.
Doffing a cap at the the black and white of Newcastle United, the specially designed parcel lockers will be located outside the iconic Gallowgate End, offering customers a city centre location, with InPost also having a number of collection points around Newcastle and wider Tyneside area.
Samsung, Acer, Hisense onboard as Currys Connected Media unveiled by UK technology retailer
Currys has unveiled the first suite of products available via its retail media network, Currys Connected Media.
This allows partnered brands to understand, reach and engage millions of customers online and in-store.
Brands such as Samsung, Acer and Hisense are harnessing the offering, which is built on solutions from partners including Circana, Epsilon and Criteo.
Lotte Shopping breaks ground on first Ocado Group powered Customer Fulfilment Centre in Busan, South Korea
Ocado Group has broken ground at its first Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) with South Korea’s Lotte Shopping.
Situated in Busan, this is one of six CFCs planned across the country.
Ocado Group said on X: “With 30% of the CFC's operations to be powered by on-site solar panels and a 100% electric delivery fleet, the Busan CFC will also make big strides towards generating more carbon-efficient operations in online grocery.”
It added: “When it goes live in 2025, Lotte's first CFC will make amazing new online grocery experiences available to c.2.3 million households across Busan and beyond. Next stop, Seoul!”
Food for thought: Australian retailer Coles teams with shoppable recipe technology provider Northfork
Northfork has announced a partnership with Australian retailer, Coles. The aim here is to boost the latter’s online platform by introducing shoppable recipes via Northfork's API technology.
The integration will enable Coles customers to explore recipes that align with their individual preferences, dietary requirements, and lifestyles.
They can add all ingredients to their online cart with a single click, while also accessing nutritional information and estimated costs.
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