BuyBye Belgium: RTIH brings you its biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. These are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Carrefour Belgium, Reckon AI, Aria, Leav, Terrible’s, Upside, Kingfisher, CitrusAd, Copec, and Grabango.
Carrefour Belgium works with retail technology startup Reckon AI on BuyBye autonomous micro store
Carrefour Belgium has this week opened its smallest store in Belgium, measuring just 18 sqm.
Carrefour BuyBye is located at the retailer’s Belgian headquarters in Zaventem (near Brussels).
The autonomous store consists of a series of refrigerated vending machines where customers can purchase lunch, snacks, cold drinks and fruit.
Shoppers need to download the Carrefour Buybye app, create an account and add a payment method before they can use the app to open the machines, take out products and check-out.
Initially, this will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 10pm to start with, but from January it will be available seven days a week.
It is the result of a collaboration with startup Reckon AI, which specialises in micro-stores equipped with artificial intelligence.
Plans are afoot to roll-out the concept to Carrefour Belgium’s existing physical stores.
Aria bags €15 million as it looks to bring the digital payment experience to all businesses
French FinTech startup Aria has announced a €15 million funding round to expand its deferred payment infrastructure across the platform economy and B2B marketplaces.
This was led by 13books Capital with participation from Adevinta Ventures, Ankaa Ventures, Otium Capital and angel investors including Laurent Ritter (Purple), Mark Ransford and Guillaume Princen (former Stripe exec).
Aria enables any merchant, B2B marketplace or vertical SaaS company that sells goods and services online and offline to offer their sellers a wide array of payment methods and terms, and get paid instantly — all in a single platform.
It is able to connect with B2B marketplaces, transactional SaaS platforms and ERP systems to distribute early payment of supplier invoices and offers deferred payment options for end-clients via its API.
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 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.
Myth.AI, a Turkish startup behind an AI driven pattern design tool, closes $1.3 million funding round
Myth.AI has closed a $1.3 million funding round to help drive operations in the UK and explore new markets.
Founded in Turkey, the startup was originally created to help the founder’s own high-end fashion line Women & Women, but now offers a generative AI solution that uses visual or text prompts to streamline the design of new and unique patterns for brands across Europe.
The company claims that its technology drastically reduces the time is takes to create bespoke designs, along with helping to create a more sustainable design and production process through reducing the need for swatch samples, which ultimately end up in landfill.
Brands in the textile design industry such as Ratti (Italy), Telater (Spain), Sun Textile, Elyaf Textile, Gama Textile, Zorlu Textile, Halmer Fabric (Turkey) are deploying the technology, along with ceramic industry firm Vitra.
AI chat platforms specialist ON and The Armani Group expand customer engagement partnership
ON has announced a strategic partnership with the Armani Group.
Following a launch with A|X Armani Exchange in March, the expanded tie up now includes A|X Armani Exchange, Armani Exchange - Canada, Armani Exchange - UK, Emporio Armani and EA7 Emporio Armani.
In the first six months after implementing the ON platform, A|X Armani Exchange reported that 92% of inbound inquiries were immediately addressed through automated AI chat, accelerating the speed to resolution through shopping journeys.
Additionally, engagement with ON resulted in up to a five times increase in the likelihood of shoppers making purchases.
Gas station firm Terrible’s teams with Upside to boost brand loyalty and drive more consumers to fuel sites
US-based Terrible’s is adding 84 of its gas stations to Upside’s digital marketplace.
It says that this partnership will help it access a broader audience and incentivise both new and occasional customers to choose their gas stations over competing options, thanks to personalised promotions within the Upside platform.
“We continually seek out innovative avenues to introduce our brand to new consumers and enhance brand loyalty among our current customers,” says Sam Zanini, Vice President of Revenue Management, Data Analytics and FP&A at Terrible’s.
“We're excited to collaborate with Upside to offer cash back incentives that serve the interests of our prospective and existing customers and measurably contribute to our business.”
Mobile self-checkout startup Leav bags $2.3 million in seed funding to accelerate market penetration
Leav, a startup in the mobile self-checkout industry, has raised $2.3 million in seed funding, led by Exo10.vc, a venture capital fund steered by serial entrepreneur and investor Nicolas Bouchard, known for founding DuProprio in 1997.
The company’s technology allows customers to scan and pay for items using their mobile devices, eliminating checkout lines.
“We always knew we had total product market fit, so it was natural to get market traction,” says Olivier Roy, Leav’s Co-founder and CEO.
“Now, securing an investment from a prestigious group of renowned entrepreneurs and investors like Exo10.vc not only propels our growth trajectory but also enables us to assemble an exceptional team and instills a heightened sense of confidence in the market, reinforcing their commitment to partnering with Leav. I couldn’t be more proud of our team, and really can’t wait for what 2024 has to bring.”
Polytag makes Head of Client Experience and Delivery and Lead Developer Engineer appointments
Recycling technology specialist, Polytag, has announced a strengthening of its team following a string of partnerships with UK retailers, Ocado Retail, Aldi and Co-op, alongside drinks brands such as the UK’s One Water, and Welsh kombucha venture Blighty Booch.
Virlina Choquette, Head of Client Experience and Delivery at Polytag, comes with over ten years of experience in strategic delivery roles and leading partnerships with FMCG giants such as Nestlé and Coca-Cola, to support the execution of key projects.
Phil Bisby joins as Lead Developer Engineer, with eight years’ experience in manufacturing and engineering projects He will be responsible for testing and developing its data capture technology, as well as investigating opportunities with AI image recognition within Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
Philadelphia Eagles teams with Verizon and AiFi for computer vision powered cashierless concession stores
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to open two cashierless concession stores at Lincoln Financial Field this month.
After a soft launch on Sunday, the On the Fly Express Shops. located at the venue’s main concourse and Pepsi Plaza, will be in operation for all Eagles games moving forward.
This is the result of a collaboration with Verizon (which provides the 5G network underpinning the frictionless experience), and computer vision technology specialist AiFi.
Shoppers enter via an NFC reader at a turnstile and select their desired items, then exit, with payment automatically processed on the way out.
They can also register for a receipt to their email or a mobile app through a QR code. Computer vision enabled cameras track items as they are picked up, put down, and taken out of the location, which triggers payment.
Swiss sportswear brand On selects Nedap technology for source to consumer RFID project
Nedap has been selected by sportswear brand, On, to deploy its iD Cloud platform in factories, warehouses, distributors and stores worldwide.
This enables On to track and trace every single item from source to consumer.
Utilising radio waves, RFID technology enables wireless identification and tracking of objects, providing efficient data capture and real-time monitoring, especially beneficial in use cases such as supply chain management.
On was already familiar with the technology and benefits of RFID, and decided to run a pilot programme in cooperation with Nedap to test iD Cloud.
Kingfisher expands partnership with CitrusAd to launch retail media across banners including B&Q
Home improvement retailer, Kingfisher, has broadened its partnership with CitrusAd to bring retail media opportunities to third-party brands across its banners – with B&Q live this month.
Rapid delivery firm Daki selects RELEX Solutions to optimise demand forecasting and replenishment
Daki, an on-demand groceries and essentials app, has selected RELEX Solutions to drive accuracy and efficiency in its demand forecasting and replenishment processes.
The RELEX technology will support Daki's operations throughout Brazil.
The company’s planning previously relied on manual processes.
To support efforts across multiple markets, it realised it needed a unified, scalable system that could provide accurate forecasts and optimise efficiency and utilisation of all resources, thereby supporting its proposition of providing an extraordinary shopping experience, offering all the essentials products according to customer demand.
Including Leav, SumUp, and ON: Seven retail technology funding rounds you need to know about
RTIH rounds up seven retail tech ventures who have recently secured significant investments in their businesses, including SeeChange Technologies, Birdseye, Myth.AI, and Aria.
Melissa Gonzalez joins Crave Retail advisory board, with focus on digital transformation in physical stores
Crave Retail, a customer experience and insights platform, has announced the appointment of Melissa Gonzalez to its advisory board.
Gonzalez is the Founder of The Lionesque Group and Principal at MG2.
She comments: "I'm excited to join Crave's advisory board and contribute to the company's growth.”
“We're just beginning to explore the full potential of smart fitting rooms in enhancing the customer try-on experience. Crave's technology meets the high expectations of apparel shoppers, offering personalised and inclusive service, thereby helping retailers to increase sales and build trust."
Start of a new adventure: VP of Marketing Shay Ziv departs autonomous stores specialist Trigo
Shay Ziv has left checkout-free stores big hitter, Trigo, where he served as VP of Marketing.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “This marks the end of one chapter and the start of a new adventure. The past three years have been a fantastic ride.”
“Together with my team, we achieved the unimaginable - building a brand with the category's highest TOM, positioning Trigo as a category leader, gaining global traction, and standing tall against giants like Amazon. My thanks to my incredible team for your unwavering support, dedication, and passion.”
Copec teams with Grabango to bring checkout-free shopping to South American convenience stores
Copec and Grabango have partnered with the objective to upgrade 100 of the former’s convenience stores across South America with checkout-free technology.
“We are excited to bring Grabango’s industry leading checkout-free tech to South America,” says Leonardo Ljubetic, Copec’s Chief Development Officer.
“We have seen impressive shopper uptake in our former U. stores and wanted to expand the innovation to shoppers in Latin America. Grabango’s seamless checkout system will accelerate our ‘First in Service’ programme by simplifying the shopping experience, delighting our loyal customers and drawing new traffic to our Pronto stores.”
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