Interview: Toby Pickard, Global Insight Leader at IGD and 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel member
Toby Pickard, Global Insight Leader at IGD and 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel member, sits down with Liz Morrell*, to discuss retail tech in 2023 and beyond, his career to date, and the benefits of being an influencer.
Ask Pickard what one of his greatest professional achievements is and he says it’s being named a retail influencer by the likes of RTIH, where he has made our top 100 for the last two years.
“From an external perspective it’s getting recognition from organisations like RTIH around being a retail influencer and having that badge,” he says. “That’s something I’m immensely proud of and it’s a real honour to be included on that list.”
As part of that role, Pickard is a judge for the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards and he says he loves the opportunities that his influencer role gives him in finding out about the latest and greatest tech in retail.
His focus at IGD is global retail, the store of the future and how the path to purchase is changing, particularly in grocery retail.
On a daily basis that sees him looking at the latest and greatest case studies from around the world and the initiatives they are implementing for both their shoppers and their businesses, he says.
“Technology plays a significant part in my role as technology is one of the key drivers or enablers for change within the food and grocery sector and when it comes to grocery shopping it has a significant impact.”
Tech in 2023 and beyond
Some of the most interesting areas for change are around the way we shop, and the potential for cashier-less stores as they continue to gain traction, according to Pickard.
“I first spotted a startup that was trying this in Scandinavia back in 2016. That slow steady progression of cashier-less technology being rolled out is interesting because it significantly changes the front of a store, the way it operates and also the way we shop.”
“That is huge and there is still a long way to go there, and it will be exciting to watch because it's also coupled with advancements around artificial intelligence and image recognition.”
He says the democratisation of generative AI, previously restricted to the three or four big tech players who had been developing it in-house, and its move to open access is also a game-changer. “It levels the playing field, and we will see a lot happening in that space.”
One of the most important shifts he has witnessed is that of the dotcom boom during the pandemic which forced previously tech-shy customers and staff to learn to embrace it, with technologies such as self-checkout, Click and Collect and the use of handheld devices becoming more commonplace than before. “All of those things have helped accelerate the digitalisation of retail.”
“Next year we will also see more of tech enhancing store associates. It’s a real enabler, rather than a hindrance or a competitor,” he says. But this requires careful management, he warns. “It’s about how can you create superstaff by upskilling them with technology.”
And part of that is around the onboarding, he says. “We often see companies saying that tech is intuitive, but I believe that more often it’s not. I think people need to be shown and onboarded and that’s both shoppers and store staff.”
“What I’m hearing when I go out in stores is for those that are becoming more digitally enabled if they onboard their staff correctly and walk through why they are doing it then staff see the benefit because it can make their jobs easier. They can move away from manual tasks and that enables them to do other roles that they might enjoy more.”
He says the outlook for 2024 and beyond is exciting. “From a food and grocery perspective we will still see a lot around enhanced efficiencies, and how technology can be used to really improve systems.”
“I think often that will be incremental shifts that at scale make a huge difference, so things like online picking in-store and whether that can be done more efficiently. There will also be a big focus around solutions that can help around shrinkage as that has been a big issue for a lot of retailers in the UK and abroad.”
The role of sustainability
Despite his excitement about future tech, Pickard’s role hasn’t always been tech focused, however.
He originally joined IGD in 2007 as a sustainability analyst after doing a degree in environmental management at the University of Leeds.
“It was a really nice opportunity for me to take the learnings from university and start applying them and learning more about how the food and grocery market is trying to become more sustainable.”
His role saw him working in sustainability efforts such as packaging reduction initiatives, as well as working in the charitable side of the business. “We used to run a number of packaging events for the food industry where the industry would share best practice and insights.”
“My role started to evolve into how technology would be more of an enabler in a number of the challenges the industry was seeing, especially around packaging or reducing road miles so it started more into spotting the latest and greatest technologies to help with sustainability,” he says.
Retail influencer
As his role continued to progress into the innovation space, in 2015 he moved into an e-commerce role within the commercial side of the business and to run the IGD’s online digital events before moving to a multi-channel role and then his current innovation and futures focus.
He says his retail influencer badge gives him a unique ability to get even closer to new tech initiatives, however, and it’s again this for which he is most grateful.
“I love spotting or being shown new innovations but what I’m most grateful for about being an influencer is the network it enables by being associated with others who do a similar role to me. It enables me to pick up the phone or Zoom someone or send them an email or a LinkedIn message because you are part of this network.”
“There’s a really nice common understanding and enthusiasm to learn and share. So for me it’s the network it enables and that also to open doors to other organisations.”
“People come forward and ask to have a chat because I have that badge of honour. I have a great network but also it brings people to me which makes my job quicker, easier and more efficient.”
And that helps to drive new understandings. “I’m a curious person by nature. I’ve got a curious mind and I like to know how things work and if there’s an issue I go into solutions mode straightaway. I think very logically,” he says.
His role, where he’s seen as a mouthpiece of the industry and talking to new contacts globally can be tiring, however, he admits, especially when you add in his three-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, both of whom are early risers. “I’m looking forward to the days when they start laying-in in the morning,” he laughs.
Outside of work, he runs as much as possible to clear his head and keep fit. He is also training to become a qualified FA coaching assistant to support his young son’s weekly football activities.
“Thursday nights is practise and Saturday is game day so rather than standing on the pitch as I have been doing for the last eight months when they’ve been training, I’ve decided to put on some boots and to go and help out and run around. It keeps me active and gets me learning something new and different as I was much more into hockey and rugby when I was at school.”
The future
And of the future? Pickard says his passion for tech and tech as an enabler and solutions provider will endure.
“It’s an area I find really intriguing, and I’ll hopefully continue to learn and grow and share insights about the latest and greatest innovations we are seeing in the world.”
“For retail and food and grocery particularly, the bar is continually rising. I think more and more those companies that aren’t embracing technology in a significant way are starting to get left behind.”
*Liz Morrell is a freelance retail business journalist and copywriter and regular contributor to RTIH.
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