The latest from SPAR, Sensei, and Ocado: RTIH’s biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Amazon, Ocado, The Trade Desk, and Sensei.
1. Amazon gears up to shutter Stateside Go stores following Fresh closure in the UK
Amazon is to close eight of its Go convenience stores in the US.
It will shutter two locations in New York City, two in Seattle, and in San Francisco, on 1st April.
Amazon says it will work to help affected employees secure other roles at the company.
“Like any physical retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimisation decisions along the way,” says an Amazon spokesperson.
“In this case, we’ve decided to close a small number of Amazon Go stores in Seattle, New York City, and San Francisco.”
“We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the US, and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers as we keep evolving our Amazon Go stores.”
2. RTIH takes the wraps off its first ever Retail Technology Innovations Report. Download it today!
RTIH is pleased to announce the launch of its first ever Retail Technology Innovations Report, sponsored by Metapack.
Available for download here, free of charge, this highlights the top 50 retail tech plays of 2022 as decided by our Editor, Scott Thompson, and an independent advisory panel.
We were looking for groundbreaking technology deployments, launches, and pilots from across the omnichannel retail landscape, be they payments, supply chain, online, mobile, physical store etc related.
Thompson produced a longlist which went to the judging panel, consisting of:
Mike Cadden, Technology and Business Transformation Director, Start-Rite Shoes
Matt Taylor, Technology Transformation Leader at EY, Retail and Consumer Products
Brittain Ladd, Supply Chain, Logistics, Operations, and Strategy Executive
Imran Ansani, Head of Retail Edge Solutions and Ecosystems, Dell Technologies
Christine Russo, Retail Industry Analyst
Gary Newbury, Supply Chain Advisor and Delivery Executive
Toby Pickard, Global Insight Leader, IGD
They picked their stand out retail technology plays of 2022, put forward their own favourite innovations, and, based on this, Thompson drew up the final 50.
Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, and it is great to celebrate this with the 2022 Retail Technology Innovations Report.
Many thanks to Metapack, a leading provider of e-commerce delivery management technology to enterprise retailers and brands, for sponsoring it.
3. Sensei launches Dojo autonomous supermarket in Europe with Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Sensei has launched Dojo, which, covering a total space of 500 square metres, is pitched as the largest fully autonomous store in Europe.
Created in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), the facility in Lisbon, Portugal is intended as a test lab.
Not open to the public, it provides an environment for Sensei and its partners to develop and test new autonomous store technologies. The tech behind Dojo is scalable for retail spaces ranging from from 150 m2 to 1,500 m2.
Features include gateless entry and exit, and an automatic card payment terminal where purchases are displayed in real-time at the end of a shop, so customers can make purchases without using an app.
There is also automated tracking of products served from assisted counters, such as a bakery, butchery or fish counter, and the integration of self-service coffee and juice machines.
4. Sports presenter and broadcaster Jake Humphrey announced as headline speaker at Retail Technology Show
Jake Humphrey has been announced as a headline speaker at Retail Technology Show, which will take place on 26th and 27th April at London’s Olympia.
Best known as the anchorman for Premier League coverage on BT Sport, Humphrey also hosts The High-Performance podcast.
He joins Retail Reflections’ Andrew Busby on the Headline Stage on day one or a fireside chat, which will explore how retail leaders can ensure their workforce can perform at their highest level, at a time when the role of retail staff is having a greater impact upon delivering enhanced customer experience for shoppers.
5. The Trade Desk partners with Ocado on 'new approach to retail media on the open internet'
Advertising technology firm The Trade Desk has announced a partnership with online grocery big hitter Ocado Retail.
The pair claim that, as a result, Ocado is the first grocer in the UK to give direct access to its customer behaviour data, allowing marketers to optimise their audiences and attribute campaigns through The Trade Desk.
Ocado will provide advertisers with access to consented shopper data and insights.
Ocado suppliers and The Trade Desk’s clients will be able to leverage the pureplay’s first-party audiences to reach in-market shoppers and drive key marketing objectives, such as customer acquisition to build brand loyalty over time.
Furthermore, targeted campaigns can be optimised using Ocado data to close the loop between advertising spend and sales.
6. SPAR Switzerland and AVIA open first unattended SPAR Express store in Zurich
SPAR Switzerland and AVIA have opened the first 24/7 SPAR Express forecourt store operating without onsite personnel at Zurich’s Sihlqui bus terminal.
In addition to refuelling, customers can now also stock up on groceries, fresh snacks, and coffee.
The 50m2 store offers around 1,000 products, including bread and bakery products, fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat, drinks, basic food items, hygiene articles, and car accessories.
Access is made possible through FAST aXs technology which allows customers to enter the store by scanning a QR code at the entrance with their smartphone and accepting the terms and conditions.
People do not need to download an app or register. Items are also scanned with the smartphone and payment is made by Twint, credit or debit card, or with Apple Pay or Google Pay.
The store is equipped with cameras and sensors. If customers have questions or face any issues, information is provided online instantly and additional support is offered.
Sales are monitored via an app which ensures that the store is always replenished with fresh food. Customers purchasing fuel can pay at the AVIA petrol station with a fuel card, debit or credit card or cash.
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