‘Take life by the hand and own it’: Five retail technology questions for Catalina UK’s Prem Patel
RTIH asks major players in the retail technology space for their thoughts on the sector, and throws in a random question to keep them on their toes. This time around, our five questions go to Prem Patel, VP, Managing Director at Catalina UK.
RTIH: Looking at the hottest retail technologies right now, check-out free stores, rapid delivery services, the metaverse and NFTs, automation and robotics, which ones stand out to you, and for what reason?
PP: The cost-of-living crisis has inevitably changed the way in which we shop right now. Location, platform, and shopping habits have all been impacted.
But what retailers might not realise is that underneath these behaviour changes, is a desire to make money stretch further. So, whilst I’m really excited about the cutting-edge technology that’s coming into the market, technologies around personalisation and gamification are still at the top of my list for 2023 and 2024.
In a recent survey by Catalina, one in seven shoppers reported that they would choose a retailer because of personalised offers. Brands can, and should, look for ways they can personalise their loyalty programmes and customer interactions overall.
Customer data is so vast, and at Catalina, we love to help our customers present personalised options based on their consumers’ past shopping behaviour. The increase in customer loyalty, in the long run, is always great to see.
Then there’s gamification, which is the process of giving your website, loyalty apps, and communication tools, game-like elements via technology functions like our Shop & Play. We all – as humans and consumers – have a natural instinct for competition and reward.
This was again shown in a recent survey conducted by our company, with over half of the respondents reporting participating in games, and nine in ten reporting games influencing where they choose to shop.
Not only are they fun to do, but games are a terrific way for brands to help their consumers make their money go further.
So, whilst they may not include robots or be hosted in the metaverse, gamification and personalisation are both technology solutions that should be on every retailer’s shopping list right now. Because there’s nothing more important than making your customers feel valued and rewarded.
RTIH: Which retail technology trend is overrated in your opinion?
PP: Smart machines will do everything, and we will not need humans in the retail ecosystem. I’m not convinced as human connectivity plays a key role when it comes to the shopper experience.
As consumers step faster into wearables, will we really wear lightweight fashionable AR glasses to experience smell, taste, textures and temperature digitally? I’m not so sure.
It’s predicted that by 2030 you will be able to put a device in your mouth to digitally enhance the food you eat so that anything you consume can taste exactly as you want it to.
This means healthy food could taste like five-star cuisine. Imagine going to the supermarkets and purchasing a digital tasting device, it could certainly change the way we ‘’try and buy’’.
RTIH: What are the top five retail tech Twitter/LinkedIn accounts you can’t do without, and why?
PP: To be honest I keep it simple, I am a big fan of LinkedIn, Audible and WhatsApp, they are my go-to channels.
They help me stay connected and I avoid wasting hours scrolling through stuff I don’t need or want. I’m not a big reader so listening to books and gaining inspiration on the go works for me.
Quick communication helps you move forward, and WhatsApp is great for remaining concise and sharpening up your message.
RTIH: If you could have a dinner party with any five retail pioneers, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
PP: Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop. Started the business with a £4k loan, pushing the sustainability agenda with innovative product design, grew the business to operate in over 65 countries and 8yrs after her death is still known to be the country’s best known female entrepreneur.
Steve Jobs, one of the greatest innovators, creating a company that was one of the first retailers of digital goods, making it easy to purchase or convenient to consume. Digital ownership finally arrived.
Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay during the dot.com bubble, launching an ‘’auction-web’’ as an online consumer to consumer marketplace. Today eBay operates in more than 30 countries around the world.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. Who doesn’t use Amazon these days?! The company truly experiments (i.e., Kindle, delivery drones etc.) and consumers trust the brand to do the right thing.
Clarence Saunders, founder of Piggly Wiggly in 1916 Memphis Tennessee. This was the first self-service supermarket. Clarence noticed that staff gathering products for customers wasted time, so he had shoppers serve themselves.
RTIH: If someone wrote a biography about you, what would you like the title to be?
PP: Take life by the hand…and own it!
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