London calling: RTIH presents 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 Clix, Ikea UK, AiFi, Sook, Coach, Zero10, Infobip, and Gently.
Retail Technology Startup Stories Interview: Matt Cater, Founder at smart lockers specialist Clix
RTIH gets the lowdown on Clix Technology, which recently launched a new product - the Clix Smart Locker - having trialled it in B&Q Cardiff since July 2022.
London calling: Retail Technology Show 2023 pulls in almost 10,000 attendees
Retail Technology Show saw nearly 10,000 retail professionals attend the expo, held at London’s Olympia on 26th and 27th April.
9,963 people visited the exhibition/conference, an increase of +45% from 2022 when 6,850 showed up, including representatives from each of the UK’s top 50 retail brands registered to attend.
They were joined by 306 technology vendors, with the exhibition space sold out with four weeks before the event kicked off.
Conference headliners included Queen of Shops Mary Portas, former JD Sports CEO Peter Cowgill and broadcaster Jake Humphrey.
Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett’s session was so popular the gallery space was opened to accommodate hundreds of additional visitors wanting to join.
Matt Bradley, Event Director at Retail Technology Show, comments: “Every year, we set the bar higher, and this year was no different.”
“As the flagship event for retail, we need to be showcasing the cutting-edge innovation and insights that help retailers navigate the digital transformation needed to succeed again a backdrop of uncertainty, economic headwinds and radical consumer behavioural change.”
“But, just as importantly, this is an event that celebrates the energetic, dynamic heart of retail and the people who drive it forward and the event certainly celebrated the work hard, play hard attitude that imbues the industry.”
“Once again, we saw unrivalled innovation and tech championed on the show floor and the brightest minds in retail and beyond taking to the stages – this paired with a real festival feel and all the networking opportunities our visitors have come to expect from the Retail Technology Show, made for an unmissable event.”
Ikea UK opens new multi-million pound customer distribution centre in Dartford, Kent
Ikea UK has opened a new 452,000 sqft customer distribution centre in Dartford, Kent.
The retailer says that the new multi-million-pound facility will enable faster, more sustainable home deliveries to customers in London and the southeast of England.
Located at the former Littlebrook Power Station site near the Dartford Crossing and M25, the DC is placed on the border of London to deliver almost one million orders annually – with many reaching customers within 24 hours of an order being placed.
Today, almost every second Ikea purchase in London takes place online.
Closer to the customers that it serves, the facility will enable a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and is operated by 100% renewable energy.
By 2025, 100% of Ikea customer orders in London will also be delivered by electric vehicles.
To enable this, the retailer will install 28 rapid HGV chargers at the distribution centre, to power up HGVs while loading and unloading goods in under an hour. Additionally, 60 overnight chargers are set to be installed.
2022 RTIH Innovation Awards winner Sook kicks off Landsec tie up with Trinity Leeds and Bluewater Kent activations
Sook has announced its first two site collaborations with Landsec, the largest commercial property development and investment company in the UK, at Trinity Leeds and Bluewater in Kent.
The former takes vacant retail spaces and gives them a modular, digital fit-out which can be rented by the hour.
Nik Porter, Head of Retail Brand Account Management at Landsec, says: “We are pleased to be partnering with Sook to offer our platform spaces to their market leading network of brands.”
“Our platform spaces offer brands a lower barrier to entry to engage with their customers in prime retail destinations. Sook's collaborative and flexible approach has allowed us to partner with them to meet our specific objectives of driving activation and incubating emerging brands into our portfolio.”
Frictionless shopping: finding the right balance between retail technology innovation, ethics and sustainability
Checkout-free stores are all the rage right now, with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology leading the way, and various hotly tipped startups, including AiFi, Trigo, and Standard AI, jostling for attention.
But when it comes to frictionless shopping, how do retailers find the right balance between innovation, ethics, and environmental responsibility?
Coach teams with Zero10 to promote Tabby bag via augmented reality storefront in New York
Coach has partnered with Zero10 to bring the company’s augmented reality technology to its Soho store in New York.
From 5th May to 5th June, shoppers will be able to virtually try on eight versions of Coach’s Tabby Bag in different colours and styles.
In a LinkedIn post, Giovanni Zaccariello, SVP Global Visual Experience at Coach, said: “This new AR installation lets window shoppers try on the Tabby bag without stepping foot in-store.”
“Digital versions of the iconic Tabby Bag will be available for try-on through our in-store AR Mirror and AR Storefront, the latter debuting for the first time through this collaboration. Congrats to all the teams at Coach and Zero10.”
The fast and the furious: AiFi technology powers autonomous store at 2023 Miami Grand Prix
Formula One hit America last weekend, with the 2023 Miami Grand Prix taking place at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, on Sunday, 7th May.
This featured an autonomous store powered by AiFi technology.
Gently partners with Cloud Paper for sustainable last mile delivery initiative in Los Angeles
Logistics startup, Gently, has announced a partnership with Cloud Paper, a tree free paper products company.
Gently, which made its first delivery in April, will begin deliveries of Cloud Paper products immediately in Los Angeles.
Cloud Paper was founded in 2019 by ex-Uber employees Ryan Fritsch and Austin Watkins.
It says that its products have saved more than 25,000 trees to date, with its mission to end deforestation catching the attention of investors including Bezos Expeditions (Jeff Bezos’ personal investment company),
Ashton Kutcher’s SOUNDWaves, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures, Robert Downey Jr., and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Founded by Harvard Business School classmates Elian Pres-Gurwits and Anas Aljumaily, Gently stores stock in nano-fulfilment centres close to the consumer.
The inventory in these facilities is proactively rebalanced on behalf of retailers through the use of data from retail partners, consumer purchase behaviour, and third parties, allowing demand spikes and supply shortages to be predicted ahead of time.
This reduces emissions by eliminating unnecessary journeys and allows for faster delivery to customers.
Gently’s fleet of delivery vehicles is also fully electric.
Sarah Curran departs True Fit and sets sights on bringing a new business to life
Sarah Curran has left True Fit, a fit personalisation platform for fashion retailers, where she served as Global Chief Marketing Officer.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: “After almost three years at True Fit Corporation, I took the decision to step down and create a new chapter.”
She added: “Turning 50, moving to France and other life challenges, I decided to create my new future, and going to back into startup mode. My happiest times, and most authentic self has been in this raw experience. Look forward to bringing my new business to life.”
Diebold Nixdorf and WMF look to make coffee purchases in stores easier and quicker for consumers
Retail tech big hitter Diebold Nixdorf and WMF Professional Coffee Machines, a German supplier of coffee machines for commercial use, have partnered in a bid to streamline coffee purchases in retail stores.
The tie up involves connecting WMF’s coffee machines to Diebold Nixdorf’s PoS and self-service systems.
RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencer Megan Ludlow departs M&S Ignite for M&S International
Megan Ludlow has made the move from her Innovation Partnerships role at Marks and Spencer Ignite to join the team at M&S International as Product Manager, International E-commerce.
Infobip teams with BloomsyBox and Master of Code Global for Mother's Day activation
Infobip has teamed with sustainable flower delivery service BloomsyBox and conversational AI company Master of Code Global, on a generative AI experience for Mother’s Day.
This offers users an opportunity to win a bouquet of flowers valued at $50, while interacting with a specially trained chatbot using ChatGPT like technology to automatically generate a custom card for mums on their special day.
Launching on Monday, and concluding on Wednesday, May 10th, ahead of Mother’s Day weekend, the experience asks users five questions daily, with the first 150 users who answer all questions correctly winning the free bouquet.
Those who do not win will be provided with a coupon code for a discount to purchase a bouquet.
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