Starring Wayve, InPost, and Valtech: April’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from April, including John Lewis Partnership, Asda, Currys, Sports Direct, IKI, Specsavers, and Walmart.
John Lewis Partnership
Eagle Eye has secured a five-year contract with The John Lewis Partnership for its new pan-partnership loyalty project launching in 2024 alongside dunnhumby.
This brings together Eagle Eye’s existing relationships with John Lewis, as first announced in 2017 to improve the retailer’s digital marketing capabilities, and with Waitrose, as subsequently announced in 2019.
The project aims to integrate the group’s high street business, online and app touchpoints, building on the My John Lewis and My Waitrose loyalty programmes.
The Eagle Eye AIR platform will provide The John Lewis Partnership with loyalty management capabilities, enabling dunnhumby’s data science to be executed at scale to deliver more personalised rewards, offers and experiences to customers.
Currys
LTIMindtree has been selected as a key digital transformation partner by UK retailer Currys.
During the five-year engagement, Currys will leverage LTIMindtree’s retail business consulting and technology capabilities to deliver the next phase of its omnichannel transformation initiative.
The pair have been working together since 2022.
SPORTS DIRECT
InPost has announced a partnership with Sports Direct, enabling the latter’s customers to return parcels at one of its 5,000 lockers across the UK, without having to print a label.
They scan a QR code received to their phone at their nearest locker and leave their items in one of the compartments.
A spokesperson for Sports Direct says: “We are constantly looking for ways to improve our consumer journey and to create a seamless beginning to end product lifecycle. Our partnership with InPost will help generate a smooth process for our consumers when returning online purchases by using QR code technology.”
ASDA AND WAYVE
Asda customers can now receive their shopping via a Wayve self-driving vehicle in what is pitched as the UK’s largest autonomous grocery home delivery trial.
In partnership with Wayve, the year long trial will give the supermarket the ability to autonomously deliver groceries to a catchment area of over 170,000 residents across 72,000 households in London.
The self-driving vehicles will join its existing online delivery operation at the Park Royal superstore in West London and have the capability to drive themselves to customers’ homes.
Asda Park Royal customers can place their next-day delivery orders online as usual, choosing from the full range of online products and selecting a delivery slot that suits them.
The only difference is they could be randomly selected to have their order delivered in a self-driving vehicle.
During the trial, both an Asda colleague and supervising Wayve safety driver will be in the vehicle when making deliveries. Asda colleagues will load and unload the groceries at the customer’s home.
ASDA (AGAIN)
Infobip has announced a partnership with Asda to launch what is pitched as the largest Rich Communication Services (RCS) business messaging traffic in the UK.
The initiative will help to support messaging across the online customer journey, including order confirmation, delivery times and substitutions.
The roll-out has made Asda the first major UK grocer to launch RCS business messaging in the UK. This brings a mobile app’s functionality into the messaging platform.
It will enable Asda to deal with its customers via native messages apps, with no additional installation or downloading. The messages showcase its logo, brand name, and links.
IKI
IKI, the second biggest supermarket chain in Lithuania, has opened its second cashierless convenience store in Vilnius, following a pilot using technology from Pixevia.
The IKI Express 24/7 store is located on the landmark White Bridge in Vilnius that connects the old town to the main business district.
Part of REWE Group, IKI plans to have up to four autonomous stores in operation across Lithuania by the end of 2023.
With Pixevia’s technology, customers tap a payment card, phone or watch wallet, or a retailer’s mobile app at the store doors to enter.
They can pick items up and put them back with no need for any scanning. Inputs from shelf sensors and camera video streams are inputted into Pixevia’s AI platform, which determines exactly what each customer has selected.
It presents the entire list of items to customers in real-time, allowing them to pay with another tap of a card before leaving. The shopper gets a receipt before they depart.
Pixevia’s platform also alerts employees automatically about any goods that need replenishing on the shelves, and predicts the need to reorder stock.
SPECSAVERS
Having previously supported optical retailer Specsavers in Northern Europe, Valtech has announced an expansion of the partnership globally.
As a consultant for Specsavers, Valtech will work with it to optimise its approach to digitisation by not only helping to integrate the right technology for its business needs, but also refine ways of working and technology operations across its different regions.
A key part of the partnership will focus on identifying where speed and efficiency improvements can be made within its tech stack and advising how technology can be used to advance Specsavers’ goal of ensuring an exceptional customer experience.
Additionally, Specsavers will tap into Valtech’s global delivery team to ensure it has the right people with the right skillset to drive crucial aspects of its digital transformation journey.
SOUTHEASTERN GROCERS
Southeastern Grocers (SEG), parent company of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is deploying Zebra Technologies’ workforce and task management solutions to boost in-store operations.
It selected offerings from Zebra’s Modern Store framework as it looked to better engage employees and optimise labour productivity across its network of over 420 stores.
Leveraging the tech enables SEG to align the staffing model with real-time demand and automate the scheduling process, so managers spend less time in the back office and more time helping customers and training associates.
WALMART
Walmart is rolling out a redesigned website and mobile app homepage.
In an online post, Tom Ward, Executive Vice President and Chief eCommerce Officer, Walmart U.S., says: “The new homepage offers a product focused experience that better mirrors the way our customers love to shop, highlighting the items that matter most to them at any given moment – whether it’s game day or holiday.”
“The feature packed homepage has rich imagery, live video and is optimised to better bring Walmart’s massive assortment to life, including a new social inspired scroll so customers can browse our selection just as they’d scroll their favourite social media apps.”
“Hats off to the Walmart Global Tech, Product and Design teams that collaborated closely to envision and bring to life this dynamic new way to discover and shop walmart.com.”
He adds: “We put our customers first, and this new homepage is just one more way we’re improving the online shopping experience to make it more compelling to shop with us while saving our customers time and money.”
“But this new experience doesn’t just benefit our customers. It also provides our suppliers and Marketplace sellers new opportunities to showcase more relevant products and better tell their stories, within moments that are top of mind for our customers, as they grow their businesses on walmart.com.”
“And we’re giving our Walmart creators the resources, tools and products to help develop their community and inspire customers as they shop online.”
Continue reading…