Starring 3D Cloud by Marxent, Cleveron, and Auctane: RTIH’s 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 Secret Sales, InPost UK, bp, EdgeTier, Basket, no-boxx, Poundland, and Recite Me.
Secret Sales appoints industry veteran Leon Shepherd as new Chief Technology Officer
Secret Sales, a non-full price marketplace for fashion, sportswear and beauty brands, has appointed Leon Shepherd as its new Chief Technology Officer.
Shepherd – whose resumé includes stints at the likes of Jack Wills, Fat Face, Marks & Spencer, and over nine years at Vodafone leading mobile technology engineering – joins from Ted Baker, where he was Chief Information Officer and Digital Strategy Director.
In his new role as CTO at Secret Sales, Shepherd will be responsible for advancing the company’s use of technology, including making the most of its dynamic forecasting tools which help brands accelerate the sales and margins from their seasonal surplus stock.
He will also lead the implementation of the venture’s new website, using Progressive Web App (PWA) technologies.
Cleveron focuses on sustainability in the last mile delivery space with latest parcel locker
Estonian firm Cleveron has unveiled the Cleveron 354, a battery powered outdoor parcel locker.
CEO Arti Kütt says: “Our projections show that within a decade, 80% of last mile deliveries in Europe will be conducted via parcel lockers, which will emerge as the preferred method among end customers.”
“This approach is not only more cost-effective but also significantly more sustainable. Battery powered parcel lockers will play a pivotal role in driving this revolution, as these can be installed basically on every street corner.”
“Cleveron 354 is designed to directly address this challenge, offering an intelligent solution for a more sustainable world.”
“Implementing a locker network significantly reduces the need for home deliveries which costs rise yearly. Consumers have shown a willingness to retrieve their parcels within a comfortable five-minute walking radius, making Cleveron 354 the best solution for network build outs.”
Auctane expands end to end delivery experiences portfolio through Return Rabbit acquisition
Auctane, the delivery experience company that operates brands such as Metapack, ShipStation, Packlink, and ShipEngine, ShippingEasy, ShipWorks, and Endicia, has acquired the assets of Return Rabbit, a returns management platform that launched in 2021.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“In today’s e-commerce landscape, virtually every merchant has to grapple with how to handle customer returns, and the stakes are high,” says Albert Ko, Chief Executive Officer at Auctane, which is backed by investors Thoma Bravo.
“The analytics and exchange focused approach that Return Rabbit brings to the conversation empowers merchants to make smart decisions about this critical part of the delivery experience.”
no-boxx looks to reduce single-use packaging from UK e-commerce supply chain and cut carbon emissions
Manchester-based startup no-boxx is launching a sustainable and reusable packaging and returns solution for e-commerce retailers, which, it claims, eliminates single-use packaging and reduces CO2 emissions by 87% on just the second use.
This is currently being used in a pilot scheme by a sustainable activewear brand, with plans for a wider roll-out later in the year.
The reusable packaging pouch has the potential to be used over 20 times with consumers encouraged to return the packaging to the retailer after every use.
It is made from recycled polyethylene (rPET) and is currently available to manufacturers and retailers in three sizes, depending on the size and quantity of items dispatched.
no-boxx has secured a partnership with parcel lockers firm, InPost, which has a UK network of 5,000+ locations. Customers receive a QR code and drop off their returned item or empty reusable packaging at any of the 24/7 InPost lockers across the UK.
no-boxx uses its proprietary web application to track the lifecycle of the packaging, allowing consumers and retailers to visualise their reduced environmental impact, and see the status of their delivery and returns, as a result of using the packaging.
The firm was founded by Zak Rashid, following his experience working at Amazon and scaling his own e-commerce business.
bp preps InPost automated parcel lockers roll-out across its UK service stations
Automated parcel machine (APM) service provider, InPost, reports that, after a trial, its lockers will be rolled out at approximately 300 bp service stations across the UK.
Prominent locations include Wandsworth, Glasgow, Ashford and Brentwood.
As a result, consumers will be able to collect a delivery whilst filling up with fuel, or return a parcel when picking up something for dinner at a forecourt M&S Food store.
As part of the trial thousands of parcels have been processed across five locations.
3D Cloud by Marxent offers retailers early access programme for 3D Cloud Room Scanner solution
3D Cloud by Marxent, a specialist in 3D kitchen design and furniture planning, has announced an early access programme for its 3D Cloud Room Scanner offering.
Retailers can now sign up to be among the first to deploy the capabilities of the company's LiDAR room scan to design solution for capturing room measurements that can then be directly dropped into 3D Cloud Room Planner for designing with real, buyable products.
Contact centres specialist EdgeTier raises €6 million in Series A round led by Smedvig Capital
EdgeTier, which helps contact centres improve the customer experience using AI, has raised €6 million in Series A funding in a round led by Smedvig Capital, with participation from Episode 1 and Act Venture Capital.
EdgeTier was founded in 2015 by Dr. Shane Lynn, Dr. Bart Lehane, and Ciarán Tobin, whose vision was to build “user-friendly, machine learning infused applications that move contact centres from data rich but information poor environments into a new era of efficiency and performance”.
The company operates in more than 20 countries across Europe and the Americas, processing billions of messages through its systems for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, LoveHolidays, Holiday Extras, CarTrawler, RyanAir, TUI Travel, Electric Ireland, Tipico, and Betclic.
E-commerce startup Basket bags funding from BrewDog’s James Watt in hunt for Britain’s next unicorn
E-commerce platform, Basket, has secured undisclosed funding from James Watt, founder of BrewDog.
This comes after Basket took part in Watt’s The Next Unicorn project, where he teamed up with Crowdcube to invest in UK startups that could become the next British unicorn.
This investment model will also let members of the public invest, on the same terms as Watt, into the shortlisted businesses.
Women's fashion brand Anne Fontaine set to roll-out Infor CloudSuite Fashion ERP solution
Anne Fontaine is gearing up to deploy Infor CloudSuite Fashion, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.
This is part of a project to modernise its information system, with the aim of introducing OMS (order management system) functionalities, i.e. automated tracking and management of sales, orders, inventory and order fulfilment, all with a view to creating a truly omnichannel customer experience.
ZERO10 looks to rethink the future of retail with augmented reality powered store concept
ZERO10 has unveiled a prototype AR store and is showing it off at Viva Technology, a startup and tech event taking place on 14th-17th June, in Paris, France.
The introduction of the firm’s AR Mirror offering as a standalone store follows ZERO10’s recent collaborations with fashion big hitters Tommy Hilfiger and Coach, which deployed the AR Mirror and Storefront respectively.
Unlike those cases, where AR Mirror served as an additional element to existing bricks and mortar stores, the AR Store prototype presents the solution as the standalone focus, pitched as an autonomous retail agent.
Poundland taps Recite Me tech to support support job applicants with disabilities online
Poundland has launched a suite of digital accessibility tools to support job applicants and workers with disabilities online.
The Recite Me toolbar on the Poundland Careers website removes obstacles for those with disabilities, visual impairments, learning difficulties, and the population of an older age.
Carina Mardenborough, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager at Poundland, comments: “As a responsible employer, it is important we provide opportunities for our colleagues to throve and be the best version of themselves.”
“We aim to provide our colleagues with essential tools to aid with a useful online and mobile experience; Recite Me works across all devices, allowing everyone to use the internet in the way that suits their needs.”
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