Been away this week? Then here’s what you missed in the fast paced world of retail technology
Not been keeping up with the latest retail technology news this week? Then have no fear as RTIH has you covered. Here are the major stories that you need to know about. Includes Zara, DREST, Walmart, Shopify, Adyen, Karakuri, Gorillas, Merkal, Nextail, Faherty, and Archive.
E-retailer SHEIN continues global roll-out of integrated marketplace as Mexico comes onboard
Chinese fast fashion giant, SHEIN, reports that Mexico will follow Brazil and the US in officially launching integrated marketplaces on the firm’s site in-country, offering products from third-party sellers alongside its own products.
Launches in Germany, Spain, France, and Italy will follow in the near future.
In addition to third-party sellers, SHEIN Marketplace has onboarded brands like Skechers and Lansinoh.
SHEIN has also announced the launch of a new global seller programme, AcceleraSHEIN.
Spanish footwear retailer Merkal extends Nextail merchandising processes transformation partnership
Merkal and retail merchandising platform, Nextail, have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership.
This will include a full end-to-end implementation of Nextail solutions in 2024.
Startup DREST bags £15 million for luxury fashion gaming platform that taps in to the metaverse
London-based DREST, a luxury fashion, beauty, lifestyle and metaverse gaming firm, has raised £15 million of funding to continue the development of its new product proposition, DREST Game 2.0.
Launched in 2019 by Lucy Yeomans, the former Editor-in-Chief of Porter, Net-A-Porter.com and Harper’s Bazaar UK, DREST has raised £30 million in total to date, and works with over 260 brands including Breitling, Cartier, Christian Louboutin, Fendi, Gucci, Prada and Valentino.
It merges the worlds of luxury fashion, beauty and lifestyle with the metaverse, offering players the chance to exhibit and improve their styling talent using hyper-realistic avatars.
Through its in-game challenges, it is a platform for user-generated content, with the digital fashion assortment provided by Farfetch as well as brands directly, allowing players to discover, style and shop the latest collections.
Shop Pay accelerated checkout to be made available to enterprise retailers not on Shopify
Shopify is making its Shop Pay checkout offering available to enterprise retailers not on its platform.
The roll-out is made possible through Commerce Components by Shopify (CCS), which launched in 2023.
Shopify and Adyen will partner to pursue enterprise clients based in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and enhance the latter’s existing integration to accelerate enterprise connectivity and features.
Shop Pay lets customers save their email address, credit card, and shipping and billing information.
This can save customers time when they check-out, especially if they've already opted in to Shop Pay on any Shopify store. If a store offers a local pickup or delivery option, then people can also choose that option.
Journey's end: robotics startup Karakuri collapses after failing to secure new funding
Ocado backed robotics startup Karakuri, which was founded in 2018, is winding down its operations.
The firm, which developed technology for the QSR industry, had been in talks to secure additional funding, and had recently discussed a rescue deal with Henny Penny, a US-based food-service equipment manufacturer.
But those negotiations fell through.
In a LinkedIn post, Barney Wragg, CEO and Founder at Karakuri, said: “It’s with a very heavy heart that I have to report that our journey at Karakuri is coming to an end.”
“For the past five years, we’ve developed and deployed robotics for the QSR industry. We’ve survived many challenges, including the pandemic and our bank going bust us, but sadly we’ve been unable to find the funding we need to move to the next level.”
He added: “Most of all I’d like to thank the incredible team we’ve built. They’ve stayed dedicated to the challenge and built incredible technologies in the face of abject uncertainty.”
“It’s incumbent on me to help these great people find new roles, spread their wings, and share their talents with others. Attached is a list of the folks who are available and their preferred contact details.”
“Please feel free to reach out to anybody you think you need or could help find new roles. I’m also on hand to help in any way I can.”
Food waste reduction specialist Gander appoints former Asda CEO Andy Clarke as Non-Executive Director
Gander, a technology platform focused on food waste reduction, has announced the appointment of former Asda CEO, Andy Clarke, as a Non-Executive Director.
Clarke spent five years as President and Chief Executive Officer at Asda, along with key roles held at Morrisons, Matalan, and Iceland.
By using Gander’s proprietary Ganderlytics analytics platform, retailers can access reporting to streamline their waste strategy and compliance.
The solution also connects shoppers with reduced price food, helping to save money and protect the environment.
Gander says that Clarke’s appointment to its board marks “a pivotal moment in our journey, as we prepare to embark on an ambitious growth phase and seek to realise our vision of creating a better world through collaborative action and disruptive innovation”.
Walmart hails ‘major milestone in supply chain modernisation journey’ with launch of new fulfilment centre
Walmart has opened a new 2.2 million square foot fulfilment centre 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis, located at 5259 W 500 N. in McCordsville.
This is the retailer’s largest fulfilment centre to date and the second of four facilities that aims to achieve faster shipping and delivery, while increasing Walmart.com order fulfilment capacity.
The space is designed to expand access to Walmart’s next- or two-day shipping. Combined with the rest of its fulfilment network, these centres will enable the retailer to reach 95% of the US population with the service.
Walmart Fulfilment Services, Walmart’s end-to-end third-party service, will also leverage the space to deal with Marketplace items.
Greater circularity: Faherty partners with Archive to launch Second Wave resale programme
Faherty, a clothing and lifestyle brand, and Archive have partnered to launch Second Wave.
The new resale programme allows customers to buy and sell preloved Faherty clothing through a peer-to-peer marketplace site and will also list repaired and renewed brand owned inventory.
Bolt teams with Starship Technologies for autonomous deliveries across multiple countries
Estonian ride hailing and food delivery startup Bolt has announced a partnership with robotics firm Starship Technologies, involving thousands of robots delivering food across multiple countries, starting in 2023.
In an online post, Bolt says: “Starship Technologies has become the first autonomous delivery company to complete five million commercial deliveries worldwide.”
“This was achieved in just seven months since celebrating four million deliveries in November 2022. At Bolt, we have over 100 million users in 45 countries and 500 cities globally, offering services like ride-hailing, micromobility, and food and grocery delivery.”
“By partnering with Starship Technologies, we can now provide a broader range of delivery options that accommodate different order sizes, preferences, and distances.”
Too fast, too furious: The story of Gorillas exposes brutal truth of rapid grocery delivery industry
A new movie covers the rise and fall of rapid delivery firm Gorillas, which last year was acquired by fellow quick commerce player Getir.
And it exposes the brutal truth of an industry that promised much but ultimately failed to deliver the goods.
Fashion retailer Zara picks MultiPay Global Solutions to power new NFC gift keychains
MultiPay Global Solutions has been selected by Inditex fashion retailer Zara as the payment provider for its new Near Field Communication (NFC) gift keychain collection.
Available now from Zara stores across the UK, the keychains have been developed to be more convenient, innovative, fashionable, and sustainable than conventional single use gift cards.
Recently unveiled at Zara’s flagship store in London’s Battersea Power Station, they allow customers to pay for items by scanning the keychain’s unique identifier at any in-store NFC-enabled contactless payment reader. They can be reloaded with credit for repeated use.
Benefit taps Antavo technology as cosmetics brand personalises its loyalty programme
Benefit Cosmetics has launched a new loyalty app, powered by Antavo.
Benefit Loves is a free to join offering, available in the UK, where members can earn “hearts” with rewards for a variety of actions such as shopping at Benefit boutiques, booking a beauty treatment or making online purchases.
The programme has launched to online customers and in-store at the six Benefit owned UK stores, with plans to potentially extend the scheme in the future.
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