Cooking up the future of food: the retail technology news you might have missed this week
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 developments that you need to know about. Includes Shopify, Domino’s Pizza, Deutsche Bahn, Nothing, Deliveroo, Crocs, 7-Eleven, TikTok, and Amazon.
"A seamless gaming experience": Virgin Media opens the doors to Gamepad at The O2
Virgin Media O2 has announced the launch of Virgin Media Gamepad.
Virgin Media O2 customers and members of the public will be able to enjoy gameplay powered by the company’s gigabit broadband, with technology including 16 of the latest consoles and exclusive areas for live streaming and local multiplayer gaming with friends.
Opening to the public today from 12pm, this consists of three areas: The Playground, The Cave and The Stage.
The Playground has 16 gaming pods and features with Xbox Series X consoles, all equipped with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that allow players to immerse themselves in hundreds of games for free across numerous AAA franchises.
The Cave offers an exclusive VIP gaming lounge for Virgin Media broadband and O2 customers to play as a squad with up to three friends and can be booked via the Priority app from Sunday, 2nd July.
The Stage is a streaming studio equipped with technology and will house the best gaming talent who, in partnership with Outside Xbox, will livestream from the space once a month, with access to watch live on their YouTube channel.
Domino’s preps more than 1,100 Chevy Bolt electric vehicles for pizza deliveries by year end
Domino’s Pizza is laying claim to the largest electric pizza delivery fleet in the US.
It has announced that more than 1,100 custom branded 2023 Chevy Bolt electric vehicles will be on the ground and in use at select franchise and corporate stores by the end of the year.
“Back in November 2022, Domino’s announced that we’d have 800 EVs on the road by the end of 2023 and we’re excited to say that we’ve officially reached that number,” says Joe Jordan, Domino’s President of U.S. and global services.
“All 800 vehicles are on the road, delivering at various stores across the country. We are even more thrilled to announce that number is growing.”
“Our stores and franchisees have continued to express their enthusiasm and interest around EVs, and they’ve ordered an additional 300-plus cars to be on the road by the end of the year.”
AutoStore to pay £6.7 million in costs in relation to Ocado Group UK High Court trial
Shopify launches Collabs in the UK, French Connection among the brands available for creators to partner with
Shopify is launching Shopify Collabs in the UK, with the aim of making it simple for creators to monetise their channels across the likes of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, while giving brands a new sales and marketing funnel.
It will mean that consumers can hear about products from creators they trust.
Once a brand installs Collabs and makes their store and products discoverable, creators can join that brand’s community.
Shopify Collabs can then be used to manage the relationship, supplying creators with everything they need like unique links or discount codes, and enabling them to share the merchant’s products with their audiences.
The entire process is managed centrally from the Shopify admin, which means inventory, order, and customer information are kept up-to-date, giving a real-time view of the merchant’s entire multi-channel sales.
UK brands like French Connection, Color Wow, and Three Spirit Drinks are making use of Collabs.
Deutsche Bahn opens checkout-free store at railway station in Berlin, powered by AiFi technology
AiFi has announced the opening of its newest autonomous store within Berlin's Ostbahnhof Deutsche Bahn railway station.
The 24/7 ServiceStore is run by DB Station&Service, operated by SSP Deutschland.
While US-based AiFi has increased its European presence over the past four years, this newest location in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Berlin, is the first one for public customers to launch in Germany.
"Our technology has been helping consumers avoid long queues and reclaim that critical time amid their travels, so that they can move through their days more swiftly and focus their time and attention on things that matter most," says Sander Garnier, New Business and Account Manager, Europe at AiFi.
"We are proud to partner with Deutsche Bahn to bring frictionless technology to shoppers and commuters in Berlin's Ostbahnhof railway station."
Gr4vy nabs multi-million dollar Investment from W23 for expansion within Australia and APAC region
Cloud native payments infrastructure company, Gr4vy, has announced an investment from W23, Woolworths Group’s venture capital arm.
An exact figure was not made available, but those involved said it was a multi-million dollar deal.
This expands on an existing partnership. Gr4vy previously raised $27.2 million in total funding and will use the new investment to further growth within Australia and the APAC region.
Consumer technology brand Nothing announces $96 million fundraising round led by Highland Europe
Nothing, a London-based consumer technology brand, has announced a $96 million fundraising round led by Highland Europe, with participation from existing investors GV (Google Ventures), EQT Ventures and C Capital, alongside supergroup Swedish House Mafia.
Founded in 2020, Nothing’s Phone (1) was showcased in Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2022 list for its innovative smartphone design.
In 2023, the product received the Red Dot Design Award, along with the rest of Nothing's current product portfolio, including the wireless audio devices Ear (2) and Ear (Stick).
The company is gearing up to launch Phone (2) on 11th July. This features a lower carbon footprint than its predecessor.
Nothing says that it wants to “bridge the gap between the company and its users – driving product innovation by delving deeper into consumer insights through its community feedback programmes”.
To further support this goal, it has held two community financing rounds and attracted over 8,000 private investors. Additionally, it has appointed a community member as a Board Observer.
Deliveroo Snack To The Future report predicts 3D printed meal plans and VR dinner parties
Deliveroo has marked its 10th birthday with a report looking into the future of food trends and delivery.
Snack To The Future brings together futurists and experts from the worlds of food, science, technology and innovation, including Georgie Barrat (technology journalist and TV presenter on The Gadget Show), and Kaave Pour (Co-Founder of Space10, Ikea’s R&D lab) to create a view of how the UK will be eating by 2040.
Shopify adds Bret Taylor to board of directors
7-Eleven Australia announces supply chain technology partnership with RELEX Solutions
7-Eleven Stores, Australia is partnering with RELEX Solutions to automate and optimise its end-to-end supply chain.
RELEX’s tech will service 7-Eleven’s network of approximately 750 stores and three distribution centres throughout Australia, to help ensure the right amount of product is available for customers when and where they want it.
Part of 7-Eleven’s commitment to reaching its ambition of one billion customer moments per year by 2030, is the adoption of a fully integrated supply chain technology that enables planners to anticipate demand, and optimise inventory flows across the business.
Deep tech startup DePoly announces $13.8 million seed round as it tackles plastics recycling challenge
DePoly has closed a $13.8 million seed funding round co-led by BASF Venture Capital and Wingman Ventures, and also involving the likes of Beiersdorf, Infinity Recycling, CIECH Ventures, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Angel Invest, and ACE & Company.
Plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be found in many of our daily items, such as clothing, packaging, and outdoor equipment.
Unfortunately, the high costs and difficulty required for sorting, separating, and cleaning these complex plastic streams, coupled with a lack of globally scaled solution, mean that only so-called perfect (clean, simple composition without other materials mixed) plastics get recycled.
DePoly, which was founded in 2020, aims to tackle the waste plastic problem with its chemical recycling technology. Currently, it converts all PET plastics and polyester textiles - originally sourced from fossil fuels - back into their main raw chemical components.
Those components are then sold back to the industry to make new virgin quality plastic items.
ESS opens AiFi technology powered checkout-free store at Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
The Defence, Marine & Aerospace sector of ESS, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has opened its first fully frictionless store at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.
Market @ Churchill will operate under the company’s new ‘Market @’ brand.
The store utilises AiFi AI powered computer vision technology which allows customers to purchase items without having to wait in line or stop to scan or pay. Facial recognition or biometrics are not needed.
‘A brilliant example of IRL and online retail supporting one another”. TikTok preps Sook activation in London’s Oxford Street
TikTok is gearing up to launch another activation with Sook, a company that takes vacant retail spaces and gives them a modular, digital fit-out which can be rented by the hour.
Promoting TikTok Shop, this will be live in Oxford Street London from 1st to 6th July.
In a LinkedIn post, Sook Founder John Hoyle said: :Pretty excited about TikTok’s latest use of our Sook spaces.”
“Building on the success of live streaming and content creation collaborations in our Hammersmith and Edinburgh spaces this activation promoting TikTok Shop is a brilliant example of how IRL and online retail can support one another.”
“With over 40% of online brands wanting to activate physical spaces in the next three years this is what a huge part of the future of physical retail will look like.”
Anyone for digital tennis? Wimbledon launches on Fortnite ahead of 2023 Grand Slam tournament
The All England Lawn Tennis Club is making its entry to online gaming platform Fortnite, with the launch of Race to Wimbledon.
The announcement is accompanied by various digital initiatives for Wimbledon fans that have been released this week, including new features on its Roblox experience WimbleWorld, a new gamified tennis app Wimbledon Smash, and a collaboration with mobile game Tennis Clash.
Players of Race to Wimbledon – which is presented in partnership with Amercian Express – will run, drive, parkour and fly past London landmarks, including Big Ben and the London Eye, through Wimbledon village and past Andy Murray’s golden letterbox, navigating around obstacles such as giant strawberries and tennis rackets, to make it to Centre Court in the fastest time.
As well as on all the usual devices, this will be available to play on-site throughout The Championships at the American Express Fan Experience in the Southern Village.
As part of the experience, players are challenged to beat the time of American Express ambassador Murray and post their time to social media.
All 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia now accept Alipay+ as retailer seeks 'seamless, digital in-store experience'
Ant Group has announced the expansion of Alipay+ coverage to all 2,400+ 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia, enabled by Razer Merchant Services.
Users of AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), GCash (Philippines), Kakao Pay (South Korea) and TrueMoney (Thailand), can now pay in 7-Eleven using their home mobile wallets.
Alipay, also an Alipay+ partner mobile wallet, has been accepted by Malaysian merchants since 2016.
Primark hails ‘fantastic milestone delivery’ as retailer opens four stores in three days across multiple territories
Primark boosted its international expansion plans last week as it opened four new stores in three days, bringing the total number to 425 globally.
In a LinkedIn post, the retailer said: “Our new stores, across Europe and the US, and an extended store in the UK, represent a total investment of over €50 million and an additional 136,000 sq. ft of retail space.”
“Earlier this week we opened our second store in Romania in the city of Bucharest. Now we open our new relocated store in Dundrum Town Centre in our hometown of Dublin, our first store in Lanzarote, Spain and a store in Long Island, New York.”
“And it’s not a wrap yet: we will also open our newly extended store in Liverpool, UK.”
Leaning into innovation: Obsess teams up with Crocs on new Jibbitz virtual store and first ever 3D Customiser
Obsess has announced the launch of a new virtual Jibbitz shopping experience in partnership with Crocs.
Available via mobile and desktop web, this is pitched as a virtual storytelling arena centred around self-expression, personalisation, gamification and education to promote the brand’s flagship Jibbitz charms.
The experience includes the brand’s first ever 3D Jibbitz Customizer, a feature engineered by Obsess to provide consumers with a mix and match tool to create their own unique pair of Crocs with Jibbitz charms, which can then be purchased directly from the virtual experience.
Amazon closes another Just Walk Out technology powered Amazon Go store amidst rise of remote working
Amazon has shuttered a five year old Amazon Go convenience store in downtown Seattle, three months after it announced that eight of its automated checkout locations (two each in Seattle and New York City and four in San Francisco) were closing across the US.
“We’ve closed our 5th and Marion Seattle Amazon Go location, and are working closely with employees to find new opportunities within Amazon, including at other nearby stores,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
“We continue operating more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the US, and look forward to opening more in the future.”
The spokesperson didn’t give reasons for the closure, but it should be noted that urban stores reliant on office workers have struggled amidst the rise of remote working in a post-Covid world.
The focus of late has been on larger suburban locations that feature a made to order kitchen.
Continue reading…