The beginning of a new era for computing: RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Apple, Emperia, EY, Zippin, Evri, AO, and the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
According to the Battling Basket Abandonment whitepaper, retailers are out of touch when it comes to meeting shopper demands with 83% believing they offer a wide range of delivery options, yet just 48% of the 2,000 surveyed consumers agreeing with this.
The report, produced by delivery management company, GFS, and retail consultancy Retail Economics, sought input from 104 UK-based senior e-commerce and supply chain professionals. Itidentified that businesses have ‘lost’ £31.5 billion in sales annually at the checkout due to delivery related issues.
The Office for National Statistics reports that online sales in the UK have dropped by 2.3% across most retail segments in the past year.
It has, therefore, never been more important for online retailers to actively listen to their customers and make strategic, impactful and nimble changes to their business to best reflect customer demands and shopping trends.
Technical debt is causing a real problem for them, however, allowing for a huge expectation gap to grow between what consumers want, and what retailers can realistically deliver against a backdrop of rising business costs and falling consumer disposable income.
Despite the fact both consumers (46%) and retailers (33%) pinpointed shipping and returns as their number one pain point, the latter are paralysed by the dichotomy of choice - prioritising everything over focusing on the few target areas (such as delivery and seamless checkout experiences) which are most likely to cause a potential sale to fall through.
That’s according to a new research report, A Nightmare on E-Street, published by Primer and involving the thoughts of 500 retail decision makers in the UK and 2,003 consumers.
50% of UK consumers say they no longer need a physical wallet or purse, swapping it for a digital equivalent on their phone. That’s according to new research from omnichannel customer engagement platform SAP Emarsys to mark the launch of its Mobile Wallet solution.
62%…Cost-of-living pressures have affected UK consumers more than their European counterparts, according to the latest EY UK Future Consumer Index.
The twelfth edition of EY’s survey of 1,000 UK consumers found that 62% are ‘extremely concerned’ by the cost-of-living squeeze, compared with 50% in the rest of Europe.
Affordability continues to be felt most keenly by low income households, with 54% of this group prioritising affordability – up from 42% in June 2022 – compared to a rise from 24% to 39% for middle income consumers.
8…Apple this week unveiled a mixed reality headset called Vision Pro - its first entirely new product in eight years.
The device blends a video feed from the outside world with a virtual world displayed on screens inside the headset.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing.”
“Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before - with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
As a specialist in the field of virtual stores and immersive e-commerce, Emperia views this new announcement as a massive step into mass adoption of such technology, with tangible benefits for brands.
“Apple has always been a trailblazer for mass adoption with their emerging and brand new tech, take the iPhone for example. Vision Pro could be the catalyst for the mass adoption of XR”, says Olga Dogadkina, Co-founder and CEO at Emperia,
“in creating the new device, Apple is bringing a utility to XR beyond gaming. For the first time, XR headset has more actual functionality than other devices in the market, offering capabilities for work and entertainment.”
“Coupled with human interaction and a design that has all chances of gaining iconic status like most Apple products, the device will almost inevitably gain popularity. This means web UX/UI as we know it will become obsolete, limited by the 2D screen.”
She adds: “For retail, this entails a new mode of brand interaction, one that goes beyond the boundaries of a flat screen and physical space simultaneously. This means deeper customer connection, more intuitive user interactions, more personalisation of customer experience than was ever achievable before.”
31%…Evri says that it has reduced its operational carbon emissions by nearly a third in the parcel delivery firm’s financial year to February 2023, as part of a wider investment in its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.
This 31% reduction includes efficiency improvements, augmented use of renewable energy and other carbon emission elimination strategies, as part of a commitment to reaching net zero for direct and indirect emissions by 2035.
Evri lays claim to building the biggest green fleet of any dedicated parcel delivery company in the UK in 2022-23, introducing 30 new Bio-CNG tractor units, bringing the total to 190 – representing 52% of its core fleet.
It has also doubled the number of electric vehicles in service in London, bringing EV to 37% of its total van fleet. Evri aims to serve all ParcelShop deliveries, pitched as the most carbon efficient way to send, by EV at the earliest opportunity.
15…Ordering groceries via a delivery app can cost more than a third extra than buying direct from a supermarket, even before factoring in a delivery charge, according to a new Which? report.
Some items were more than twice the cost via an app the study that focused on a basket of 15 items from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Waitrose via the grocers’ own websites and on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.
Which? said: “Ordering groceries from Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats is undeniably convenient. In some areas, you can get your shopping list delivered to your door in as little as 30 minutes. But there can be a significant cost attached to this convenience.”
5…After launching in 2019 and delivering hugely successful follow up events in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the RTIH Innovation Awards return in 2023 with a discussion panel and awards ceremony to be held in central London venues during December.
The fifth edition of the awards is now open for entries.
The event celebrates global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
We received a record number of submissions in 2022, with winners including Sook, B&Q, 3D Cloud by Marxent, Compass Group, AiFi, Walmart, Ribble Cycles, Obsess, HyperFinity, Red Ant, Pets at Home, and TPP Retail.
Our winners and highly commended companies were announced at a sold out event in central London on Tuesday, 6th December.
For 2023, we are introducing new categories and expanding the awards ceremony in December to accommodate more attendees (further details on that will be revealed in the near future).
Scott Thompson, Editor and Founder of RTIH, says: “Our awards celebrate the dynamic, resilient and innovative retail sector and the companies and technologies that drive it forward.”
“Competition was tougher than ever in 2022, so to emerge victorious was no mean feat.”
“Congratulations to our winners and highly commended companies. I’m excited to launch the fifth edition of the awards. The 2023 event will be the biggest and best yet.”
Deadline for 2023 submissions is Friday, 27th October, with winners being revealed at the aforementioned event in central London during November.
250…Pureplay AO is looking to recruit over 250 people to grow its team of customer service specialists.
The Bolton-based firm is now offering a development pathway, which will see applicants able to carve out a career in customer service – with a starting salary of £24,000, and the ability to increase this up to £31,000 within 12 months.
AO says that its contact centre agents have had pay increases of over 20% in the past 12 months, along with a £400/month performance based bonus for all colleagues in this team.
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