Starring Emperia, Salesforce, and dunnhumby: Check out last week’s most read RTIH retail technology articles
These are the RTIH articles that caught your fancy last week, including smart carts in France, and robot deliveries in the UK.
A2Z’s Cust2Mate subsidiary wraps Carrefour smart carts pilot and preps move to roll-out phase
A2Z Smart Technologies Corp.'s Cust2Mate subsidiary has announced completion of a pilot phase at Carrefour.
Since March, its smart carts have undergone testing at Carrefour's flagship hypermarket store in Ste Genevieve Des Bois, near Paris.
As part of the roll-out phase, Carrefour and Cust2Mate are looking to initially deploy smart carts in two of the former’s hypermarket stores in Q4 of this year.
Guillaume Cocovi, Director Strategy Transformation of the Carrefour Group, says: "We are seeing very, very positive feedback from customers at this store. Before launching this project, like any large company, we issued a call for proposals.”
“We looked at what was happening in the market, and Cust2Mate was the company that offered us the product that best matched our expectations and put the most effort into supporting us in the deployment. We felt it right away.”
“The relationship with the founders was very smooth, and the project started at full speed since the carts were already there. In just three months, the test could begin."
Wilko goes on engineering team recruitment drive as it seeks Integration Analyst and DevOps Engineer
Wilko, a British high street chain which sells homewares and household goods, is recruiting for two roles in its engineering team.
In a LinkedIn post, Simon Reeve, Head of Engineering and Architecture at Wilko, said: “We're looking for an Integration Analyst to join our established Integration team, led by the excellent Adam Tims.”
“Our Integration team build and manage enterprise integrations and processes using SAP PO; and they own our data fabric, built on the exciting Cinchy data integration platform. And more besides.”
He added: “We're also looking for a DevOps Engineer to join our newly formed DevOps team, led by the equally excellent Chris Stevens.”
“This is a great opportunity, particularly for someone with existing experience, to come into a relatively greenfield DevOps environment and really make their mark. Plenty to get stuck into, and plenty of opportunity to shape the tech, working on our omni channel technology stack.”
“Both roles are listed as based out of our Worksop (North Notts) office, but significant flexibility on location is available - let's discuss!”
Further details here.
John Lewis Partnership taps Salesforce tech for more personalised, convenient, seamless customer experience
The John Lewis Partnership, parent company of UK retailers John Lewis and Waitrose, is using Salesforce technology as it looks to transform its customer experience and self-service data culture.
Service Cloud is helping John Lewis support customers throughout their online and in-store journey, saving an average of £1 million in the company’s call centre annually.
Einstein bots provide answers via its website and WhatsApp. Virtual Remote Assistant delivers video communication between customers and agents.
With Tableau Professional Services, John Lewis’s new self-service platform gives 10,000 Partners a real-time view of sales and inventory data.
With Marketing Cloud, the company has improved its marketing efficiency and engagement through automation, leading to 75% faster production time.
Josh Bottomley starts work as CEO at customer data science specialist dunnhumby
dunnhumby has announced the appointment of Josh Bottomley as CEO.
Bottomley was most recently an Operating Partner at CVC Capital Partners and has held senior roles at data and product led businesses including HSBC, Google and LexisNexis.
He succeeds Dan Olley, who has been CEO since January 2022.
Tesco Group CEO Ken Murphy says: “Josh is an energetic leader with strong experience in improving customer propositions, product and digital innovation, and in leading tech and product transformation.”
“The capabilities and skills of dunnhumby give us unique strengths, and I’m confident that under Josh’s leadership we’ll continue to build on that.”
“I’d also like to thank Dan for his continued passion for dunnhumby, and for his leadership in developing and executing the dunnhumby strategy.”
DPD to roll-out Cartken robot deliveries to ten UK towns and cities following Milton Keynes trial
Parcel delivery company DPD has announced plans to expand autonomous robot deliveries to ten UK towns and cities in the next 12 months, following a trial in Milton Keynes, starting with Raunds in Northamptonshire.
This extends the firm’s relationship with AI powered robotics and last mile delivery specialist, Cartken and follows work that identified up to 30 UK depot locations which could potentially deploy robots.
The former first introduced the Cartken robots in Milton Keynes in July 2022 and they have since travelled almost 500 miles and performed over 2,500 trips delivering parcels to DPD customers.
2023 RTIH retail technology awards: Most Innovative UK Retailer category now open for submissions
The fifth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now open for entries.
The awards. sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud by Marxent, and Goodays, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and include a Most Innovative UK Retailer category.
Deadline for 2023 submissions is Friday, 27th October, with winners being revealed at an exclusive event at the Barbican in central London on Wednesday, 29th November.
Entries are free and you can submit in multiple categories.
Most Innovative UK Retailer
Who has been the UK’s most innovative, customer focused retailer this year?
Judges are asked to look at the tech deployments, pilots etc listed alongside each retailer and decide which one has been the most consistently forward thinking and customer centric in 2022/23.
Download an entry form here.
For all entry related queries, email: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, says: “Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, so it is great to recognise standout examples through our awards.”
“Thanks to all those who entered the 2022 event. We received a record number of submissions and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.”
“I’m excited to launch the fifth edition of the awards. The 2023 event will be the biggest and best yet.”
McDonald’s France teams with Checkpoint Systems to incorporate RFID tech into its new reusable containers
Checkpoint Systems is working with McDonald’s France to incorporate RFID technology into the fast food giant’s new reusable containers.
The move comes following McDonald’s commitment to eliminating unnecessary packaging and contributing to the improvement of recycling systems.
It also coincides with the introduction of new French legislation – that came into effect in January 2023 – and aims to fight waste to preserve biodiversity and natural resources.
Following a two-year consultation process, Checkpoint was appointed to work with McDonald’s France in 2021 to deliver the project which involved the installation of RFID hardware and software in restaurants across the country.
The project will help the company reduce waste by providing real-time visibility of its reusable tableware stock, with the aim of delivering fast and efficient inventory management, optimising replenishment and ensuring stock lines are protected for long-term security and usability.
Eagle Eye secures five-year Morrisons deal for enhanced digital loyalty and promotion offering
Eagle Eye has secured a five-year contract with Morrisons involving the UK grocery giant’s loyalty and promotional offering.
The retailer will tap Eagle Eye's AIR platform for its loyalty programme, which allows customers to benefit from exclusive prices and earn points on selected products in-store, online and on fuel.
Its new offering aims to create more ways of engaging with customers, and help the supermarket scale the number of broadcast and targeted offers available.
The scheme will be rolled out to all 499 stores nationwide and is expected to go live later in 2023.
Welcome to our world: L’Occitane En Provence teams with Emperia to launch new virtual experience
L’Occitane En Provence has launched a virtual experience that transports its customers to the heart of Provence, where the French beauty brand gets its inspiration.
“We strive to be pioneers in the beauty industry, constantly pushing boundaries to create products that inspire and transform. By embracing innovation, we aim to turn our customers' dreams into reality, offering them a truly remarkable and unforgettable experience,” says Mariana Rodrigues, Marketing Director at L’Occitane Middle East.
The experience has been developed in partnership with Emperia.
It includes videos, facts, and interactive content about the brand’s universe, highlighting its best sellers, including skincare, fragrance, and body care.
People can explore lavender fields on a bicycle, fly on a hot air balloon to Corsica to see the immortelle fields, have a picnic on almond orchards or discover the Shea Butter collection in the African scenery of Burkina Faso.
Featuring Crocs, Carrefour, and 7-Eleven: RTIH presents last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including autonomous stores, immersive experiences, supply chain automation, and smart carts in France.
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