Starring Emperia, Goodays, and Nextail: July’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, deployments and pilots from July, including checkout-free stores, customer experience management platforms, RFID technology, and autonomous online grocery delivery services.
Downtown Spirits
Downtown Spirits, a Seattle-based beer, wine and spirits retailer, is gearing up to open the doors to its new, 4,200 square-foot location on 7th Avenue between Olive and Stewart, across from Pacific Place, featuring a fully checkout-free shopping experience powered by Amazon Just Walk Out technology.
This will take place on Thursday, 10th August.
Downtown Spirits is the first ever beer, wine, and spirits retailer to implement Just Walk Out technology made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment.
Guests enter the store by using the Downtown Spirits app at the front door.
The technology detects what shoppers take from or return to the shelves, and creates a virtual shopping session.
When people have completed their shopping experience, they are able to leave the store without having to wait in line, and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items they took with them.
Lacoste
Emperia has announced the launch of Lacoste’s new summer virtual store.
Containing elements exclusively available to Le Club Lacoste and its UNDW3 (Web3) members, the brand says it is aiming to “create a deep sense of community and shopper loyalty appreciation by offering a unique retail experience that extends beyond its physical stores”.
Strolling from the beach and straight into the crocodile mouth, shoppers will be able to explore Lacoste’s latest summer collection of clothes, shoes and accessories.
A short elevator journey leads the users to an outdoor space, featuring additional product offering, all in a pool deck setting that overlooks the beach.
Throughout the experience, visitors will be able to explore a crocodile scavenger hunt that leads them to an underwater VIP space, accessible exclusively to Le Club Lacoste and UNDW3 members, unlocked by an e-mail login or a Lacoste NFT.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has shared the first results of its implementation of the Goodays customer experience management platform across 50 shopping centres in 11 different countries – including its Westfield London locations.
The Connect offering was deployed by the group in summer 2022 as part of a drive to re-establish a strong, emotional bond with customers after the disconnect caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It provides customers at each shopping centre with a system to instantly leave feedback through a wide range of touchpoints – from in-centre QR codes at reception areas to digital and social channels.
Feedback is then routed to each centre team in real-time to take action and make better, data-based decisions on behalf of customers. The solution also enables the group to boost its reputation on public platforms such as Google My Business and Trip Advisor.
Getir
Rapid grocery delivery firm, Getir, is partnering with RELEX Solutions.
This will see it gain an integrated suite of capabilities, including forecasting, replenishment and allocation, new inventory optimisation, clearance optimisation, and promotion forecasting.
RELEX tech will be used in all of Getir’s stores and distribution centres worldwide to enhance product availability and freshness while reducing food waste.
RELEX is also teaming up with delivery partner DemandTex, a consulting group that provides analytics and implementation services to retailers around the globe. This will play a significant role in implementing the solution and providing local support for Getir.
Amazon One and Whole Foods
The Amazon One service is currently available at more than 200 Whole Foods Market locations across the country, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Co-op and Starship Technologies
Co-op and Starship Technologies have announced the expansion of autonomous online grocery delivery services across more neighbourhoods in Leeds in collaboration with Leeds City Council.
Following a pilot launched last November - which saw 20,000 residents within the Adel and Tinshill area of Leeds have access to the offering - a further 12,000 households in the Kippax and Swarcliffe areas of the city will now be able to access Co-op groceries via robots.
Orders are placed through the Starship app, with residents in Kippax and Swarcliffe able to choose from a wide range of groceries which are picked fresh and then delivered locally from two local Co-op stores.
With a delivery fee starting from 99p, customers can order their delivery to arrive in under an hour and watch the robot travel in real-time via an interactive map. They will receive an alert when the robot arrives, and can meet and unlock it through the app.
Decathlon
Decathlon has developed a Smartsize tool for use on its e-commerce website.
In a LinkedIn post, Jerome Dubreuil, Global Chief Digital Officer, Executive Team member, said: “Has this ever happened to you? You order a shirt online, and when it arrives, it fits and looks completely different on you than it did on the model pictured on the website.”
“Don't worry, you're not alone. An Ipsos survey reveals that 59% of shoppers have experienced dissatisfaction with their online purchases for this exact reason.”
He added: “Recognising the challenges faced by online shoppers, we've developed the Smartsize tool. This intuitive tool, accessible on our e-commerce website, is designed to find the perfect fit for your body type.”
“Our data shows that without the Smartsize recommendation tool, the conversion rate drops by 3.5%. Already live in 25 countries, it reduces returns and helps us cut down on our carbon footprint.”
“Moreover, with 68,600,000 measurements gathered from 11 touch points and 7,150,000 members across 71 countries, we are improving the way we create our sports gear to be closer to our customers and provide them with the right sizes.”
“Shopping online has never been easier or more environmentally friendly.”
Ikea
SES-imagotag has entered into an agreement with Ikea to deploy its VUSION IoT Cloud platform and smart electronic shelf labels.
The first part of the contract spans over 110 stores in six European countries.
The roll-out builds on a partnership forged between the two companies over the past years.
Footgear
South African multi-brand footwear retailer, Footgear, has partnered with smart retail merchandising platform Nextail.
As a first step, Footgear will implement in-season solutions across its footprint of more than 200 stores nationwide.
Over its 22-year history, it has relied on spreadsheet-based tools for planning and forecasting in-season inventory management. However, with a growth strategy in place, these methods have proved challenging to scale.
Consequently, it recognised the importance of a centralised information source, better system integration, streamlined manual processes, and improved inventory visibility across its retail network.
Ocado Retail
The retailer has teamed up with Polytag and Bower to deliver the initiative.
Customers can scan a QR code printed onto Ocado’s own brand two and four pint milk bottles, which have just reduced in price to £1.45 and £1.20 respectively.
The first 20,000 codes scanned will see consumers receive a 20p reward which will appear in their digital wallet in the Bower app – the same amount that will be redeemed as a deposit in the upcoming Deposit Return Scheme legislation once it is rolled out in 2025. This 20p can then be withdrawn to their bank account.
Although consumers will not redeem a deposit – as it will not be added at the point of purchase – the partnership aims to demonstrate the viability of a DDRS by enabling people to receive a cash incentive for recycling using their smartphones.
Morrisons
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.
Walmart
US college students are getting ready to head back to campus – and Walmart is looking to make it easy and affordable for them to create the perfect dorm room.
The retailer is unveiling the next phase of its View In Your Home offering, with new features.
This helps customers visualise how furniture and home décor will look in their space. The new features are rolling out now on iOS for AR enabled items on the latest version of the Walmart app.
It is now possible to place, add and swap multiple items in a room at one time, without limit, to curate and visualise the entire space.
People can also view an expanded selection of 7,000+ AR enabled home products across indoor/outdoor furniture, electronics, lighting and more.
And complete the look of a space with complementary item recommendations based on what products work well together.
They can swap items with recommended substitutes via a ‘Similar Item’ feature, enabling customers to visualise size and fit of a comparable item before they choose what works best in their space.
And they can purchase an entire room of furniture with a single tap for a quicker and more efficient checkout experience – whether they want fast delivery or curbside pick-up on the way to campus.
Wayfair
Wayfair has launched Decorify, a new way for shoppers to reimagine their spaces and hone in on their style preferences.
In a pilot application, this uses a generative AI model that creates shoppable, photorealistic images to enable consumers to envision their own homes in new styles by uploading a picture of their space.
"Anything we develop or deploy for our customers, including GenAI, must support our mission to help everyone, anywhere create their feeling of home," says Wayfair Chief Technology Officer Fiona Tan.
"Viewing generative AI through this pragmatic lens enables us to prioritise where and when we deploy development resources and ensure applications like Decorify delight our customers."
McDonald’s
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.
John Lewis Partnership
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 fast answers via its website and WhatsApp. Virtual Remote Assistant delivers clear and timely 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.
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