Featuring Boots UK, Grubhub, and EE: RTIH’s biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. These are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Cartken, New Look, ZigZag Global, TMX Transform, Uncrowd, and Amazon.
Boots UK gearing up to launch new beauty showcase at Battersea Power Station in London
Boots UK will open a new beauty only store later this year at London’s Battersea Power Station.
In a LinkedIn post, Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital Officer at Boots UK, said: “This has been months in the making. As an 11,200 sq ft supersize beauty studio, it will be a new destination for beauty lovers to try out new products, looks and trends.”
“More than 250 cosmetics, skincare and haircare brands will be available, including several new UK exclusive brands and ranges from diverse and female owned brands.”
“We will also be making good use of our leadership in healthcare and expertise in skin, with skin specialist pharmacists and qualified dermatologists on hand to offer advice.”
All products will be available online and for next day home delivery or Click and Collect at over 1,600 Boots stores.
Virtual skincare and beauty consultations from the store’s experts will also be available on boots.com.
Grubhub tie up sees Cartken robots deliver 50,000+ orders to students at the University of Arizona
Cartken reports that, through its partnership with Grubhub, more than 50,000 autonomous deliveries have been made via its robots on the University of Arizona’s campus during the ‘22 - ‘23 school year.
Said robots first debuted on the University of Arizona’s campus in August 2022, just in time for the start of the school year.
The University of Arizona had an existing partnership with Grubhub Campus Dining that allows students to use their meal plans to order food from on-campus restaurants via the Grubhub app for pickup.
Through Cartken’s partnership with Grubhub, students are able to select robot delivery as an option when ordering from on campus restaurants.
The university’s more than 40,000 students can now order from 12 on-site restaurants and campus dining facilities and receive their order autonomously at one of the 60 drop-off stations throughout the nearly 400 acre campus.
New Look and ZigZag Global partner to introduce drop off kiosks at selected stores
New Look has rolled out return kiosks in partnership with ZigZag Global across a selection of its stores this week.
The aim is to reduce the amount of time spent by in-store staff processing returns, whilst improving data collection.
After entering information online, customers can choose ‘Return to Store’ as an option and, rather than printing out a sticker, will receive a QR code.
Rachel Troke, Senior Product Manager at New Look, says: “One of the key drivers for launching the kiosks was that we weren’t getting the right data from our customers on why they were returning in-store.”
“A lot of items were being marked down as unwanted. A trend that didn’t match up with what we were seeing with our online returns.”
She adds: “We suspected that customers were perhaps too shy to dive into the exact reason for making the return with the store colleague. It is understandable to not want to discuss potential sizing issues with a stranger.”
“The in-store kiosks bring back that comforting anonymity you get with online returns for the customers whilst providing better data for our buying teams. We will now get close to 100% coverage across our e-commerce returns, collecting valuable data that will allow us to make smarter, more informed decisions.”
Scoring the Perfect Play - Unlocking Retail Innovation with Composable Commerce: register today!
Scoring the Perfect Play - Unlocking Retail Innovation with Composable Commerce, hosted by PMC and Couchbase, will take place on Thursday, 28th September at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club.
Composable commerce offers opportunities for retailers to enhance operations, improve customer experiences, and drive business growth in an interconnected retail landscape.
This event brings together leading retailers to share their IT transformation roadmaps and outcomes.
Guest speakers from Primark, Arsenal Football Club and Crew Clothing will share their experiences of using composable commerce to implement innovative new solutions.
Startup Videobot secures €2m funding to boost online customer experiences with interactive video chatbots
Videobot, a Finnish SaaS startup, has raised €2 million in seed funding from Superhero Capital, Expon Capital Digital Tech Fund, and angel investors, Urban Gillstrom and Ari Korhonen.
The cash will be used to accelerate Videobot’s growth, especially in Europe and US markets, where the company has over 200 customers in 15 countries and in multiple industries.
"80% of internet traffic today is video. Videobot represents a paradigm shift in online communication," says Anssi Kiviranta, Co-founder of Videobot, which launched in 2022.
"Our platform seamlessly integrates the convenience of chatbots with the engaging power of short videos, opening new horizons for businesses to connect with their audiences."
EE brings tech to life via new Experience store at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent
EE has opened a new Experience store in Kent’s Bluewater Shopping Centre.
The second of the company’s new concept stores showcases various experience zones and room sets, with each area curated to give shoppers a taste of future living and demonstrate how cutting-edge technology and connectivity can enhance their everyday lives.
The store, which is moving from EE’s existing space on the ground floor of Bluewater, is located on the first floor and combines two existing units to create what is pitched as “an open and dynamic tech filled space”.
Grubhub brings Amazon Just Walk Out Technology to Stateside university campus partners
Grubhub Campus reports that Amazon's Just Walk Out technology is now available at Loyola University Maryland, the first Grubhub partnered campus to deploy the offering.
Students scan a QR code in the Grubhub app to enter a convenience store, and the technology detects what shoppers take from or return to the shelves.
They can then leave without having to wait in line and the payment will automatically be deducted from their meal plan, declining account balance or other stored payment methods linked to their Grubhub account.
"Our installation with Amazon's Just Walk Out technology is another example of how we are strengthening our relationship with our campus partners with cost saving technology and driving student adoption," says Eric Ferguson, Chief Operations Officer at Grubhub.
"The services and products we provide for our campus partners are designed to enhance and improve the dining experience, and we're excited to offer this innovative and frictionless technology to our campus partners."
TMX Transform brings in Kroger and supply chain veteran Jeff Bornino to head up North American business
Australia-based supply chain consultancy, TMX Transform, has launched its North American operations, and named Jeff Bornino as President of that part of the business.
Bornino brings with him over two decades of supply chain experience, most of which was spent at Kroger, where he served as Vice President, Corporate Supply Chain and Inventory & Replenishment.
“TMX Transform combines deep industry experience and advanced supply chain thinking and capabilities with a very practical ‘get it done’ approach,” says Bornino.
“It’s a unique and powerful combination that I always searched for, but never quite found in my twenty plus years in the industry.”
“I was especially drawn to TMX’s focus on creating long-term client relationships and the depth and breadth of talent within the team. I’m honoured to join TMX Transform and am excited about the positive impact we will have on our North American customers.”
Currys CIO Andy Gamble joins data and insights startup Uncrowd as investor and advisor
Andy Gamble has joined Uncrowd as investor and advisor as the UK-based customer data and insights startup looks to scale and expand into the US over the next few months.
Gamble is Chief Information Officer at Currys and a non-exec board advisor at Mulberry.
He has worked in technology for 25 years with some of the world’s largest businesses, including Sony and Dyson, and provided advice to Big Data pioneer Unifi Software until its exit to Dell Boomi in 2020.
Including Ghost and Videobot: five retail technology funding rounds you need to know about
RTIH rounds up five retail tech ventures who have recently secured significant investments in their businesses, including The Diamond Lab, Blanka, and Pi-xcels.
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