Metaverse partnerships and social selling platforms: 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 Currys, WeShop, Emma, Chelsea Peers, Footasylum, Amazon, Vinted, and Walmart.
Habbo and Juniper Creates
Virtual world and chat room Habbo has announced a user generated content in apparel and toys partnership with Juniper Creates, a custom merchandising solution for online creators.
The aim here is to enhance the digital collectables and community experience within the metaverse.
Unlike traditional merchandise, where designs are determined solely by brand or company, this partnership invites the Habbo community to design and select lines of apparel and toys.
These will be linked to in-game digital collectables crafted by the Habbo team. Users can submit their designs, participate in the community selection process, and own and showcase their creations in both the real world and the digital realm.
Streaks AI and WeShop
Streaks AI, a provider of AI-based conversational technologies headquartered in London, is entering into a partnership with WeShop, a platform that combines shopping with social media and has a network of over 1,300 influencers with a combined reach of 50 million+ followers.
The aim is to provide shoppers with enhanced and personalised customer services using AI powered chatbots modelled after the aforementioned influencers.
Emma
D2C sleep brand, Emma, is implementing Metapack’s Delivery Manager solution across DACH, UK and Italy, as it looks to automate its selection of delivery services and increase carrier coverage across key markets.
This provides Emma with access to Metapack’s carrier network, providing more delivery choice while removing the need for costly and complicated onboarding processes.
Delivery Manager gives it the ability to quickly generate the right labels and custom documents for shipping.
This not only speeds up warehouse operations but allows Emma to offer customers the best possible experience.
Thalia
Thalia, an omnichannel bookseller in the DACH region with around 6,000 employees, has selected Diebold Nixdorf to introduce new self-checkout solutions.
Planned through mid-2024, the project will involve a total of 500 modular DN Series EASY eXpress systems for the German market, and more than 100 systems for Austria and Switzerland.
In addition, Diebold Nixdorf will leverage its services technician network to provide on-site troubleshooting and support services for Thalia in all three countries.
Mochara
Equestrian and leisure brand Mochara and influencer Billie Shepherd have announced a partnership, leveraging technology provided by Stored.
The pair say that, unlike traditional brand-influencer collaborations that often rely on affiliate link interruptions and third-party cookies for tracking and measuring performance, Stored’s payments solution ensures a smoother, uninterrupted shopping experience.
Tapping the firm’s platform, Shepherd can curate her favourite Mochara products behind a single link, which leads her 2.6 million followers directly to a two-tap checkout.
DFS Group and Ant Group
DFS Group and Ant Group have announced a partnership which will see the former leverage Alipay+ to engage with its customers pre, during and post shopping, across 36 stores in 15 markets, and 12 online shops in four markets.
This will involve: increasing visibility of DFS directly within Alipay and Alipay+ partner wallets' apps and mutually offering more targeted, personalised and relevant rewards for shoppers, including exclusive offers.
Chelsea Peers
Online loungewear and sleepwear brand, Chelsea Peers, says it has more than doubled the likelihood that shoppers of its ‘all pyjamas’ and ‘long pyjamas’ collections will make a purchase when they land on category pages.
The retailer is using Nosto’s Commerce Experience Platform to tailor the shopping experience to customers looking for curve and maternity PJs.
Chelsea Peers is a UK-based, direct-to-consumer fashion brand that sells online, as well as through retailers such as Asos and Next.
It is deploying Nosto’s AI powered Category Merchandising to automatically optimise the way it displays and ranks products on category pages in real time to appeal to specific customer segments.
Footasylum
Footasylum has selected NewStore to power the omnichannel experience across its 60 stores in the UK.
The partnership builds on Footasylum’s technology architecture, which also includes Talon.One, a promotion and loyalty automation solution.
“In order to keep up with the pace of innovation and grow our business, we need a technology architecture that is open, flexible, and scalable. But we cannot build it ourselves. We need commerce partners that align with our vision,” says Mike Wallwork, E-commerce Director, Footasylum.
“That is why we are working with MACH certified companies like NewStore and Talon.One. These innovative platforms and tools will help us achieve our goals and continue to provide the exceptional level of service our customers expect."
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.
Amazon
Amazon has selected CLARA Analytics as its technology partner for a new programme aimed at improving health and claim outcomes for its corporate workers’ compensation claims.
The US e-commerce giant will implement CLARA’s platform, including the Triage, Litigation and Treatment modules, which use generative AI and machine learning technologies to provide insights that detect claims at risk of escalation and identify the best path toward resolving claims involving injuries.
Vinted
InPost has announced an expansion of its Vinted partnership, with the launch of InPost Shop, a new parcel pick-up service in the UK.
The C2C online second-hand fashion marketplace led an initial trial earlier this year.
The service gives its members the option to collect parcels from participating stores, providing an additional OOH collection option alongside InPost's 5,000 strong locker network.
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.
CHRONEXT
CHRONEXT has worked with Storyblok on the development of an iOS mobile app that enables its marketers and developers to create customised user journeys.
M&S
SideChef, a US-based mobile app and platform with over 20,000 shoppable recipes, has announced a partnership with Marks & Spencer.
Customers will now be able to find 150 original recipes featuring signature M&S ingredients, save them to a personal cookbook or shopping list, and create meal plans for their households within any budget.
This launch was done in alignment with the Cooking With The Stars show, which airs on ITV.
Viewers will be able to find all the recipes that the celebrity chefs and contestants cook, and recreate them in their own homes. The feature is available on the M&S website and its app.
The tie up marks SideChef’s first European retail partner.
Need It For Tonight
Need It For Tonight, which is pitched as London’s first on-demand fashion delivery app, has announced a partnership with Gophr to offer customers a 90 minute delivery service.
Fashion brands in the capital that have signed up with. Need It For Tonight include Wild Swans Boutique, Rejina Pyo, Cult Mia and Blue Nude.
Gophr’s real-time delivery tracking is embedded within the venture’s app.
Its network of couriers also allows users flexibility to select delivery options without rigid time limitations.
While Need It For Tonight caters for those who want items on-demand, the partnership also has sustainability in mind, with deliveries available via push and cargo bikes.
Vape Superstore
UK-based retailer Vape Superstore has announced the expansion of its delivery services to include same day delivery to Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.
All parcels will be transported using Stuart’s 100% electric vehicles. The service is also available in London.
Currys
Circana (formerly IRI and The NPD Group) has announced a partnership with Currys.
The firm’s Insights Gateway, which will be launched and branded as Currys Tech Insights, will provide the UK retailer’s supplier partners with access to sales performance and customer insights across the Currys business.
Susie Moan, Chief Data Officer at Currys comments: “We are thrilled to be unveiling the powerful new Currys Tech Insights platform to our suppliers.”
“The platform will allow our brands to take an even more forensic approach to understanding the data behind our customers’ decision making. Together, we will have a holistic view of our customers and be able to better anticipate their current and future needs, so that we can help more people than ever enjoy amazing technology.”
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."
The Whisky Stock
UK brand The Whisky Stock has partnered with Brightpearl by Sage as it looks to strengthen its multi-channel operations.
With Brightpearl supporting its operational infrastructure, the whisky e-commerce retailer will gain access to its range of features, including an Automation Engine and a library of plug and play integrations.
The Whisky Stock will also benefit from 360-degree insights and advanced reporting functionality, so the team can make more informed decisions concerning every department and sales channel.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has deployed NCR’s Aloha solution.
Firebirds operates casual American restaurants in 21 states via its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The NCR Commerce Platform unifies all of NCR Aloha’s capabilities and provides a cloud-based offering.
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