Starring Tesco, Pocket Planet, and Crunch Fitness: check out last week’s most read RTIH retail technology articles
These are the RTIH articles that caught your fancy last week, including PMC, Asda, Attensi, Marks and Spencer, SymphonyAI Retail CPG, Amazon One, and Penny Black.
“We cannot go on like this”: Tesco makes big security measures investment as abuse of staff surges
Tesco has rolled out body worn cameras for frontline employees following a spike in verbal and physical attacks.
This is part of a multi-million pound investment over the last four years on security measures such as door access systems, protection screens and digital radios.
The grocery giant has seen physical assaults increase by a third since last year.
This mirrors research by British Retail Consortium (BRC) which found abuse against retail staff had almost doubled compared to pre-Covid levels.
In an article published in The Daily Mail, Tesco Chief Executive Ken Murphy said: “Money spent on making sure people are safe at work is always well spent, but it should not have to be like this. Crime is a scourge on society, and an insult to shoppers and retail workers. It is time we put an end to it.”
Asda works with Attensi as it goes live with gamified checkout system learning at Goldthorpe store
Asda is testing out gamified learning for those employees getting to grips with its new checkout system.
This has been taking place at the grocery giant’s Goldthorpe store in Rotherham, in partnership with Attensi.
In a LinkedIn post, Bruce Gibb, Learning Design Manager at Asda, said: “Gamified learning in Asda is live! Delighted to have landed new checkout training in line with our new checkout system in the pilot store this weekend.”
He added: “This has been a project I have been lead on since taking my Learning Design role on and it’s fantastic to see it come to life.”
“The reaction from the Goldthorpe store leadership and colleagues has been fantastic, they transitioned from the games to the live environment effortlessly and the competitive nature of the solution engaged a desire to practice and repeat, driving confidence and capability.”
“A massive thank you to Owen Smith (Senior Manager Learning - Transformation at Asda) for his leadership, support and guidance while I’ve worked on this.”
Crunch Fitness becomes first gym to deploy Amazon One palm-based entry for members
Crunch Fitness has become the first fitness brand to introduce the Amazon One palm recognition service as an entry option for its members. This is now available at select locations in the US.
Members who choose this option no longer need their Crunch membership tags or mobile app to enter. They can instead hover their palm over an Amazon One device to enter a facility.
Amazon One is currently being piloted at nine Crunch clubs across the US, including five in San Francisco, three in the New York City, and one in the Los Angeles area, with more locations rolling out the technology in the coming months.
Crunch has been piloting the solution for the last four months. It says that at participating gyms, 80% of members are already using Amazon One for entry.
Marks and Spencer selects SymphonyAI Retail CPG for AI and computer vision based store intelligence
SymphonyAI Retail CPG has been selected by Marks & Spencer for computer vision and AI-based intelligence capabilities across more than 500 stores.
The UK retailer will deploy AI-based technology on handheld devices that compares images captured of products in stores to store specific planograms, providing an instant view of compliance on shelves.
Rob Barnes, Chief Technology Officer, M&S says: “As we reshape M&S for growth, we’re investing in technology that will create greater efficiencies and a more connected in-store experience for our customers.”
“Through our partnership with SymphonyAI Retail CPG, our colleagues will be able to leverage AI-based technology to help them deliver an exceptional service to our customers.”
PMC announced as headline sponsor of the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards, winners to be announced in November
The RTIH Innovation Awards are back for 2023, and we’re delighted to announce that PMC will once again be the headline sponsor.
The event recognises and celebrates retailers and vendors at the forefront of technology innovation.
Spread over 19 different categories, including two brand new categories for 2023, submissions are judged on the extent of innovation and transformation demonstrated, as well as the sustainability of the results.
Previous year’s winners have included B&Q, Pets at Home and Walmart.
The awards culminate in a fantastic ceremony, complete with a drinks reception and three-course meal at the Barbican arts centre in London on Wednesday 29th November.
A key event highlight is an exclusive pre-awards roundtable discussion, enabling retailers, tech suppliers and advisors to come together and talk about current retail challenges and opportunities.
Simon Curtis, Chief Commercial Officer at PMC, says: “We have been proud sponsors of the RTIH Innovation Awards since their inception, and I am pleased to see them grow year-on-year, mirroring the incredible growth and innovation we continue to see across the retail industry.”
“I wish all the entrants the best of luck and look forward to seeing the winners announced in November.”
Personalised e-commerce packaging technology startup Penny Black secures £1.5 million investment
Penny Black, a UK tech startup using marketing techniques to make drab e-commerce packages more rewarding and personalised, has received an additional £1.5 million in seed funding from AGFA and ninepointfive.
This builds on an initial investment of £1.3 million in October 2022, bringing the total raised to date to £2.8 million.
Both investment funds were triggered by partnerships and wins across the UK and Europe, including sustainable toothbrush retailer SURI, gin brand Warner’s Distillery and health supplements retailer Zooki.
Retailers and third-party logistics centres (3PLs) have been attracted to the technology to help differentiate themselves from competitors.
Digital product passports from Fabacus launch in latest Nobody's Child x Fearne Cotton clothing line
Fashion brand Nobody’s Child has announced the launch of digital product passports (DPPs), enabling shoppers to make more conscious and informed choices when buying products.
The initial roll-out will be across the Happy Place Fearne Cotton collection which will be available online and at Nobody’s Child stores, as well as key retail partner, M&S.
Plans are afoot to have the DPPs across all garments by the end of 2024.
Scanned by a smartphone, each QR code takes the customer on a journey of that product’s creation.
The DPP has been designed with upcoming EU product transparency legislation in mind, ensuring that all key product information is captured and catalogued using Xelacore technology.
Powered by Fabacus, Nobody’s Child has harnessed its Xelacore technology to track and translate the gathering of numerous data points, mapping key stages of the supply chain from processing of the raw materials, through to the yarn and fabric mills, and finally to the garment factories where the final products are sewn together.
On scanning the DPP via a QR code in the care label, consumers will be taken to a landing page which includes the product's lifecycle carbon footprint, taking account for raw materials, finished good manufacturing, logistics, packaging, product care and end-use.
The page will also provide product care advice to help customers make their item last longer, as well as links to circular service partners – repair/alterations, rental and pre-loved.
People will be encouraged to trace their garments and visiting the Nobody’s Child DPP will be incentivised with gifts and the ability to download a unique non-fungible token (NFT) by way of a digital receipt, via a collaboration with Coinbase.
Pocket Planet preps immersive experiential attraction launch in Oxford Street, London
Miniature world specialist, Pocket Planet, has announced details of a new immersive experiential attraction for London’s Oxford Street.
A 30,000 square foot space, located at 500 Oxford Street, this will tap the latest audio visual technologies and feature large scale model landscapes of UK landmarks.
The development will also open a retail and cafe offering in spring next year, in addition to an exhibit the year after.
“Our plan for Pocket Planet is for it to become the UK’s largest indoor miniature world and London’s favourite attraction,” says Mark Vlassopulos, CEO at Pocket Planet.
“Our ambition is to create the best and most attractive million-plus visitation tourist attraction in the UK. The site we have is incredible: we have 30,000 square feet with 50 metres of frontage at 500 Oxford Street right between Marble Arch and Bond Street tube station.”
“It is the tourism hotspot of the UK and Pocket Planet will be a special space - an attraction on the scale of something that London hasn’t seen before. It will be a visual delight, both for the models and the groundbreaking audio visual elements.”
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