Talkin' bout a digital payments revolution: RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including FreedomPay, Albertsons Companies, Amazon, Getir, Pricer, Factor, and the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards.
£127.7 billion…The UK is on the brink of a digital payments transformation, with digital wallet purchases set to surpass card transactions within ten years, according to research by FreedomPay and Retail Economics.
Currently, around a fifth of retail, leisure and hospitality spending is made through digital wallets; compared to 55.7% by plastic, and a fifth for cash.
This is set to increase to £127.7 billion in 2027/28 (£72.5 billion currently). By 2033, the share of digital wallet payments will likely more than double to 39.7% to £210 billion.
In the next five years, the value of digital wallet use is set to surge by 76.3% – well ahead of other payment methods including transactions through loyalty points and buy now pay later (BNPL) services, while more traditional payment methods of cash and card are predicted to decline.
30 and 2,000…Albertsons Companies has launched a Flash grocery service, allowing customers to receive their DriveUp & Go and delivery orders in as little as 30 minutes.
This is available at more than 2,000 locations, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME and Tom Thumb banner stores.
“Shoppers today want fast pickup and delivery, and Albertsons is meeting this expectation with our new Flash service,” says Stephen Menaquale, SVP, eCommerce and Fulfillment at Albertsons Cos.
"Whether you’re missing a key ingredient for tonight’s dinner, or need a healthy snack for your kid’s lunchbox, families can turn to us to quickly replenish their food and household staples.”
300,100…Factor, an American ready to eat meal delivery service, has announced the opening of a new production centre in Goodyear.
It says that the 300,100 square foot facility will serve as one of the largest industrial kitchens in the US.
Factor was born in 2013 out of Chicago, IL. Since its acquisition in 2020 by the HelloFresh Group, it has been leveraging HelloFresh’s direct-to-consumer capabilities and technology infrastructure.
Additionally, it has increased its menu offering by 75%, enabling consumers to choose among a wider selection of meals, including more keto, calorie smart, protein plus, vegetarian, and vegan dishes.
6…There are just over six weeks left to submit your entries for the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards, which takes place on Wednesday, 29th November at the Barbican Arts Centre in central London.
The event, sponsored by PMC, CADS, 3D Cloud by Marxent, and Goodays, celebrates global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Spread over 19 different categories, 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, Walmart, Sook, AiFi, Compass Group, Obsess, and Ribble Cycles.
The awards culminate in a fantastic ceremony, complete with a drinks reception and Christmas themed three-course meal at the Barbican Arts Centre 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.
Categories, along with entry forms, can be found here.
Key dates
Friday, 27th October: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 31st October: 2023 shortlist revealed
6th-10th November: Judging days
Wednesday, 29th November: The 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony
19...Amazon has opened a Just Walk Out technology powered Amazon Fresh store at London’s Liverpool Street.
To enter the store, customers walk through a non-gated entrance and shop for what they need.
At the end of their trip, they can either scan their in-store code (via the Amazon app) at the exit gate, or pay by tapping their credit or debit card at a chip and PIN machine.
It’s also possible to pick up and return items purchased on Amazon.co.uk from in-store lockers, with a QR code.
There are now 19 of these locations in the UK - 18 of which are in London, and the other at Sevenoaks in Kent. Way off the original target of 200+ by the end of 2025.
The Liverpool Street store can be found at Unit 4B-5, 31-35 Blomfield Street, London, EC2M 7BD. It is open from 7:00 am – 11:00 pm, seven days a week.
In a LinkedIn post, Louise Bagshaw, Central Operations, Amazon Fresh Stores International, said: “Exciting times at Amazon Fresh! Today (12th September) we have launched another new store in a fantastic location at Liverpool Street station. Very proud of the whole AUKF team and partner teams - great new look and feel, store flow, range and CX.”
279…LTE and 5G wireless connectivity specialist, Cradlepoint, reports that Nando’s will be using its E300 routers to provide restaurants with a unified and stable communications platform across all 279 sites in South Africa.
The announcement builds on a partnership between the pair which began in 2015.
2 million…SES-imagotag and HowGood have announced a partnership to provide consumers with transparent product information, delivered in stores, at the shelf-edge.
This will give shoppers access to data on over two million products directly on smart digital displays in stores, thanks to SES-imagotag’s VUSION IoT Cloud platform, which connects retailers, brands and consumers.
The data comes from HowGood and ranges from greenhouse gas emissions to water usage to labour risk. The digital displays will be available globally this autumn
Through HowGood, consumers can select products that use less water than average in their production (Water Smart), have lower greenhouse gas emissions than average (Climate Friendly), have a simple formula with seven or fewer ingredients (Clean Label), made with ingredients that are not dependent on commercial or industrial processing (Minimally Processed), contain ingredients that minimise the use of petroleum-based herbicides, fertilisers and other chemicals (Low Synthetic Inputs), or respect workers’ rights and dignity (Fair Labour).
2.6% and 27%…Turkish rapid grocery delivery firm, Getir, has partnered with Transport for London (TfL) and signed its road safety charter, which has ten principles and looks to address the disproportionate risk faced by motorcycle couriers and pedestrians alike.
According to TfL, between 2017 and 2021, with only 2.6% of vehicle kilometres driven, motorcycles made up 27% of fatal accidents in the capital.
Getir has worked with TfL, Deliveroo, Stuart, Just Eat and Uber eats to develop the safety charter, which is key to Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury from the transport network.
Principles within it include ensuring that couriers meet the legal requirements for working and riding in the UK.
Getir will participate in TfL’s six monthly Meal and Grocery Delivery Company Road Safety Forum where companies will discuss implementation and progress of the charter, and build on ideas to improve road safety.
5…S Group has chosen Pricer as its electronic shelf labels (ESL) supplier and signed a framework agreement for five years.
S Group is a customer owned network of companies in the retail and service sectors, with more than 1,000 retail outlets in Finland.
The biggest business area is supermarket trade, which is covered by five chains. The largest chains are the supermarket chain S-market (440+ stores) and hypermarket Prisma (70+ outlets).
Although there are no minimum commitments for volumes or values under the agreement that cover all brands, S Group will make pilot installations in 17 stores (nine Prisma and eight S-market) during 2023, with the intention of doing installations in 300 stores during the coming years.
The solution is based on the platform Pricer Plaza, which provides a cloud-based software offering that enables the chains to centrally manage and control pricing, product information, and promotions across all ESLs in all connected stores.
25%…Whole Foods Market UK is running a Better Beauty Swap campaign, encouraging customers to make the switch to clean beauty and save 25% when shopping in-store.
Between 20th September – 3rd October, the retailer is asking customers to bring their conventional skin, face or body care products (empty or full) in-store and pop them into designated recycling bins.
In return, a member of the Whole Foods Market team will provide customers with a 25% off voucher to spend on the entire skin face or body care beauty shop in any of the UK stores.
44 UK retail leaders, representing over one third of the retail industry (by employees), have written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, calling for a freeze in the business rates multiplier to be announced at the upcoming autumn statement.
According to the BRC, the retail industry pays over £7 billion a year in business rates.
It says that, without action from the Chancellor, the business rates multiplier will rise in April 2024, in line with the September inflation figure – expected to be over 6% - amounting to an increase of over £400 million a year to retailers’ business rates bills.
An increase to costs at this level could lead to upwards pressure on prices, just as shop price inflation has begun to ease.
A recent survey of BRC members showed that 68% of retailers were ‘very concerned’ about the business rates increase, and that all of them felt it would place some pressure on shop prices, with 69% saying it would place ‘significant pressure’ on the prices paid by customers. Furthermore, all retailers noted that the rates increase would hold back investment, including in new shops and warehouses.
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