Starring Sephora, Aldi UK, and Grubhub: check out last week’s most read RTIH retail technology articles
These are the RTIH articles that caught your fancy last week, including J.P. Morgan Payments, Amazon Just Walk Out tech, Gopuff, The Diamond Lab, TMX Transform, and Just Hotter.
Sephora teams with J.P. Morgan Payments as it enables Tap to Pay on iPhone for US merchants
J.P. Morgan Payments has announced the launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone for its merchant clients in the US.
The solution allows merchants to accept contactless payments using their iPhones, without the need for a dedicated payments card reader or additional hardware.
Takis Georgakopoulos, Global Head of Payments, J.P. Morgan, says: “Today’s announcement marks a critical moment in time for the evolution of our business.”
“Enhancing the ability for consumers to pay with their preferred method of payment is part of our broader, customer centric approach to simplify omnichannel payment acceptance for our merchant clients.”
“As consumer payment needs continue to rapidly evolve, this is a significant demonstration of our ability to innovate at scale to support our merchant clients through this ongoing transformation.”
Aldi UK checkout-free store at centre of cash row as Piers Corbyn pays for strawberries with coins
In early 2022, discount retailer Aldi UK launched its first autonomous store.
Situated on Greenwich High Street in London, it enables customers to complete their shop without scanning a single product, or having to go through a checkout.
They can download the Aldi Shop&Go app, which will allow them to enter the store, pick up their items, and then walk out when they have completed their shop.
Once a customer leaves, they will then be automatically charged via their selected payment method and a receipt will appear in the app.
The system, provided by AiFi, uses specially positioned cameras.
Those people wishing to buy alcohol, or other Challenge 25 products, are able to use facial age estimation technology, provided by Yoti, to authorise their purchase.
Giles Hurley, CEO at Aldi UK and Ireland, said at the time of the opening: “Today is the culmination of months of work, not least from the team here in Greenwich and I’m looking forward to seeing how customers react to our trial.”
“This store utilises the very latest in retail technology offering Aldi’s award winning products and unbeatable prices to customers in a new and innovative way. The team are really excited about seeing customers come in and experience Aldi Shop&Go.”
Fast forward to the present day and the store has been targeted by Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and also a climate change denier, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist.
In a video posted on social media, Corbyn can be seen holding a box of strawberries and putting down cash on a help table.
Robots on campus: RTIH rustles up the retail technology news you might have missed last week
Failed to keep up with the breaking retail technology news last week? Then have no fear as RTIH has you covered. Here are the major stories that you need to know about. Includes Grubhub, Cartken, The Diamond Lab, PacSun, Amazon, bodo, Packfleet, Salesforce, and TalkShopLive.
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.”
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.
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."
Just Hotter founder and retail tech veteran Sarah Curran joins 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel
We’re pleased to announce the addition of Sarah Curran to the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel.
Curran has just launched Just Hotter, a Shopify powered online destination for all things menopause, having earlier this year left True Fit, a fit personalisation platform for fashion retailers, where she served as Global Chief Marketing Officer.
In a LinkedIn post, she commented: “Absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of my latest venture, Just Hotter, an online destination for all things menopause, including all the things we never seem to hear about … unless it’s in a WhatsApp group with your girlfriends.”
She added: “At 45, I discovered I was in perimenopause and after researching and reading up on symptoms, signs and changes in cycles I was left feeling totally unrepresented by everything I’d found online.”
“Five years on and in the year I turned 50, I decided that I needed to do something which I felt passionate about and changing the perception of women entering this stage of life was one of them.”
“Just Hotter is a one stop shop for all things menopause with curated brands, supplements and products that I have used and loved in my journey of understanding how to tweak my lifestyle to feel at least normal, but in the hope of feeling better. Which, I’m pleased to report, that I definitely do!”
Check out our 2022 interview with her here.
Gopuff taps CitrusAd and Rokt retail technology as it expands its Ads platform to the UK
Rapid grocery delivery big hitter Gopuff has announced the launch of its Ads platform in the UK.
“For two years, the world’s largest CPGs and most exciting emerging brands – from PepsiCo to Liquid Death – have leveraged Gopuff Ads to reach our young, engaged customers and drive incremental sales in the US,” says Daniel Folkman, Senior Vice President of Business at Gopuff.
“Now, we’re thrilled to introduce Gopuff Ads, a platform that has powered 4x return on ad spend for our US advertisers, to brands reaching UK customers.”
With Gopuff’s direct API integration into CitrusAd’s retail media technology, brands can target its UK customers via Sponsored Search, Sponsored Carousel and Promoted Product Placement ads.
The platform allows partners to plan, buy, measure, and manage their ads.
The Diamond Lab bags Series A funding as UK startup preps physical retail debut in London
UK jewellery brand, The Diamond Lab, has secured £450,000 of funding.
Steered by founder Jamie Amelia Patel, the London-based business, self-funded up until this point, has secured its first round of private financing; a £450,000 Series A, led by investor James Shulman.
Patel has forecasted £3.8 million in sales during its first year through international e-commerce, a London flagship store, and several brand partnerships due to be announced in the coming months.
The company will open its immersive bricks and mortar store located on New Bond Street by November.
Further lab grown diamond jewellery designs will also add to its three existing collections, including the exclusive Selfridges Yellow Diamond line.
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.
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