Including Avery Dennison, HelloFresh, and Google Cloud: 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 Asda, SMG, TrusTrace, M&S, NewStore, Google Cloud, NRF 2024. Temu, EE, and Toolstation.
19.7 million…SMG has landed a deal to manage the retail media planning and retail media operations functions of UK grocery retailer Asda.
Previously managed by GIG Retail for the past eight years, SMG’s appointment comes at a time as Asda plans to expand its retail media network via more stores, new digital channels, and propositions.
With 19.7 million households in Britain shopping at the supermarket chain last year, with 80% of customers shopping both online and in-store and with a rewards programme, SMG will use Asda’s customer data to create omnichannel campaigns helping brands reach the right audience through the right touchpoints whether that be social, digital, TV, or in-store.
SMG’s proprietary software product Plan-Apps will be embedded into Asda’s technology stack..
$24 million…TrusTrace, which has developed a platform for product traceability and compliance, has announced the completion of a $24 million growth investment led by Circularity Capital, a specialist investor in businesses that enable the circular economy, with participation from existing backers Industrifonden and Fairpoint Capital.
Shameek Ghosh, CEO and Co-Founder at TrusTrace, says that the new investment will enable the company to further accelerate its global expansion ambitions by strengthening its presence in key markets, deepening product innovation and expanding collaborations.
£30 million…M&S this week unveiled plans to invest £30 million in bricks and mortar stores across Scotland.
This will deliver more than five new store openings and expansions over the next 18 months, supporting over 6,500 jobs in communities across the country.
72%…2023 saw Britain strapped for cash as the cost-of-living crisis tightened its hold.
Consumer shopping habits changed as Brits adapted and savvier shopping became essential on a day to day based.
According to new YouGov research, involving 2,143 people, from Chinese e-commerce giant Temu, 72% of consumers say that their spending on luxury or high priced items decreased across 2023, with the same number focusing their spending more on daily essentials.
84% also confirmed they actively sought deals and sales before making a purchase last year, as three quarters say their spending became more cautious.
In fact, finding good quality and good value items (66%) and low prices or retail sales (60%) became the factors most likely to influence people to buy, and 59% spent less on Christmas in 2023 than in previous years to save money.
37%…New research commissioned by Avery Dennison reveals an inflection point in consumers’ shopping behaviour.
37% of shoppers polled across the USA and the UK say they would switch to a retailer that offers full check-out free stores.
Two-thirds would opt for retailers that offer self-scanning at the end of a shop, while 59% say the same about self-scanning as they shop. 45% would switch to a self-checkout service where products are automatically detected via in-item tagging, meaning they don't need to scan a barcode.
Generation Z is leading the way when it comes to a preference for frictionless shopping, with 52% likely to switch retailers for check-out free stores.
£150,000…Solid Bond reports an undisclosed investment into Saledock’s £150,000 pre-seed round.
This will enable the Yorkshire-based startup to grow its team and continue to serve SME clients with a retail solution built with them in mind.
The company has developed a unified e-commerce platform, inventory management, and in-store EPoS system.
Built from the ground up, Saledock started with a chance conversation at a local menswear store.
Shopping for suits ahead of their wedding, software developers Layla and Lee Gladwin found themselves chatting with the owner about the difficulties the store was experiencing with their patched together retail systems.
A look at the retail software market soon told them that the menswear store certainly wasn’t alone in their struggle.
Multiple clunky integrated systems across EPoS, e-commerce and inventory management coupled with poor customer support from existing providers were all contributing to an inadequate customer experience for many retailers.
Spotting a gap in the market and after consulting with other retailers, they decided to build an alternative.
Word of mouth, a little telemarketing, some PPC and exhibiting at local business events saw Saledock build a 30-strong client base.
It then decided to raise a pre-seed round and was introduced to Solid Bond by another later stage VC fund.
53% and 63%…LG Ad Solutions has released the findings of The Shoppable TV Report: 2024 and Beyond, which found that 53% of CTV users wish all TV ads had a quick option to buy the product and 63% want to see store/brand inventory from their TV.
“While marketers have long understood the impact of reaching audiences via the largest screen of the house, the rise of shoppable ads unlocks an even more direct pathway to consumers” says Ed Wale, VP Europe, at LG Ad Solutions.
“The TV experience is no longer simply a passive format that sits outside of other digital channels, becoming highly connected and interactive. This revolutionary development enables marketers to employ a more holistic and connected approach to their campaigns, and offer audiences a more convenient way to shop.”
696…NewStore, a mobile first unified commerce platform for retail brands, in partnership with commercetools and ChangeCX, has announced the results of its 2024 Omnichannel Leadership Report.
In its 10th edition, the initiative assessed the capabilities of 696 retail brands across 10 countries.
NewStore looked at each retailer’s performance across three key experience categories: online, mobile, and in-store.
The results determined the overall score percentages and score percentages for each report category.
Through this process, NewStore identified the following brands as the 2024 Omnichannel Leaders: Scheels (US), Nordstrom (US), Massimo Dutti (ES), Golf Galaxy (US), and Foot Locker (US).
1…Asif Aziz has taken to social media to reflect on his first year in the role of Retail Director at EE/ BT Group.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “It's been a year since I joined EE. Where has the time gone? It has been a year full of forming new relationships, collaboration and creating a renewed purpose for retail as we become New EE, our flagship consumer brand.”
He added: “Our new format of stores designed to help our customers improve their everyday tech lives. Our Studio in London's White City, a state-of-the-art, award winning 4,000 sq ft store with the latest technology including a gaming zone, digital spa and all the very latest connected technology.”
“And we have continued investing by opening ‘Experience’ stores in Manchester, Bluewater, Cardiff and just last Friday in Guildford.”
“Their success and feedback from customers has given us confidence to open many more stores like these in 2024. To win at the RTIH Innovation Awards for our new stores last year was a truly proud moment.”
5%…Toolstation has launched a new loyalty programme, the Toolstation Club, offering customers who sign up 5% off all orders alongside exclusive discounts, deals, and prize giveaways.
The 5% offer will be available to customers throughout the first month of their Toolstation Club membership, and will automatically be taken off all orders with no restrictions on basket size or price.
Upon completion of the first month, customers that spend £75 or more each month afterwards will continue to benefit from the discount.
They will also be eligible for future prize draws, product deals, discounts and competitions throughout the year once they become a Toolstation Club member.
2…A second Żabka Drive store has opened in Zduńska Wola, Poland.
This allows customers to order and pick up products without leaving their cars.
In a LinkedIn post, Agata Michalska, Director of New Formats at Żabka Polska, said: “Convenience just got a whole lot closer! With the new Zabka Drive store, you can soon enjoy a seamless shopping experience without leaving the comfort of your car.”
“From Zabka Café delicious meals and refreshing beverages, we've got you covered. Simply drive up, place your order, and our friendly staff will serve your items right to your car.”
209…Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) has completed implementation of Logile’s retail labour planning and workforce management (WFM) solutions at its 209 locations across five banners operating in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma in addition to corporate offices.
Distribution centres and warehouses are currently being implemented. Store execution management will commence as the final implementation phase.
81%…Ahead of NRF 2024 this week, Google Cloud released new research commissioned from NewtonX that shows 81% of UK retail decision-makers feel an urgency to adopt generative AI in their business, with over half ready to deploy it in the coming year.
£140,000…The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined food delivery company HelloFresh £140,000 for a campaign of 79 million spam emails and one million spam texts over a seven-month period.
The marketing messages were sent based on an opt-in statement which did not make any reference to the sending of marketing via text.
Whilst there was a reference via email, this was included in an age confirmation statement which was likely to unfairly incentivise customers to agree, the ICO claims.
Customers were also not given sufficient information that their data would continue to be used for marketing purposes for up to 24 months after cancelling their subscriptions, it adds.
An investigation by the ICO began in March 2022 following complaints made directly to the regulator, as well as to the 7726 spam message reporting service. As part of this, it was also discovered that the company continued to contact some individuals even after they had requested this to stop.
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