Starring Trigo, TrusTrace, and Ikea: the biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Shopify, Netto, Aldi UK, Armani Group, XY Retail, Unilever, Asda, and Manhattan Associates.
1. Netto announces landmark Trigo powered autonomous supermarket with real-time receipts baked in
German discount chain Netto has opened what is pitched as Europe’s largest autonomous supermarket in Regensburg.
The 800 sqm location enables customers to shop without registering, checking in or self-scanning.
An intelligent camera system records every movement and assigns products taken from the shelf to each shopping basket. This is done without collecting any personal or biometric data.
Fruit and vegetables are automatically weighed and added to baskets as soon as they are taken off the shelf.
Once finished, customers can make their way to one of two fast exit terminals.
The store uses technology from Trigo, the company behind Aldi’s autonomous stores in Utrecht and Rewe’s pilot in Munich. In addition to the fast exit terminals, the shop also has regular service and self-service checkouts.
It features the latest extension of Trigo’s EasyOut system, with the company adding the capability for shoppers to review their receipts, approve and pay, before they leave the store.
The new EasyOut Station generates shoppers’ receipts in real-time while utilising the fast exit terminals.
Payment is made by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or the Netto app. Using the app also enables shoppers to automatically redeem coupons and archive the paperless receipt within the app.
2. Aldi UK launches new payment experience at retailer’s flagship Shop&Go store in Greenwich, London
Aldi has added a contactless card payment option to its AiFi technology powered checkout-free Shop&Go store in Greenwich, London.
As a result, customers no longer need to download Aldi’s Shop&Go app to access the store, which opened in January 2022.
In a LinkedIn post, Kalle Kroll, Manager Strategy & Innovation at Aldi South Group, said: “Two years after opening the first checkout-free Aldi store, I am proud to say that the joint project team in Mülheim, London, and Atherstone, has realised the next iteration of Aldi Shop&Go. This is an incredible project, and every day I appreciate being part of it.”
He added: “Customers are at the focus of what we do at Aldi IT Innovation. Now by introducing an additional customer journey, we are addressing a key customer need."
“We are enabling customers to enter the checkout-free store even quicker, and without needing to download an app: Just hold your card or Apple/Google Pay against the reader, do your shop and go.’
3. Shopify and Manhattan Associates build unified commerce solution with Nautica onboard as first customer
Manhattan Associates and Shopify have announced a new partnership that aims to help retailers build unified omnichannel shopping experiences.
This will see Shopify’s commerce platform combined with Manhattan’s omnichannel order management solution.
“Manhattan’s focus on fast, easy, reliable and transparent shopping enables our enterprise retail customers to lower sales friction and elevate purchase confidence, which is why we’re proud to align ourselves with with Shopify in our mutual endeavour to improve the digital commerce experience,” says Brian Kinsella, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Manhattan.
“We’re excited about the elevated experience for consumers, and the increased revenue and margin potential for our merchants owing to the combined offering.”
4. Ikea taps autonomous and sustainability solutions at new customer distribution centres in China
Ikea Retail (Ingka Group) is opening a new customer distribution centre (CDC) in Tiajin, located outside Beijing, in China.
This is approximately 46,240 square metres in size, with a storage capacity of 25,000 cubic metres, and will house more than 9,500 Ikea products.
The objective is to get closer to the northern customers of Beijing, both physically with new customer meeting touchpoints and through online services, with convenient delivery options.
Aligning with Ikea’s People and Planet Positive strategy and China’s sustainability development goals, the CDC is working on deploying such features as 100% lithium battery forklifts, an energy efficient LED lighting system, and a roof solar system that is projected to reduce approximately 3,312.94 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, which is equivalent to planting 184,000 trees per year.
5. Armani Group taps XY Retail unified commerce platform as it adapts to rapidly evolving omnichannel landscape
XY Retail has been chosen as the unified commerce platform for the Armani Group in a deal covering operations for the brands Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange, and Armani Casa across over 20 countries and more than 700 stores.
This encompasses a suite of solutions, including Point of Sale (PoS), and Order Management System (OMS).
The aim here is to smoothly integrate the front office and back office, creating a unified commerce experience for both customers and retailer teams across the online and offline business channels.
6. Unilever builds on Zappar AQR roll-out as it trials Be My Eyes tech for blind and low vision shoppers
Unilever has partnered with Be My Eyes to introduce AI assisted cooking for blind and low vision shoppers.
This builds on the addition of on-pack Accessible QR (AQR), developed by computer vision specialists Zappar, to Unilever’s Persil and Colman’s products in the UK last year and is part of the company’s global connected pack strategy, which includes using new digital experiences and technology to evolve and differentiate the way shoppers interact with and use its products.
Unilever is initially trialling the Be My Eyes technology in the UK through its Colman’s Singapore Noodles Meal Maker, with the intention of rolling it out across more brands in 2024.
7. TrusTrace bags $24 million growth investment led by Circularity Capital for global expansion push
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.
Ghosh comments: “A growing number of fashion and textile brands are adopting traceability to support their sustainability goals and ensure competitiveness in the face of mounting regulations and consumer pressure.”
“The completion of this new growth investment is proof that traceability lies at the core of sustainable transformation.”
“Backed by the new funding, TrusTrace will continue to be the fashion industry’s trusted partner for discovering and managing supply chain risk, ensuring compliance and driving true sustainability across all value chains.”
8. UK supermarket heavyweight Asda appoints SMG as its retail media network partner
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..
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