Omnichannel competence and payment firsts: RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy this past week, including Shopify, NewStore, Unliver, Sainsbury’s, Aldi UK, Avery Dennison, Netto, Asda, and Victoria's Secret & Co.
NewStore launches report at NRF 2024 examining omnichannel competence of 696 retailers
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).
ShopPay spotted on non-Shopify website as clothing retailer Everlane adds solution to homegrown CMS
Shopify’s ShopPay solution has made an appearance on a non-Shopify website, with some industry observers predicting the end of one-click checkout businesses.
Everlane’s website now has an express checkout that features the offering alongside Apple Pay and PayPal.
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.’
Victoria's Secret & Co. gets personal as it taps Google Cloud AI and generative AI technologies
Victoria's Secret & Co. (VS&Co) and Google Cloud have announced a multi-year partnership.
The former will leverage Google Cloud's AI and generative AI technologies to create more personalised and inclusive online shopping experiences for its customers.
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.
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.
Diebold Nixdorf declares war on shrink in retail stores with artificial intelligence powered offering
Diebold Nixdorf has kicked off the roll-out of its new AI-based checkout solutions, as first seen at NRF 2024 last week.
This knows if shoppers are intentionally or unintentionally miss-scanning, if a product doesn’t match its label, or if a customer accidentally left milk in the cart without paying, plus more than a dozen other sources of loss at self-service checkouts.
Avery Dennison research shows consumers’ growing preference for frictionless shopping experiences
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.
Furthermore, 49% would be likely to spend more money with a retailer that has a connected or automated checkout experience, and 52% say connected stores would make them more loyal to a retail brand.
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.”
Expected boom in exempt Facebook Marketplace as UK HMRC side hustle tax hits other platforms
Facebook Marketplace could become the go-to digital platform when it comes to second-hand purchases ahead of Vinted and Depop, according to research from consumer research platform GWI, after new UK tax rules came in at the turn of the year that mean sellers making more than £1,700 a year – roughly £140 a month – will now be taxed.
The UK HMRC tax authority crackdown on second-hand ‘side hustles’ comes as government tries to stretch its remit into the online world as much as it already penetrates bricks and mortar retail.
UK grocery giant Sainsbury’s set to deploy StrongPoint grocery order picking solution
StrongPoint has been selected by Sainsbury’s to supply order picking technology for online grocery orders fulfilled manually in-store.
Sainsbury’s is the UK’s second largest grocery retailer with over 1,400 supermarkets and convenience stores across the country, employing more than 152,000 people.
“StrongPoint is focused on serving the unique needs of grocery retailers and providing the very best e-commerce technologies. Our grocery e-commerce order picking solution is truly world class,” says Jacob Tveraabak, CEO at StrongPoint.
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.
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