Biometric checkouts and hot dog serving robots: this week's coolest retail technology plays
RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his top ‘future of retail’ systems launches and deployments from the past week, including Bold Commerce, Wink, Mars, Evri, JD.com, Family Express, Rovertown, Metro Brands, and Nextail.
Bold Commerce and Wink
Bold Commerce, a headless checkout company for omnichannel retailers and DTC brands, has announced the launch of its first biometric checkout powered by Wink.
Now, instead of having to manually fill out details like login credentials, delivery details, loyalty accounts and payment preferences, retailers can enable shoppers to use their face and voice to pre-fill all the information necessary to complete a purchase on any shopping channel or in-store.
They can integrate the technology into any mobile, desktop or in-store shopping experience, providing shoppers with the option to expedite checkout no matter where they are or what they’re buying.
Using Bold Checkout with Wink, retailers can authenticate customers with voice and face recognition using the camera on their personal device or in-store device (e.g. PoS terminals or self-checkout stations).
Once a shopper is verified, they’re automatically signed into their customer account and details such as delivery preferences, loyalty points, coupon offers and preferred payment method are pre-filled to complete the purchase.
Shoppers can identify their preferred payment method from a variety of choices, from credit cards to digital wallets, pay by bank and buy now, pay later.
Mango
Mango has entered Roblox with the opening of its first immersive store on the platform, located in the virtual Outfit Shopping Mall, where users will be able to purchase Mango Teen digital garments and products for their avatars.
The Outfit Shopping Mall is situated on a Mediterranean island and will open this month on Roblox.
A2Z
Mars
Mars and Einride, a freight technology company, are partnering to bring a fleet of 300 electric and digitally optimised, heavy duty trucks to the former’s network across Europe by 2030.
Across Europe it is estimated that the electric operations will save 20,000 metric tons of CO2e each year by 2030, which accounts for roughly a 10% reduction in Mars Europe’s road transport GHG emissions annually.
The first delivery happened last week, with Einride’s freight capacity offering deployed with two electric trucks and charging points powered by its operating system Saga.
The route is between the Mars Petcare factory in Verden, Germany and its distribution centre in Minden, Germany, which are approximately 90 km (56 miles) apart.
Following Germany’s lead, the partnership will begin expanding across Europe first with routes in the UK and the Netherlands expected to follow later in 2024. These fully electric operations will be complemented with an autonomous pilot, implemented in 2025.
Evri and JD.com
Evri and JD.com have announced a partnership aimed at bridging the gap between European brands and the market in China.
The pair say that the integration of the latter’s logistics and e-commerce capabilities in China with the former’s delivery network across Europe will offer European businesses a gateway to access JD.com’s consumer base in China – and Chinese brands growth opportunities in Europe.
Leveraging Evri's delivery network throughout Europe, JD Logistics will offer customers in China enhanced services and offerings to European brands.
The services will include Evri’s local pick-up and warehousing in Europe and then international transportation, access to Chinese bonded warehouses, customs clearance, and comprehensive delivery across China.
JD Worldwide, the cross-border e-commerce platform of JD.com, will provide Evri’s retail partners with insights on the Chinese market including consumer behaviour, marketing and pricing strategies, product selection advice, and online operational strategies specific to China.
The partnership will initially prioritise the beauty and apparel sectors.
It will also enable JD Logistics to offer integrated warehousing and delivery solutions to clients in Europe by leveraging Evri’s local distribution network and JD’s self-operated overseas warehouses.
HERE Technologies and what3words
HERE Technologies, a location data and technology platform, has announced an expansion of its global partnership with addressing system what3words.
Starting this year, customers using the HERE platform’s Location Services application programming interfaces (APIs) will be able to activate their what3words licence via HERE.
The latter says that it is making what3words available in its platform amid increasing consumer demand for the technology.
Its automotive customers are already able to activate their what3words licence via their account managers, and the latest agreement between the two companies will bring this offering to those across other verticals.
what3words has divided the globe into a grid of 3 metre x 3 metre squares, and given each one a unique combination of three words: a what3words address.
Metro Brands
Metro Brands, an Indian footwear and accessory specialty retailer, has entered into a strategic partnership with Nextail, a merchandise planning platform for fashion.
The long-term agreement encompasses a number of AI driven solutions across buying and merchandising.
Metro Brands operates more than 800 stores across over 180 Indian cities, with plans to open approximately 200 by FY 2025.
It says that, through accurate demand forecasting and decision automation, the Nextail platform will ensure product availability across its rapidly expanding store footprint.
With hyper-local forecasting, every store will have the individual focus that is usually only possible in the earliest stages of a brand’s journey. Metro Brands lays claim to being one of the only retailers in India with this capability at scale.
Diebold Nixdorf
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.
It will complement Diebold Nixdorf's other AI-based solutions, which reduce friction during fresh produce scanning and age verification for restricted sales.
According to a press release: “Bringing these technologies together on a single platform will result in one of the most holistic anti-shrink solutions on the market – with great ability to scale.”
“Diebold Nixdorf can deploy its new AI powered solutions for retailers, without disruption, through its existing in-store integrations.”
Family Express
Family Express, a US-based chain of convenience stores, has announced the release of a new mobile app experience.
“It’s never been easier to order a Friday night pizza, or save big on a favourite snack or your next fill-up with F.E. Perks,” says Family Express Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Gus Olympidis.
“We’ve made considerable investments in a contemporary experience for our brand over the past few years, and we’re thrilled to take the next step by introducing a personalised app experience that meets the needs of today’s customers.”
Żabka Polska
Żabka Polska has added a hot dog serving robot, named Robbie, to its network of AiFi powered Żabka Nano autonomous stores.
This has been created in collaboration with VeloxAlpha.
Customers can order via multiple payment methods and customise their hot dog with preferred toppings.
Nano turns stores into autonomous units with 24/7 opening hours. Once enrolled, customers can walk in, take their desired products and leave, and payment will be made automatically.
Nano technology can be implemented in traditional locations (city centres, train and stations, etc.) and in a store-in-store model.
Brain Corp
Brain Corp has announced a series of milestones achieved in autonomous robotics during 2023 along with the appointment of Chris Lobdell as its new Chief Revenue Officer.
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