Over-reliance on data and algorithms stifling creativity: our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we head towards the 20,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Currys, Flying Tiger Copenhagen, TikTok Shop, S Group, Nesto Group, Al Wafa Hypermarket KSA, Hotel Chocolat, and the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Time is running out to enter the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, deadline for submissions Friday, 25th October
There are only two and a half weeks left to submit your entries for the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, 25th October.
The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
It's free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.
Download our handy guide to entering the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Key 2024 dates:
Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed
30th October-6th November: Judging days
Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.
For all entry related queries, please email our Editor and Founder, Scott Thompson: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com
Flying Tiger Copenhagen completes roll-out of Danish retailer’s loyalty app to Sweden, Norway, and Finland
Flying Tiger Copenhagen has gone live with its loyalty app in Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
In a LinkedIn post, Amalie Willems, Social Media Coordinator, Nordics at Flying Tiger Copenhagen, says:
“Since starting at Flying Tiger Copenhagen, I’ve had the privilege of working on some truly exciting projects with great people, and the past few weeks have been particularly special.”
“We’ve successfully launched the Flying Tiger Copenhagen Club app in Sweden, Norway, and most recently Finland. I’m so grateful to have worked alongside an incredible team who made this possible. This launch has also included some fantastic influencer collaborations, including a successful partnership with Charlotte Karlsen.”
She adds: “The app is already making waves, offering our customers exclusive discounts and a more engaging shopping experience. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to download it and see what we’ve been working on.”
Currys CITO Andy Gamble: retailers’ addiction to data is killing the magic of human intuition and originality
As retailers become increasingly data driven, they risk losing the very thing that makes them stand out or relevant: their creativity. So says Andy Gamble, Chief Information & Transformation Officer (CITO) at Currys.
In an online post, he says: “With the rise of Big Data, AI, and machine learning, retailers have gained unprecedented access to insights about customer behaviour, preferences, and purchasing patterns.”
“While these tools have certainly revolutionised the industry, many retailers are now facing an unintended consequence: an over-reliance on data and algorithms is stifling creativity, leading to homogenised experiences that lack the magic of human intuition and originality.”
From personalised product recommendations to supply chain optimisation, data has become an essential tool for driving efficiency, predicting trends, and meeting customer expectations.
Gamble comments: “We use it extensively in our day jobs across my team at Currys. Customers leave a digital trail that retailers like us are eager to follow, using everything from purchase history and website behaviour to location data and social media activity to tailor our offers and ensure a more personalised experience.”
“The promise of data is compelling: right product, right customer, right time. It benefits all and is a formula that, in theory, should drive higher sales and customer satisfaction. And, in many ways, it has. Retailers that master data analytics often report higher conversion rates, improved inventory management, and better-targeted marketing efforts.”
Creativity, however, is being sidelined. The problem is that algorithms and data models, while efficient, are inherently backward looking, Gamble argues.
Finnish co-operative retailer S Group deploys Pricer digital solution in over 100 additional stores
More than 100 stores will be equipped during the first half of 2025.
The focus will mainly be on S-market supermarket stores, and Prisma hypermarkets, that previously focused on implementing Pricer’s in-store solution in their grocery departments and will now see additional installations in non-grocery departments.
S Group is a customer-owned Finnish network of companies in the retail and service sectors, with approximately 1,000 grocery stores in Finland consisting of the Alepa, Sale, S-market and Prisma chains.
The Pricer solution is based on the platform Pricer Plaza, which provides a cloud-based software solution that enables the chains to centrally manage and control pricing, product information, and promotions across all electronic shelf labels (ESL) in all connected stores.
Sustainable deliveries firm HIVED appoints logistics and supply chain veteran Andrew Baker as VP Sales
HIVED, an all electric delivery company, has announced Andrew Baker as its new Vice President of Sales.
With over 20 years of experience in the logistics and supply chain sector, he will be responsible for building out HIVED’s sales function and onboarding new retail partners.
Founded in 2021 by Co-CEOs Murvah Iqbal and Mathias Krieger, the company focuses on sustainable, technology driven parcel delivery solutions, tailored to the e-commerce industry.
Baker joins from DHL Supply Chain, where he worked as Business Development Director for E-commerce & Retail Business Unity.
At DHL, he played a pivotal role in strategic growth, particularly in the large item home delivery service area - an essential market segment driven by the rise in e-commerce and the growing need for specialised home delivery solutions.
Prior to that, he also spent 18 years at DPD in various commercial roles, where he contributed to the businesses growth within domestic and international parcel services along with DPD Fulfilment warehouse operations.
MD of Clothing & Home at M&S Richard Price joins Refined Networks board as Non-Executive Director
Refined Networks, a platform for cross-border digital commerce, has added Richard Price to its board of directors.
Co-founded by Ben Barnett (former CEO of TFG London), Sune Bjerregaard (former CEO of Masai) and Ian Wallis (former Global Retail Director at Phase Eight), Price’s addition to the Refined Networks board brings with it three decades of retail experience from his roles at Next, M&S, BHS and Tesco’s F&F Clothing.
“I am thrilled to join the Refined Networks board at such a pivotal time in the company’s journey,” says Price.
“With the world’s leading retailers launching their own third-party brand platforms, fashion brands have a huge opportunity for growth - but often lack the relationships, expertise or resources to trade across multiple platforms, or cross-border into new markets.”
“I look forward to joining the board as an NED, supporting the development of the Refined Networks solution and helping fashion brands realise their global potential.”
TikTok Shop partners with FinTech Storfund to offer sellers Daily Advance embedded cash flow solution
FinTech firm Storfund has announced a new partnership with TikTok Shop that, it says, will introduce the first fully embedded cash flow solution in a major US marketplace.
Called Daily Advance, the product will see Storfund, which was founded in London in 2018, advance money to sellers as soon as they ship their goods.
The company says that this addresses a significant disparity in the fast moving world of e-commerce where customers can buy online in minutes, but marketplaces can delay payouts to sellers for up to 60 days.
Money is legitimately held back by all marketplaces to ensure that sellers have funds available for refunds but this can disrupt their ability to restock and scale up.
The partnership sees TikTok Shop embed the proprietary solution end-to-end within its platform.
Nesto Group and Al Wafa Hypermarket KSA notch up an ESLs first in Middle East with Hanshow deployment
Nesto Group in Oman and Al Wafa Hypermarket KSA in Saudi Arabia have deployed Hanshow’s electronic shelf labels, marking the first ever multi-colour ESL installation in the Middle East.
Hanshow said in a LinkedIn post: “The development and installation process went smoothly thanks to the incredible efforts of our in-house team and local partner, ESL Hub. A huge thank you to everyone involved!”
Luxury chocolatier and cacao grower Hotel Chocolat taps injixo workforce management solution
InVision Software, the company behind injixo, a cloud workforce management (WFM) application, has bagged Hotel Chocolat as a new customer.
The retailer is looking to transform its staff scheduling process, which was cumbersome and inefficient.
With injixo, it can take advantage of scheduling capabilities that automatically tailor working hours, breaks, and lunches based on employee skills and customer demand. Automation aims to significantly streamline the process, yet allow for dynamic adjustments to accommodate on-the-day challenges such as sickness.
The solution will help Hotel Chocolat to manage fluctuations in seasonal demand, achieve optimal staffing efficiency, and potentially reduce operational costs, particularly during quieter periods.
Additionally, it will enable real-time schedule adherence monitoring, enable same-day task assignments, and provide 24/7 mobile access for agents to view their schedules and manage time off.
Aramark unveils Amazon Just Walk Out technology powered store at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
Aramark Healthcare+ has launched a new store at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and located near the main café dining area.
This marks the first Texas hospital to implement Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and the second fully autonomous micro market within Houston Methodist. The 150 square foot store provides a variety of convenience snacks, beverages, healthy options, and microwaveable frozen meals.
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