2024 RTIH Innovation Awards announces shortlist for Virtual Store category including Obsess and BigCommerce

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Virtual Store of the Year category, sponsored by Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50.

We received a record number of submissions this year across 20+ categories and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, which will take place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.

The event will be held on Thursday, 21st November and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

Congratulations to all of our finalists.

To book your place at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 21st November, click here.

VIRTUAL STORE OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST AS FOLLOWS:

The winner of this award will have either launched a new virtual store in the past 12 months, or overhauled and significantly enhanced an existing one.

We’re looking for retailers/brands delivering seamless and personalised shopping experiences, engaging with customers in exciting and innovative ways via the likes of gamification, livestream commerce, and the metaverse, and boosting online sales.

Obsess

Obsess is an experiential e-commerce platform that develops highly visual, interactive and tailored virtual shopping experiences to help brands engage consumers digitally through 3D storytelling.

The company partnered with J.Crew, e.l.f cosmetics, Alo Yoga and Mytheresa earlier this year to develop the first shopping apps for Apple Vision Pro, which combined Apple’s spatial computing technology with Obsess’ proprietary virtual shopping technology.

SEIKK

SEIKK blends a lifestyle magazine with an online marketplace dedicated to active men. Faced with the challenge of declining traditional retail models, it has leveraged technology to enhance the shopping experience.

The Linz Shop/BigCommerce

While the Linz name is renowned in the steakhouse and hospitality industries, it has yet to become a household brand in the retail category. This makes it crucial for the company to showcase the rich history behind its wholesale brand, Meats by Linz, and its e-commerce brand, The Linz Shop, on its website.

Working with BigCommerce, The Linz Shop strives to demonstrate why it stands out from the competition through its storytelling and partnerships with top-tier restaurants.

The New Face

The New Face, in partnership with Harper’s Collective, has launched a store that boasts cutting-edge graphics and navigation comparable to the latest PS5 games. It also includes Shopify integration, and is built on Unreal Engine 5.4 and hosted via pixel streaming.

And the winner is…

Join us at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on Thursday, 21st November to celebrate retail technology innovation and our 2024 winners.

To secure your place at the event, please complete the below form and we will get back to you with further details asap.