Smart fitting rooms and EV charging milestones: running you through 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 Sainsbury’s, Roblox, eBay, Walmart, Zepeto, Ochama, EE, M&S, H&M, Lacoste, and Just Eat.
Lacoste
Cypheme reports that Vrai AI, its AI anti-counterfeit technology that can detect fake products based on just a picture of a specific detail of a product or label, purely with visual analysis, is now available to brands worldwide.
Lacoste is the first company to tap this technology.
The CW Network and Shopsense AI
In a first for US college sports, viewers of the Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse game at 12 p.m. ET on 2nd November will be able to shop game day essentials and team merchandise directly from their mobile devices with technology powered by Shopsense AI’s Commerce Operating System (Commerce OS).
The partnership will kick off with ACC college football broadcasts and will expand to other live sports, scripted series, and unscripted programming across The CW Network. Whether viewers are engaging with game-day content on broadcast television or via social media, they'll be able to buy products while enjoying their favourite programmes.
eBay
eBay has launched Listings in Lights, an immersive display in the heart of London that promotes private selling and lets people shop pre-loved items across luxury, fashion, home, tech, and toys, from eBay sellers across the UK.
The move follows last month’s removal of selling fees for private sellers in the UK, making it free to sell across all categories except for motors.
“The festive season can feel overwhelming, and this year is no different,” says Kirsty Keoghan, General Manager at eBay UK.
“eBay removed selling fees to give buyers access to a greater selection of inventory and to simplify the experience for sellers. Listings in Lights is illuminating the streamlined experience, making it easier than ever for sellers to spotlight their items, and for buyers to find inspiration for everyone on their list.”
Taking place at Outernet at Tottenham Court Road on 8th and 9th November, the experience will bring pre-loved inventory from sellers across the UK together, in a live shoppable light installation. Guests at the Outernet will be able to scan QR codes to shop products on eBay.
To be in with the chance to have their products included, sellers need to include the hashtag #ListingsInLights in the title of their listing.
Ikea
Ikea has opened the doors to its first stand-alone restaurant on the UK high street. Shoppers in Hammersmith, London will now be able to drop in and enjoy the retailer’s iconic meatballs and other treats, on King Street.
This is the first time Ikea has created an exclusive dining space on the high street – opening next door to the newly revamped Hammersmith City store.
The space, formerly home to a Wasabi restaurant, has been kitted out to seat 75 diners, serving a range of Swedish dishes, and featuring self-service terminals.
“We know how much our customers love the Ikea restaurant and we’re excited to celebrate the opening of our very first high street restaurant,” says Matthew Gould, Market Manager at Ikea London City.
“Fans of our delicious dishes can recharge during their shopping trip with our famous Swedish meatballs, pop in for a traditional Swedish ‘fika’ break for coffee and a sweet treat, or find an affordable meal for the kids right on the high street.”
Just Eat Takeaway.com
Customers in Ireland, Spain and Italy can now use text/touch commands to place orders using the in-car screen, with the feature also rolling out to Germany and Austria over the coming weeks.
The app is currently available in the Mercedes-Benz In-Car App Store for customers of select car lines including the new CLE , E-Class, C-Class and GLC with an activated “Entertainment Package Plus”.
Just Eat is also working with other major car brands to roll this out further and test similar features.
“We want to fit seamlessly into the lives of our network so we’re always looking at how best to evolve our technology to make using our platform as convenient as possible,” says Jessica Hall, Chief Product Officer, Just Eat Takeaway.com.
“For our customers, this means making the ordering journey as easy as possible, whether that’s supporting them to try new foods or find last minute groceries. For our partners, we want to provide them with a consistent end-to-end experience, to help them reach more customers and grow their businesses. Testing brand new innovations is one of the ways we do this.”
Ochama
Ochama, the European omnichannel retail brand of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, has launched a new automated warehouse in Poland, aimed at boosting operational efficiency and enhancing customer experience throughout the region.
This is located near the Polish-German border, spanning 27,000 square metres. Utilising a flexible goods-to-person system, those involved claim that it improves picking efficiency to three times that of a traditional approach.
The facility enables Ochama to achieve 48-hour fulfilment across Poland, with some orders eligible for same-day delivery, while also raising the 48-hour fulfilment rate in Germany to 80%. Additionally, the warehouse utilises a rooftop photovoltaic power system and new energy forklifts.
EE
EE’s flagship Studio store in Westfield London, White City, is celebrating its first birthday by opening a Gaming Zone as a free bookable space for parents to host birthday parties, with priority access given to local West London community groups.
It follows new research from EE that finds two in five parents struggle to afford their children’s birthday. The average party now costs £246 per child, with younger parents aged 18 to 34, typically spending £308. Over a million children in the UK don’t get to enjoy their birthday with a party, and cost is a big factor.
That’s despite 52% saying that celebrating with friends is the most important thing to their child on their birthday, ahead of cake (48%), presents (47%) and doing something with their family (43%).
The EE Studio opened in 2023, alongside a new direction for the brand, with a renewed focus on gaming.
EE marked the occasion with a visit from Bradley Riches, star of hit Netflix show Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother. Riches had his gaming face on as he dropped in to try out the latest consoles and titles in the Gaming Zone.
The Brewery Quarter
The Brewery Quarter, a retail and leisure development in the heart of Cheltenham, has taken a step towards achieving its goal of net zero operation with the installation of a 509 panel rooftop solar+storage system across five of its buildings.
In its first year, the system is expected to generate up to 200,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy and offset the production of approximately 138 tonnes of carbon.
Located on Cheltenham High Street, The Brewery Quarter is home to a number of retail outlets, restaurants, bars, and a variety of leisure facilities including a 14 screen cinema.
The solar system will provide power for heating, lighting and air conditioning in the complex’s shared areas. This is expected to save in the region of £50,000 each year in reduced energy bills.
The solar system, which uses SolarEdge technology to maximise energy production and ensure safety, was funded by rural insurer, NFU Mutual, and delivered through asset management company, Martin Commercial Properties, working in partnership with Your Eco, a local installer of solar power systems.
Sawhorse Productions
Sawhorse Productions has launched Wicked on Roblox ahead of the film’s theatrical release in the United States on 22nd November.
Wicked is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which in turn was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire and characters from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
People can buy tickets directly through the Roblox experience, thanks to a partnership with Fandango, and grab some free UGC with each purchase.
H&M
Oskar Jakobsson, Director Customer Solutions at ICA Gruppen, has taken to social media to praise the smart fitting rooms at H&M’s flagship store in Stockholm that opened last week.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I sometimes get asked what I recommend or think about digital solutions for retail. For me this is often the wrong question, tech for the sake of technology is always a bad decision. Tech should improve the customer experience, self service should reduce friction, staff tools should improve efficiency and staff experience also.”
He added: “That’s why I was happy to see the smart fitting rooms at H&M Stockholm. I have been a supporter of this solution since I was head of innovation at H&M, we then did the first initial POC and tests so I was extra proud to see it live today.”
“What we found in the initial tests was that in a good implementation they increase customer experience, increase sales, help staff to be more efficient and reduce friction in the entire explore, fit to buy journey.
The solution detects what shoppers bring in through RFID. They can see availability in-store of colours and sizes, send a request to staff to bring new sizes etc. They can also see what matches well and availability online.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s reports a milestone with the launch of its latest ultra-rapid EV charging service. The unveiling of a new Smart Charge hub at its Tamworth store, Staffordshire means the grocery giant now has over 500 charging bays available up and down the country.
Smart Charge is pitched as the only ultra-rapid EV charging network that is owned and operated by a UK supermarket.
Like the rest of Sainsbury’s estate, it is powered by 100% renewable electricity, and it aims to make access to EV charging on-the-go more accessible while supporting the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
On average a new hub is opened every week and in just over a year, Smart Charge has launched over 500 charging bays across 62 sites so far.
Bosma
Inventory intelligence solution Gather AI has announced a new customer, US-based Bosma Enterprises (Bosma), Indiana's largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired.
Bosma delivers business solutions including warehousing, contract packaging, light manufacturing, and product assembly. It also offers rehabilitation services, job training, and employment programmes to people experiencing vision loss.
It has implemented the Gather AI solution in its warehouse to enhance productivity and efficiency. This solution automates manual inventory processes and data analysis through the use of autonomous drones and computer vision technology.
AI software enables drones to fly autonomously through warehouses with no GPS, WiFi, or infrastructure changes needed. The machine learning algorithm analyses inventory pictures and is able to read and interpret barcodes, lot codes, text, expiration dates, case counts, and occupancy information.
This data is what warehouse operators need in order to compare the real-time physical inventory with what is digitally stored in the warehouse management system (WMS).
M&S
Marks and Spencer is bringing self-checkouts to its store changing rooms so that shoppers won’t have to join two queues when trying on and buying clothes.
The retailer is planning to roll-out self-service tills in 180 of its clothing stores by early 2028.
Operations Director Sacha Berendji told The Telegraph: “We’d like customers to be able to walk straight into the fitting room with no queue, try on what they’ve chosen, then pay there and just walk out.”
“Shoplifting is a major problem in this country, but there are things that we’re all doing to mitigate some of those losses.”
The new tills have thus far been introduced in 28 recently revamped stores.
Walmart
Walmart’s young adult clothing brand, No Boundaries, has officially launched on Zepeto, an Asian avatar centric social universe.
In a LInkedIn post, Sawhorse Productions said: “Our team is thrilled to build on our work with Walmart to engage younger audiences by activating this rapidly growing UGC platform.”
“The NoBo drop includes ten virtual versions of pieces from the line’s fall collection. And we brought the community in by collaborating with Zepeto creator, Xexi, to design limited edition items. We also created a twisted prep photobooth backdrop, knowing that Zepeto users love the in-game photo booth function.”
It added: “Sawhorse is passionate about helping brands navigate the immersive/gaming space. Is Zepeto new to you? It’s a platform to watch - ultra fast growth, truly global user base and a highly engaged community.”
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