Pavers unlocks data’s full potential: RTIH presents last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Clekt, Trafford Centre, Living Map, Instacart, Rohlik Group, Amazon, John Lewis & Partners, Sprouts, Harmons, The Save Mart Companies, Rosauers, and Asda.

Amazon

Amazon has launched Prime Air drone delivery for customers in Tolleson, Arizona.

Customers who live near Amazon's same-day facility in the city, which is located west of Phoenix, can now have deliveries completed in under an hour using the company’s MK30 drones.

These smaller sites are hybrid, part fulfilment centre, part delivery station.

More than 50,000 items are available for drone delivery in Tolleson, including household products, beauty items and office supplies. Products have to weigh five pounds or less to be eligible, and there is a fee for the service.

In an online post, Amazon says: “Since starting drone delivery in 2022, we’ve delivered thousands of items to customers in less than an hour. Last year we also began delivering prescription medications in partnership with Amazon Pharmacy to customers in College Station, Texas. We’ve received great feedback from customers and communities as we’ve rolled out the service.”

“Earlier this year, we announced we hit our fastest Prime delivery speeds ever in the US and around the world, with more than five billion items arriving the same or next day globally.”

Trafford Centre

Living Map has become a mapping and wayfinding partner navigating shoppers through the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

At 2.2 million square feet, with over 200 stores, restaurants and leisure activities, navigating Trafford Centre can often be a challenge for some visitors. 

A live, digital map is now available on its website and on screens throughout the mall.

The map details each retailer within the centre, car parks, entrances and services such as toilets, guest services and escalators/lifts. It offers live intelligence on each of these retailers and services, for example, if an escalator is out of service this will be highlighted on the map.

Customers can also input where they want to go, such as a particular store, and the map will provide a direct route to that location.

Rohlik Group and Amazon

Rohlik Group, through its subsidiary Knuspr.de, has announced a partnership with Amazon.de to offer a new e-grocery service to Amazon Prime members in Germany.

The collaboration will utilise Knuspr's fulfilment technology and a diverse range of products, providing Prime members with rapid delivery.

Following a Berlin launch, the service will soon expand to the Munich metropolitan area and the Rhine-Main region.

“We are excited to offer Knuspr grocery deliveries to our Prime members in Germany,” says Ganesh Rao, Vice President at Amazon Grocery International. “Knuspr offers a broad, regionally-focused assortment, and fast, flexible deliveries and this partnership reinforces our commitment to bringing together low prices, vast selection, fast delivery options that Amazon customers know and love.” 

“We are proud to partner with Amazon to accelerate the transformation of Germany’s e-food market. This partnership gives Prime members access to our broad and unique assortment, saving them time while ensuring convenience and quality,” says Tomas Cupr, Founder and CEO at Rohlik Group. 

“While Knuspr.de will continue to serve customers directly, this collaboration aims to expand Rohlik´s reach and reinforces its position in the German market.”

Sprouts, Harmons, The Save Mart Companies and Rosauers

Instacart reports that Sprouts, Harmons, The Save Mart Companies and Rosauers are tapping its Storefront Pro offering.

This is an e-commerce solution custom designed for grocers of all sizes, providing premium features and customisation options to grow retailers’ online businesses. These retailers are among over 600 retail banners leveraging Instacart’s e-commerce solutions.

Storefront Pro is pitched as an easy and affordable way for grocers to get online and add e-commerce to their websites. Harmons has adopted the latest version of Storefront Pro for the first time while Sprouts has upgraded to the latest version. Additionally, The Save Mart Companies has launched Storefront Pro, moving from Storefront.

JYSK

Home furnishing retailer JYSK says that it has reached a milestone in the construction of its new distribution centre in Lelystad, near Amsterdam in the Netherlands with the first column now erected.

Building work on the 147,000 square metre, automated facility, located close to a temporary centre at Lelystad, near Amsterdam in the Netherlands, began last summer.

On Tuesday, 5th November, the construction team held a ceremony with the placement of the first column to symbolise the start of the vertical construction. JYSK representatives placed the column together with local officials such as the mayor of Lelystad, Mieke Baltus. Over 100 guests, including all employees from the temporary distribution centre, were in attendance.

"This is truly a milestone we have all been looking forward to. We are now seeing the first outlines of what will become our high tech distribution centre. This is not only an important moment in construction but a great achievement for everyone involved," says Rob Deinum, Project & Technical Manager at JYSK.

Pavers

Pavers has announced Clekt as its official data partner in a tie up that involves the Snowflake platform.

"We’re thrilled to partner with Pavers on their journey to becoming a data driven business. This partnership reflects our commitment to helping organisations unlock data’s full potential, leveraging our commercial expertise and Snowflake’s world class data platform," says Andy Tudor, CEO at Clekt and former fashion retail CIO.

“Clekt shares our vision that data holds the key to unlocking the potential to drive more value and happiness into our customers. Working in partnership with Clekt, we’re excited to collaborate to become a data first business,” says Dan Arden, Marketing Director at Pavers.

Pavers will be achieving a single view of company data on the Snowflake platform, to be leveraged for analytics, as well as operational, data science and AI use cases.

Asda

Asda is piloting a self-service returns system where shoppers can deposit unwanted or faulty products and be automatically refunded.

A trial is underway at the retailer’s Ashton-under-Lyne store in Greater Manchester. Asda is also testing out a service allowing shoppers to buy tobacco and vape products without having to queue at the traditional kiosk.

In a LinkedIn post, Alexander Lacy, Senior Manager - Retail Front End Service and Back Office at Asda, said:

“Self-service returns is live. Massive well done to all the people involved in landing our brand new self- service returns concept in our Ashton store in Greater Manchester.”

John Lewis & Partners

Klarna is now available at John Lewis & Partners.

The retailer’s customers can now tap Klarna’s interest free Pay in 3, spreading the cost of purchases over 60 days online and the John Lewis app.

In a LinkedIn post, Klarna said: “We’re thrilled to partner with this beloved British brand, bringing more choice and convenience to their customers. With Klarna now available at half of the UK’s top 100 retailers, we’re making shopping easier and more accessible for millions.”